Once Upon a Tennyson
by Creaturemaster
Summary: (After WAM) Ben somehow arrives in a world of fairy tales and magic, where following one's destiny is important above all else and the student body of a certain school is locked in a war over how to live their lives. Can Ben unite the students under one flag before the dark force lurking within the shadows ends them and claims the world for itself? The first of it's kind!
1. Once Upon a Time

**Hello everyone! Yes, it is I, _Creaturemaster_ , back from the grave and deader than ever! I really must thank all my viewers and readers for giving me the idea and the constant want of a sequel to my previous story, so here it is! The ever awaited sequel to " _We're All Monsters"._ I hope you enjoy it as much as I have had fun writing it. And as a bonus, it's the first of it's kind! I must be a trend setter or something!**

 **First, I simply must thank two people for helping get this story off the ground. I'd like to thank _Kaiju Fan_ for giving me the idea to start off this story when I was still making _We're All Monsters._ I never would have been able to start this story without you. And to thank _Morantis_ for giving me inspiration for this otherwise hard sequel.**

 **Speaking of pairings, I apologize for all future readers. If things turn out differently in canon, I apologize for messing things up. Things just happened to be the way they were when I was writing a certain chapter.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request below! I'd especially like to hear how I've done writing the Ever After High cast (it might take me a couple chapters to get it down pat).**

 **Enough with my meaningless ramblings! On with the story!**

Apple White yawned and cracked open her eyes, the warm sunlight passing through her open window pangs and lighting up her half of the room, the deep reds and bright yellows becoming brighter and more elegant in the sunshine. Apple smiled and sat up in bed, combing down a bit of her bed head and walking over to the window and onto the balcony in her pink night gown, enjoying the feeling of warmth on her flawless, ivory skin; a small little sparrow alighted down on the railing and chirped happily, rubbing its head against Apple's extended fingers.

"Isn't it such a beautiful morning?" Apple asked the bird, scratching it under its chin. "It makes you want to sing!" And that was exactly what the princess did, parting her ruby lips and letting sweet song flow out. The little bird began to sing along, the two of them happily singing in two part harmony and welcoming the morning rays. That is, until Apple's room mate woke up.

"Apple, can you please keep it down?" Raven Queen yawned, sitting up in her dark purple sheets and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Unlike Apple, Raven's violet and indigo locks looked as if they had been zapped by lightning, a complete mess that looked like it would take hours to smooth out. With a yawn, Raven climbed out of bed and set her bare feet on the black carpet of her side of the dorm, the divided line between both sides incredibly clear; the black carpet of Raven's side ended abruptly at the royal red of Apple's side, something Apple had made sure would happen when she decorated Raven's half of the room' unlike the princess's side of the room, Raven's side was in deep hues of black and purple, spikes and other evil looking monstrosities decorating everything.

Strangely enough, Raven did not feel at all like her side of the room looked. She didn't feel the tiniest bit evil, despite having dark magic coursing through her veins. And unlike what everyone except her fellow Rebels thought, she didn't want to be evil. Who in their right mind would want to live a life like what she had seen in the mirror during Destiny Day? Poisoning Apple just because it was her destiny? Living on the streets without anyone that loved her? Captured and tortured in Mirror Prison just because she had done Apple a kindness? Who wanted to live that life?

Nobody understood or cared what the Daughter of the Evil Queen thought about her destiny. As far as they were concerned, she was evil through and through and would end up just like her Mother had.

Apple smiled sweetly at Raven and politely did as she was asked; she was a princess after all. Instead she gave the little bird sitting on the balcony one last scratch under the chin and sent it on its merry way, giving a little twirl before happily walking back into the dorm to get ready for the day. Raven was sluggish and depressed, yawning every five minutes and scratching herself sleepily.

Both girls sat at their different vanities, getting ready for the day in their own way. Apple, being the Daughter of Snow White, found that being beautiful came easy to her; she rarely had to do anything more than a few simple brush strokes before her hair was perfect, and it was child's play to put on make up. Raven, on the other hand, had a more difficult time getting ready. Her hair was matted and twisted into mean looking snarls that would take a sharp sword just to tame; all she had was a hairbrush. Sighing, Raven took her black and violet colored hairbrush and began to run it through her hair, wincing as the individual brushes got caught in her tangled locks. She knew Apple would offer to help her, being almost always happy and cheery in the worst of weather, but Raven didn't want her help. She didn't mean to be rude, but Apple had always found some way or other to work in the annoying fact that she had a happy ending and that Raven didn't.

After a few excruciating moments and tussles with the brush, Raven was finally done and trudged over to her closet, not quite fully awake. She opened the door and glanced through the many outfits inside, deciding to just go with her usual look. Minutes later, she was fully dressed and somewhat awake.

Apple was also fully dressed, and was singing once more. Raven ignored it and merely checked she had everything she needed in her book bag before leaving the dorm, the door clicking shut behind her. Apple stayed behind, priming up and putting the finishing touches on herself; she had to look absolutely perfect for the day if she was to ever become Queen some day. The made her shudder with the pleasure; she could just imagine all the people waving and cheering for her during her coronation, acknowledging that she the fairest of them all as she lived happily ever after with her prince

The Royal then skipped happily to door, purse in hand, before she remembered something. She strolled away from the door and stood in front of her full length mirror, checking herself over before saying the words she always said.

"Mirror, mirror, staring back at me, how will today turn out to be?" she asked. She would usually ask who the fairest or the most beautiful in the land was, but she decided to skip it this time; it was always her anyways. The mirror swirled Apple's reflection, white, puffy clouds swirling around in the glass as a cheerful voice answered.

" _My Princess, today shall be, the day you meet your destiny."_ the mirror spoke. Apple listened closer, intrigued at what the mirror had to say,

" _You shall meet your Prince today, and forever more shall you frolic and play."_

" _He will appear in a puff of green smoke, summoned by one who you despise the most."_

"That last part didn't rhyme." Apple jokingly chastised the mirror.

" _You try to rhyme everything you say some time."_ the mirror shot back in a happy tone before shutting down for the moment. Apple shrugged and strolled to the door, closing it behind her and walking down the hallway of the dorms, wondering what the mirror's words meant.

* * *

"Ben?"

Ben groaned and turned over in his sleep, face down into his pillow where he continued his sleep; he had been out late on patrol with Rook, and after having a run in with Trumbipulor, every part of his body ached to high heaven. All he wanted to do was just sleep the day away without any interruptions.

"Ben!"

The wearer of the Omnitrix decided to ignore the faint voice at the edge of his thoughts, choosing to instead focus on getting back to sleep. He could feel its soft, warm grasp slowly closing around him, craddling him in pleasure and comfort like the soft, warm blanket that surrounded him. Unfortunately, it was short lived when a sudden jolt of electricity suddenly coursed through his body, lighting him up like a Christmas tree and making his hair stand on end as he screamed in agony until the course of energy was cut off a few short, agonizing seconds later.

"Sorry about that, Ben." Frankie apologized as Ben coughed out a cloud of soot and clutched his racing heart; he was sure it had started and stopped several times before his ghoulfriend had stopped. He looked up at her with a look of disdain on his face that quickly softened when he caught sight of those naïve, innocent, mismatched eyes that he fallen for, the way she worryingly clutched her hands together as she bit her lip nervously.

"Dare I ask what the reason behind this rude awakening is?" Ben yawned as he stood up and stretched his aching muscles, a light blush crossing Frankie's mint green cheeks; she wore a white tank top trimmed in electric blue with a lightning bolt on the front and a pair of black and white striped sweatpants that matched her messy, black and white streaked locks as her bolts sparked every few seconds.

"Knowing how tired you were last night, Rook was kind enough to call the house phone this time," Frankie explained. "It's the Vreedle Brothers again; it looks like they got smarter."

"Impossible." Ben yawned, cracking his back as he stood up.

"Maybe," Frankie shrugged. "Either way, they made off with an armored truck full of bullion."

"Are we talking soup or gold here?" Ben wondered.

"Gold." Frankie confirmed. "Either they got it mixed up again, or it was intentional."

"Well, I guess we can't let them get away with gold or soup." Ben sighed. "And here I was hoping I could sleep in for once." he joked as he grabbed a spare T-shirt hanging on the back of his desk chair and slipped it off before heading towards the bedroom door with Frankie right behind him; the room's walls were a vibrant green in color with a large, white bed in the center with black pillows at the head. A black desk sat adjacent and facing the window with a chair of the same color sitting in front of it. Upon purchasing the house, Sandra and several of her friends that included Ma Vreedle for some reason, swarmed into the house and immediately set to decorating it as they saw fit, using their husbands, the ghouls, Rook, and Ben as a work force to move things into place where they saw fit. And once the whole process was done, Ben and his ghouls spent an entire day perfecting it how they saw fit with regular breaks to go out on patrol; then again, 'purchase' didn't seem to be the correct word. It seemed that in the process of saving both his universe and his ghoulfriend's universe, Ben had merged the timelines together to the point where it seemed there had been no changes at all, appearantly managing to acquire himself and his ghouls a rather large and spacious house to live in.

"Any word on where the Vreedles are?" Ben asked as he and Frankie rushed down the stairs and to the bottom floor of the house and to the front door; the loud screeches of tires against the road and blaster fire could heard piercing the cool, morning air like arrow tips.

"I'm guessing somewhere close by." Frankie wagered as the two of them ran out onto the front lawn and looked up the street to see a large, fiery explosion farther up the block as a large, armored car came barreling out of the smoke at a breakneck pace with Rook's Proto-TRUK not far behind.

"Attention, Vreedle Brothers! This is your last and final warning!" Rook yelled through the microphones on his truck. "Pull over your vehicle and surrender!"

"We don't know the meaning of them there words!" Rhomboid yelled over his shoulder as Octagon tried to get his attention back towards the road.

"Boid, we don't know the meaning of a lot of words." Octagon reminded him.

"So we's just dumb then?" Rhomboid raised ane eyebrow.

"That we be, Boid. That we be." Octagon sighed dejectedly. "However, there is one way to prove that we's ain't stupid."

"How's that?" Rhomboid asked.

Octagon sighed and face palmed himself. "Just drive, Boid."

"Can do!"

"You ready?" Ben asked Frankie as they both turned on their respective Omnitrixes and cycled through their respective rosters before selecting a transformation and slapping their respective activation buttons, swallowing themselves in flashes of green and cyan light. Ben's skin suddenly exploded into patterns of the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow, racing and dancing over his body until it looked like a paint truck had exploded on him. He looked down at his feet to find them completely vanishing into box-shaped toes, rings of the squares racing up his legs with the sound of a thousand clattering LEGO bricks. The rings traveled up his body, becoming wider as they reached his chest and arms, his fingers melting together to form four, blocky digits on each hand. The blocks raced up his back and neck to envelope his face, making his head cubular and boxy as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, completing the transformation.

Frankie's mint green skin began to harden into a smooth covering, little diamonds and crystals racing up her arms and legs to cover her as her bones disappeared altogether and she shot upwards a few feet. She felt her jawline push out a little ways as her teeth fused together into two, hard plates her right eye turned blue and her left eye turned green. She retained a feminine figure as a black jumpsuit with a wide, cyan stripe down the middle appeared on her figure, the cyan colored Omnitrix appearing around her waist in the form of a belt, completing the transformation.

"Darn it! I wanted Humungousaur, not Bloxx!" the Segmentasapien cursed as Tourma chuckled.

"Ben, you always wanted Humungousaur." she scolded Bloxx. "Remember what Skurd said?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Bloxx grumbled as he jogged out into the middle of the street and morphed his flexible body into a sturdy, thick wall as Tourma ran out in front of him and raising one of her arms at the runaway vehicle, firing off a single shard of diamond at the front tire and succeeding in popping it, sending the armored truck spinning out to crash into Bloxx's sturdy body as Tourma jumped out of the way.

"Uh, Octagon? There was jus' one Ben Tennyson, right? Or am I countin' wrong again?" Rhomboid wondered, scratching his head.

"That's what ya might call a paradox, Rhomboid; instead of one Ben Tennyson, there be two." Octagon tapped his chin before leanning out the window. "Sorry to bother ya, ma'am, but if you could jus' explain to us what were seein', we'd be much obliged." Octagon said to Tourma.

"Simple enough. I'm his ghoulfriend." the Petrosapien explained. "And you two are under arrest."

"Aw, Octagon! We done it wrong again!" Rhomboid pouted.

"Sad, but true." the older of the two brothers agreed. "However, there is one way out of this particular mess we done gotten ourselves into."

"Uh, what is that again?"

Octagon sighed and face palmed himself once more. "Blastin', Boid. That's how we get ourselves outta this here mess."

"Ooh! I love blastin'!" Rhomboid cheered as he pulled out his favorite blaster, a gun-like weapon with three barrels and a large ammo supply, and fired it in all directions; Tourma instinctivly ducked to the ground as Bloxx was struck several times, smoking rising the areas he had been hit as he cried out in pain. Sensing a chance of escape, Rhomboid stepped onj the gas and spend along, ramming right through the Segmentasapien wall and sending individual blocks scattering in all directions as the Proto-TRUK came to a screeching halt next to the two aliens.

"Do you require a ride?" Rook asked.

"Please." Bloxx groaned as he quickly pulled himself back together with a loud clattering sound. "Oh, and Frankie? Diamondhead's impervious to energy attacks."

"Right. Sorry." the Petrosapien apologized as she climbed into the passenger's seat as Bloxx clambered up onto the roof, hanging on tightly as Rook stomped down on the gas and spend forward and after the armored truck the Vreedle Brothers had stolen. They sped through the early dawn of Bellwood, twisting and turning down the roads and sides treets as the Vreedle Brothers led them on wild goose that ended up going from the quiet suburbs to the main city.

"Hold 'er steady, Rook!" Bloxx yelled as they came up behind the runaway vehicle.

"Why? Is Ms. Stein in danger of falling over?" Rook asked.

"It's an expression, Rook! Just drive straight!" Bloxx yelled.

"And just call me Frankie, Rook." Tourma added as they edged closer and closer to the armored truck and rammed it in the rear bumper as Bloxx launched himself from the top of the Proto-TRUK and landed on top of the armored truck with a loud _thump!_ The Segmentasapien took a few seconds to catch his breath as Octagon climbed out of the window of the truck and onto the roof, brandishing a pair of smaller blasters.

"I jus' love me some blastin'." Octagon grinned.

"Me too, Octagon!" Rhomboid called up.

"Eyes on the road, Boid! It's one of them there traffic laws ya gots to obey!" Octagon snapped before returning his attention to Bloxx as the Segmentasapien shifted his left hand into a large, round shield and morphed his right arm into a large hammer. With a grunt, her swung his hammer and forced Octagon to bend backwards to avoid getting hit before he fired at Bloxx with his blasters, only succeeding in hitting the shield over and over again as Bloxx slowly made his way forward, swinging his hammer.

"Hold still for just a second." Tourma mumbled under her breath as she leaned out the window of the Proto-TRUK and fired off an explosvie shard at the back tire of the fleeing vehicle, succeeding in blowing the wheel down to its metallic skeleton and forcing the car to suddenly drop backwards. Bloxx stumbled and fell to his stomach as Octagon just barely his balanace and leveled his blasters at Bloxx's face, a wicked grin on his own.

"Any last words ya might like ta say before I blasts ya ta bits?" he asked, his fingers itching to pull the trigger. Bloxx knew that the threat was a weak one to say the least; sure it would hurt, but he could easily rebuild himself with little trouble. But that would also mean that they would lose track of the Vreedles and the pressus amount of gold they had stolen. It seemed he would once again go without breakfast when a sudden flash of bright, purple light caught his attention from the top of a large skyscraper.

"Yeah. Prepare for impact!" Bloxx yelled as he released his grip on the armored truck and flew back to crash into the windshield of the Proto-TRUK as something large and heavy came crashing down from the sky and smashed into the front of the armored truck, smashing the engine into bits and stopping the truck in its tracks; the Proto-TRUK came to a screeching halt, sending Bloxx flying into the back of the armored truck with a painful _clang!_

"Ow." he groaned as he climbed to his feet and cracked his aching bones. "Nice shot, Spectra."

"My pleasure." an Arburian Pelarota with purple-colored armor and black markings on her body that bared resembled a bikini of sorts said as she uncurled herself and stood up.

"I am thoroughly confused." Rhomboid groaned as he pulled himself lose from the driver's seat and slumped to the road, dazed.

"You and me both, Boid." Octagon moaned as he climbed to his feet, stretching his arms above his head when he suddenly heard a loud _clank!_ and looked up to see a pair of blue energy cuffs clapped around his wrists, a satisfied smile on Rook's face.

"You are here by under arrest for theft of an armored vehicle full of valuable gold, assault of three Plumber agents, disturbing the piece, destruction of private property, and all around may-" Rook listed off the charges before he was suddenly interrupted.

"Aw, Octagon! We done it wrong again!" Rhomboid whined as Rollchele took another pair of energy cuffs and snapped them around his wrists after pinning his arms behind his back.

"What are you talking about?" Tourma wondered.

"We's tryin' ta steal bouillon!" Rhomboid explained. "We done got them mixed up again."

"No, Boid, you're just plain mixed up." Octagon sighed, shaking his head with pity at his moronic brother's confusion. "Now if you would be so kind as ta take us back ta our cells? I does quite miss the food provided." With a slightly confused expression, Rook pushed the two criminals into the back of the Proto-TRUK and slammmed the doors behind them as the three Omnitrixes timed out and returned their respective owners back to their original forms in flashes of multicolored light; it was only then that Spectra realized she was only wearing her see through nightgown with her black bra and panties. With a slight yelp, she phased right through the walls of the Proto-TRUK and hunkered down in the back seat as Frankie climbed in next to her while Rook and Ben to the front seats.

"Mind dropping us off at home, Rook?" Ben asked. "I'd love to help out with whatever it is you do once you capture a criminal, but I'm already running late; I'm subbing for a class at Monster High today."

"I am surprised at you, Ben," Rook said as he turned the Proto-TRUK around once the authorities had arrived to take custody of the armored truck. "Normally, you and education do not mix very well. What ever changed your mind to volunteer to to substitute a Biteology class at Monster High?"

"It's way too long of a story to explain, Rook." Ben sighed as Spectra pulled out her iCoffin and turned in her seat to face the dejected Vreedle Brothers in the back.

"Do you mind if I take a picture for my report?" she asked kindly.

"Make sure ya get my good side!" Rhomboid grinned as he posed for the camera, much to Octagon's disappointment.

* * *

"Good morning, luvs." Robecca greeted Ben with a quick kiss as he, Frankie, and Spectra came shuffling into the kitchen, yawning and stretching their aching bodies before sitting down on the turning stools that sat in front of the counter where several plates of food sat waiting. "Made breakfast for you."

"Good thing you ghouls took those cooking classes." Ben joked as he stabbed his scrambled eggs with his fork; on the small TV sitting on the counter was Will Harangue telling the news while simultaneously spouting off incriminating nonsense about Ben and his ghouls. Ben tuned out the garbage as Spectra grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, grumbling obscenities under her breath as she nursed a mug of coffee.

"He's just jealous that I my reports get more viewers than he does." she smirked when she remembered the look on the anchorman's face when she submitted her first report of career and ended up getting a promotion the next day.

"Reporting news and beating up the bad guys on the side lines? How do you do it?" Ben cracked with a smile as Spectra's pale face blushed slightly.

"Morning, everyone." a slightly depressed sounding voice came from behind them all. Ben yelped and dropped his fork to the floor, mildly cursing as he bent down to pick it up and turn around in his seat to look at Twyla, who had simply materialized from the shadow of the refrigerator. "I swear, I will never get use to that." he said under his breath, Twyla smirking as she strolled into the kitchen to make something. Despite the fact they had all been living together for at least half a year, they were still getting use to living with each other; the house had a constant, faint smell of brimstone thanks to Jinafire's presence, Venus insisted on using environmentally safe methods whenever possible. Nefera always used the shower a little longer than anyone else, Skelita's bones rattled wherever she went, Spectra would pop in through the walls and ceilings unannounced, Jane would appear in the most unusual of places, the stairs had to all be modified so Avea could easily get between floors. The list went on and on.

"Don't forget that you're substituting for Monster High again," Twyla reminded her boyfriend grabbing a brown paper bag and stashing seemingly random food into it.

"Remind me how I ended up being a substitute teacher instead of a hero?" Ben asked, clearing his plate and dumping it in the sink and grabbing Frankie's finished platter bacon and scrambled eggs to do the same.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't love it," Frankie chided him. "Who better to teach a class about alien species than the guy who can turn into them?"

"She has a point, Ben." Twyla smirked, setting the brown paper bag in front of Ben. "The students really love it when you substitute. I see you teaching class in their dreams sometimes."

"Speaking of which, how goes being the Anti-Boogey Man?" Ben asked, smirking slightly as Twyla rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"Good, I guess. Not really much to talk about." she answered. "I still like heroing better."

"That's why I said." Ben smiled, kissing Twyla on the head before heading upstairs, ignoring the sound of a movie playing the living room; no doubt Venus and Jane had stayed up late again and fallen asleep together on the couch with Jane probably using Venus as a pillow and Venus using Jane as a blanket. He strolled past the many bedrooms that lined the hallway, heading towards his own bedroom at the end of the hall; the ghouls had come up with a system where each ghoul would sleep with Ben in a rotation system so that they would each have some time alone with Ben. Last night had been Frankie's turn, made evident by a pair of black pumps she had left behind last night on the floor.

Ben ignored the shoes and made his way over to his closet; unlike his ghouls, he really only had one uniform that he went with on a regular basis, with only a few separate looks to choose from if he so chose so. Normally, he just went with his brown pants and iconic black T-shirt with a green trim and stripe down the front with a white number 10 on the front. Once he was fully dressed, he headed towards one of the four bathrooms he and his ghouls all shared and grabbed his toothbrush and a bottle of toothpaste to begin brushing his teeth when he suddenly felt something.

It was something he had built up over his time has a hero, a gut-like feeling that he often got when something was amiss or didn't seem right. That feeling one got when they suddenly in danger or about to have something bad happen to them, that was the feeling Ben was getting right now when he suddenly suffered a sudden blow to the back of his head. As his vision and consciousness started to fade, he managed to fumble with the Omnitrix and slap the activation button, engulfing himself in a bright green light just as a warm, gentlemanly voice spoke.

"Sorry to have to do this to you, Benjamin." it apologized.

 **And that's it for the first chapter! So many questions and cliff hangers, so little time! At least this will hopefully guarantee a majority of my readers will stick around for the next chapter and onward (hopefully). And that myth about the sequel never being as good as the original? Lets hope that's a lie.**

 **Also, I'm sure several of you remember a contest I set up back in my previous story concerning Nemetrix predators? Well, I finally got off my lazy ass and got to work on drawing the winners; check out my DeviantArt account to check 'em out! And if ANYONE has an idea on how to end _this_ story, let me know. I've got a whole bunch of ideas for where I want this story to go, but no idea how to end it; call me lazy or scatterbrained, but that's just how I work.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I will try to have the next chapter out soon.**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	2. Dreamscaper

**Greetings, all you princes and princesses out there! I have returned with the highly anticipated chapter of" _Once Upon a Tennyson_ ". I am overly excited about how well everyone is liking this new series so far, and I hope that I can keep that up in the future; although really, it's not entirely me doing it all.**

 **I like to think that this story and " _We're All Monsters_ " was something of a community effort, with me giving the base line and then everyone feeling in the details with all of their suggestions, ideas, and inputs. Honestly, I don't I ever would have come this far without you man-sters and ghouls, and so I thank you from the bottom of my undead Tetramand hearts (yep, still goin' with that. Hades thinks it's a riot, BTW).**

 **And because I wanna keep the flow of this story going better than the last one, I have decided to actually respond to your reviews within the story itself; call me crazy, but I've seen other authors do it, and I always liked it when my questions were answered and things like that. Plus, some of my viewers have inexcesable profiles, that make it hard to talk back and forth.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **You won't have to wait any longer!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I'm sorry you feel that way; I guess I was so eager to get this up that I forgot. And don't worry, I have no intention of giving up on the one-shot series. While updates may be slow with the addition of this story and the upcoming school days, and the other collaborations I have with other authors, I have no intention of giving up on it.**

 _ **Dethroned King Umbros –**_ **I like the Clockwork idea. I might use, but there's no guarantee. Then again, it would be a way to ensure Briar would be in the harem.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Wait no more, my good man!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **To be honest, I didn't think Apple would cause this much impact, but now that you and several other readers mention it, the more I think I made an awesome decision.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Wow. I am utterly speechless. How you come up with these awesome ideas is beyond awesome . . . I have no words; I will make a few modifications to your ending idea though, because if you ask me, Ever After High has a villain** ** _far_ more deserving than the Forever King. Don't worry though. The Forever Knights _will_ appear. As for your second suggestion, I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that, though I would like Maleficent to appear. I find her latest version more appealing than her previous form, not just because she looks sexy as hell either; her story, her reasoning why she's supposedly evil, and the fact that she's played as an anti-hero is something I like a lot.**

 _ **Rexy –**_ **While they won't appear in** ** _every_ chapter, they will appear. It just wouldn't be as fun without them, now would it? And to answer you're second review, it wouldn't be much fun if Ben _wasn't_ knocked out, now would it?**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **First off, let me just say that you have a confusing name; I like it. Second, your wish is my command!**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **As I said with** ** _Kaiju Fan,_ I am utterly speechless. I _LOVE_ the idea, and you can expect to- ah, spoilers (to borrow a phrase from the Time Walker himself).**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **The honor is mine, my friend. I hope you enjoy reading it as I had as much fun writing it.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **I was actually planning on either having Kevin or Ben say this. I might take your idea and do both of them for added hilarity :)**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm afraid I can't agree with you; while I adore Dexven as much as the next fan, they are not an official couple according to the wiki; yes, they have gone on several dates, but as they have not kissed yet like Hunter and Ashlynn, they are not a couple in my book or a lot of other people's as well; to solve this issue though, I intend to set up a poll for the public's opinion about where Raven should end up.**

 _ **Dragonsaurus –**_ **I suddenly feel like a referee in a wrestling match between you and** ** _luciayshadow_. Oh, why does Ever After have to be so slow on the couples!?**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I intend to. Though this seems to be the only response you've ever given me. Are you sure you aren't a robot? ;)**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I can safely assure you that Darkflame will appear, my friend.**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **You'd think, wouldn't you? But I, my friend, am full of surprises. I like the idea though.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Until she actually makes her debut in the cartoon, I will have no idea how to portray her. Trust me when I say I would** ** _love_ to put her in the harem, but until she actually shows up, I will have no idea how to write her correctly.**

 _ **Cloud4012 –**_ **Your wish is my command!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and reuqest down below!**

 **Onwards!**

* * *

 _Gather around and let us tell you a tale of following one's heart and protecting one's loves and all that is good and just. Tradition has always been the idea at the school of Ever After High, where the teenage sons and daughters of famous fairy tales new and old alike would learn and grow to follow their parent's legacy. Everyone has a pre-determined fate and destiny to follow, and nothing can ever change one's fate for better or worse. Until one student dared to go defy her destiny and create her own happily ever after. Raven Queen, Daughter of the Evil Queen, had turned her back on the Storybook of Legends and her destiny to carve her own future into the world. But is finding one's own happily ever after worth the price?_

 _Raven Queen has no idea what she's about to get into._

 _Will you stop interrupting me!?_

 _You were already done talking! How could I possibly interrupt you if you were done talking!?_

* * *

Raven shivered uncomfortably as she wrapped her ivory arms around herself and hugged her black and silver book bag close to her, her eyes trained carefully on the floor as she quietly stepped down the stairs that led away from the dormitories and towards the actual school; she had learned a long time ago that the more she stayed quiet and reserved in the hallways, the less she was bothered.

It wasn't that she wasn't friendly in the slightest, no that was far from it. But despite everything she had said or ever done, there were always though students that desperately hugged onto their beliefs like a child did with a favorite stuffed animal or blanket; Raven herself kept an old teddy bear her father had gifted to her at a young age in a small, cardboard box under her bed out of prying eyes that she often took out and cuddled with when she was stressed or downtrodden. But that was far from the point. Everyday ever since the first day of school, fairy tales had gone out of their way to avoid her like the plague, often injuring themselves to some degree to avoid Raven's invisible evilness. Nowadays, most fairy tales simply flinched or tried to look hidden when she walked by, but every now and then someone would flee and cause a scene, making others follow their lead and run away as fast as they could; it was gettig beyond old, and yet Raven could do nothing about it.

She was scared about what was ahead of her. Not just because it seemed that she was now the unofficial leader of something she never wanted to be the leader of, but because of how things were turning. The Story Book of Legends that everyone had blindly depended on had turned out to be a fake; this would have normally been good news for someone in Raven's situation, but it greatly frightened her. Now, the school was plunged into silent chaos, with no fairy tale at all certain if they would fade away like the Headmaster claimed or not; either way, Raven was frightened and uncertain of the times ahead, and hoped for ancestor's sake that everything would be alright.

It wasn't just recent events that made her uncomfortable. She had just had the terrifying dream; she knew it was merely a figment of her imagination or just her brain going over past events in aweird and distorted way, but this dream . . . it seemed to defy Raven's limited knowledge about dreams. Her father had once told her that dreams were sometimes a window into the future, that there would often be signs or premonitions of what was to come. Raven shivered as she remembered the horrid dream.

* * *

It was an ordinary day at Ever After High. The sun was high and bright in the sky, and a cool breeze wafted through the warm air, bringing the scents of sweet, blooming flowers and the precious calls of songbirds to the student's senses. It wasn't just a perfect day weather-wise; for once, the Royals and Rebels were not bickering over who was right and who was wrong or who had to sign the book and who didn't. For once, everyone was getting along.

Raven laughed as Maddie told one of her Wonderland stories as Cerise and Apple giggled along as well; while they couldn't understand all of it, Raven was kind enough to translate the Riddlish that Maddie spouted off in her fit of laughter.

"He seriously said that?" Cerise snorted as she choked a little on her tea.

"Sometimes the March Hare gets a little tipsy when he drinks too much tea." Maddie smiled as she poured the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood a fresh cup of the steaming liquid.

"You know what's even funnier than that?" Raven smirked.

"No, what?" Apple asked.

"Remember the time we all aced the test Professor Rumpelstiltskin planned for us to fail and he broke down crying right in the middle of the classroom?" Raven giggled.

"Oh, yeah!" Apple laughed. "That was hextacular!"

Before any of them could launch forth into another story over their steaming cups of tea and biscuits, the intercom stationed in the Castleteria squawked to life and remained silent for a few seconds as everyone turned their attention to the small yet loud box. "Attention, students. There is a mandatory meeting outside in the courtyard in exactly five minutes; everyone is required to attend." the Headmaster's voice announced clearly. "I repeat, _everyone_ is required to attend. That is all." he added before signing off.

Confused, the four girls got up from their seats and joined the steady trickle of students that made their way out into the courtyard and towards the ornamental white stage that was usually used for The Storybook of Legends and special, outdoor occasions. Raven gulped nervously upon seeing Headmaster Grimm standing at the main podium, a stern look on his face; the man was dressed in a blue coat and faint gray-blue vest with a light blue ascot and golden decoration with a red stone on it. His harsh eyes seemed to bore into Raven's soul and his small, dark gray mustache sent shivers down her spine, though a quick look at his rather stout figure eased this feeling slightly.

By now, everyone had arrived and found a seat, with the smaller fairy tales sitting more towards the front and Tiny the Giant crouching down low at the very back so that he would able to hear better; Raven cocked an eyebrow when she caught sight of The Storybook of Legends in the Headmaster's hands and down right shuddered when the next words to come out of his mouth were addressed directly at her.

"Raven Queen, please approach the stage!" Headmaster Grimm demanded with an angered tone. Raven got up from her seat, trying to look confident as she walked down the central isle alone, drawing confused looks and stares from the other students as they spoke in low whispers when she passed them; she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Maddie there with a bright and reassuring smile with Cerise cracking her knuckles and Apple trying not to look out of place. Nodding in thanks, the four girls made their way up to the stage, Grimm's expression never wavering as Raven separated herself from her friends and walked up to him.

"As you all know, we are required to follow our destinies!" Headmaster Grimm began loudly. "To continue to follow in the legacy of those that came before us, to ensure our very survival and that of our world!" he announced. "Raven Queen has turned her back on destiny and-"

"GET ON WITH IT! SPARROW HOOD DON'T LIKE WAINTIN', YAAAAAA-AAAAAAH!" Sparrow Hood's loud and obnoxiously off-key voice and guitar rang out over the quiet audience; for once, Raven was thankful for the Son of Robin Hood to play his horrid music.

The Headmaster huffed angrily, but got on with what he was about to say regardless. "Raven Queen _must_ sign The Storybook of Legends, or face the consequences of her actions!" he yelled loudly; gasps and murmurs immediately broke out as the student body argued back and forth between themselves.

"I told you this a hundred times, I'm _not_ going to do something I don't want to!" Raven protested. "Why can't you get that through your thick head?"

Headmaster Grimm's expression darkened. "Then you leave me no choice." he growled as his eyes flashed an ominous purple and snapped his fingers. The sky began to darken and cloud over, storm clouds rolling in over the horizon as lightning danced in the distance and thunder echoed across the land, a heavy wind picking up as a loud, clanking noise caught everyone's attention.

Hundreds of knights that seemed identical to the other marched into the courtyard in firm, neat lines and rows, strolling down the isle and surrounding the stage in perfect order and rhythm. Some of the knights carried chains in their metal hands, others carried swords that they unseathed from their belts, but all had one thing in common; on at least one part of their suits of armor, was a strange symbol of four squares of gold and red with a black infinity symbol in the center. The students began to panic and scream as one of the knights with the chains suddenly lashed out and hooked it almost painfully around Hunter Huntsman, pulling the por boy towards him and wrapping him up tightly in the metal links as Ashlynn screamed and lunged to rescue her boyfriend, only to be caught in the chains as well. One by one, the Rebels were all caught, tied up in the metal chains; a pair of knights that had happy and sad face masks restrained Cerise as they restrained her with a metal dog collar while a rather large and burly knight held Maddie in a death hug. Even Tiny was quickly taken down by the seemingly endless number of knights as they swarmed into the courtyard, capturing and restraining the Rebels and holding the Royals at bay with their tough shields and swords.

"What's going on!?" Raven panicked. "Why are you doing this!?" she asked the Headmaster.

"You have refused to follow your destiny, Raven," Headmaster Grimm scowled deeply as the wind howled and roared in her ears, the thunder almost drowning out the Headmaster's voice as lightning tore the sky in two. "You have upset the balance! You _must_ sign the book! If you do not, everyone will pay!" he yelled. "The same goes for the rest of you good for nothing Rebels! Sign the Storybook of Legends or everyone pays the price!"

Raven bit her lip nervously and looked between the large book on the podium before her, it's pages yawning open and flipping back and forth wildly in the hurricane wind, beckoning for her to come closer and resign herself to fate; the Headmaster held aout a quill pen to her, daring her to reject it now as she feverishly glanced back and forth between the pen in the Headmaster's fingers and her friends, Royal and Rebel alike.

"Don't do it, Raven!" Maddie screamed loudly before the burly knight clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Please, Raven! Don't sign the book!" Dexter yelled as he attempted to shove his way past the knight's with his brother's help; Cerise was howling angrily as she struggled against her chains like a rabid dog, roaring and growling loudly as the two knights held her back with ease.

"Raven, listen to me!" Apple yelled as a strange looking knight clad in crimson red armor as it held a pulsing, blood red sword to Apple's throat, pressing it closer and closer as the princess pleaded. "I want you to sign the Raven, I really do, but not like this! Anything but this!" Apple begged before she could speak no more with the sword pressed dangerously close to her skin; one more movement, and Apple would lose her life.

"What'll be, Raven?" the Headmaster spat. "Your friends or your destiny?"

Raven gulped and cautiously reached towards the quill, flinching slightly when she felt the feather brush up against her fingers, as if she were afraid that it would suddenly turn into a snake and bite her; she glanced back at her captive friends as they continued to beg and plead with her not to do it, but she couldn't. She couldn't fight back any longer. Not with her friends in danger. Not like this. She took the pen in hand, a satisfied grin like that of a hungry hyena having cornered its prey crossing the Headmaster's face as the book froze on her page, seductively beckoning her to press the tip of the pen to the page, to scrawl out her name and resign herself to fate.

She looked up to see a silver mirror adorned in purple diamonds and ravens appear in a burst of white light and she saw what was in store for her; the cruel frown across her face as Apple slumped lifelessly to the floor with an half eaten apple in hand, the way the villagers chased her with pitch forks and torches, how she had lived on the streets in complete and utter poverty in the back alleys of the city until her capture, forever locked away in Mirror Prison, never to see the light of day again or feel human contact. This was what she was capitulating herself to, what her friends were warning her away from as they struggled against their bonds, the life slowly draining from the eyes as the storm howl and whipped around.

"Do it!" Headmaster Grimm roared angrily.

She gingerly touched the tip of the quill to the page, the Headmaster pressing her on as her friends continued to fight and plead with her; all the while, Raven was pleading silently in her head for something, _anything,_ to come save her right now. She wanted to graduate from Ever After High with a bright smile on her face as she carved out her own life and destiny, to maybe find someone within the world that cared for her deeply, to grow and old and watch her own kids resign themselves to fate or fight for their own destinies; but it seemed that was all a lost cause, nothing more than wisps of forgotten dreams and memories that would be crushed into dust and swept under the rug.

"I'm sorry." she whispered to herself as she felt tears come to her eyes as she moved her hand upwards to start her name.

Before she could even start the first letter, a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist, holding her back; Raven flinched and waited for the pain to start as horrifying memories came back to her, but nothing happened. The hand, while firm and strong, was soft and gentle, deliberately being careful in holding her back. She opened her purple eyes and looked up to see a boy standing over her, his entire image faded and distorted in blackness, save for two features; his soft, kind green eyes looked at her with concern and worry as a strange, watch-like device was strapped to his wrist. "Don't." the boy said. "It will be alright." he reassured her as he let go of her hand.

Raven watched with confusion and fear as the boy nodded and turned to face the infuriated Headmaster, his green eyes darkening like that of the jungle at night as he raised his left arm above his head and into the air, showing the watch to the Headmaster and knights as the former barked at the later to attack. A flash of green light suddenly swept across the courtyard, bathing everyone in it's warm glow as the chains clattered and rattled loudly, disintegrating away into dust as figures began to materialize all around Raven and her friends. A figure that looked like a giant, bronze bell with arms and legs appeared next to her as a small, white, human-like figure appeared on the other side of her; dozens of other creatures of all shapes and sizes appeared around the courtyard, some looking like living planets and horrifying movie monsters while others looked like nightmarish centuars and men composed entirely out of diamonds and crystals as a hundred foot giant appeared behind Tiny and let loose a loud roar across the entire courtyard. The creatures all moved as one , rushing towards the knights and attacking them in every manner possible as the small, white, humanoid next to her suddenly divided into six clones and let loose a loud scream that wiped out the offending knights into dust as the golem-like creature tolled like a giant bell and fired off a green beam of energy from its chest at the Headmaster, turning him older and older until he finally disintegrated into a pile of dust while the other creatures effortlessly took out the knights and freed the students without words.

Raven watched an amazement and awe as a figure composed entirely of red, hot fire slammed his hands down into the ground, sending forth a wave of fire that swept over the crowd, leaving them completely unharmed as the knights were burned away while another figure with a long tail, cable-like antennae, and an ever confident grin on his inky black face fired off lightning bolts from his tail and fingertips, frying the knights into dust while a large creature covered in impenetrable, yellow armor slammed a hand into the ground and triggered a large earthquake, shaking the knights down until there were none of them left; with another flash of green light from the watch on the boy's wrist, the strange creatures and figures disappeared as the storm was pushed away to reveal the blinding sunlight the caressed her pale skin and reassured her comfort.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked.

"What?" Raven startled, shaken out of her trance.

"Are you okay?" the boy repeated.

"I'm . . . I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "But why did you save me?"

"Why not save you?" he asked with a kind smile.

Raven looked down at her feet, ashamed of the answer. "I'm the Daughter of the Evil Queen." she barely whispered, some tears leaking forth from her eyes and streaking down her cheeks; she felt that soft touch of his against her face as he wi[ed away her tears with a hand.

"So? Why's that matter?" he asked with a kind smile; Raven tensed up slightly, waiting for the pain to come again before she felt him take her delicate fingers in his and give them a soft squeeze. She opened her eyes and nothing but pure kindness in his own, his finger remaining black and invisible to her; the Daughter of the Evil Queen lunged forward and hugged the boy tightly in her arms, never wanting to let go of him as he slowly and carefully wrapped his own, strong and firm arms around her, acting much like a child's security blanket and comforting her in such a dark time.

A sudden, melodic voice caught her attention, and she watched in horror as her surroundings began to distort and warp away, the sky starting to darken into total blackness as the trees and rolling hills began to disappear and fade away from existence; one by one, her friends began to shrink or fade away from her, their images wavering and rippling until they ceased to exist altogether. "Please, tell me your name! I have to know before I wake up!" she pleaded with the boy.

The boy shook his head with that warm smile still on his face. "Follow your destiny. Live the life you want." he told her as he himself began to achromatize before her very eyes; he held up his wrist to her eyes, showing her a sharp, green hourglass symbol on his wrist. "And don't worry, Raven Queen. We will met again soon." he promised her as he finally vanished from existence and left Raven in toal darkness.

* * *

The dream brought a sense of fear within her; it greatly disturbed and frightened as she made her way down a set of stairs towards the school's dungeon-like basement, only a few more minutes before Home Evil-nomics started. She couldn't believe that the Headmaster would go _that_ far into making her sign the book, but then again he had tried to literally trick her into signing it as well, without any concern over how Raven felt about it.

Other than great fear and consternation, the dream also brought comfort to her. She was calmed by the fact that in her dream her friends, Royal or Rebel, had been against her signing the book antipodal her will and that they fought and struggled to protect her. In her dream at least. Here, in the real world, most of them still looked at her with uncertainty and discomfort, unnerved by the way she silently strolled through the halls without saying a word as if she were plotting something. It seemed no matter how she acted, it still bothered the majority of those around her; if tried to act nice, people would berate her for not following her destiny and if she acted quiet and reserved, people simply assumed she was scheming to do something evil when really she was trying to enjoy her day,

She pushed the dark thoughts aside and focused on the most pleasant part of her dream. The boy had been the kindest person she had ever come across, protecting her without purpose other than the fact she and her friends were in danger. He had showed her comfort when no one else could or would and had ended her nightmare with ease. The strange creatures that leaped forth from his watch were confusing and interesting to say the least, but the thing she found remarkable about him was his kindness. In the few minutes it seemed that she had known him, he had disregarded all and any ill feelings other had felt towards her and treated like she was simply a normal person and not the daughter of the greatest villain the world had ever seen.

She sighed as the air became cooler around her and her steps seemed to echo more loudly off of the stone walls of the Home Evil-nomics room; she hoped that what the strange boy had said was true, that she would see him soon. Wherever he may have been.

* * *

His head was pounding, like an Appoplexian permanently fueled on adrenaline was using his skull as the bass drum during an incredibly long and powerful drum solo. His body was aching, his muscles throbbing and screaming in agony as he slowly moved his limbs and began to breath consciously again. His chest hurt and his skull was killing him more than ever as he climbed to his feet and leaned against the sturdy oak tree next to him with his left hand; pain suddenly coursed through his body like lightning and he whimpered as he held his left hand, wincing when he could feel the broken bones inside.

 _When I get my hands on whoever did this . . ._ he growled his head before he realized that a growl was escaping his own lips. He quickly looked over himself and found his entire, muscled body was covered in a layer of short, grey fur with a long, flowing mane sprouting from his thick neck and shoulders as a large, bushy tail wagged back and forth behind him. He jaws were pushed into a muzzle lined with sharp canines and he had razor sharp talons on his feet, perfect for grasping things while he wore a green and white suit.

"Blitzwolfer? Could be worse, I guess." the Loboan shrugged as he looked at his surroundings, relieved to find that they were at the very least normal looking; tall, ancient oaks stretched up towards the sky and sweet bird song filled the air. A sudden movement caught his eye and he looked down to see a small lizard skitter along the root of a tree before hopping onto a mushroom and carefully watching a fly buzz around it's head before it suddenly opened its jaws and fired out a small jet of flame at the tiny insect, incinerating it into dust as it gave a small jump and let a pair of large, nearly invisible, insect-like wings suddenly spring forth from it's back and take it into the air.

"Now that's what I call a dragonfly." Blitzwolfer chuckled nervously to himself. "I gotta feelin' I'm not in Kansas anymore though." he added, chuckling a little louder; when he was nervous, he often mad jokes, good or bad. "Oh, what am I doin'?"

With a sigh, he began to walk, holding his broken hand to his body as he tried to find a trail or path of some kind to lead himself out of the woods; he noticed that while the section of the forest he was currently in was full of light, colorful flowers, and a seemingly abundent population of adorable rabbits, squirrels, and songbirds, none of which seemed to be particularly frightened of the Loboan yet. Having given up on driving the ambrosial creatures away from him, Blitzwolfer continued on his way, unable to make a very fast progress through the woods, unable to use both of his hands to slice through the foliage or run on all fours to increase his speed.

It wasn't until it seemed like hours of walking through the woods, he finally came out into a clearing in the woods, though it seemed that he wasn't getting any closer to finding his way out of them; it was then that his sensitive ears picked up a slight gasp. He turned his head and froze instantly upon seeing that he wasn't alone in the clearing.

Sitting on a tree stump, surrounded by a collection of pretty butterflies, cute bunnies, adorable squirrels, sweet songbirds, and dear deer, was a girl with long, strawberry blonde hair pulled into a pumpkin-shaped bump and braid, green eyes, and naturally pink lips along her pale skin. She wore a pair of glass pumps and sky blue dress decorated with flower designs and patterns with puffy, pink and see-through sleeves and golden jewelry around her neck, wrist, and fingers.

"Aw, Sphinx." Blitzwolfer cursed quietly under his breath as he slowly walked backwards into the brush, hoping the girl would either shrug it off as a figment of her imagination or ignore the encounter entirely.

"Wait!" the girl spoke up; the Loboan froze on the spot as she hopped off of the stump and cautiously walked over to him, her animal companions trailing behind her without concern. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

The Loboan decided best to clam up then and there and act like a regular forest creature; hopefully the girl would fall for it and leave him be. Heaving a big sigh, he assumed an animal-like prosture, dropping down to all fours and holding his broke hand in the air, whimpering mournfully as the girl approached him.

"Is your paw broken?" the girl asked, carefully taking the broken limb in her delicate hands and stroked her fingers across the fur, immediately stopping when Blitzwolfer gave a sharp yelp of pain. "Oh. There."

"Ya, think?" Blitzwolfer grumbled before he suddenly realized what he had said.

"What did you say?" the girl said with awe.

"Aw, Sphinx." the Loboan cursed.

"You're not a normal wolf, are you?" the girl cocked an eyebrow.

"What gave it away?" Blitzwolfer sighed; the girl continued to look at his broken hand, reaching into a purse that looked oddly like four clocks fused together at the edges, and pulled out a first aid kit from within.

"You mean other than the fact that I can understand you without using my special power?" the girl smiled as she suddenly yanked back on his fingers, elicting a paned yelp from the Loboan before he calmed back down. "Also, you're about twice as large as any wolf I've ever met."

"Gee, thanks." Blitzwolfer growled. "What did you do to me?"

"Well, you didn't break your hand. Just dislocated some of your fingers." the girl replied as she began to wrap his hand in bandages. "I'm Ashlynn, by the way. Ashlynn Ella."

"Blitzwolfer." the Loboan growled before wincing again when Ashlynn tightened the knot on the bandages. "Where exactly am I?"

"The Enchanted Forest." Ashlynn replied with a slight laugh as a small sparrow alighted on her shoulder. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"You could say that." Blitzwolfer chuckled nervously; how was he supposed to tell this beautiful girl that he was from another dimension where seeing aliens and actual monsters on the street wasn't unusual? "So where am I?" he asked.

"Ever After, duh." Ashlynn laughed. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"Ugh. Maybe." the Loboan groaned. "Mind running things past me just make sure I got everything?"

The girl cocked an eyebrow at the odd request but shrugged nonetheless. "Disregarding all of the incredibly long histories that make up our world, Ever After is a world of fairy tales and myths. I attend Ever After High, a school where the sons and daughters of fairy tales pledge to follow in their parent's footsteps. I happen to be the Daughter of Cinderella."

Blitzwolfer blinked. This was not what he was expecting; then again, the last time he had been dropped into a strange, new world, it turned out that the sons and daughters of famous monsters attended a high school together. Crash landing in a world where fairy tales and myths made up most of the populace didn't seem that out of the ordinary. "Daughter of Cinderella, huh? Sounds like a nice title."

"I guess." Ashlynn shrugged; the Loboan could detect a hint of sadness in her voice, but decided not to push it just yet. "But I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a new student?"

Well . . . uh, I guess." Blitzwolfer shrugged. "But I'm not really-"

"Wait, don't tell me." Ashlynn smiled. "You're the . . . Son of the Big Bad Wolf?"

Blitzwolfer blinked. "Uh, yeah. Right. That's me, I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow down your houses and stuff."

"That's the spirit!" Ashlynn laughed as she put away first aid kit and climbed to her feet the Loboan still standing a good few feet taller than her. "C'mon. I'll take you to Ever After High. I think you'll like it there once you meet my friends."

"I hope so." Blitzwolfer said under his breath as he followed Ashlynn through the woods, attempting to ignore the small flock of songbirds that landed on his shoulders and back while rabbits and squirrels scampered around his feet; it was going to take some time to get use to this cuteness.

 **And there we go!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I really have to thank _Titanzilla_ for giving me the idea to use the dream for this chapter. And believe it or not, I actually already found an ending to this story. Hex, talk about . . . well, I have no idea what I'm talking about. All I can say is, thank you _Kaiju Fan_ and _Menatron the Angel of Ideas_ for giving me the ideas to the ending; if anyone else has any ideas on what else to put in this story let me know.**

 **Espeically let me know what couples you would like to see!**

 **And also, I am setting up a poll about who should Raven end up just to be sure: should it be Ben or Raven? What ever the answer may be, please accept it when it is decided.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	3. A Not So Charming Game

**And I'm back, man-sters and ghouls! All the way from the Underworld too, I might add!**

 **I am simply blown away by how many reviews I received for a single chapter of this story. I can not express how excited I am that people are enjoying this, readers from my previous story and new ones alike. I can not say thank you enough times.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **You are welcome.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Ah, a different response, eh? I guess you aren't a robot!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **No, I don't think Cupid will know who Ben is, because** ** _that_ Cupid is in a different dimension than _this_ one is. Confusing, I know.**

 _ **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf –**_ **Thank you for wonderful compliment! I will admit, that this will probably be tough to write, but I like a challenge. Plus, that's what I was going for; the ghouls are gonna show the girls how to live a little ;)**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **I did technically already do a poll back in my** ** _We're All Monsters_ story, but I wanted to do this again to see if things had changed since that one episode. I actually set up a poll on my profile, but since a lot of people responded to it in the reviews, I'll count those too.**

 _ **Dragonsaurus –**_ **You have nothing to feel sorry about. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I was merely making a joke (** ** _luciayshadow_ says to tell you that they're a girl, "a little, crazy, pervert gal", in their own words. As for the couples: AUGH! It wants to make me tear my hair out sometimes!**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I have NO intention of separating Hunter and Ashlynn; they're too cute together, and I** ** _never_ break up with canon couples. Also, the black smoke thing was a typo. Been meaning to fix that. And plus, Apple hasn't actually _seen_ Ben yet.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I'm glad you think so. It** ** _will_ be quite a while before he shows up, but he _will_ show up. As for Joker, I'll take him into consideration; I got a better look at him, and I like what I see.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **You should become a writer! I think you'd do great! As for your first question, here is a question for you: why does everyone fear Raven? That, my friend, is your answer. As for your second question, I set up an actual poll on my profile, but I will still count the votes made in the reviews.**

 _ **Rexy –**_ **Right on, dude!**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **I thank you for your contribution to the votes. As for the deadline, the poll will probably be taken down in another week or so. Never really intended for a deadline.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Maddie will probably figure things out faster than the others if the Narrators aren't careful. As for Ben's ghoulfriends, they will appear at one point.**

 _ **Subtle Approach –**_ **Now THAT is an ironic username, considering the review you gave me. I like it.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **As I said with** ** _Dragonsaurus,_ you have nothing to apologize for. It was intended as a joke, nothing more, and I get that tests can cause a lot of stress on people. Makes you wonder why they make schools in the first place, huh? As for Rook Shar, I don't think she'll appear any time soon, if at all. I really don't think she'll drop in on the Ever After characters any time soon either, but I think Rook will play a bigger part in this.**

 _ **StrikeLord –**_ **I intend to. NEVER SURRENDER!**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Yep. I fully intend to united girls and ghouls. Oh, the chaos. It is most delic.**

 _ **morganoth –**_ **Is that what I wrote? Sorry about that. Got kinda eager.**

 _ **Da999 –**_ **Canon couples off limits! My number one rule! As for your suggestions, I will take them into consideration.**

 _ **DracoAngel7 –**_ **Not unlike Ben and Frankie, eh?**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **All the pairings, I like. I'll see what I can do.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Huh. Ben Bad Wolf. That does have a nice ring to it. As for the Storybook of Legends, that does have a** ** _major_ part to the story. And when the blue jay flies, the mice eat cheese.**

 _ **IcySnowSage –**_ **If you're asking if** ** _Cupid's Crystal Ball_ and _Once Upon a Tennyson,_ they are not.**

 _ **Cloud4012 –**_ **You'll have to read on and see! I shall never reveal my secrets! NEVER!**

 _ **Spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Yes, Ben and the ghouls are still together. I have no intention of breaking them up AT ALL.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Maybe. But there's always a chance that I'll portray them wrong. I don't like to take chances like that (although when it comes to stories blending Ben 10 and Ever After High, I seem to be utterly fearless).**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **You will have to wait and see, my friend. Wait and see.**

 _ **kival737101 –**_ **That information is disclosed and private. Nothing escapes my lips!**

 **Well, I think I've wasted enough of your time. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onwards!**

"So, uh, what's Ever After High like?" Blitzwolfer asked Ashlynn as they hiked through the woods. "And are ya sure ya don't want a ride or something? I mean, considering you're a princess-" that was all the Loboan got to say before Ashlynn whirled around and grabbed by the fur of his hairy chin-chin, yanking his head all the way down to her level.

"Look, just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm not afraid to get down and dirty, got it?" she frowned and narrowed her eyes at Blitzwolfer; the Loboan quickly nodded his head, and Ashlynn released her grip on him before turning around to continue on her merry way.

"So, uh, you being a princess? Touchy subject?" Blitzwolfer asked, rubbing his chin.

"You could say that." Ashlynn sighed.

The Loboan scratched his chin with his good hand in thought. "Look, I'm no genius, but . . . is something bothering you?" he asked. "I know we just met and all, but I'd like to help in anyway I can."

The Loboan and princess were silent for a few more minutes, the only sounds between the both of them being the ocassional snort from Blitzwolfer when a stray butterfly landed on his nose. "It's just . . . my school is divided."

"In the literal or figurative sense?" Blitzwolfer asked.

"Figurative." Ashlynn replied. "Things were better than before, but everyone's chosen sides over this stupid little problems of ours."

"What's that?" Blitzwolfer asked as he tensed up and grabbed hold of Ashlynn's shoulder, effortlessly lifting her over a small creek that she had been too engrossed in her thoughts to notice; the princess let the gesture slide as she continued on.

"On their second year, every fairy tale will pledge to follow in their parent's footsteps and go through their fairy tale; in my case, I would be forced to work as my evil step-sister's servant before my fairy godmother appeared and gave me a makeover to go to my soon-to-be prince's ball." she explained with an almost bitter tone.

"You don't seem particularly happy about that." Blitzwolfer noted.

"No, I'm not really," Ashlynn sighed. "The reason our school is divided is because some of us believe we should follow the destinies laid out before us, no matter what they are, while others believe they should be free to write their own destinies; the ones that want to follow their destines are called Royals while the ones that want to write their own stories are called Rebels."

"Which side are you?" the Loboan asked curiously.

"Rebel, I guess." Ashlynn sighed. "At first, I was all for following my destiny, finding my Prince Charming, and living my happily ever after. But . . ." the princess trailed off.

"But what?"

"I didn't want any of that. Not after I met _him_." Ashlynn replied, a light blush coming to her face.

"Who are you-" Blitzwolfer started to ask before he was interrupted.

"Ashlynn!"

The two of them turned their heads to see a figure running towards them, stumbling over a tree root and nearly falling down onto his face before he regained his balance and continued running. He was a boy a couple inches taller than Ashlynn with a darker shade of skin than her and a pair of well muslced arms and legs that could be seen under his forest green shirt, hunting jacket, and thick pants designed to take thorns and scratching branches without trouble. He had hazel eyes and brown hair, with one side of his head being shaved the rest of his hairing hanging over his ear; it reminded Blitzwolfer of Venus for the briefest of seconds before the boy skidded to a stop in front of them and paused to catch his breath.

"Hey, Hunter!" Ashlynn smiled, pulling her boyfriend into a tight hug.

"Hey, yourself, beautiful." Hunter grinned. "Enjoy your walk in the woods?"

Ashlynn nodded. She was about to say more when Hunter finally took notice of Blitzwolfer and did a quick double take, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets when he caught sight of the razor sharp teeth inside of the Loboan's strong jaws, the wicked claws on the end of each muscled finger, hand, and arm, and the cold, green eyes that starred at Hunter with a hungry expression despite the fact he was trying to look friendly.

"Get back, Ashlynn! I shall protect you from this foul beast!" Hunter declared, grabbing hold of his shirt and tearing it off in one swift motion, exposing his strong, muscle chest as he clenched his hands into fists and made several punching motions as Blitzwolfer blinked.

"Is this guy for real?" he asked Ashlynn.

Ashlynn shrugged with a heavy blush on her face. "He sometimes does this when he thinks I'm in danger." she giggled slightly before returning her attention to her bare-chested boyfriend. "Hunter, this is my new friend, Blitzwolfer. He's the Son of the Big Bad Wolf." Ashlynn explained.

Hunter squinted his brow and glared at Blitzwolfer with suspiscion before speaking. "Are you by chance related to Professor Badwolf?" he asked.

"Uh . . ." Blitzwolfer trailed off; he had no idea who this Badwolf was, but if tone Hunter was talking was anything to give by, he was not someone the Loboan wanted to cross. Considering he was playing the part of the 'Son of the Big Bad Wolf' though, this was going to be difficult. "Yes. He's my . . . very, very distant uncle." he lied, hoping Hunter and, to a lesser extent, Ashlynn would buy it; Hunter cocked and eyebrow and stared at him for a few more seconds before slowly nodding.

"Fine." he said. "But I'm watching you." he warned.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes as she dug into her purse and pulled out an extra shirt for Hunter to wear. "C'mon, put your shirt back on; as much as I'd like to stare a little longer, the Headmaster will have a fit if we're not in classes on time." she said with a fading blush on her face as Hunter took the forest green shirt and slipped it back on before screaming and hopping wildly as he beat at his shirt.

"What's he doing?" Blitzwolfer wondered.

"Oh, that's right." Ashlynn remembered. "I lent my purse to a family of homeless mice. I guess they chose your extra shirt as a bed." she laughed as Hunter froze on the spot, four sleepy mice crawling out of his sleeve and dropping down into Ashlynn's hand where she sang them a quick lullaby and deposited them back in her purse with a smile.

"Is this normal for you? The whole animal thing?" Blitzwolfer asked.

Ashlynn shrugged. "All fairy tale princesses have a connection with the woodland creatures; I just happen to be the only one that can talk to them."

Blitzwolfer grinned a wolfish smile; Ashlynn instantly reminded him of Jane. Should the two have them have ever met, one would have thought they were life long friends, maybe even sisters. Then again, Jane was purple and raised in the jungle while Ashlynn was fair skinned and raised in a palace, among other things.

Hunter caught sight of his seemingly threatening smile. "What are you so happy about?" he frowned.

Blitzwolfer shrugged. "Your girlfriend just reminds me of someone."

"Like a latest meal or something?" Hunter cocked an eyebrow in a threatening manner.

"Is he always like this?" the Loboan sighed.

Ashlynn sighed as well. "No. He and Professor Badwolf just have some . . . rough history."

"If you say so." Blitzwolfer grumbled as he turned and started to move farther down the trail where the trees and vegatation were starting to thin out. Ashlynn followed on his heels, with Hunter watching his every move like a hawk; something about the large wolf didn't sit well with the Son of the Huntsman.

* * *

Blitzwolfer gulped nervously, drumming the claws of his good hand against the arm chair; the air was thick with silence, thick enough that he could have sliced it into ribbons with his sharp claws if he wanted to.

The Loboan had to admit, the school was rather impressive. It was a tall, large castle located at the top of a cliff overlooking a wide and beautiful valley beneath. Tall, white spires and towers seemed to hold up the sky itself, with everything done in bright, warm colors of red, pink, blue, and white, with some gold thrown in for good measure. The school was close to the Village of Book End, a small town he had to travel through in order to get to the castle affter leaving the Enchanted Forest that ringed the school and town.

Now, he was in a large and spacious office with deep, red carpetting and velvety curtains over the large windows that looked out upon the world of Ever After. He sat in a cushy chair in front of a pair of desks, one that was nearly blank and imaculate while the other was stacked with a few piles of papers and post-it notes; at the nearly empty desk was a thin, wiry man dressed in a maroon coat, orange vest, loose ascot, a pair of mismatched socks, glasses, and, surprisingly, a pair of sneakers. He had kind, green eyes,and sported wild, dark gray hair on his head and chin as he leaned back in his chair in an almost child-like manner. The other man however, seemed to be the complete opposite, with a blue coat, light blue vest, blue ascot, a pair of dress shoes, and a golden decoration with a red stone on it resting on his ascot. Unlike the other man, he was quite stout and had a thin mustahce on his lip as he hurriedly glanced over dozens of papers until the other man cleared his throat to catch his attention.

"What is it, Giles?" the man asked tiredly.

"We seem to have a new student, Milton." the man, Giles, replied.

"We do?" he cocked an eyebrow, having been too engrossed in his work to notice. "Oh, I see." he said upon seeing Blitzwolfer sitting in front of him; the stout man cleared his throat and seemed ready to launch himself into a long and incredibly boring welcome speech when Giles interrupted him.

"Perhaps we should just give him the short version, eh, brother?" Giles coughed.

Milton deflated slightly but agreed. "Mr. Wolf, I am sure you understand the purpose of our school, yes?"

Blitzwolfer nodded. "To teach the sons and daughters of fairy tales to follow in their parent's footsteps." he practically recited.

Milton nodded. "Yes, that is part of it. Has it ever occurred to you _why_ we do this?" he asked.

"Well . . . no, actually." Blitzwolfer admitted.

"The reason, dear wolf, is because our survival depends on it. Should a story not be completed, it, and everyone within it, will cease to exist all together. If too many stories disappear, our world ceases to exist."

Blitzwolfer gulped; Ashlynn had failed to mention _that_.

Giles rolled his eyes. "Brother, we are not certain of that yet."

Milton huffed and sat back down in his seat, returning his attention to his work as Giles took over. "My name is Giles Grimm, and this is my brother, Milton Grimm. My brother insists that you refer to him by his last name and profession, but you need not use such formalities for me." he waved it off. "Now before we give you your class schedule, we are required to ask you some questions."

"Shoot." the Loboan shrugged; deep down though, he was terrified; not only had Ashlynn failed to mention that she and her friends were practically preventing the end of the world, but if he let anything slip, it could very well be the end of him. This world was heavily filled with magic, and none of his forms were well versed or prepared for magic of any kind. He gulped and tried to steel his nerves as Giles began to question him.

"How old are you?" Giles asked.

"Uh, eighteen." Blitzwolfer replied.

This seemed to startled Headmaster Grimm. "You have been the Son of the Big Bad Wolf for eighteen years and have _never_ attended this school!?" he yelled.

Giles ignored his brother. "Considering your age and lack of education, we'll be placing you with the second years, Blitzwolfer." Giles said. "Now then, would you like someone to show you around, or do you think you can find your way on your own?"

"With this nose, I'll be able to find anything." the Loboan grinned, tapping his impressive sniffer.

"Very good." Giles nodded. "Final question. Though I suppose it isn't a question, really. More of a test." he said as he clapped his hands together; a flash of white light came from behind Blitzwolfer, and he turned around in his chair to see a ramshackle shack about the size of a large doghouse sitting in the office.

"How'd you do that?" the Loboan gaped.

"Magic." Giles simply replied. "Now then, we require a small test, I'm afraid. We wouldn't do this under normal circumstances, but we require a sort of evaluation of your skills as a possible, future villain."

"Alright." Blitzwolfer sighed as he got up from his chair and stretched a little before he turned around to face the derelict shed. "So I just huff and puff?" he asked.

"Yes. Simple as that." Giles nodded.

Blitzwolfer gave a shook shake of his fur, scratching himself under the chin as he contemplated; if he tried using simple breath to try and knock the shed down, he would be exposed for a fraud. If he used his special power, then suspicions would arise. But then again, if he didn't, he would be exposed faster than he could blink. With little choice left, he sucked in a deep breath until his lungs were full to bursting before letting out a loud howl as his muzzle separated into four, toothed flaps that amplified the sound into an ultrasonic sound that smashed into the shed like a freight train and obliterated it into splinters before barreling right through the remains into the wall behind the destroyed shed, annihilating the wall into plaster and stone.

"Well. I think we have our newest student." Giles blinked as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a schedule and key. "Here is your class schedule and dorm key; you'll be rooming by yourself for the moment until more students arrive." he explained as he handed Blitzwolfer the piece of paper and metal key. "Now if you'll excuse me, I better call an architect before my brother blows a gasket."

Blitzwolfer took one look at the Headmaster and had to stifle chuckles when he caught sight of the look on his face, hastily leaving the office before he couldn't contain himself.

Once he was out in the hallway, he unfolded the piece of paper and glanced over his classes, noting that they shared a similarity with Monster High: most, if not all, of the classes were puns on what they actually taught. Blitzwolfer didn't know if it was just a thing with certain realms or if it was a coincidence or not. A sudden beeping caught his attention, and he glanced down at the collar around his neck to see the Omnitrix flashing a warning green.

"Voltage!" he cursed as he hurriedly looked around for a place he could hide and change in peace; he quickly found an empty janitor's closet and closed the door behind him just as the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and returned Ben to the world.

"Whew." he sighed with relief. "What's up with you? You lasted for like, two days last time this happened." he scolded the Omnitrix as if it were actually listening to him. With a sigh, he cracked open the door of the janitor closet and slipped his schedule and key into his pocket; he turned to the Omnitrix and turned it on, cycling through the transformations until he came across the Loboan icon and slapped the activation button, engulfing him in a flash of green light. His skin began to crawl as it hardened and smoothed into something similar to an exoskeleton, yet not quite at the same time as it turned black as midnight with blue blotches with lighter centers appearing all over him. His fingers became sharper as they turned into claws while his toes ripped out of his shoes, melting into a pair of claws as his heel thrust out behind him, forming a third toe with a loud grinding sound. His teeth fused together into two plates that felt like they could bite through almost anything as his eyes widened and bugged out of his skull, flashy a spooky green as three darker dots appeared. Muscles piled themselves up on his chest and arms as his spine arched and forced him to hunch over; an itching sensation came from his back and head as four, large wings ripped out of his back with a sickening noise like that of wet flesh slapping against each other as a pair of antennae burst out of his head. The wings and antennae flapped for a few seconds before they wrapped around him like a cloak and hood; he could feel a sudden chilling sensation in his core, a feeling than through his veins and arteries that felt as cold as ice as the Omnitrix appeared around his waist on a green belt, completing the transformation.

"What the- this isn't what I asked for, Omnitrix!" Big Chill rasped angrily. "How am I supposed to blend in now!?" he growled before the floor around him sudden burst into a flash of purple light, forming a ring around him as it glowed brighter and brighter.

"Did I say the magic word or something?" the Necrofriggian wondered before the purple light swallowed him.

* * *

Raven sighed miserably as she sat in the back of the class, trying to look invisible; she had _tried_ to find classes that didn't force her to do evil deeds for homework and assignments, but all the classes were either too full, got boring really fast, or downright rejected her upon her either signing up or even walking in through the door where she would then be promptly pushed out into the hallway and sent down to the library to organize the books or dust the shelves depending on what the terrified teacher would say.

Why was it so hard for people to grasp the fact that she didn't have en evil bone in her body, that she really was a good girl and not some wolf in sheep's clothing? They just couldn't simply get past the fact that she was related to the Evil Queen, the most terrifying and diabolical villain the world of Ever After had ever seen in all its days; Raven had never really been close to her mother for reasons she kept to herself, but it wasn't hard for her true friends, like Maddie and Cerise, to see why.

With a dejected sigh, Raven rested her head in the desk and returned her pencil back to her notebook, barely even paying attention to what Madame Yaga was teaching the class of rejects, future villains, and other monstrosities; she already knew more than half of the stuff by heart, thanks to what her mother-

Raven stopped right there. She wasn't going to think about the bane of her existence right now; with a calming breath, she returned her attention back to her notebook where she was carelessly doodling away whatever came into her mind to pass the time until the bell rang and she was able to go to the one class that she hadn't been discouraged from: Muse-ic. Ever since her father had given her a toy violin to practice and play on before giving her the real thing, Raven had loved music and had dreamed of growing up to become a pop star one day. But that was before-

Raven mentally slapped herself. There she was doing it again, always turning her thoughts back to her mother, the person that had ruined her life before she was even born. She forcefully pushed the thoughts out of her mind and concentrated harder on the notebook in front of her, trying to remember the details she had grasped onto when she had been awoken by Apple that previous morning; odd creatures of alien design decorated the borders of her page, everything from ones that bared striking resemblances to ghosts and vampires to others that looked like walking plants or gigantic insects. These were put in scarce detail, since she was concentrating most of her focus on the picture that took up the middle and majority of the page. In the center of the page was a carefully detailed sketch of Raven in the warm embrace of the boy from her dreams, her head nuzzled lovingly into his chest as he held her protectively, his chin resting on her head as his hand rested around her waist and head. Most of the mysterious boy was blank, her mind unable to comprehend what he could possibly look like; the only features she was able to fully make of him was the strange watch that was strapped to his wrist.

She was so engrossed in her drawing that she hardly heard Madame Yaga until she had slapped her ruler on the edge of Raven's desk while screaming her name; the notebook was promptly closed before the old hag could get a good look at it as Raven jolted up into her seat with rapt attention. "Yes, Madame Yaga?" she asked, her ivory skin flashing pink with embarrassment as several students snickered under their breath.

"Your assignment?" Madame Yaga prompted.

Raven bit her lip; she had totally forgotten about the assignment. "I've been given a lot of assignments lately, Madame Yaga. Could you be a bit more specific?" she asked, hoping the old hag would buy the lie.

Madame Yaga sighed. "The one where you were supposed to summon an _evil_ creature for the class?" she reminded her; contrary to popular belief, she wasn't as gullible as people thought she was. The only reason she was playing along with Raven for the moment was because she was fully aware of how the young witchling had been treated in her early life.

"Right. That one." Raven nodded confidently, despite feeling like she was about to walk into the Village of Book End stark naked holding a neon sign that advertised she still sucked her thumb in her sleep; Raven had broken that habit before she had entered Nursery Rhyme School, but it didn't change the fact that she was incredibly embarrassed as she walked up to the front of the dungeon-like classroom, gulping nervously when she noticed all eyes were trained on her.

She sucked in a deep breath and calmed her jittery nerves, summoning the dark magic that coursed through her veins like a virus and felt the familiar tingling sensation at her fingertips, her hands glowing an ominous purple as she raised them above her head, quietly chanting incohert things under her breath as she tried to summon the most pathetic looking monster in the realm of Ever After; maybe if she did that, people would understand she wasn't evil and just leave her alone. She then felt a light sting as her power reached its peak and opened a small rift in the wall of reality to bring the creature she had summoned forth into the classroom in a flash of purple light.

She was breathing heavily as she let her arms drop to her sides, smoke curling from the floor in a ring where the monster she had summoned would be until she was ready to send it back to wherever it came back; the smoke began to fade away into thin air, revealing a roughly human-sized creature curled into a ball on the floor. The creature stirred after a few seconds and groaned, the sound coming out low and whispery as it climbed to its feet and looked at its surroundings; it mostly resembled a black human with blue spots wrapped up in a dark blue cloak and hood, save for the large, bug-like eyes, sharp claws for feet, and permafrown grin. Raven cocked an eyebrow at the creature when it suddenly gave an inhuman screech and lunged at her, the cloak surrounding its entire body unfolding into four pairs of huge, leathery wings and antennae that added to the creature's side.

"Where am I!?" the creature hissed in an angry tone. "Send me back!" he snarled, an icy vapor drifting out from his jaws as the cloak that surrounded him unfolded into four, large, leathery wings and antennae; the temperature seemed to drop by twenty degrees as the large creature narrowed its eyes at Raven.

"Very good, Ms. Queen!" Madame Yaga clapped as she quickly marked down something on a clipboard. "But, uh, what is it?"

"I don't know." Raven admitted as she raised her hands, her fingers already glowing an ominous purple. "But I think I better send it back. And quickly." The creature seemed to calm down upon his and lowered its wings slightly, relaxing as Raven raised her hands and cast them directly at the creature, enveloping it in a flash of purple light and sending it back to wherever it came from.

"Well then, Raven. Nicely done." Madame Yaga nodded. "You really are on your way to becoming the next Evil Queen." she smiled as Raven made her way back to her seat.

Raven, for once, ignored the comment. She was too busy reeling from what she had seen; fixed around the creature's waist was a green belt with a familiar symbol on its center.

The same one from her dream.

* * *

Big Chill sighed with relief as he reappeared back in the janitor's closet just as the Omnitrix timed out and turned him back into Ben in a flash of green light; his secret was still safe and he had managed to escape before he was exposed. Thankfully acting hostile and feral worked in his favor for once, saving him from being divulged and causing a mass panic. He didn't want a repeat of Monster High.

The bell rang loud and true, and Ben quickly glanced at his class schedule, noting happily that his next period was actually Brunch in the Castleteria; considering the students actually lived at the school, it made sense that their classes would run later than other schools, thus allowing them for more breaks than an average school did. He turned to the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting the Loboan icon again.

"If you turn me into Goop, you're dead meat." Ben threatened as he pressed the activation button with a finger instead of slapping it like he usually did, swallowing himself in a flash of green light and changing his DNA on the molecular scale into something new. He felt himself grow taller and much more muscled as thick, shaggy, gray colored fur sprouted all over his body as his back and chest swelled with muscle and tissue, his skeleton crunching and cracking as it was reinforced and changed to accommodate his new body. Ben's skull crunched and snapped in an almost painful manner as his face bulged forward into a pointed muzzle lined with sharp, canine teeth as a wet, black nose formed at the end; organs sloshed around inside of him as his bones crunched and ground heavily against each other while his muzzle split into four, flexible flaps. His fingers became longer and tipped with wicked claws that looked like they could easily slice through most objects as two, large talons ripped through his shoes while a third popped out from the back. A long, fluffy tail sprouted from the base of Ben's spine as a mane of dark, coarse fur rose from his shoulders and neck as spikes sprouted from his elbows and shoulders; a green and black body suit appeared on his shifting body with green wrist bands and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix at its center, completing the transformation.

"Oh, thank goodness." Blitzwolfer sighed with relief as he pushed the janitor's closet open long enough to make sure no one was watching before he stepped out into the hallway and made his way down to the Castleteria, wincing at his pained paw; the Omnitrix had been successful in slowly repairing his hand to the point where he could successfully flex some of his fingers without pain. Another use, and the hand would be fully repaired by then.

The Castleteria was a large and spacious room with all manner of fairy tale sitting at one table or another, everything from a girl with a shepherd's staff and several sheep to a giant and small group of fairies, all of them had some sort of place in the lunchroom. Unsure of where to sit, the Loboan merely grabbed a fistful of bacon and a glass of orange juice before making his way towards a quiet table in the corner of the Castleteria and hoped no one would notice as he hungrily dug into his bacon.

"Hey, Blitzwolfer!"

The Loboan froze in midchew and looked up to see Ashlynn waving at him as she made her way across the Castleteria to him, a tray with a salad and bright red apple clutched tightly in her hand as she dragged Hunter along with her. "How's the day going so far?" she asked as she sat down at the table across from him.

"Good, considering this is my first class." Blitzwolfer chuckled as he licked his chops before he noticed the identical palettes of Ashlynn and Hunter. "You two on a couples diet or somethin'?"

Hunter shook his head. "We're vegetarians." he replied. "It's cruel and inhumane to eat animals for food."

"Uh, does that apply to me? 'Cause that's pretty much all I can eat." Blitzwolfer whimpered slightly.

Ashlynn shook her head. "No, those are our opinions alone. If you want to eat meat, fine by us, but don't ask us to it eat." she explained; Blitzwolfer chuckled slightly, remembering how Draculaura would get around meat of any kind, evening fainting at the mere sight of blood.

"Alright. I won't push the subject." he chuckled. "So I get why Ashlynn's a Rebel, but what about you Hunter? Any reason you're fighting destiny?"

Hunter's expression darkened. "Because as the next Huntsman, I'm required to hurt innocent animals for sport and for my story; in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, I'm literally supposed to kill _you_ to save Cerise."

"Then good for you!" Blitzwolfer gulped; he wanted to avoid getting killed if it was possible. He turned back to his bacon, trying to keep his eating down to a minimum so he wouldn't cause Ashlynn and Hunter distress, switching to his orange juice and lapping it up with his long, slobbering tongue when he sensed the bench next to him move slightly.

Peeking out of the corner of his eyes to see a girl that was about a half a foot shorter than Ashlynn and absolutely dwarfed by his muscled frame. She had gray eyes like that of rolling storm clouds and pale, peach skin under her long, dark brown hair with predominantly white streaks on her left side; a blood red hood covered her head and hung down along her back, wrapping her in warmth where her red and black plaid tank top, black skirt, gray stockings, and brown hunting boots didn't cover her up enough. Braces decorated with fur and feather sat on her wrists and elbows as she looked at Blitzwolfer with suspicious eyes.

"Oh, hey Cerise!" Ashlynn smiled brightly.

"Hey, guys." the girl said quietly, grabbing the edges of her hood and pulling them down farther to shade her face.

"How's your day been going so far?" Hunter asked, taking a sip of his apple juice.

"Good. I guess." Cerise replied, starring at the rather large hunk of mutton on her tray before her. "Just came by to see the new kid. Blitzwolfer, right?"

"Yep. That's me." the Loboan chuckled. "Uh, you gonna eat that?" he asked, pointing at the mutton on her tray and reaching for it with a claw; Cerise's eyes suddenly flashed a bright amber and she let out a loud growl, bearing her sharp teeth angrily as Blitzwolfer quickly withdrew his hand from Cerise's tray. "Okay, okay! Keep it!" he whimpered.

"Uh, sorry. I . . . I have a cold." she apologized. "I don't think I've seen you at any of my family gatherings." she noted.

"You have a family reunion with the Big Bad Wolves?" Ashlynn cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, uh, seeing as how we're such a big part of each other's stories, we, uh, kinda hang out together sometimes." Cerise admitted, pulling the folds of her hood down farther to hide her face. "That still doesn't explain why I haven't seen him yet."

"That's cause I'm, er, from a distant pack towards the edge of Ever After. Really far out there and stuff." he replied, hoping it would work; Cerise starred at him for a few more seconds before nodding slightly and turning to her mutton, picking it up by the leg and tearing into the meat with a savage attitude before she realized what she was doing and began to eat more slowly and politely, wincing slightly when she caught sight of everyone starring at her.

"Sorry. I was just . . . really hungry." she swallowed and coughed slightly.

"If you say so . . ." Blitzwolfer murmured.

* * *

Blitzwolfer blinked as he looked at the bizarre construction before him. In a section of the school yard in an area roughly the size of a football field was a large tower composed of wooden beams and stone bricks at one end with an open window over looking the whole field. Around the tower was a deep moat about a dozen or so feet across with a stone wall surrounding the entire thing and leaving some open space near the front where there were several smaller walls and barricades of sorts to provide protection.

"What am I looking at?" Blitzwolfer asked.

"Heroics 101. Save the Damsel in Distress." Hunter replied with a sigh. "I know I'm supposed to protect fair maidens and what not, but even this is just plain ridiculous."

"What was that, Huntsman?" King Charming frowned as he rode up to the line of boys atop a snow white horse, clad in his royal robes and a golden crown on his head.

"Nothing, King Charming." Hunter quickly clammed up as the King looked him over before nodding and getting back to teaching his class. "Now then. The object of this exercise is to defeat the minions, slay the dragon, capture the villain, scale the tower, and rescue the damsel in distress, all in the least amount of time in that order." he drawled on. "Not that any of you will be able to beat my boy, Daring." he smirked. "Show them how it's done, Daring!"

A boy with perfect skin, blonde hair, bright blues, and a dashing smile stood at the start of the course, admiring his reflection in a small hand mirrior as he posed in a suit of armor just perfect for his size. "Right on, old man!" he gave a charming smile as he put his mirror away and pulled out an impressive sword and shield from his belt, striking a heroic pose.

"He can't be serious." Blitzwolfer face palmed.

"Well, at least we can agree on something for once." Hunter smirked as he watched Daring give a warm laugh and charge right through an opening in the stone wall as a dozen flashes of white light danced across the ramshackle battlefield, revealing a small minion about the size of a large child dressed in blood red robes and a black void with two, glowing eyes where its face should have been or a four legged creature with a stone body, paws, slab-like face, and long tail with a red crystal at the very tip. The minions mindlessly rushed at Daring, swinging their little swords in the hopes of stopping him; Daring effortlessly blocked every shot before he swung his blade in a wide arc and decapitated half of them where they immediately burst into flashes of white light upon death. The animal-like minions snarled and growled as they pounced on him, only to be taken out with two swipes of Daring sword before he plunged the blade deep into the last minions chest and killed it before laughing cheerily and posing triumphantly.

He quickly moved on to the next challenge as a large flash of white light flashed in the area between Daring and the moat, fading away to reveal a large dragon the size of a truck with rust red scales decorated in wild, black stripes, strong hind legs, large claws on its massive, leathery wings that it walked on, and a pair of huge jaws with teeth curving up over the bottom lip as a double pair of horns sat on its head.

"Ha, ha! Fear not, young maiden!" Daring yelled triumphantly. "I shall be along to rescue you upon defeating this horrible beast!"

"Oh, thank you, Sir Charming!" a melodic voice cried happily from the tower; Blitzwolfer looked up to see a beautiful girl with bright, blue eyes, ruby red lips, pale skin, and long, blonde curls that supported an apple-like crown. She wore a red top with puffy, white sleeves, a pink and red skirt, white stockings, and red pumps tied up with several golden ribbons.

"Yeah. Keep at it, Daring." another voice drawled lazily; Blitzwolfer instantly recognized her as the girl that had summoned him into the bowels of the school, a glum expression on her ivory face with her purple eyes half open in boredom.

The dragon let out a loud roar and snapped its jaws shut just inches from Daring's face as he bravely raised his shield to block a short blast of fire aimed right at his head; the prince bravely dove right towards the dragon as it reared up on it's hind legs with its wings open wide, and thrust the sword at the beast's exposed belly, barely tapping the thick skin with the blade before the dragon roared in agony and fell on its side, playing dead.

"Ha, ha! They just don't make dragons like they use to!" Daring grinned charmingly as he jumped on top of the dragon's back and used it as a launch pad to throw himself heroically over the moat, striking a heroic pose in midair as he landed skillfully on the other side and held a bored Raven at sword point.

"Oh, no! You have me! I surrender!" Raven droned sarcastically as she put her hands above her head; Daring laughed snarkingly and produced a coil of rope from within his armor as he quickly tied Raven up beefore casting his sword and shield aside to begin scaling the tower, grabbing onto lose footholds and crevices as he easily climbed to the top of the tower and smiled warmily upon seeing Apple's gorgeous face.

"And time!" King Charming announced, stopping a pocket watch in his hand. "Very good, Daring. You shaved four seconds off of your previous record!" he smiled proudly.

"Are you kidding me?" Blitzwolfer scoffed. "This is a sham! The minions are wimps, the dragon's trained to play dead from a single hit, the villain didn't even try to fight, and he spent half the time just posing and showing off his teeth instead of actually rescuing the princess!"

King Charming turned his horse around to glare sternly at Blitzwolfer, who only retracted about inch under the harsh stare of the king. "And you think you could _possibly_ do better, _wolf_?" he scoffed at the ridiculous idea.

"Uh, yeah!" Blitzwolfer barked angrily. "I could do this whole course with one hand tied behind my back!" he yelled. "And considering I have a broken hand, I might as well!" he snapped angrily as he pushed past the frightened male students and lumbered over to the beginning of the course; Daring and Apple, having seen the whole thing, shared looks with each other before climbing down from the tower and untying Raven.

"Good job, Apple!" a woman with a blue, satin dress, cone hat with blue netting, and a veil that covered her face complimented the Daughter of Snow White.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marian." Apple smiled happily as she curtsied.

"Alright, Cerise! You're up!" Maid Marian announced.

"Great." Cerise sighed unhappily as she pushed away from the group of girls and walked across a bridge towards the back of the tower and climbed a hidden ladder inside of the tower to the top where she would wait for her prince to rescue her.

"Just be glad you don't have to play the villain every time." Raven murmured to her; indeed, Raven had been forced to play the villain throughout the entire practice upon Headmaster Grimm's request in the hopes that the future Evil Queen would eventually learn to like her role in her story and get into the act so she could put off all "this silly Rebel nonsense", as he had put it. Really, it only made Raven angrier.

"And, go!" King Charming announced as he pressed the start button on his pocket watch; the king watched with a devious smirk as he watched the Loboan rush right into the mess, his grin broadening when he saw the minions start to spawn. Unlike Daring and most of the other heroes, he had made sure to increase the number of minions, increase their strength, and switch out the tamed dragon for a wild dragon without any restraints of any kind. The wolf would learn his place after a crushing defeat, he was sure of that.

Blitzwolfer stormed into the battle grounds as the minions spawned, this time being replaced by men sized golems as thick as barrels and armed with iron fists, hollow faces, and massive shoulder cannons that sat on their shoulders or small, child sized minions armed with swords and sitting on the back of a faceless, stone creature with sharp, gem claws. The Loboan roared and tackled the first golem, knocking it flat on its back and tearing his claws into its claws before grabbing its face in his jaws and tearing it off with one movement of his head, killing it. He leaped up into the air to dodge double shots of the golem's cannons before he grabbed them and swung the two golems together like a pair of cymbals, cru,bling them into stone pebbles as he then used the two cannons as weapons, swinging the cannons around him like nunchaku. He quickly clubbed two minions over the head, crushing them into dust before he launched himself at a mounted minion and tackled it off of its mount, tearing it to pieces before killing the animal with a bite to the back of the neck.

The boys watched with shock and slight horror as Blitzwolfer literally tore the minions to pieces with little effort, quickly ending the minions a few short seconds later as he charged straight at the area where the dragon would appear, bunching up his legs and launching himself right at the beast without hesitation as it appeared in a flash of white light. The dragon was taken aback by this as the Loboan latched himself to the dragon's face and drew back his fist, slugging it in the throat before swing down its long neck and leaving long trails of blood where his claws tore through the skin. He jumped onto the dragon's back, dodging the stream of fire sent his way as he jumped down to the ground and grabbed hold of the beast's tail, pulling with all his might as he slowly lifted the dragon off of the ground and over his shoulder, swinging it around and around before throwing it right at the castle.

"What is he doing!?" Cerise yelled in panic as the dragon was thrown into the tower, shaking it to the very core as the castle shuddered and quaked. Raven screamed as she dove to the ground and covered her head while Cerise was thrown against the back the tower; she watched with fear and horror as Blitzwolfer's jaws split into four, flexible flaps lined with razor sharp teeth and a ear-splitting, ultrasonic howl ripped through the air and smashed full force into the dragon and tower, sending the massive reptile through the structure and utterly annihilating the tower into wooden splinters and stone rubble. Cerise screamed as started to fall towards the ground before something slammed into her and hugged her nice and tight against something furry and warm before she felt a brief moment of coldness before something else was pressed up against her. Her entire world was engulfed in dark, gray fur before she couldn't tell the difference between up and down.

"You two okay?" Blitzwolfer asked.

"Y-yeah. Just fine." Raven blinked and held her head as Cerise froze and quickly grabbed hold of her hood, yanking it back over her head and hoping no one had seen it fall off and expose her wolf ears in the process.

"How about you Cerise?" Blitzwolfer asked.

"I'm fine." she replied quietly and gulped; she felt her face heat up, both in the hopes that her secret had not been exposed and that . . . well, Blitzwolfer's arms were actually _really_ warm. It almost made her sleepy . . .

"Girls! Girls!" King Charming's voice cried as he rode up to them. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly; Maid Marian, her class, the Heroics 101 class, and Headmaster Grimm were right behind him, a mixture of concern, worry, anger, and excitement across their faces.

"Are you kidding me? That was the best thing that's the best thing that's happened to me so far today!" Raven grinned; Cerise nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"YOUNG WOLF!" Headmaster Grimm roared angrily at the top of his lungs. "Just . . . just what was that _horrendous_ display of yours!?"

"I think," Blitzwolfer started. "That I just won the challenge, right?"

"No! Not at all!" Headmaster Grimm spouted. "You didn't even come close! You have no suit of armor, no sword, no shield, no charismic smile, and you're not even a prince or knight in the first place!" he roared at the top of his lungs.

Blitzwolfer bristled andd growled like the beast he was, releasing his hold on the two girls and storming right up to the Headmaster, standing a couple, intimidating inches taller than him as his lips drew back into a cruel snarl; Cerise slightly wilted at her release, but watched with a smile as she watched the Loboan argue with Headmaster Grimm.

"And how," he growled. "Did I _possibly_ fail? I defeated the minions, slayed the dragon, captured the villain, scaled the tower, _and_ saved the girl too. And as an added bonus, I completely shattered Daring's record." he grinned deviously.

"Oh, really?" Grimm snarled before turning to King Charming. "Your majesty, what was Mr. Wolf's time on the Save the Damsel in Distress course?"

The King blinked and looked at the golden pocket watch in his hand, paling slightly when he caught sight of the time he had it stopped at. "Fifty-nine seconds." he replied.

"And what was your son's record?" he asked, a smug grin on his face.

King Charming, for once in his life, looked worriedly as he shifted himself uncomfortably on the back of his horse. "Um . . . two minutes seventeen seconds." he replied nervously.

"That's right, two minutes and- WHAT!?" the Headmaster startled.

"I rest my case." the Loboan snorted with amusement as he strolled away from the field with a smug grin on his face, leaving the classes and Headmaster utterly baffled and confused; Cerise felt her heart flutter a little as she watched him leave, a light brush creeping across her face. Raven however, was in complete shock.

The symbol from her dream. The same symbol on the strange creature she had summoned.

It was on Blitzwolfer.

 **Duh-duh-duh! And there we go!  
**

 **I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I really can't take all the credit though; I have to thank _Codecrash_ for giving me the idea for the previous part of the chapter. So go ahead and thank him, shower him with thanks! This guy is brilliant!**

 **Let me know what Ever After couples you would like to see in the comments below!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	4. Shine Bright like a Diamondhead

**And I'm back!**

 **I can not express how much I love you guys right now. _16_ reviews in just the first hour and a half. That's faster than any other story I've _ever_ worked on; even _We're All Monsters_ didn't do this well. Guess that myth about the sequel never being quite as good is false in some ocassions ;)**

 **But of course, I can't take all the credit. That's what you guys are for! Thank your for leaving all your wonderful comments and ideas in the reviews below; I honestly don't know where this story would be right now without people like _Codecrash, Kaiju Fan, Morantis, Megatron the Angel of Ideas,_ and _Titanzilla_ , just to name a few. Really, I have to thank you all for giving this story such big support. It really means a lot to me.**

 **But I bet you're tired of my sniveling and groveling now, aren't you? Well, you'll have to wait a little longer because I have to give credit where credit is due; everyone give _Kaiju Fan_ a round of applause! Yes, bow down to them and start groveling and sniveling like me! Now then, on to the review answers!**

 _ **Megatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!**

 _ **superfanman217 –**_ **Glad you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it.**

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **I honestly have** ** _no_ idea what that is, but if you think that's what it was influenced by, then good on ya, mate!**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **You bring a lot to table; A fight between Cerise and Clawdeen would technically be a dogfight, would it not? And Paradox understanding Riddlish and being able to hear the Narrators? Well, the dude** ** _did_ go insane for a bit, so it's pretty plausible. As for Raven . . . my lips are sealed.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Ha, ha, ha! Oh, I swear these reviews are a regular chuckle factory! Anyways, I can't reveal too much without giving away the chapter, but let's just say that what Raven finds is not what she expects. As for Blitzwolfer discovering Cerise's secret . . . well, you'll just have to see XD**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the chapter so much, though you deserve some of the credit. And I have to agree: Raven and Cerise are my two favorite characters of the show, with Sparrow Hood being my third favorite simply because he's hilarious to watch when he fails. And yes, Apple's in for the surprise of her life . . .**

 _ **kival737101 –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Yeah, that seems to be the majority of things. Looks like Dexter's gonna need a huge smackeroo upside the head!**

 _ **Dragonsaurus –**_ **No, you didn't make me mad. You could never make me mad with suggested couples. Really, they were really thoughtful and a lot of people actually agree with you on it.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I plan to, my friend. I'm glad you enjoy my and** ** _Codecrash's_ work.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **She is trapped in Mirror Prison, but that's the thing about prisons and jails: they're meant to be escaped from. As for you ideas . . . OH, MY RA, YOU ARE A GENIUS!** ** _Codecrash_ would be proud.**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **I won't reveal the entire harem, but I can guarantee that Raven and Cerise are a part of it. And Cupid will finally be with the prince she loves (once he gets some sense knocked into him, that is).**

 _ **New Universe Returns –**_ **Yeah, my updates are usually fast and quick, with a week of inactivaty between chapter's most of the time; sometimes I'm just weighed down by life and have to push this aside for a while (annoying, I know).**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Maddie is also one of my favorite characters; her upbeat and insane personality just make me laugh, especially whenever she's talking to the Narrators and people think she's just crazy. As for Paradox . . . well, you'll just have to see ;)**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed** ** _We're All Monsters_! And don't worry; with what have planned, things are going to get messy. Very, very, very, very messy. Even Ball Weevil wouldn't be able to clean it up.**

 _ **Dethroned King Umbros –**_ **No, no it is not wrong to want to do that. Personally, I don't like Headmaster Grimm very much either (I like his brother, Giles, better), but you just can't deny that it's hilarious when he gets what's coming to him. As for you idea, this actually makes a lot of sense; I imagine Giles would be more kind to the characters, but Headmaster Grimm seems to be that kind of person once he has a good enough reason to do so.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **You are pathetic, young grasshopper Daring! You must shatter your mirror and brush your teeth three times a day so that one day you will have ears like mine!**

 _ **IcySnowSage –**_ **I can't for sure safetly say what Whisp's response would be, but I'm Gigi would at least recognize Giles. As for your second question,** ** _Cupid's Crystal Ball_ and _Once Upon a Tennyson_ do not exist in the same universe.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onwards!**

* * *

F.N: _It seems Blitzwolfer, or should we say,_ Ben, _has caused quite a stir. And it wasn't even the end of the day yet!_

M.N: _Will you get on with the narration? The reader is getting impatient._

F.N: _Stop breaking the fourth wall! There was already enough of that in the last story with that Genie and-_

M.N: _Now who's breaking the fourth wall? Anyway, it seemed that the new student had caught more than just the attention of Raven Queen. He also had seem to elicited a small movement in Cerise Hood's otherwise mostly frozen heart; could True Love be brewing?_

F.N: _Really? Your just going to end it like that?_

M.N: _Yes, yes I am!_

F.N: _But what if the reader gets bored?_

M.N: _Again with the breaking of the fourth wall! Fine. Have it your way._

F.N: _I always do. But not all was bright and happy as it seemed. In addition to the Headmaster's patience slowly wearing thin with the latest student his school had collected, dark forces were at work. Dark, evil forces that had slept in quiet slumber for almost ten years without much movement. For ten whole years, the dark force had remained silent and inactive, bidding its time._

 _Until now._

M.N: _Really? That's where you're going to end it?_

F.N: _Oh, shut up!_

* * *

Blitzwolfer scratched his head as he watched what was happening before him. A full grown grizzly bear standing well over nine feet tall on its hind legs, wearing a pair of spectacles, and a red and black vest over a plain white shirt was trying to calm down the crowd of hexcited boys and girls before him, their constant chattering and talking starting to put the bear at his wits end before he final let out a loud and angry roar from his jaws that quickly silenced the class.

"Thank you." Poppa Bear breathed, recomposing himself as he took off his spectacles and cleaned them with a rag. "Now, I'm sure you are all very impressed by Mr. Wolf's . . . performance on the Save the Damsel in Distress course, but please hold all of that off until class is over." the bear asked kindly.

Word of Blitzwolfer's skills and destruction of the Save the Damsel in Distress course in Heroics 101 spread like wildfire, instilling fear and awe in the students of Ever After High; Daring had fallen into a stuttering mess, unable to comprehend that his record had been completely obliterated by not only a villain, but a _wolf_ of all creatures, Tiny was now utterly terrified of someone who was utterly dwarfed by him could do as much damage as a giant could, and Cerise had been more quiet and reserved than before, though she seemed to walk with a slight spring in her step wherever she went. If the downfall of the Save the Damsel in Distress course wasn't enough to whisper about in the halls and in class when the teacher's back was turned, one could snicker and chuckle at the look on Headmaster Grimm's face when Blitzwolfer had told him off. And then one could marvel at the man's colorful vocabulary that he spouted off once the classes had left him alone on the field; it was loud enough to hear crystal clear in the majority of the classes on the first and second floors.

A series of loud and absolutely furious roars caught the student's attention and they all turned their heads in a random ripping motion towards the noise. Strolling up the lawn towards them was a small platoon of enchanted suits of armor, each one tightly holding onto the thick and heavy chain that hung around the long, serpentine neck of a gigantic and ragging dragon the size of which no one had ever seen before. Each of the nearly dozen or so deadly beasts had to be nearly sixty feet long and the wings that folded up and forced them to walk like a prehistoric pterosaur had to be nearly double that if the enormous bulk of the dragon was to ever be lifted off the ground. Colors of the armored, fire-proof scales ranged from a crimson red to deep purple with faded, yellow underbellies and crisp, reptilian eyes that glowed like the embers of a dying fire. Patches of black spots covered their bodies, a series of fleshy barbels hung from their chins, a rack of impressive, black horns curved out and back from behind their skulls; it was perhaps the most distinctive feature about them, with the exception of massive underbite of razor-sharp teeth jutting out from its jaw.

Poppa Bear coughed loudly in order to return the attention back to him. "Now then, as I'm sure you've all have noticed, today we will be working with the Gruesome Horror. Before we begin I would like to remind you all that these are wild dragons and should be treated as such, meaning the only one to get through to them is to show them who is the alpha dragon before they, er, eat you." the ursine finished awkwardly. To be fair, the most dangerous part of the Gruesome Horror – the mouths – were clamped shut by a strong, iron muzzle that was just out of reach of its semi-dexterous claws. The rest of the dragon however, was free to do whatever it wanted, especially with those wicked claws of theirs that they would most likely not hesitate to employ if they became too agitated.

Ashlynn flinched slightly next to Blitzwolfer and unconsciously tried to hide behind him when she caught sight of the rough handling the Gruesome Horrors were receiving. Most of the methods used in Beast Training and Care were simple enough for most creatures and she normally had no qualms about them; if the lesson required fighting an animal simply just to get it to listen to you however. . . she didn't want any part of it. Unfortunately, there was no getting out of the class, since all fairy tale princesses were required to have some knowledge of animal training, considering their connection to the woodland creatures of the Enchanted Forest.

"Now then, find a partner and pair up, one boy per girl." Poppa Bear instructed as the magical suits of armor stopped next to him and tightened their grip on the dragon's chains. Everyone was quick to pair up with one another, leaving Blitzwolfer all alone to handle a dragon by himself. Not that anyone doubted he wouldn't be able to do it.

Hunter gulped nervously as an enchanted suit of armor strode up and handed him a heavy chain in one of its gloved hands and a gigantic Gruesome Horror attached to the other end. The dragon glowered heavily at the huntsman with its fiery, ember eyes fixed tightly on him as if daring to try and get it to sit and roll over like a dog; the size of the flying reptile however, was more than enough to intimidate Hunter into simply just standing there, completely transfixed.

" _Pssst! Ashlynn!_ " Hunter hissed out of the corner of his mouth without taking his eyes off of the Grusome Horror; he had learned a long time ago from his parents (specifically his mother) that animals were more likely to attack distracted prey than prey that knew they were there. "Can you try talking to it? See if it's willing to cooperate?"

Ashlynn swallowed nervously when she caught sight of the murderous look in the dragon's eyes and the puff of hot smoke that came from its nostrils. "I-I can try," she inhaled a deep breath. "I've never talked to a dragon before . . . at least, not one this big."

"Well, do it quickly!" Hunter yelled as the dragon pulled back its head and reared up onto its hind legs with its wings spread wide for support. Before the Son of the Huntsman could scream much more, the Gruesome Horror bellowed and roughly snapped its head to the right, yanking Hunter in that direction like a fly on a fishing rod and smashing him into the ground. The beast then jerked its head back up a second time and swung its head back to the left, once more pulling Hunter in that direction and slamming him against the ground its head; the huntsman was then wrenched out of the dirt and into the air one final time before the dragon beat him back against the ground and growled venomously at him, seriously annoyed that it hadn't managed to get Hunter to let go of the chain.

If it was any consolation, Hunter wasn't the only being thrown around like a ragdoll.

Dexter Charming screamed at the top of his lungs as he held onto the end of his own Gruesome Horror's horns while the wyvern swooped and rolled through the air at a breakneck speed in an effort to throw the nerdy prince off its back. Dexter simply kept his focus on trying not to fall to his doom and keeping the golden crown he wore on his head and his glasses from falling off his face as the wind blasted against his ears. His blue waist coat fluttered out behind him like a cape in the breeze as the dragon dove downwards through the air before swiftly pulling up into a steep incline and then proceeding to go through a series of barrel rolls and loops. " _F-Fear not, Apple! I-I-I've got this under control!_ " he yelled.

"If you say so, Dexter!" Apple called from down below, wincing as the dragon suddenly went into a tight corkscrew in an attempt to throw Dexter flying off into the distance; to his credit, the Son of Prince Charming had a vice-like grip that prevented him from plummeting to his doom. Apple sighed as she watched her partner getting thrown around like a ragdoll, silently wistfully wishing that Daring was here to help them; the prince had a way with dragons it seemed that no one could quite explain. Unfortunately, Daring was still in shock about having his record shattered mere hours ago and still wasn't over it, which was slightly irritating.

More screams and panicked cries echoed across the field as other students were having trouble controlling their Gruesome Horrors, having their legs swept out from under them by the snake-like tails and narrowly avoiding the sharp claws. It seemed no one could rein in the temperamental fireb-breathing reptiles.

Except for Blitzwolfer, apparently.

Apple watched in surprise as the Loboan scratched his dragon's armored belly, the animal panting happily like an over grown puppy dog; it was by far the biggest dragon out of the bunch by at least a few more feet with blood red scales laced with wild, black stripes and three pairs of horns fixed to the back of its skull in addition to the dozen or so barbels and growths on its chin. What surprised and possibly frightened Apple even more was that the Gruesome Horror's heavy, iron muzzle, thick collar, and chain leash were lying discarded on the grass; Blitzwolfer's dragon was more than happy to reward him with a warm lick up the length of his furry body.

Apple gaped in awe as several more students took notice. "How did you do that?"

Blitzwolfer chuckled as he scratched the massive dragon under its chin, its tongue lolling out of the cage of teeth. "Easy," he grinned. "Just show 'em a little respect. A dragon won't stay made at ya if ya just let 'im know you respect their authority as an apex predator and give 'im a friendly hand on its snout."

Ashlynn bit her lip while Hunter slowly climbed to his feet – sudden movements tended to be a no-no when it came to taming animals – and let the weight iron chain fall from his grip; the dragon remained where it was, curious as to what the chewy slab of meat before it was planning. The huntsman inhaled a deep breath to try and keep himself from shaking and simultaneously wetting himself in the process and reached forward with a trembling, shivering hand. He never broke eye contact with the ferocious, fire-breathing beast that dwarfed him simply by existing, knowing full well that if that iron muzzle wasn't tightly clamped over its jaws, he could very well be a broiled meal right now digesting in the dragon's belly; even with the muzzle offering some form of protection, the claws and sheer, brute strength of the Gruesome Horror alone was enough to kill him on the spot, and he had to admire that with fear stricken awe.

Ashlynn held her breath (as did most of the class) as her boyfriend carefully placed his hand on the Gruesome Horror's snout, right between the pair of flaring nostrils and just below a small nose horn that reminded Hunter of a rhinoceros. During the whole ordeal he never pulled hi gaze away from the dragon and in turn the dragon never pulled its gaze away from him, the smoldering embers starring intently at him as if examining his soul to see what his intentions were. The skin of the Gruesome Horror's nose felt rough and armored beneath his fingers yet oddly smooth and warm as well, like the calloused skin of a dwarf's arm (Hunter wasn't sure how he knew what that felt like).

"Nice dragon?" he winced, fully expecting to be attacked.

What happened next however, was something he hadn't expected to happen in a million years. He had heard tales of dragon riders mounting their fiery beasts and taking to the skies, fighting through thick and thin side by side like a pair of war hardened warriors that had known each other since the day they had entered the world; he hadn't expected to ever seen someone bond with a dragon bigger than they were and yet . . . the Gruesome Horror shivered its jaw and slithered its long neck forward, gently nuzzling Hunter's chest with affection. Shocked and feeling thrilled at the same time, the Son of the Huntsman reached out with his hand and carefully scratched a spot behind the wyvern's horns that was just out of reach of its claws, watching with surprise and a hint of amusement as the Gruesome Horror nearly collapsed with pleasure.

"Where did you learn this?" Ashlynn giggled as the Gruesome Horror turned its attention to her and cocked its head like a curious parrot. She smiled brightly and reached with calming hands, scratching it in a rough manner that felt gentle to beasts with tough skin under its chin and along its jaw before her fingers grazed against the iron muzzle; the dragon seemed to droop at that and Ashlynn couldn't help but feel her heart clench. She couldn't _stand_ to see an animal even the slightest bit sad, even if that animal was easily ten times her size. Before Hunter could try to stop her she reached up with a quick yet cautious touch and grabbed hold of the thick, leather straps that were out of reach of the dragon's claws and began to untie them. The muzzle fell to the ground a few seconds later with a deep _thump!_ and Ashlynn gave an almighty scream that quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles when the dragon happily licked her with its forked tongue.

Blitzwolfer grinned. "A friend mind o' mine taught me. Most dragons don't wanna fight. Show 'em a little respect or scratch an itch they can't reach, and they're ya friend forever." he chuckled knowingly. "You could say she kinda knew how to speak their language."

"Make a note of that." Poppa Bear whispered to one of the suits of armor as the students stopped trying to wrestle their dragons into submission – which would have been a ridiculous idea in the first place, considering how big the average Gruesome Horror got – and instead began to follow Blitzwolfer's example with much better results. In fact, the worst injury anyone sustained was when they were slammed into the ground by an over affectionate dragon that got a little too hexcited when Dexter discovered that scratching a wyvern under the forked tongue made them – for lack of a better term – _extremely_ happy.

Before long the bell rang, signaling that the students were forced to bid the flock of Gruesome Horrors – who hadn't lived up to their name for a good majority of the class, thankfully – farewell before the enchanted suits of armor led them back to the dragon stables beneath the school with a lot more cooperation than it took to drag them out in the first place. As much as Apple was relieved that no one had been turned into crispy, smoked bacon, she couldn't help but feel that something was . . . _off._ With nothing against the dragons, weren't heroic knights and princes supposed to slay them and cut them down to save the princess or damsel in distress, not tame them with belly rubs and treats? Her gut was telling her that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She instead decided to shrug it off for the time being as she hurried off to her next class.

Unbeknownst to the students, the Headmaster was watching from the forest that ringed the school, tucked just behind a row of bushes and grasses as he watched the students head back towards the school. He had seen the whole thing with his own eyes, and he was not happy about in the slightest; that Blitzwolfer was starting to annoy him. First, he showed up one of his most important students in class and made him look like an utter fool in front of the students, now he was teaching them a better way to train dragons when the stories called for the dragons to be slain? If he didn't something quick, the Headmaster would lose all respectability he had and the Rebels would slowly gain more ground.

The Rebels were like a dragonfly infestation: no matter what one used, they always came back in stronger force than before, getting harder and harder to get rid of than the last time. And pretty soon enough, he wouldn't be able to exterminate them. He had to end the problem before it got any worse, and it seemed the most likely way to do that was to solve the problem at the source.

He had to get rid of Blitzwolfer. One way or another.

* * *

" _Sign the book!_ " Headmaster Grimm roared angrily, thrusting a quilled pen into Raven's fingers.

"N-no! Raven argued, throwing the quill back at him and succeeding in striking him in the face. "I don't want to sign and I never will sign it!" she yelled. "I'm not bad! I'm good! I want to be good!"

"I'm afraid, Ms. Queen that you do not have a say in the matter." Headmaster Grimm snarled as his eyes flashed that horrible purple once more while he snapped his fingers. Raven gulped nervously and looked around her, gasping with horror when she saw the dark knights marching down the isle of the courtyard's stage, two rows marching down the red carpet in extreme precision. Between either knight was one of Raven's friends, beaten and in chains. Maddie was at the head of grotesque parade, one of her eyes blackened and swollen shut while her nose and bottom lip dripped with blood, staining her teeth and tattered dress red. Cerise followed next, her right leg dragging limp and twisted at an unnatural angle as blood dripped from several wounds in her mouth where her teeth had been pulled out; her hood was no longer there, exposing her wolf ears, but leaving raw and bruised skin around her neck where the hood's clasps had rubbed against the skin when the knights had unkindly tried to tear it away. More and more of her tortured students followed, most of them either unconscious or barely awake to groan try to plead Raven to not listen to the cruel Headmaster.

Raven brought her hands to her face, squeezing her eyes shut as she covered them with her palms. "Why are you doing this?" she choked, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Because leave me no other choice, you insolent girl!" Headmaster Grimm snarled as he roughly grabbed Raven by the arm and shoved her towards the open pages of the Storybook of Legends. "If you do not sign the books, then your friends pay the price and it will be all _your_ fault!"

"N-no! No it's not!" Raven protested.

"It is, you annoying girl!" Grimm growled as he began to change before Raven's very eyes. She watched with horror as the Headmaster convulsed and twitched uncontrolably, his potbelly stomach pinching almost painfully as he thinned out, his butt and chest swelling outwards as his thick, rough fingers shrank and became more delicate looking as his nails grew into sharp claws. His legs thinned as his shoulder shrunk down, his bulbous face molding and morphing into something more heart-shaped. His mustache was sucked into his lip as his dark, gray hair flashed midnight black with purple streaks done up in a crown-shaped updo as his eyes flashed a dark purple. Raven trembled and fell to her knees as her mother, the Evil Queen, emerged from Headmaster Grimm, shaking off the disguise as she cackled loudly and towered over her daughter.

"Sign the book, you pathetic insect!" she hissed, a forked tongue slipping out from between her perfect teeth.

"N-no! No, please! Don't make me sign it!" Raven cried, scooting backwards away from her mother until she was caught against the Storybook of Legend's podium; the Evil Queen cackled darkly at seeing her daughter trapped like the rat she was, her claw-like fingers flexxing as she stalked forward, licking her lips hungrily as Raven covered her face, silently praying for a quick death or some sort of divine intervention.

"Stop trying, you miserable brat!" the Evil Queen snarled. "Nothing can save you now!" The villainess hissed and lunged at Raven, her hands clenched tightly into stinging hooks that were fully prepared to grab the trembling girl before her by the throat and choke her to death, eager to feel her nails digging into her daughter's skin and drip with her blood.

 _ **CLANG!**_

Raven cracked open her violet eyes and looked up in terror and awe, wondering why the life wasn't slowly ebbing away from her as her mother slowly choked her to death. Standing over her with closed eyes and a grim expression was a large, roughly humanoid creature with crystalized skin all over his body. His exposed arms were huge and shined in the dim light like the diamonds they were as they formed bulky muscles and strong fingers and shoulders as a pair of sharp blade protruded from the creature's back. The creature's jawline was large and roughly box-shaped with fairly large eyes under a heavy brow that pulled back into a short crest; a black body suit covered it from its feet to its neck, a thick, green stripe down the middle that stopped at a green belt around the waist.

"You okay?" he asked in a deep, kind voice.

"Y-yeah." Raven replied shakily. "Who are you?"

The creature didn't answer at first as he opened his vibrant green eyes and rose to his full height, towering over the shocked Evil Queen as she struggled to form or find words; the creature whipped out his right arm to the side, and Raven watched with surprise as his fingers and hand effortlessly fused together and morphed into a long, sharpened blade like that of a sword. "We've met before." he replied without looking at Raven.

The diamond-plated creature sprang forward, swiping his blade in a wide arch and forcing the Evil Queen to duck under the attack; she dodged the first strike, but was blown across the stage by a solid punch to the stomach from the creature's fist. She flew and rolled across the stage before coming to a complete stomp, unmoving as she gasped for breath. The creature stood still for a few more seconds before his arm shifted back into its original form with a sound like glass clattering together as he turned around to stare at Raven, his expression softening as he knelt down to rest a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Be strong, Raven. It's almost time." he reassured her. "You'll find salvation soon, I promise."

"Really?" Raven sniffed.

The creature nodded as he climbed back to his feet, gently sliding one of his hands under her legs and the other one behind her back as he lifted her off of the ground and hugged her to his chest. The young witchling snuggled in deeper to him, resting her head against his chest as she let a few more tears fall free. "Be brave, Raven. The time will come when you will not have to live fear of your past anymore." the crystalline creature comforted her.

"Raven?"

Raven sniffed and looked around her to see that her world was starting to crumble around her, with the dark, stormy sky shattering like glass and the distant, rolling hills disintegrating like old, fallen walls in the ruins of a city; her friends and the horrid knights that imprisoned them faded into dust.

"Raven!"

"Go. Your friend needs you." the creature said to her, setting her down as he himself started to crumble into sand blown away by the wind.

"Wait! Don't go!" Raven pleaded. "I have questions!"

"All will be answered," were the creature's last words before he fully faded away, leaving behind only a disk with a black backward and a sharp, green hourglass figure on the front.

"RAVEN!"

* * *

Raven snorted and startled as she jolted right up, nearly back out of her chair before Cerise managed to catch her and push her back into place; the Daughter of the Evil Queen blushed slightly and wiped away a thing line of drool that had trailed from her lips in her sleep as Cerise cocked an eyebrow at her. "Raven? Is something wrong?" Cerise asked.

"Well . . ." the young witch trailed off.

"C'mon, Raven. You tell me." Cerise said as she sat down in the chair next to her friend. "You already know my secret." she added quietly, glancing around to make sure no one had heard her.

Raven sighed as she rested her elbows on the table in front of her. "I've just been having some really weird dreams lately." she began to tell Cerise about the two dreams she had of lately, emphasising on the mysterious boy in the first and how he seemed to be absent from the second. Then she move on to how the strange symbol seemed to be wherever she looked, on Blitzwolfer's collar, on a belt around the waist of the strange creature she had summoned, the appearance of the disk around the waist of the diamond creature in her dream.

"I've been trying to see if I can find that symbol anywhere in Ever After's history," Raven explained. "I've also been trying to find that symbol the knights had on them, but I haven't found anything that matches."

"Why are you so freaked out over this?" Cerise asked. "Your usually so calm and down to earth about everything."

Raven bit her lip. Some things were just better left unsaid, locked away inside of her and away from the light of day so that only a few people knew about them. As of lately, only her father and Maddie knew what she was hiding, and she intended to keep it that way for as long as she could, possibly until the day she died. Some secrets were better left stuffed into the deepest, darkest corners of ones mind and away from prying eyes. "My dad always told me that dreams would sometimes give us glimpses of things to come in the future, warnings or visions. I just want to make sure that these symbols aren't anything bad."

Cerise nodded. "Well, the best option seems to be to ask Blitzwolfer." she said, a light blush creeping across her face that she hoped Raven didn't notice; thankfully, the witchling did not as she quickly agreed and closed the large book in front of her with a hevay _thud!_

" _Shhhhhh!_ " one of the evil step-librarians hissed with annoyance; other than the soft noise the book made when it closed, the library was dead quiet.

"Sorry." Raven whispered as she quickly slid the book back on its shelf and left the library with Cerise in tow before the evil sisters could get them in trouble. They stopped running after a few more minutes, stopping to rest in front of a row of lockers a couple hallways and classrooms over from where the library was located.

"How do we go about this?" Cerise asked Raven. "Do we just down right ask him?"

"Ask me what?"

Cerise startled and Raven clutched her left breast, breathing heavily; she was not use to having so many heart stopping surprises in one day. "Oh, uh, hey, Blitzwolfer." Raven chuckled nervously once she was sure she wasn't going to have a heart attack.

"Raven, right?" the Loboan tried to remember. "What did you want to ask me?"

"We wanted to ask you about your collar." Cerise replied, walking right up to him and tapping the Omnitrix with a finger; the Loboan flinched with every tap, hoping that the Omnitrix would take it as a sign to transform. "Uh, my collar?"

"Yes, your collar." Cerise frowned slightly, cocking an eyebrow.

"Uh, family heirloom." the Loboan gulped. "I'd love to answer more questions, but I uh, have to go check out and move into my dorm. Bye!" he quickly ran away, dropping down onto all fours and only wincing slightly at his injured paw as he ran away down the hall, his claws clicking loudly.

"Well that worked out well." Raven rolled her eyes.

"You think he's hiding something?" Cerise asked.

Raven tapped her chin. "I dunno. I think we need a second opinion on this."

* * *

"The chameleon's colors are never true and the fox is always changing its colors!" Maddie giggled madly as she poured Raven another cup of tea; Cerise gave Raven a 'you can't be serious' look and quietly sipped her own cup of tea. The three of them plus and slightly off put Apple White were currently having a tea party in the Home Evil-nomics room, which might have been the reason Apple was feeling uncomfortable in the first place.

"I'm sorry, but what was that?" Apple asked politely, like any normal person would.

"Uh, she said she agrees." Raven replied as she set her tea cup down.

"But Blitzwolfer said he was going to spend the rest of the day moving into his dorm," Apple argued politely once more. "He even got a notice from the Headmasters themselves."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Cerise asked.

"When the parrot's lost its squawk, it borrows one from the flamingo." Maddie said in an obvious tone.

Cerise and Apple blinked as Maddie cackled madly, turning to Raven for a translated.

"My best guess is that she's suggesting we go fishing." Raven replied, much to her friend's confusion. "What? Riddlish isn't an exact language." she defended herself.

"Oh, you Ever Afterlings! I'm saying if we can't ask Blitzwolfer himself, lets just ask that bug guy Raven summoned in Home Evil-nomics and see if he knows anything." Maddle laughed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Raven asked. "Last time I talked to him he wasn't exactly . . . very friendly." she flinched at the memory of the strange creature, how the very temperature of the room dropped and it felt like ice was creeping through her veins towards her heart, slowly freezing her through.

"Does the penguin know when to quit trying?" Maddie smirked.

"Uh, no?" Raven guessed.

"Exactly!" Maddie grinned madly as usual. "Summon him already, Raven! Ooh, I bet he's all sorts of fun!" she smiled; the girls looked at her as if she was crazier than she normally was. Raven gulped and got up from the small table set up and walked to the front of the classroom as Maddie took one last sip of her own tea before pulling off the small top hat on her head and effortlessly stuffing the teapot, cups, table, biscuits, and Earl Grey inside before placing it back on her head and following her friend up to the front as Apple and Cerise shared stunned looks and followed after the Daughter of the Mad Hatter.

Raven sucked in a deep breath and calmed her jittery nerves, summoning the dark magic that coursed through her veins like a virus and felt the familiar tingling sensation at her fingertips, her hands glowing an ominous purple as she raised them above her head, quietly chanting incohert things under her breath as she tried to summon the desired creature they wanted. She then felt a light sting as her power reached its peak and opened a small rift in the wall of reality to bring the creature she had summoned forth into the classroom in a flash of purple light.

* * *

Blitzwolfer tried to not look out of place as he strolled down the main street of Book End, admiring all the white wash buildings that had a medival look yet a modern feel to it; the thought was quickly withdrawn when he saw a horse drawn carriage speed down the road behind him, nearly running over his foot had he not jumped out of the way in time.

"Hey, watch it!" the Loboan snarled, though it seemed the driver didn't hear them. With a shake of his head, he continued down the road, taking note of the different shops that lined either side of the street, everything from small cafes and a rather bizarre looking tea shop to shoe stores and even a movie theater; a quick sniff of his sensitive nose told him that at the center of the village was a marketplace and perhaps a bakery of some sorts. He ignored the sweet scent of food for the time being, trying to find a furniture store of some sort; he had managed to take a look at the dorm he would be staying in and was thankful that it already had a bed and white wash walls that were just waiting to painted. It had a private bathroom, was fairly large even for a dorm that was supposed to house two students, and it gave a good view of the courtyard below. Unfrotunately, it didn't include much else, and Blitzwolfer had been given a small amount of money from the Headmaster's to spend on getting comfortable in his dorm.

"Help!"

Blitzwolfer perked up at the sound of that and listened for the source of the noise with his sensitive ears just as the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of light; Ben panicked, thankful that the street was empty for the time being and quickly turned on the Omnitrix again, not caring what alien he got as he slapped the activation core and was swallowed in a flash of bright, green light, changing his DNA at the molecular scale into something new and twisted. His skin began to harden into a smooth covering, little diamonds and crystals racing up his arms and legs to cover him as his bones disappeared altogether; his frame bent and warped as it increased in height and size as Ben felt his jawline push out a little ways, his teeth fusing together into two, hard plates as his head pinched back into a sharp crest. Two sharp blades suddenly sprouted from his back as his entire body hardened into a diamond-like substance, a black and green jumpsuit materializing on him and ending the transformation while a green belt with the Omnitrix at the center appeared around his waist.

"Well, better than Walkatrout, I guess." Diamondhead sighed as he rushed towards the source of the cry for help, running down an alley and coming to a halt, completely stunned at what he saw. Cornered at one end of the alley was a girl with deep brown skin, like that of an old pine tree's bark; upon closer inspection, the Petrosapien realized that it _was_ bark, though technically is more wood. Her joints were suspended together by brass bolts and her hazel eyes opened and closed every few seconds with a soft clacking noise. She had dark brown, wavy hair with purple strands held together by a cricket headband while she wore a vibrant purple, pink, and yellow dress that bared resemblance to a pair of lederhosen with a wide skirt that didn't quite reach her knees. Trapping her against the alley wall with a roughly crimson red humanoid figure, its deep red skin shining in the limited light the dark alley provided. It seemed to look like some sort of futurisic, medival knight of sorts, with metal claws for heads, an unreadable, red helmet, what seemed to be a laser gauntlet of some kind on its right arm, and a large shoulder pad on its right shoulder; the shoulder pad sported a strange symbol, a small shield divided into four quadrants of gold and red with a black infinity symbol in the middle.

"You!" Diamondhead yelled, whipping his arm down towards the ground as it immediately shifted into a large, sharpened blade. "How did you get here!?" he spat angrily as the Forever Ninja turned to face and rush at him with an uncanny speed as swiftly changed directly and pushed off one of the walls of the alley, flying through the air directly at Diamondhead and ready to execute a deadly kick to the jaw before the Petrosapien raised his blade and blocked the attack at the last second, sending the robot assassin flying back at the wooden girl.

"What's the matter? Diamondhead got your tongue?" he grinned as he pointed the crystal blade at the Forever Ninja and charged forward, swinging his sword in a wide arch and forcing the robot to jump over the blade, only to be slugged in the head and crash against the far wall of the alley; the wooden girl dove out of the way just in time as Diamondhead came charging like a crazed bull, his fist drawn back and ready to crush the assassin before him. The Forever Ninja dodged the first blow with ease, ducking underneath the crystalline fist and lashing out with a metal leg, sending the Petrosapien skidding back as he whipped out a laser sword from the tool belt around his waist and activated it, the pulsing, red blade clashing against the crystal sword as both sides struggled to hold their ground.

"You know . . . what's handy about being made . . . of diamonds?" the Petrosapien grunted.

When the Forever Ninja didn't respond, only pushed harder, Diamondhead answered. "You're never without more of them!" he yelled as he stomped a foot down into the ground, grinning triumphantly as crystals thrust themselves up and out of the ground around the robot assassin, trapping it where it stood as Diamondhead relaxed a little, before shifting the sword into a large mace-like structure. "Sleep tight, tin can." he grinned before clubbing the Forever Ninja over the head and shutting it down.

"Whew. Glad that's over with." the Petrosapien breathed with relief as he looked up to see the girl looking at him with a mixture of interest and fear. "You okay?"

The girl nodded. "My name's Cedar Wood. Who are you?" she asked.

"Diamondhead." he replied as he straightened up. "And, uh, I'd appreciate it if you kept this a secret-"

"That's not a good idea." Cedar shook her head, her brown and purple locks swishing back and forth. "See, I was cursed by my dad to always tell the truth and to never ever tell a lie until my time to play the role of Pinocchio, which is kinda let down considering my friends can never tell me any secret at all whatsoever because I'll be compelled to tell the truth no matter what, like I'll just blurt it out and-"

"Okay!" Diamondhead yelled, halting the conversation; he had been covering his ears after the first ten seconds of listening to the wooden girl rattle off an incredibly long sentence in one long breath without stopping. "I get the idea."

"Oh, that's good." Cedar sighed with relief. "People tell me that I have a tendency to ramble."

Diamondhead was about to say something else when a flash of purple energy arched in a ring around him in the ground, consuming him in a purple light before he vanished from the alleyway and left Cedar and the shut down Forever Ninja behind.

"That was . . . weird." the Daughter of Pinocchio remarked to no one in particular.

* * *

Raven fell to her knees, breathing as Maddie crouched down to support her and massive her shoulders to calm her down; performing a summoning spell within the span of just a couple of hours really drained Raven of her energy, and she was already starting to nod off until Earl Grey popped out of Maddie's hat and handed the Daughter of the Mad Hatter a tea cup full of a soothing, hot liquid that she then handed to Raven.

"What is it?" she asked, holding the steam cup in her hands.

"A tea of my own creation," Maddie replied. "It should help you stay awake until we're done question the bug man. Or it will make you violently explode." Maddie added in a confused tone that didn't settle Raven's nerves in the slightest. "I can't remember which one."

"Well, lets start interrogating!" Apple declared in her best attempt at a mean voice, turning to face what they thought would be the dark, creepy, aggressive bug man that Raven had summoned, only to find that there was something quite different in its place. A large, roughly humanoid creature with crystallized skin all over his body stood at the front of the classroom, blinking and trying to find out where he was. His exposed arms were huge and shined in the dim light like the diamonds they were as they formed bulky muscles and strong fingers and shoulders as a pair of sharp blade protruded from the creature's back. The creature's jawline was large and roughly box-shaped with fairly large eyes under a heavy brow that pulled back into a short crest; a black body suit covered it from its feet to its neck, a thick, green stripe down the middle that stopped at a green belt around the waist.

"Uh, Raven? That's not the bug man you told us about." Cerise said quietly as the diamond creature set his sights on the girls and instantly froze when he caught sight of Raven once more.

"Y-you . . ." Raven barely whispered, dropping her tea cup to the floor where it shattered into a dozen pieces; Maddie pouted slightly at the sight of the broken tea cup but watched as best friend forever after cautious walked up to the strange creature, as if afraid he would suddenly crumble to dust before her very eyes as she reached and gently touched his chest with a trembling hand; the creature didn't dare move as Rvaen started to touch his features, running her fingers along his jawline and standing up on the tips of her toes to touch his crest and stroke his shoulders. Once she was sure that the creature was really, she lunged at him and hugged him tightly, much to the creature's surprise.

"Uh, is your friend okay?" the creature asked.

"We . . . aren't really sure," Cerise told him. "She's been having some weird dreams lately. You were in one of them."

"Really?" the creature blinked; Raven hadn't moved an inch, sniffling as if she were crying without tears. With a grunt, the diamond creature gently grabbed Raven by the shoulders and pulled her lose from him, bending down to so that he was eye level with her. "What happened in your dream?"

"Can I first know your name?" Raven asked.

The creature paused for a bit before nodding; something about the way the girl looked at her with her deep, violet, pleading eyes just made him give in. "My name is Diamondhead." he spoke to her kindly.

Apple watched with awe, both at Diamondhead's look and the way he treated Raven; as a princess, it simply came natural to her to treat everyone in a friendly, polite manner, even her future enemy, but here this creature was treating Raven as if he had known her all his life; that, or he was just being polite as well. She couldn't help but stare at his shining exterior, completely transfixed by the crystals that made up Diamondhead's body; they reminded her of a knight's armor. In fact, he just seemed to have that kind, heroic personality about him that Apple found oddly endearing for some reason; maybe she was hoping that Daring would become less egotistical and more like Diamondhead?

"What happened in your dream?" Diamondhead asked Raven.

"You . . . you saved me . . . from my mother." Raven gulped slightly.

Diamondhead froze at the answer. "Your . . . mother?"

Raven quickly decided to change the subject. "We've been trying to find out the meaning of that strange symbol on your belt." Raven said, pointing at the Omnitrix on the Petrosapien's belt. "What does it mean?"

Diamondhead blinked. "Uh, truth be told I just found it lying around and thought it looked cool." he lied.

"Are you sure?" raven pleaded. "One of the newest students at our school has it on his collar, and this strange bug man had another one around his waist."

Diamondhead sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about the symbol." he continued to lie; his heart clenched when he saw her wilt slightly before him, her face contorting into one of disappointment and sorrow as she sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I guess I should have seen this coming." she sighed. "Do you want me to send you back?"

"Please." Diamondhead nodded.

"Raven . . ." Apple started, reaching for the witchling's shoulder with a comforting hand but withdrawing when Raven flinched just the slightest bit. "We should head back to class. School's almost over."

"Alright." Raven sniffed. "I'll meet you guys there." she said. Apple nodded and left after a few more seconds of starring at Raven's back; Cerise and Maddie shared a look before leaving Raven alone with Diamondhead, sensing she needed some alone time. Once he was sure they were gone, the Petrosapien gently tapped Raven on the shoulder, catching her attention.

"Listen," he said with a grim voice. "I'm sorry I had to do this to you, but I was lying." he told her in a low voice.

"Why?" Raven choked.

"I can't have too many people knowing." Diamondhead answered. "But if you meet me at the gazebo in the Enchanted Forest at midnight, all will be revealed. I promise you that." he comforted her. Raven looked at him with disbelieving eyes, but his own were unreadable to her.

"Really?"

"Yes, Raven. I promise." Diamondhead reassured her; the Daughter of the evil Queen nodded and climbed to her feet as the petrosapien followed suit, waiting patiently as Raven's fingers glowed a warning purple in color before a ring of light of the same color formed around him and engulfed him in violet light, sending him back to where he had come from.

Raven then shuffled towards the door of the classroom, only making it to the stairs before she collapsed from utter exhaustion; Cerise came by a few minutes later to see what was taking Raven so long and gathered the young witchling in her arms, running as fast her legs would carry her to her friend's dorm.

* * *

Raven shivered as she walked the main trail of the Enchanted Forest, pulling her jacket farther up around her nearly naked frame as the wind blew against her; she was really regretting not changing out of her purple night gown and black undergarments into something far warmer. An owl hooted from somewhere far in the woods, startling Raven a little as she walked a little faster, leaves slapping against her face in the wind as she moved along. Before along, she had finally arrived at the gazebo, surprised to see that while Diamondhead was not there, something else was.

Hovering at the opening of the gazebo much like a ghost was a large, roughly human-like figure floating a couple feet off of the ground. He wore a black body suit with green-arrowed stripes running down the front and legs, exposing smooth, rust red skin arched and patterned with darker red designs of seemingly random design. The fingers were long and jointed and the figure was nearly skeletal, his pelvis showing under his skin when he folded his legs together. What really caught Raven's attention however, was that the creature had no visible eyes, seemed to be meditating, and had an ever familiar symbol on his chest.

"H-hello?" Raven called out. "I was hexpecting-"

"You were expecting Diamondhead." the creature interrupted without much movement. "You come seeking answers and have done so wonderfully. No you shall reach enlightenment."

"Uh, okay?" Raven quirked an eyebrow as she approached the gazebo and climbed in under the roof and out of the wind. "Who are you exactly?" she asked.

"You may call me Mindmesser." the creature replied. "Tell me, Raven why have you come here?"

Raven blinked. "Uh, because I kept on having these weird dreams with the same symbol always in them. I wanted to know if they mean anything."

Mindmesser nodded sagely. "And you come seeking answers to your dreams?"

"Yes." Raven agreed. "Now please, for the love of ancestors, just tell me what's going on." she pleaded.

The Protinaphibian nodded as he lowered himself to the ground, remaining cross legged. "Prepare yourself, Raven, for what you are about to see may very well scare you."

Raven nodded. "I'm ready."

"Very well." Mindmesser said before he reached with a hand and slapped the disk attached to his chest, suddenly becoming engulfed in a flash of green light right before Raven's wide eyes as the Protinaphibian vanished before her very eyes and was replaced by something new as the green light faded away into nothingness, leaving Raven blind for a second before she looked at what was standing in front of her.

Towering about a foot or so over her was a boy with dark, chocolate brown hair that was rather scruffy and unkept and pale skin, though it was rather tanned compared to Raven's. He wore a black T-shirt with a green stripe down the middle that stabbed a white number 10 on its way down to the hem of the boys shirt while he wore a pair of brown pants with pockets at the knees and legs, a pair of green and white sneakers on his feet. The most noticeable thing about him that Raven found however, was the strange yet familiar watch-like device strapped to his wrist and a pair of ivy green eyes that stared back at her. Those eyes . . . they almost reminded her of . . .

"I-is it you? Is it really you?" she shook slightly, unsure of whether she was hallucinating or not as she forward and cautiously touched him, throwing her arms around him and sobbing happily as she hugged him tightly in a warm embrace; no tears fell from her eyes as she held him tightly, pressing her head into the boy's neck as his own arms slowly circled around her and hugged her back, slipping around her lower back and head, holding her close.

"I guess it it." the boy smiled. "My name is Ben by the way. Ben Tennyson."

"R-Raven Queen." the young witchling replied with pink cheeks, nuzzling her head deeper into his chest, his heart sounding like a gigantic bass drum in her ears. "I can't believe you're here." she whispered.

"Believe it, Raven." Ben smiled as caressed her ivory cheek with the back of his hand. "If I can ask a question, why can you cry in your dreams but not in the real world? Why no tears?"

Raven hesitated for a second before speaking. "Because I can't. I just can't cry." she said. "No matter what happens, no matter what I do, I simply can't cry." she said, sniffing and hugging him tighter as if she were trying to shed tears from an empty tank of sorts; Ben rubbed his hand up and down to sooth her as he ran his fingers through her long, purple locks, marveling at how smooth and cool they were to the touch.

"Shhhh. I'm here." he promised to her, talking to her as if they had known each other for a life time despite Ben only having met her a few times and Raven met him in her dreams; oddly enough, Raven felt beyond safe in Ben's arms, as if she were locked down in the comfiest, maximum security prison the world had to offer. For once in her life, she felt safe.

Unbeknownst to the happy couple, Apple had been watched from behind a tall, thick oak tree at the edge of the clearing, her eyes wide with shock; she had originally went to see where Raven was going when she had awoken to the sound of the dorm door clicking shut, but it seemed that the script had just been flipped beyond comprehension. The mirror's prophecy came back to her and her eyes widened further.

 _My Princess, today be, the day you meet your destiny._

 _You shall meet your Prince today and forever more shall you frolic and play._

 _He will appear in a puff of green smoke, summoned by one who you despise the most._

Apple ignored the fact that the mirror's message hadn't rhymed entirely as the words finally made sense; magic mirrors were not known for being one-hundred percent accurate on details, but the boy had definetly appeared from a puff of green and he had technically been summoned by the one she was to despise the most, if not now than later on in life, Raven. Daring was not her prince, but this mysterious, shape-shifting boy was! With this in mind, Apple made her way back to the school, the gears in her head already turning to formulate a plan to make sure that her destiny played out as it should.

* * *

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Click!_

The work was exhausting, forcing her to draw upon massive reserves of energy just to simply pick away at the seal of the mirror that resided in the Headmaster's office. It took much more energy to simply form a tendril of dark magic just to see the world outside of the mirror, but from what she had gathered, the spawn was definetly nearby. Somewhere close, she could sense the spawn's aura all around the area, taunting her as it lied just out of reach.

But she had time. Plenty of time to spare. Soon enough, the spawn would be hers . . . and then the fun would begin.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

Just a little more time.

 _Click!_

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **Wow, this has gotta be the fastest I've ever posted a new chapter. It's almost as if I have nothing better to do . . . OH, WAIT! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO! IT'S STILL SUMMER VACATION WHERE I AM, BABY!**

 **Ahem. Sorry about that emotional outburst.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Really, I have all these wonderful ideas and events buzzing around my head like a hive of wasps, but now way to connect them, so leave your requests and suggestions down below! They are always welcome, though they may not be used.**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	5. The Fast and the Fairy-est

**I have returned, aliens, man-sters, ghouls, and fairy tales!**

 **I know I've probably said this before, but I can not get over how successful this story has been: only four chapters, and I'm already over a hundred reviews. I'm literally blown away. I'm like in a hurricane or something! I love getting reviews from you guys and gals, whether they have ideas for future chapters or critiques of the chapter itself. I seriously wouldn't be where I am without you guys.**

 **Onto the answering of the reviews! It's something like the running of the bulls, but less dangerous. At least, I think it's less dangerous (fingers crossed!).**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **The Forever Knights have always had the Forever Ninja with them, considering it appeared in the original series and Omniverse; don't know where it was during Alien Force or Ultimate Alien, but it was always there. And yes, Charmcaster** ** _will_ appear. She's too fairy tale-like to pass up!**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much (I do a horrible Elvis impression).**

 _ **kival737101 –**_ **I know, right? I'm just as excited as you are! Ooh, the possibilities!**

 _ **superfanman217 –**_ **I'm beautiful, aren't I? XD**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I LOVE Rath. He's one of my top ten favorite aliens, because you just seriously can't laugh whenever he comes out. As for your request, I intend to bring** ** _every_ single alien the series has debuted, the ones that appeared in my previous story, _and_ some new ones, too. As for Rath's costume, I think I'll alternate between him wearing clothes and not, because I think the luchador outfit makes him more impressive (although Rath claims he isn't all about being impressive, as he's all about being angry. Appearantly Rath's angry is what makes him impressive). And if you have any ideas for how Apple or Grimm could try to get rid or capture Ben/Blitzwolfer, please let me know.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **To answer the three reviews you left (love those by the way), I'm not sure I want to give Ben a knight-like transformation; Diamondhead is pretty close to a knight, and I already have plennty of aliens to bring in. Plus, an unspoken rule is that at least ten aliens debut in every series, which I intend to follow. If I come across a knight-like alien I really like however, or someone gives me an awesome one to work with, I** ** _might_ implement it. As for your other idea, I was actually going to do that regardless. And just because you've been awesome, I'll give you the name of said transformation: _Phantux._**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Yes, as unlikely as it seems, I do have a life outside of this website (unfortunately. If it was up to me, I would just write fanfiction for a living). Anyways, what I consider an official couple or not is if they have kissed; if they've kissed, they're a officially a couple, which is why I don't consider Raven and Dexter a couple yet. I do intend to bring Cerise and Maddie into the harem, but Cupid is another story altogether. She'd probably just a really good friend.**

 _ **New Universe Returns –**_ **I intend to! I shall never let go! NEVER!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Beautiful. Simply beautiful. I love the idea, and I fully intend to use it. Now onto your questions; I can not answer those right now without giving away the whole plot of the story, but lets just say that the Evil Queen is** ** _far_ more evil than you think.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **You make several valuable points. I really should have taken that into consideration back in** ** _We're All Monsters._ As for your first suggestion, this makes a lot of sense; Ever After seems to have invented the internet and Mirrorphone before inventing the car, as I've only seen horse drawn carriages. Seems a little weird if you ask me, but then again it's a world of fairy tales.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I'm sorry I confused you with the Narrators. I thought it would be fun to simply let the reader decide which Narrator was saying what (though the dialouge just goes back and forth between the two of them). Anyway, here are the answers to your questions in the order to asked them: yes, you'll have to wait and see, maybe, this information can not be disclosed at this time, he's bound to figure it out at one point or another, I do not see him as the funk master at all, and do you really want to know?**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **At one point, Lizzie and Kitty will appear, but as of now, they are not needed in the story yet. They will appear, but not yet. But who knows? Considering Kitty's mischevious personality, it could be sooner than you think.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I can not answer your first question, as I do not know myself. My theory is that Raven's entire existence was nothing more than a cover up and that the Evil Queen wants to rule all of Ever After by herself without anyone to get in her way. As for your second question, yes, it does have something to do with Raven's mother. Giles . . . there's a reason Blitzwolfer was in Heroics 101 instead of General Villainy.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **If you think you have offended me, then you are wrong. I was expecting something like this happen. Basically, I sometimes accidentally type what's in my head instead of what I actually want to write, and this was the case with the Mirror's riddle. Long story short, it was a typo. And the whole smoke thing? As I said in the story, Magic Mirror's are not 100% accurate, except when it comes to who's fairest of them all.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Now that you mention it, it does look like a funny scene. And yes, I was referencing** ** _How to train your Dragon_ with the fact that the dragons are modeled after Monstrous Nightmares and the small line of Hiccup's when he's giving advice on how to train one (effectively). I used possibly one element from _True Love Loophole_ (wonderful read BTW), and I'm glad I changed your mind about harems. It wasn't my intention to insult or degrade woman at all, but I felt like I needed to cover all the bases. As for your request for some yuri, we'll have to see what everyone else thinks.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Then await no more, weary traveler! Your wish has come true!**

 _ **masterart –**_ **I can't reveal who is trapped in the mirror without giving away the entire story. You'll just have to wait and see what happens!**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **Dexter plays a pretty big role farther down the road in things and so does Cupid. I imagine he'd feel a combination of heartbreak, fury, betrayl, and possibly hunger (gotta love that comfort food).**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Nice name; it's ironic or coincidental. Either way, Mindmesser can read minds, thus probbing through her memories and thoughts, including her dreams.**

 _ **Penn Zero –**_ **Thank you, sir (or madame).**

 _ **Marvel lover –**_ **Everyone will appear in due time, just you wait!**

 _ **CreatureMan –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much (once again, I can not do an Elvis impression).**

 _ **Super Dino Hero –**_ **Thank you very much!**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **I will be sure to do that the next time they appear.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **I agree that a lot of stories portray Apple as the villain (mostly), and I think this a bit stereotypical; the way I see it, Apple is just horribly misguided, taught by her parents and teachers and whoever else has been watching her that following one's destiny is more important than being happy. She's really naïve and innocent, actually.**

 _ **Gosick5233 –**_ **I never intend to drop this story until I have finished it! NEVER! I'm glad that I'm able to introduce one story or the other to new readers who haven't heard of one story or the other.**

 **Anyways, time to give out the credit where credit is due! Thanks to _Darkness Rissing_ for helping me start out this chapter, as well as _Sigmu_ for writing _True Love Loophole._ Any aspects that might be related to both are stories are completely they're ideas and I own nothing for it. Bow down to them, bow! And give a round of applause to _Codecrash_ once more! I honestly don't know what I would have done without this guy!**

 **Also, leave in the reviews about whether you would like to see at least one yuri pairing in this story; I'd also ask you to leave your opinions about yaoi, if I could actually write the stuff. I've got nothing against gay people, but I can only comfortably write yuri; maybe it's because I'm a guy or something, but whatever. Let me know what you think.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onwards!**

Venus sat on the roof of the mansion she shared with Ben and her fellow ghoulfriends. Or rather, her fellow ghoulfriends for the moment; no one had seen Ben for the entire day, not Rook, not Grandpa Max, not even Ben's parents. Set into a panic, the ghouls had set out on a city wide search for Ben, combing his usual hangouts and all of Undertown to try and find him without success.

Venus sighed and lay back on the roof, gazing up at the cool, night sky; while she was faring better than most of the ghouls, some of them were taking Ben's disappearance harder than others; Bonita was beside herself with worry, Twyla almost never came out of the shadows anymore, and Jane was beyond tired in her search for Ben, exhausting the Nemetrix and her powers to the brink where she hardly got any sleep. Avea and Clawdeen's tempers had soared without Ben to keep them cooled and were often squabbling and arguing over the smallest of things when they weren't searching for Ben or trying to Lilith and Nefera's own tempers under control.

The flutter of wings caught Venus's attention, and she looked up to see a lavender barn owl come silently soaring down through the sky, passing by the bright moon and alighting on the roof top next to her, giving a small hoot before disappearing in a whirl of purple feathers and flesh to become Jane. "How'd it go?" Venus asked.

"Badly." was all Jane would whimper as she rubbed er aching temples. "No one at the Blackhole knew anything before a bar brawl broke out."

"I told you going to the Black Hole alone was a bad idea." Venus sighed as she sat up.

"I know." Jane sighed.

"You really should be getting some more sleep." Venus also noted.

"I know." Jane repeated. "It's just . . . I'm scared. I'm scared that we'll never find Ben, that he'll be lost forever to us. And if he's still alive, that he's in some scary place where he's being tortured and kept barely alive or in some paradise where he'll forget all about and never want to come to us." she sniffed. "I miss him." she choked as she curled up on herself and hugged her knees; Venus laid a comforting arm around Jane's shoulders and hugged her close to her chest, the shape-shifter's head rest under her breasts as she rubbed Jane's back and combed her fingers through her hair.

"It'll be alright." Venus reassured her. "Ben will never forget about us."

"R-really?" Jane sniffed into Venus's midriff.

"Really." Venus nodded. "He's probably trying to find some way back even as we speak, wherever he is, or doing what he does best: being a complete idiot while helping those in need."

"B-but . . . _I_ need him. We all do."

Venus nodded. "But somewhere, wherever Ben is, there's probably someone who needs him more. And if that is the case, he won't return until he's helped them. But I can promise you he _will_ return, one way or another."

Jane sniffed and hugged Venus tighter, holding onto her like a child's security blanket; one of the reasons why she loved both Venus and Robecca as much as she loved Ben was that they were always there to comfort her no matter the circumstances. And now that her sacred love square had been broken, she was scared. Being comforted and held and loved like she was a small child again was soothing and comforting in the most pleasing of ways. "Th-Thanks." she sniffed, wiping her teary eyes. "I needed that."

"Good." Venus smiled as she laid back on the roof with Jane in her arms. "You wanna play with my boobs a little? I got 'em pierced a couples days ago just for you." she teased playfully.

"N-no thanks." Jane stammered as she turned a deep scarlet. "I . . . I think I'll t-take your advice and get some rest."

"Good." Venus nodded. "Good night." she said, half expecting Jane to leave her presence in favor of her own bedroom in the mansion below; when she didn't, Venus rolled her head over to see Jane starring at her without those wide, baby blue eyes she had come to love so much. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"C-can I . . . sleep with you?" Jane asked, blushing even deeper.

Venus smiled. "Of course. I'll be your very own mattress and you can be my blanket." she joked as she hugged Jane closer to her and let the shape-shifter rest her tired head on her green breasts, her cheeks flushing a light pink as Jane made herself comfortable and wrapped an arm around her for extra measure.

"Good night, Venus." Jane yawned.

"Love you, too, Jane." Venus smiled, kissing Jane's forehead as the two ghouls drifted off to sleep under the night sky.

* * *

Raven stiffened as she pushed herself from Ben to look up at him; he stood a couple inches taller than her, even with the silver crown she sometimes wore. "I assume you have questions?" Ben asked with a knowing simper.

Raven nodded. "What are you?"

"To put it simply, I'm a regular human boy with a watch called the Omnitrix that lets me turn into all sorts of alien heroes." Ben explained.

"Um . . . what is an . . . alien?" Raven asked, confused.

Ben blinked. "Uh . . . sorry, nobody's really asked me that question." he admitted with a chuckle. "To put it in simple terms, an alien is a creature from beyond the stars. A person from another planet in space." he explained.

"Oh, I see." Raven nodded. "So Blitzwolfer's an alien?"

Ben nodded. "Some aliens tend to resemble certain creatures or things from other places, like how Blitzwolfer resembles a were-, er wolf." Ben corrected himself; Raven raised an eyebrow, not falling for the correction.

"What were you about to say?" she asked.

"Well, um . . ." Ben tried to think up of a good cover up, but Raven's expecting stare shattered any chance of that within seconds. "Okay, okay, I was gonna say werewolf."

"We don't have werewolves around here." Raven tapped her chin in thought. "So if you're not from around here, where did you come from?" she asked.

Ben sighed. "First, keep in mind that I just turned into an alien, okay?" he said; once he was sure that Raven was open minded, he continued. "Anyways, I am from a parallel universe where fairy tales are nothing more than stories and humans, aliens, and actual monsters coexist in near perfect harmony."

"Near perfect?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah . . . some aliens, humans, and monsters are kinda racist towards one species or another and some are just evil villainous masterminds; that's where I come in." he grinned as several memories passed through his head. "I'm kinda of a hero back home."

"Really now?" raven quirked an eyebrow with a small smile on her lips.

"Hey, you just saw me turn into an alien! That's gotta count for something!" Ben protested as Raven laughed.

"I'm only kidding!" she giggled. "But in all seriousness, what are you doing here?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Ben rubbed his chin. "I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing here, but if the Forever Knights are involved, it can't be good."

Raven blinked with surprise. "Wait, they wouldn't happen to be knights in shining armor with laser sowrds and a symbol of a shield with an infinity shield on them, would they?"

Ben nodded grimly. "The very same ones from your dreams. They are just as bad as you portrayed them."

"I thought knights were supposed to be all chivalrous and heroic and stuff?" Raven wondered.

Ben shook his head. "In a way, they kinda are, but they're mostly racist jerks who hate anything alien, magical, or supernatural. Their main goal was to wipe out all aliens on Earth back in my dimension." he frowned. "If they're here . . . it's gonna be trouble."

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad." Raven scoffed.

"You have magical talking puppets, anthropomorphic wolves, magical suits of armor that walk on their own, dragons, griffins, and unicorns." Ben listed off. "And I've just seen all of that in one day. If they have the technology and power to get all the way _here,_ then they mean business."

"So . . . why are you helping us? Helping me?" Raven asked.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm a hero, it's what I do." Ben answered, sounding a little surprised.

"Don't . . . don't you know who I am? Who I'm destined to be?" she sounded afraid.

"Yeah, you're Raven Queen. A friend who needs help." Ben replied with a smile.

"You . . . I'm a friend?" Raven blinked. "But don't you know who my mom is?"

Ben tapped his chin as he looked Raven up and down, taking note of her pale skin, her bright eyes, and her dark, midnight hair. "Snow White?" Ben guessed.

Raven's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?" she gaped. "Why would you think that?" she asked.

Ben shrugged with a devious smirk on his lips. "Well, why wouldn't I? Skin white as snow, hair black as midnight, lips . . . okay, so the lips don't apply, but you seem to care a lot for your friends to the point of sacrificing your own freedom. In other words, you are definetly the fairest of them all." Ben listed off. "And that's just what I got from talking to you and scanning your dreams with Mindmesser."

Raven blushed. "Why did you look at my dreams?" she asked.

"I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything." Ben shrugged. "Either way, you're definetly more worthy to be Snow White than the Evil Queen."

"Really?" Raven's face flushed a deeper red.

"Really." Ben nodded. "I'll stay as long as I need to make sure everything turns out right for you." he promised. Raven smiled and hugged him again; she knew she had done enough times already, but nobody had been this kind to her, not even Maddie. While the Hatter was always supportive of her no matter what happened to her or what she did, her madness sometimes made her incapable of helping Raven during the worst of times whether Maddie wanted to help or not. She felt Ben wrap his arms around her again and give her a small squeeze before releasing her, taking note that the witchling shivered slightly.

"We should get back inside. Before you catch cold." Ben said. "You wanna see another alien?" he grinned as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting the alien he needed. Before Raven could say anything, he had slammed a hand down on the activation button and engulfed himself in a flash of green light, changing right before Raven's eyes as his body was warped and twisted into something new. He felt the skin around his skull slowly vanish as if some flesh eating parasite were slowly digesting the skin and tissue around his head, leaving nothing but a white skull behind that rotated upside down with a sickening cracking noise. His teeth ground and split into sharp daggers as a new, thicker skin cover his face spread to fluidly cover the rest of his body as his eyes morphed into one; his hands trembled and twitched for a second before exploding into razor-sharp claws that felt like they could slice right through someone's soul. Ben's legs wrapped around each into a sort of ghostly tail as thick, green chains formed around his neck and wrists, the Omnitrix appearing at the center of his chest, suspended there by three heavy chains while a dozen or so tentacles formed inside of his chest, pushing aside most of the his organs as the majority of them vanished, now completely useless.

"Ever been invisible?" Ghostfreak rasped as Raven blinked and took a step back, slightly unnerved by the single, green eye that opened and closed horizonally every few seconds; she felt like the Ectonurite was gazing into her soul.

"No." Raven admitted.

"Thought not." Ghostfreak shrugged. "Trust me when I say it gets some getting use to, but it's harmless, really." he reassured her. "Now hold still. This may tingle for a little bit." he said as he suddenly swooped downwards and grabbed Raven by the shoulders, lifting her off the ground with ease as she yelled in surprise and feebaly kicked her legs before she got use to the feeling of the wind rushing past her face and through her hair, tickling her underneath her nightgown as she grabbed the Ectonurite's arms and wrists to strengthen his hold on her. They quickly flew over the Enchanted Forest, the trees nothing more than a carpet of green and brown beneath her as Ever After High loomed in the distance.

Before long, they had made it to the school, but instead of flying down to drop Raven off at the front doors, Ghostfreak flew right at a wall without stopping; Raven nearly screamed, fearing that she would be reduced to a bloody paste on the white, marbel wall of the school before she squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

When she found that she had not been turned into a red smear of red on the wall, Raven cracked open eye just in time to watch herself and Ghostfreak effortlessly phase through another wall and fly right through Briar Beauty and Ashlynn's dormitory; the two princesses were oblivious to the two silent intruders, deep in slumber as Ghostfreak flew himself and Raven though another wall and back out into the hallway, deciding to stick to the hallway itself as he set Raven down on the carpet and hovered beside her.

"That . . . was amazing." Raven breathed.

"Wait'll you try running as XLR8." Ghostfreak seemed to grin a mouthless smile. "Now which dorm is yours?"

"Two doors down." Raven whispered, quietly sneaking along the floor and hoping she wasn't making too much noise as she approached the door and waited as Ghostfreak slipped his head through the door itself to make sure Apple was asleep; a mess of blonde curls on the left side of the dorm from the door confirmed that she hadn't stirred.

"Hang on, before you go." Raven set a hand on Ghostfreak's shoulder as the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and brought Ben back into the world. "There's something I need to ask you."

"What?" Ben asked.

"There's this charity cross country race we're doing tomorrow," Raven explained. "'The Annual Jack Be Nimble' race. No relation to Mr. Nimble." she added to alleviate Ben of his confusion. "Basically, people bet on which racer will cross the finish line first, with all proceeds going to build an orphanage for abandoned fairy tales. We need all the help we can get."

"A race huh?" Ben scratched his chin.

"I know it's a lot to ask, considering we just technically met and all, but-"

"I'll do it." Ben interrupted. "What time do I show up?" he asked.

Raven blinked; she wasn't expecting him to agree so quickly. "Uh, one o'clock, during Grimmnastics."

Alright. What happens if I win?" Ben asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Raven blushed slightly at what she was about to say. "Uh . . . a kiss. You kiss whoever bet on you."

"Alright. I guess I can handle that." Ben shrugged with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" he said.

"Okay." Raven nodded. "Good night."

"Good night." Ben smiled, tilting his head down to kiss Raven on the head before making his way towards the boys dormitory and then his own dorm where he could snuggle under the covers and drift off to sleep; considering the Forever Ninja had vanished by the time he had gotten back from Raven's summoning, he needed all the energy he could get for both the coming storm and race tomorrow.

Raven meanwhile, merely stood there in the hallway, stunned and with her face flushed a deep red. She was on autopiolet as she opened the door to her dorm and walked across the floor to her bed, crawling under the covers and nestling her head into her pillow. Ben, the knight in shining armor that was to protect her from harm of any shape or form, to help her fight for her own destiny, had kissed _her._ Willingly. No one but her father when she was a little girl had ever done that for her. It made her heart flutter and her face feel warm as she she thought about returning the favor, feeling her lips pressed against his.

With a smile upon her face, she pulled the covers up tighter around her and slept deeply, imagining the warm blankets around her to be Ben holding her and protecting her from harm.

* * *

Cerise stretched and limbered up as she waited patiently at the starting line. The day was bright and warm with the breeze being crisp and clear, allowing for an optimal running day; at least, that was what Humphrey Dumpty claimed. Cerise herself never quite understood everything that came out of the Son of Humpty Dumpty's mouth, but she decided it meant that it supposed to be a good day for a race.

Among the competitors, other than Cerise, was Daring Charming (in a desperate attempt to regain his dignity), Hunter Huntsman, Sparrow Hood, and Briar Beauty; Cerise had been disappointed that Blitzwolfer had yet to show up at all, and was about to go check on him when Raven came and told her that he was out with a head cold, taking the day off in his dorm to rest. As much the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood hated to admit it, she found the Loboan attractive; she could see why her mother had fallen in love with her father.

"Good day, Ever After!" a cheerful, excited voice announced happily. "I'm your host, Blondie Locks, and I am honored to be hosting this year's Annul Jack Be Nimble race! It seems we have a wide selection of racers this year." Blondie noted; she was a girl of average height with natural, curly, blonde hair with a blue bow and dress, pale skin, and large, blue eyes.

"And now for the bettings! As a quick reminder, all proceeds towards the race will go towards the building of an orphanage for abandoned fairy tales; now onto the bets!" Blondie announced. "Daring Charming is currently in the lead with fifty-seven bets, Sparrow Hood with thirty-one, Briar Beauty with twenty-nine, Cerise Hood with twenty-five, and Hunter Huntsman with five." Blondie concluded. "Oh, wait! We have a final entry with exactly one vote!"

"Who else dares _me_ in a race?" Daring scoffed as he admired himself in one of his many years.

"That would be me." a rather high voice growled. Everyone turned to see a human-like creature approach the finish line at a brisk jog as bright, blue four covered every available part of his body with black patches on his upper arms and thighs. A long, feline tail curled out from the back of the creature's spine, flicking back and forth as he trotted to a stop and flexed his strong looking fingers tipped with dagger-like claws; his feet ended in stiff paws with sharp claws, digging into the dirt and providing traction as a pair of cat-like ears sat on his head, rotating and flicking whenever they sensed the slightest bit of noise. He wore a green and black body suit with a green and white belt around his waist, a strange, black disk sitting at the center with a sharp, green hourglass figure decorating it.

"Who are you?" Cerise wondered, eyeing the odd looking creature and noting that it was decorated with black spots and it wore a pair of green goggles over its eyes that sat above its white whiskers.

"Name's Fasttrack." the blue, cat-like creature answered as he walked up to the starting line and crouched down low into a starting position. "And you must be the lovely Cerise Hood. I've heard a lot about your running skills."

"Have you now?" Cerise raised an eyebrow; some inner part of her was bristling inside, but she waved it off as the wolf within her simply disliking cats. Or cat-like beings. "If I may ask, but what exactly are you?"

"Son of Puss in Boots." Fasttrack replied. "Have yet to find some boots that suit me though."

"Last I checked, cats weren't blue." Hunter noted with suspicion.

"I know that. I just wanted to try out a new look." Fasttrack replied. "And before you ask, yes I have spots; it can't helped anymore than Apple can help being blonde instead of black." he added before Hunter could make another comment.

Cerise cocked an eyebrow at the Citrakayah as she herself assumed a similar running posture while the majority of the other students opted to simply start on their own two legs; Briar was stretching and limbering up, unintentionally showing off her legs, bust, and ass to the boys of the crowd while she wore a pair of tight, pink biking shorts with white stripes and her usual pink and black top with the puffy pink sleeves literally torn off. Her hair was pulled back into a brown and pink streaked ponytail, with a pair of pink running heels on her feet, and a pair of pink goggles that she slipped down over her eyes after stretching.

"Get ready to eat my dust, boys." Briar smirked.

Hunter scoffed. "Yeah, right. You'll be eating _my_ dust!"

"Please." Cerise rolled her eyes. "Both of you'll be eating my dust."

"I'll eating my own dust, thank you very much." Fasttrack piped up; the other racers gave him an odd look, but their attention was quickly diverted when Blondie announced that the race was starting soon.

"Alright, racers! You know the rules!" the blonde began. "You'll start here at the starting line and run the marked trail through the Enchanted Forest and into the Dark Forest, where you will then make your way to Book End and then back here; you will be required to stop at and give proof at several check points along the race track to avoid disqualification." Blondie concluded. "And remember! No flying, teleporting, or help from any kind of transportation! And absolutely _no_ outside help! Other than that, pretty much anything else goes!"

Unbeknownst to most everyone, Duchess Swan was watching from the shadows of the rows of bleachers set up around the starting/finish line, grinning deviously. "Anything goes, huh? Well, I'll just have to make sure Daring is the only one to cross the finish line to claim that kiss." she plotted to herself as she rubbed her hands together maniacally. "Once Daring realizes how much better I am than the _Apple,_ he'll want to be _my_ prince!"

"Do you talk to yourself a lot?"

Duchess yelped and turned around to see Faybelle Thorn hanging upside down from one of the support beams of the bleachers, eyebrow raised and arms folded over her chest; she wore a pair of knee high blue boots with black laces over tight, blue pants and a dress colored a wide selection of blacks, blues, greens, and whites. Her platinum blonde hair with a teal streak was pulled into a ponytail and her periwinkle grey eyes starred at Duchess with mirth while her fairy wings lay pinned against her back.

"Hex, Faybelle! You nearly scared the feathers off of me!" Duchess panted.

"It's what I do." Faybelle shrugged. "So you're planning on cheating, huh?"

"You won't tell anyone, right?" Duchess gulped nervously.

Faybelle rolled her eyes. "Please. If anything, I wanna help. What are Best Friends Forever After for?"

The Daughter of the Swan Queen sighed with relief. "I just have one condition." Faybelle spoke up.

"What?" Duchess bit her lip.

"We leave Briar alone. That's my sole condition." Faybelle demanded. "I don't care if we wins or loses, but she is _not_ to be harmed in anyway. Got it?" she asked.

"Got it." Duchess confirmed, taking the fairy's hand and giving it a good shake. "Now lets go make some mischief."

"GO!" Blondie announced.

* * *

Cerise naturally was at the head of the pack, easily outrunning most of her fellow competitors and taking the lead much to the majority of the better's disappointment. She ignored the small groans of annoyance and focused more on the cheers and yells of approval from the people that had voted for her, mostly boys and a few girls that either really wanted a kiss from her or were just supporting her; either way, it fueled Cerise like gas to a car, enabling her to pull farther and farther ahead of the others.

At least, she thought so.

"See you at the finish line!" Fasttrack grinned as he zoomed past the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood in a black and blue blur that nearly sent Cerise tumbled forward as she desperately tried to keep her skirt from flying up and her hood from flying off. With a growl of frustration and shock as she watched the Citrakayah dash off into the distance in the time it took for her to blink; something told her that whatever the blue creature in front of her was, it was _not_ the Son of Puss in Boots.

A feral growl escaped her lips as she raced after Fasttrack, her eyes flashing a dark amber in color as her teeth grew into pointed fangs and her nails turned into sharp claws; her wolf side was coming out, subduing and pushing her human side back into the recesses of her mind as she shot off like an arrow.

Daring blinked as he watched Fasttrack not only catch up to him from last place, but easily overcome him and leave him in a cloud of dust to plague his perfect skin and obscure his handsome face, not to mention humiliate him for the second time. And then he caught witness of Cerise hitting it into high gear, easily leaving him in another cloud of dust to be ignored and hidden in; he didn't mind it all that much, considering they had something of a friendship going. The prince charming could not deny that Cerise was a beast when it came to playing bookball.

"She must have practicing for Blitzwolfer." Briar noted as she caught up to him.

"Apparently." Daring agreed. "I'd go so far as to say she might actually be part wolf." he joked.

"That'd be ridiculous!" Briar laughed. "Cool, but completely ridiculous. How would that even work?"

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but get ready to eat my dust!" Hunter piped up as he caught up to the two of them.

"Hunter, we're past that now." Briar rolled her eyes as she started to pull away from the two boys. "Hext ya later!" she cried as she left the two boys behind while she pulled ahead.

"Come on, dude! We can't lose to a girl!" Hunter yelled at Daring.

"Don't let Briar hear you say that. Or Cerise. Or Raven, Ashlynn, Darling, and pretty much every other girl on campus." Daring gulped nervously; unfortunately for Hunter, it seemed that Briar _had_ heard him, and came charge right back at him with the furousity of an angry bull, slamming into Hunter with the force of a freight train and throwing him to the ground, easily holding him there as she slapped him across the face several times.

"Save that again!" she yelled. "I _dare_ you to say that again!"

"No! Stop!" Hunter cried inbetween slaps. "I take it back! I take it back!" he wailed.

Daring knew rescuing his friend was the right and heroic thing to do, but at the moment he didn't want to face an angry Briar Beauty when she was in one of her moods. Instead, he chose to keep running ahead, shouting an apology over his shoulder as he ran away.

"I think the tripwire trap will be unnecessary." Duchess whispered to Faybelle from the bushes.

"Yeah. Briar's owning Huntsman!" the fairy smiled with amusement as Briar gave Hunter a wedgie, much to his pain and horror. "We just need to slow down Cerise and Fasttrack." she tapped her chin in thought.

"Pitfall trap with spikes at the bottom?" Duchess suggested.

"That . . . might be a bit extreme." Faybelle told her.

* * *

Fasttrack had to admit; when Blondie said 'Enchanted Forest', she really did mean it. Once or twice, he had caught sight of a unicorn or two through the trees, and he could sworn he once saw a griffin flying over the canopy. But that was unimportant right now. Right now, he was in a race, and even though he was clearly in the lead, he was not about to relive the story of the Tortoise and the Hare simply because he was ahead. Before long, he came across the first check point and came to a screeching halt a few few beyond the point itself.

"Can't say I've seen you around here before." Maddie giggled slightly as she poured herself a cup of tea on top of a tree stump; Earl Grey popped out of her hat and hopped down to the stump, grabbing a biscuit and nibbling away at it hungrily. "Oh, well! Care for some tea?" she asked happily.

The Citrakayah blinked but shrugged and walked over to the stump that acted like a table for the party, grabbing a tea cup and sitting down on a rock. "You got any ginger tea?" he asked, holding his cup out.

"You're in luck! I made a fresh batch!" Maddie smiled as she took off her hat and reached her hand inside up to the elbow, rummaging around inside and pulling out a lemon, rubber ducky, and even a full grown llama from the depths of her hat before finally pulling out a steaming tea pot; she poured Fasttrack a cup of tea before pouring a second cup for the llama.

"One lump or two?" she asked.

"Two, please." Fasttrack replied politely; he just barely dodged two strikes of the large mallet the Hatter had pulled out of her hat. "Geez! Are you trying to kill me!"

"Well, you asked for two lumps!" Maddie laughed, nearly falling off her rock.

"I thought you were talking about sugar!" Fasttrack tried to sound serious; he found it was hard to supress the smile crossing his face as Maddie laughed like the Mad Hatter she was. For some reason, he could already feel himself brightening around the bubbly girl that had tried to hit him with a hammer mere seconds ago. "How did you even pull all that stuff out your hat?" he asked, trying to change the subject; the llama paused to stop lapping up its teeth and aim a glob of spit at his head. "Okay, geez! How did you pull all that stuff _and_ the llama out of your hat?" he corrected himself; the llama seemed satisfied with that and went back to drinking its tea and munching on biscuits with Earl Grey.

"Wonderlandian magic." Maddie shrugged it off. "How else do you think Lizzie Hearts can chop off heads with a flick of her finger?"

"Okay, I am now scared." Fasttrack blinked. "Well, I'd like to talk some more, but I'm kinda in the middle of a race."

"Oh, right!" Maddie snapped her fingers. She reached into her hat once more and pulled out a gecko, beach ball, and tennis racket before pulling out a stamp and ink press before beckong the Citrakayah closer and stamping his arm with the image of a sun stenciled in black ink. "Your next check point is at the place where the water roars like lions. Good luck!"

"Alright. Thanks for the tea!" Fasttrack bid Maddie farewell as he took off on all fours at a brisk jog before switching to his original legs and taking off in a blue and black blur, nearly spilling Maddie's tea, pulling her hat off of her head, and pulling up her skirt before the suction died down. Before long, Cerise came tearing up the trail, snarling and growling with rage as she descended upon the check point and came to a stop, sniffing the air for a few seconds before letting lose a loud howl; it was then that she realized that Maddie, Earl Grey, the llama, and gecko were starring at her.

"Uh, sorry. I've got . . . a nasty cough." Cerise lied, pulling her hood down further to mask her face as her eyes darkend into a dull gray and her fangs and claws disappeared into her normal teeth and nails. "Is this where I'm supposed to go?"

Maddie blinked, but shrugged it off as her simply being mad. "You bet your tea cups it is! Want some tea?" she offered.

"If it's alright with you Maddie, I'd just like to get on with the race." Cerise said.

Maddie pouted but stamped Cerise with the same black sun image on her arm before taking off at a brisk pace after Fasttrack, determined to at least catch up to the Citrakayah and end up with a tie; now that she was out of Maddie's line of sight, she let her wolf side out once more and felt her teeth and nails become sharp again as a deep growl reverabrated in her throat.

"Something tells me her hat's on too tight." Maddie said to Earl Grey. "But what do I know?" she giggled. The Hatter enjoyed a few more minutes of silence at her tea party, happily chatting away with her dormouse, the llama, and the gecko, when Daring came jogging up to her, taking off his golden crown to wipe his brow.

"Hello, Ms. Hatter. I assume this is the check point I am to stop at?" he asked.

"Does the boar tap dance to the ballet?" Maddie giggled once again.

"Uh . . ." Daring blinked; he had no idea what the Hatter had just said, but then again not many other people outside of the other Wonderland students and Raven understood a lick of what Maddie ever said.

"Yes, it is, Daring." Maddie sighed, rolling her eyes as she held up her tea pot. "Tea?"

"I'd love to, but I really must be getting back to the race. If you could point me in the direction of the next check point?" he asked; Maddie pouted again and stamped his arm before giving him the same riddle she had with the others. Why didn't anybody ever stick around for tea?

"Farewell, fair maiden!" Daring bid Maddie good-bye as he took off down the road.

"Nobody ever has any time for tea." Maddie pouted; Earl Grey squeaked something as the llama bleated.

"You make a valuable point, Earl Grey." Maddie agreed. "Grape jelly _does_ taste better with jumbo shrimp. As for you Woolly, I can't say I've ever been to Mt. Everest After. I'm sure it's a lovely place at this time of year."

"Hey, Maddie!"

The small tea party turned to see Briar come walking up the trail, dragging a black and blue Hunter Huntsman behind her as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "This where we're supposed to stop?"

"Yep! Want some tea?" she asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Briar shrugged. "You want some, Hunter?"

"Sure . . ." Hunter groaned as Briar propped him up on a rock, wincing as he slumped nearly limp onto the table with a black eye, busted lip, and bruised face.

"One lump or two?" Maddie asked as she poured the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty and injured huntsman two cups of tea.

"One, please." Briar answered.

"Two." Hunter groaned.

Maddie promptly pulled out her mallet and crushed Briar's tea cup as she jumped back in time to avoid the attack; Hunter was not so lucky and received two cracks of the Hatter's mallet to the head, Briar wincing with every blow.

"Are you crazy!?" Briar yelped before she realized who she was talking to. "Uh, let me rephrase that. Are you crazier than before!?"

"I asked if he wanted one or two lumps." Maddie replied innocently as the llama bleated again. "See? Woolly agrees with me!"

"I thought you were talking about sugar!"

"That's exactly what Fasttrack said!" Maddie laughed.

"Fair enough." Briar sighed. "Can you just tell us where to go next?"

"You bet your tea cups!" Maddie nodded as she took out her stamp and pressed the image of the black sun onto Briar and hunter's arms before giving the more conscious of the two the directions on where to go.

"Thanks, Maddie!" Briar waved.

"Aren't you going to take Hunter with you?" the Hatter took a sip of her tea.

"I don't think he's ready to go just yet. Send him ahead when he's ready." Briar called over his shoulder. "And tell him I'm sorry!"

"Okay!" Maddie smiled, dropping two lumps of sugar into Hunter's cup. "You like buscuits, Hunter? No, Earl Grey, I don't think he's allergic to checkers."

* * *

Miss Muffet had seen several strange things since she had opened up her frozen yogurt business in the dark bowels of the Dark Forest; sure, being in such a secluded and dark place made her business susepable to such strange things along with a lack of seemingly normal customers, but she had never expected to see a large, huma-like cat covered in blue fur and dark, black spots try to come to a halt in front of her business, only to crash right into one of the tuffets around one of the large mushrooms that functioned as tables.

"Ow!" Fasttrack groaned as he picked himself up and rubbed his aching head. "This the next place I'm suppose to be?"

"Yep!" Miss Muffet nodded.

"But . . . I don't see any water that roars like a lion." the Citrakayah rubbed his chin. "And is it just me, or did it suddenly get really dark."

"You're in the Dark Forest!" Miss Muffet giggled. "Want some frozen yogurt?"

"Why is everyone offering me food?" Fasttrack wondered. "And what about the riddle?"

"You're in the right place." Miss Muffet reassured him, pointing behind him at a large waterfall that tumbled and spilled into a small pond below, creating a low rushing noise that sounded more like cats purring than lions roaring.

"That's it? I was expecting something bigger." Fasttrack blinked.

"Well, it only ever sounds like lions when its really stormy." a gravelly voice admitted; Fasttrack glanced behind Miss Muffet to see a large spider roughly the size of a horse descend down from the trees above, sporting a head and beard of white hairs while he wore a black top hat, red vest, and two pairs of spectacles over his four eyes.

"Uh, are you aware that there is a monstrous spider behind you?" Fasttrack asked; he had learned from Hunter first hand that judging a book by its cover was not the best thing to do when meeting some strange, new creature that was hanging out with a young maiden.

"Yes, I am." Miss Muffet giggled. "Bruce, you really need to stop doing that. Sooner or alter, no one will ever visit our frozen yogurt bar!"

"Sorry." Bruce sighed. "Well, at least we still have the free web access. Care for some forzen yogurt?" he asked the Citrakayah.

"Some other time, maybe. Right now, I'm in a race." Fasttrack shook his head.

"Well, with the way you came flying in here, I doubt you'll come in last place." Miss Muffet smiled as she pulled out an ink pad and stamp, pressing an image of a black spider into Fasttrack's arm just above the picture of the sun before Bruce pulled out a piece of paper and read off the next clue.

If you are not careful, it will surely shatter. Go to the place past the baking batter." the large spider read off. "It's in Book End, too."

"Alright. Thanks." the Citrakayah waved farewell. "Beep, beep!" he cried before he shot in a black and blue blur, nearly pulling Bruce's hat off of his head before one of his eight legs managed to catch it in time.

"Hex, talk about a speedster." Bruce remarked.

Miss Muffet was about to reply when a loud roar came from the woods, sending flocks of crows and ravens into the Dark Forest as Cerise came tearing out from the trees, a feral look in her amber eyes. She snarled and growled, a frightening amount of saliva dripping from her lips and sharp fangs before she realized that there were people watching her; she quickly recomposed herself and hugged her hood over her head out of habit. "Is this the next check point?" she asked softly.

"Uh, yeah." Bruce blinked.

"Would you like some frozen yogurt?" Miss Muffet asked.

"Do you have anything meat flavored?" Cerise asked as she allowed Bruce to stamp her arm with the black spider.

"Um . . . no. We've got chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana, dragonfruit, fairyfruit, and flies."

"That last one's my favorite." Bruce smiled toothily. "But we don't got anything meat flavored. Unless you like the taste of insects."

"No thanks." Cerise politely declined as she took off.

"Oh, maybe I should just open my own business; my presence is making customers uncomfortable." Bruce sighed. "That, or we need to get meat flavored yogurt."

"Do think it might have something to do with our choice of location?" Miss Muffet contemplated.

"Maybe." Bruce shrugged all four of his arms. "I mean, not everybody finds this place as inviting as you and me."

"I see that Riding Hood girl here all the time." Miss Muffet noted. "Maybe we _should_ get meat flavored yogurt."

"But why would Riding Hood like meat flavored yogurt?" Bruce wondered when Briar came jogging up to the frozen yogurt bar and sat on one of the surrounding tuffets to rest; moments later, Daring came trotting up, his letterman jacket slung over his shoulder as he gasped for breath.

"Welcome to Miss Muffets Frozen Yogurt Bar!" Miss Muffet chirped happily. "Would you like frozen yogurt? It's way tasty!"

"And we've got free web access, too!" Bruce chimed in, thankful that their two latest potential customers either didn't feel uncomfortable by his appearance or were too tired to be scared; either one worked for him.

"I'll take some." Daring panted. "Chocolate please. It keeps me handsome as usual." he grinned a weak, charming smile.

"None for me, thanks." Briar panted as she stood up, stretched her aching muscles and walked over to the small waterfall across the way from the frozen yogurt stand before dunking her entire head into the cooling waters for a few seconds before pulling it back out, feeling refreshed. "Whew! That felt good." she smiled as she flicked a lily pad off of her head.

"If you say so." Miss Muffet shrugged; she had soft, pink hair with curled bangs and corkscrew pigtails on either side of her head while she wore a cape that resembled insect wings and little tugget earrings. She wore a blue bow on her chest and a lilac shirt, her skirt being a dark blue in color with a flower belt around the waste. On her head was a small bonnet with feathers that resembled a spider and brought out her brown eyes; Bruce stamped her arm with the black spider and read her the riddle before sending the princess on her way as Miss Muffet handed Daring his frozen yogurt.

"Well, at least we finally got a customer." Miss Muffet said happily as she deposited the cost of Daring's frozen yogurt into the cash register.

"Hex!" Duchess cursed from behind a moss covered tree drapped in vines. "We gotta get Dexter back on his feet and running somehow." she hissed under her breath.

"Already gotcha covered." Faybelle grinned as she cautiously pulled a beehive off of a tree branch, suffering only a few stings to her fingers before she chucked the hive at the yogurt bar and dove into the bushes; Duchess watched as the hive exploded into a swarm of angry bees, making Daring scream in fright at the propect of receiving unsightly bee stings to his precious skin and run away down the trail as fast as he could with a good chunk of the bees chasing after him, forcing him to drop his frozen yogurt. The rest of the swarm went for Miss Muffet and Bruce, the two of them only suffering mild stings before Bruce managed to catch them ina hastily spun web.

"Mmmm! Lunch!" he licked his lips hungrily.

"You go ahead and try to stop Cerise and Fasttrack." Faybelle hissed as she wrung her aching hands. "I'll be along as soon as I've taken care of these." she added as she cautiously grabbed hold of one of the stingers in her teeth and started to slowly pull it out; Duchess grinned fraudulently, chuckling darkly under her breath.

* * *

Cerise paused to catch her breath, leaning against a large oak and forcing the wolf side of her that was currently in control back within her, shoving it into the dark corners of her mind as she tried to fix herself up and look proper; back before she had near total control over her wolf side, her parents had no choice but to tie her to a stake out in the yard and treat her little more than like a younger puppy before she finally had enough training to subdue her savage nature. And that was when she was only eight years old! Beside of her heritage, she had missed Nursery Rhyme school and ended up being home schooled by both her parents until she was able to venture out into the world without fear of losing control.

At times, she hated her parents for ever falling in love and having her, forcing her to be a Rebel simply because she was half girl, half wolf, forcing her to always hide in the shadows away from the majority of the other students. She could never fully enjoy herself when she went to school dances or participated in the few after school activities she liked without fear of someone discovering her horrible secret.

She shook her head; now was not the time for such negative thoughts. She was in the lead, with Fasttrack having stopped to rest after running nearly full tilt without stopping at all; she wondered how the Citrakayah could have run that fast without tiring for a long time, but decided she needed to focus more on the race. The Dark Forest was starting to thin out back into the Enchanted Forest, something she was glad of; while the Dark Forest didn't frighten her as much as it did with other fairy tales, she could never shake the feeling that she was being watched by something through the moss covered trees whose branches seemed to claw and reach for her with their gnarled, old branches.

She could start to see sunlight peeking through the thick canopy of the Dark Forest and Cerise sighed with relief as she pressed onwards, the dark grasses and skeleton bushes giving way to colorful flowers and lush reeds. She took a deep sniff of the air and she inhaled the sweet scent of wildflowers and the distant smell o baking pastries from the Beanstalk Bakery; she was already salivating at the thought of the delicious cookies and cupcakes that decorated the bakery's counters and shelves, and this fueled her onward.

She was so distracted by the wondrous smells overloading her sensitive nose with alluring scents and odors, that she didn't even notice the tripwire strung tightly between two trees on either side of the trail until it was too late; with a loud _twang!_ Cerise fell to the ground, rolling for a few, painful feet down a hillside covered in sharp rocks and logs before she went screaming over the side of a cliff that was obscured by a row of tall bushes and plummeted down at least a hundred feet.

"Well, at least my death will be instant." Cerise murmured to herself as she fell, the bottom of the cliff getting closer and closer with every passing second. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the sudden spike of pain she would feel before she would peace; at least where she was going, no one could make fun of her ears anymore. Not that anyone had before, considering hardly anybody knew. She was going to miss both of her parents, regardless of how much they had unintentionally messed up her life, and she was going to miss Raven, the one person she had trusted with her secret; hopefully she would find her happily ever after, maybe with Blitzwolfer. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had fallen hard for Blitzwolfer. She had always been attracted to the leader of the pack, and that use to be Daring of all persons, but after seeing the Loboan effortlessly shatter Daring's record, she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Hope they all find happiness without me." she mumbled to herself.

"I don't think they will!" a familiar voice quipped.

Before Cerise knew what was happening, she struck something hard with a pained grunt and felt the wind get knocked out of her as she quickly shot upwards, literally defying the laws of gravity as she was pulled upwards; upon regaining at least some of her breath, Cerise flickered her stormy gray eyes around and took notice of the blue fur and black spots, the sound of claws scrabbling on rock and stone, and the long, cat-like tail whipping around in the air in front of her as she suddenly shot off the cliff and into the air for a few seconds before she came back down with a soft landing.

"You okay?" Fasttrack asked as he held her in her arms.

Cerise blinked and realized that while the impossible had seemed to happen, Fasttrack had raced ahead and down the cliff face in front of her before running right back up the vertical surface, catching Cerise in her arms and hauling her straight up the cliff face before coming to a stop. "Y-yeah. Just . . . just a little shaken up."

"Considering you just rolled down a hill and was thrown off a cliff, I can't blame you." Fasttrack joked as he gently set her down; Cerise suddenly screamed with agony and crumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, clutching her swollen ankle as she viciously bit her lip to bite back a scream.

"I think you twisted your ankle," the Citrakayah noted. "Maybe even bruised a few ribs, too."

"No, shit, Merlin." Cerise cursed through gritted teeth; Fasttrack was slightly taken aback and surprised by the foul language but shook it off as he careful slipped his arms under Cerise's legs and back, careful to avoid further hurting her leg and possibly injured chest, drawing a confused look from Cerise when she wasn't fighting back tears of pain.

"What are you doing?" she growled.

"We're finishing this race." Fasttrack said firmly. "And then getting you some help. No arguments." he added when he saw that Cerise was about to protest. With a grumble, Cerise made herself cozy before the Citrakayah shot off like a bullet, leaving black, blue, and red after images of himself and Cerise as he hungrily ate up the road, easily gaining ground as he left the Dark Forest behind and entered back into the Enchanted Forest, easily passing Briar as he sped by, pausing long enough to give her a shrewd smile before blowing her a raspberry and leaving her in a cloud of dust, all within the time span of 1.5 seconds.

"What? I gotta have _some_ fun." he defended himself when Cerise gave him a disapproving look.

They were making excellent time, leaving the Enchanted Forest behind within a matter of a few more seconds, entering the fields that surrounded Book End and making the meadows of grass and reeds whip back and forth like they were in a hurricane from the shear suction as he sped into the Village of Book End and came to a screeching halt in front of the Glass Slipper; Ashlynn was waiting there surrounded by a few of her animal friends.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Ashlynn said brightly. "Cerise, what happened to you?" she asked when she noticed that Fasttrack was carrying the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood in his arms.

"Twisted my ankle when I fell down a cliff." she replied with annoyance.

"I can take care of that for you if you want." Ashlynn offered as she took out a stamp and ink pad before pressing the image of glass slipper stenciled in black into Fasttrack and Cerise's arms.

Cerise shook her head. "No. I want to get this race over with."

"We'll be back before you know it." Fasttrack reassured her when he noticed the doubting expression of Ashlynn's face.

"If you say so." Ashlynn sighed. "By the way, have you seen Hunter?"

"Last time I saw him was at the starting line." Fasttrack remarked.

"I can't quite confirm it, but I did hear him screaming awhile back before the first check point," Cerise remembered. "I think I heard Briar yelling at him too."

"Oh, hex." Ashlynn bit her lip. "I hope he's alright. I'd love to go check on him, but I can't leave my station until someone's won the race."

"I'm pretty sure he's fine." Fasttrack reassured her. "He's Hunter. If he can stand up to Blitzwolfer and tame a fire breathing dragon, he can handle himself."

"How did you know about those things?" Ashlynn raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "I thought you were a new student?"

"Uh, word gets around fast." the Citrakayah lied. "Gotta run!" he quipped before he sped off in another flash of black and blue, nearly yanking off Ashlynn's tiara and pulling up her skirt as her songbirds hung on tightly to her hair to avoid getting pulled away in the suction.

 _That was close,_ Fasttrack thought to himself as he raced through Book End, dodging and weaving the few residents that were out and about and not back at the finish line eagerly awaiting; a thought suddenly occurred to him. "You haven't seen Daring by any chance?" he asked Cerise.

"No, I haven't." she shook her head. "While we were talking to Ashlynn though, I heard some distant screams that I think belong to him. Not sure why he would be screaming though."

"Maybe he's being slowly crushed to death by all of his fangirls." the Citrakayah joked. "Wait, were those screams ahead or behind us?"

"Ahead." Cerise answered.

"Sphinx." he cursed under his breath. "Time to put some pedal to the metal." he grinned as he pushed his muscles harder and harder, speeding up faster than he had before until Cerise's ears suddenly popped and a loud boom echoed behind them; everything was a blur of colors now and she could no longer rely on her sensitive ears to tell her where she was anymore as she squinted her eyes to protect them from any upcoming objects. Before long, they had caught up to the final stretch of the race, a small smile crossing Cerise's face when she saw Daring ahead of them, his arms over his head and flailing as a cloud of angry bees swarmed after him.

"I don't that's the kind of love he was looking for." Fasttrack joked; Cerise was unable to hear him as they quickly caught up to the Son of Prince Charming. Daring's eyes widened further than they were before when he saw Fasttrack and Cerise tied with him for a few seconds, his surprised look turning into one of angry as the two of them grinned and blew raspberries at him before speeding off again, leaving him in the dust as they shot off across the finish line and came to a screeching stop after sliding for a couple of yards; a sonic boom quickly followed and thundered across the area, eliciting screams and yelps of fright and surprise from the onlookers.

"H-hello? Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Blondie tapped her microphone. "What words am I saying?" she asked the audience, who were just as deaf as she was; a few seconds later, she was able to hear again and she played with her ears just to make sure they still worked. "Right. Anyway, it seems we have tie!" Blondie announced. "Dexter, do we have a photo finish?" she asked her assistance.

"Uh, er, um, g-give me a second." the nerdy prince charming stammered as he fumbled with his Mirrorpad. After a few seconds, Dexter produced the captured image to Blondie, both of their eyes widening when they saw who had won.

"I don't believe it! The winner of the Annual Jack Be Nimble cross country race is Cerise Hood!" Blondie announced; wild cheers, groans of defeat, and a series of girl-like screams froma certain prince charming resounded through the area as Cerise blinked and appealed to her audience in Fasttracks' arms with a smile.

"Wait a splinter!" Blondie interjected, silencing most of the noise; Daring still screamed as the bees attacked and stung him,assaulting his precious skin and riddling it with horrible, red bumps. "It appears that by a technicality, Fasttrack has actually won; Cerise Hood was being carried in his arms, not running, thus disqualifying her! Fasttrack is the real winner!"

Near silence enveloped the area as Daring continued run around in circles, trying to shoo away the swarm of bees; everyone seemed to be in a complete state of shock at the thought of an underdog that hardly anyone knew had won the race.

"If you're done gawking and starring at us like animals in a zoo, we could use some medical help." Fasttrack snapped them out of the trance. "Cerise broke her leg and bruised some ribs, so unless ya wanna have one less fairy tale at Ever After High, I suggest that someone call an ambulance or something."

"On it!" Blondie's cheerful voice rang out over the loud speakers; the reporter didn't seem as affected by the results of the race as much as everyone else, though considering she hadn't taken part in the betting, she didn't have a lot to worry about. Briar arrived a few moments later, wincing as the last of the bees stung Daring and left while Ashlynn came jogging up the track after her; Maddie came walking up the other end, sipping from her tea cup as she dragged Hunter on the ground behind her, not seeming to find it bothersome in the slightest.

"Geez, I didn't think a simple race could cause so many injuries." Fasttrack winced. "Seems like only me and Briar made it out unscathed."

"With your speed, I'm not surprised." Cerise joked.

"And as the winner of the betting, Raven Queen, the only person to bet on Fasttrack, will receive the grand prize!" Blondie announced. "Pucker up, Fasttrack!" Blondie giggled over the microphone; the crowd seemed to react to that as Raven came walking down from the bleachers, a light blush on her cheeks as she walked past the gaping eyes and open mouths. By the time she actually made it down to the track, her ivory skin was a light pink in color.

"Why am I not surprised?" Fasttrack smiled.

Raven shrugged. "Thought I'd do something nice." she smiled, hoping that people actually believed her words; really though, she had been thinking about it for half the morning, turning the thought over and over in her head as she remembered that single kiss she had received last night when they bid each other farewell and good night. And really, she wanted to return the favor. Whether he actually returned her small crush, she didn't care, she just to make sure that they were even.

"Nice? How about doing something wonderful?" he teased before he leaned forward and kissed Raven on the lips, breaking away after a few moments when Cerise coughed; she had been pressed between the two of them, with her head squished underneath Raven's breasts and her arm pinned against the Citrakayah's lean stomach.

"Sorry." Fasttrack said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." Cerise waved it off. I really should be . . . thanking you though; if you hadn't saved me, I would have been . . ."

"Don't worry about it. It's what I do." Fasttrack grinned.

"Still. Thanks." Cerise smiled, her face turning a rosy red in color as she leaned upwards and kissed Ben on the cheek, nuzzling into his chest and using it like a pillow as she rested and waited for the ambulance to come; hopefully they would be kind enough to leave her hood on.

The fact that the furry Citrakayah had been kissed by not one, but two beautiful girls seemed to have set off a bomb among the female populace of Ever After High, as several girls from the bleachers scrambled up from their seats to clamber down the stairs towards them and give Fasttrack a 'congratulations' kiss, though it was highly suspected among some of the restrained girls and boys that they just wanted to kiss someone that was furry and cute.

"I think we should beat a hasty retreat, don't you?" Fasttrack asked Raven.

"Not until I get in on some of this action!" Briar yelled. "I've always wanted to kiss someone covered in fur before I go to sleep for a hundred years!"

"Then you'll have to keep waiting." Fasttrack said as Raven climbed onto his back and held on tight. "Gotta run!" he quipped before he left, leaving Briar and the crowd of eager female students in the dust. "Now I understand how Rook feels around all those fangirls of his." Fasttrack mumbled under his breath as he carried Cerise and Raven away.

"Hunter!" Ashlynn gasped frantically, rushing over to her boyfriend to cradle his head in her lap. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding up three fingers.

"Two and a half?" he guessed with slurred speech.

"Well, that's better than four or five." Ashlynn mumbled to herself. "Maddie, how did this happen?"

"The rose's thorns are not to be made fun of!" Maddie replied with a laugh.

"What?" Ashlynn blinked.

"Hunter made fun of Briar." Maddie corrected herself, nonchalantly sipping her tea. "I recommend bandaging him up before scolding him though; I don't think he can hear us."

"Briar sure did a number on him, didn't she?" Ashlynn had to suppress a smile.

"If the missing tooth is anything to go by." Maddie, giggling when she caught sight of Ashlynn's face.

From the bushes, Duchess cursed to herself, mentally slapping herself for failing in her plan; why did she always fail? Why was it so hard for her to just simply win sometime? Was that too much to ask, to just win one time? Sure, it was acknowledged that she was the best dancer in Ever After High, with Tiny being a close second when one was not in danger of being stepped on, but was it so hard for her to win at something else that didn't involve dancing on her toes?

"This is all your fault you know." she snarled at Faybelle, only to find that the fairy was nowhere to be seen. Peeking out through the bushes, Duchess noticed that Faybelle was gaining faster ground than most of the girls below her, using her wings to fly ahead of the crowd and try to give Fasttrack a 'congratulations' kiss.

 _Oh, ancestors,_ Duchess mentally cursed.

* * *

A figure gave a low growl of anger as he examined the derelict pile of scrap metal on the floor before him. He was a hulking man with large, broad shoulders clad in a metal covering and strong, barrel chest with strong legs, all of which were covered in a metal suit; in fact, the metal suit covered every single part of his body, reducing his fingers to sharp, metal claws and his feet into pointed, metal digits. The only part of him not clad in armor was his wide mouth, of which a few, crooked teeth poked out from his lips, a knight-like helmet covering the rest of his small head. On his chest was a shield divided into four sections of gold and red with a black infinity symbol at the center.

A low, animal-like growl pierced the figure's ears, and he turned around to see a massive, gorilla-like creature towering over him, resting on its massive knuckles as it breathed heavily; it was covered in deep, black fur and wore golden gauntlets ringed with fur at the middle, leaving the string fingers exposed as golden gauntlets of a similar design covered his lower ankles and feet. A gold belt was around his large waist, holding up a red loincloth and holding together a red shirt with the identical symbol as the first figure's on the front; a large cape ringed with fur hooked around the creature's thick neck and a golden crown of sorts ringed his forehead.

"Your majesty." the first figure bowed.

"Enough with your formalities." the second figure growled in an almost animal-like matter. "What have you found? Why was the Forever Ninja unsuccessful in its scouting mission."

"Begging your pardon, your majesty, but is has been rather-" the first began before the second figure roared and slammed its massive fists into the stone ground, sending a labyrinth of cracks riddling through the ground.

"I don't want your excuses! Tell me what you have found!" the second figure demanded.

"The Twins have managed to recover the android's video system," the first figure began, trembling slightly. "They have yet to find out exactly what happened, but I did find something among thw wreckage."

"What?" the second figure growled.

"This." the first replied, producing a cyan colored crystal between his fingers to the hulking shadow, shaking slightly when he took hold of the crystal in two of his gigantic fingers and looked it over with his dark, beady eyes; he licked it once and sampled the taste before roaring and chucking it at the ground in rage.

"He's here! How in Sir George's name is he here!?" the figure roared angrily, his voice echoing off of the stone walls in a resounding echo.

"What is it, your majesty?' the first figure asked.

The second figure was breathing heavily now, calming down slightly at he looked at the first with rage and horror in his eyes. "That crystal belonged to a Petrosapein; alien scum. And where there is alien scum, Sir Morton . . ."

"There be the traitorous brat, Tennyson." Sir Morton growled, clenching his metal fist angrily.

"Exactly." Joseph Chadwick snarled as he turned to take his leave. "Repair the ninja, analyze the footage, and report back to me," he ordered. "I have some . . . business to attend to."

"Yes, your majesty." Sir Morton bowed.

 **And there we go!**

 **Whew! Alright, I think I deserve a vacation. Thank goodness I'm going on one today! This unfortunately means I won't get any work done on my stories, but hey, it can't all be a bowl of cherries.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Let me know if anyone wants at least one yuri couple in this story, and if anyone has trouble picturing what Fasttrack now looks like, I have posted a picture on my DeviantArt account. Enjoy!**

Hasta Luego!


	6. Love Hurts a Lot

**I have returned from my much needed vacation and have returned to the daily grind of writing this story (not that I don't enjoy it, mind you). The feedback on this story has been simply amazing, and I am honored to be writing for you wonderful man-sters and ghouls (or whatever you are).**

 **Now onto the answers for your reviews!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **I looked at the flexile sentry, and I gotta say it's not what I'm looking for in a Ben 10 alien. Not only is it quite disturbing (though I suppose that was the point), but it doesn't really have anything unique about it like the other aliens. While the idea you had for it was quite clever, it's not what I'm looking for. As for the knight alien, I'm still not gonna go with that. On to Phantux, I had no idea that there was already an alien by that name (actually taking a look of it on DeviantArt and I find that it's actually a Pokemon). I'll talk to MTC-Studio and see if I can't at least borrow the name; love the smooth talking idea, BTW.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I figured Apple would want to plot things out first, considering she has no idea who or what the heck Ben is; she'll appear in this chapter, guaranteed.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Thank you. The vacation was enjoyable and much needed.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Still love that name, BTW. As for your notice, I figured Cerise would be too distracted by the race to notice and would at least remember seeing it in a dream or flashback.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **I actually did a one-shot with Gigi and Whisp, where Whisp was trying to steal Ben from Gigi long enough to make him her boyfriend, of which was written in a Wile E. Coyote style; I was tempted to write the Latin names at one point, but I figured that would be too hard to write. And if you love Looney Tunes, then continue reading this story. There's an alien I think you'd like to meet ;)**

 _ **Darkness Rissing - (**_ **cue the rimshot) Raven and Cerise will both in the harem, and I have to admit that the idea of them being a couple along with Ben sounds nice (although I was originally shooting for RavenxMaddie). As to how the Forever Knights came to Ever After . . . you'll just have to see.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Thank you. Yes, I also view Apple to be the jealous/posessive type when she's not all sugary and sweet like she is; I mean, the one webisode where we find out that she's practically something of a super hero in secret proves that alone.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **As you already know, I love the idea behind Jigsaw; this is going to be fun to write. As to what fairy tale Ben will disguise himself as, well, you'll just have to see.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Yeah, while I like Hunter as much as the next guy (or gal), he's also one of my favorite punching bags, and Briar seemed like just the person to do it. Considering she'll be asleep for a hundred years, she'll probably want to say she beat the Huntsman's butt back in high school when she wakes up.**

 _ **New Universe Returns –**_ **I intend to. I shall never give up! NEVER!**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Don't worry. The ghouls will be** ** _far_ too busy to be worried. Much.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Thought you might like that. And thanks for the Wonderland idea.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much (once again, I do not do The King justice).**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **That would be telling ;)**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **I guess the Roadrunner's catch phrase is just used more or just more well known. I myself have not taste froyo in my life, mostly because wherever we go there is no froyo for miles around.**

 _ **superfanman217 –**_ **Do you wish to marry it?XD**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Answers to the order you asked them: I know you were not trying to be rude; I was making a joke, if you are referring to Darling Charming, then yes, she will be, most likely, because that would leave Dexter with no one to love and I want to at least make one couple before the story ends like I did with Heath and Abbey in** ** _We're All Monsters_ , there might be a scene like that, but it won't be for a while.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Glad I'm not alone out there ;) No, I haven't had the chance to see** ** _Way to Wonderland,_ but I'm considering on writing that mess into my story, much like I did with _Haunted_ back in _We're All Monsters_. Glad you think I'm doing a good job at writing the girls and ghouls.**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat -**_ **Answers in the order asked: maybe, maybe, and yes.**

 **I'm pretty sure you're fed up with me spouting of nonsense as usual, am I right? So before we dive head first into the story, please leave comments about a yuri pairing in this story; I've gotten some feedback, but I need more to make it official. Also, give a round of applause to _Codecrash_ for once again giving me an idea to exploit and work with. You rock, dude!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below. Any ideas you have are welcome!**

 **Onward!**

Apple White watched from the balcony of the dorm she shared with Raven, watching with bright blue eyes as the witchling, Fasttrack, and an injured Cerise raced back to the school as fast as they could with what appeared to be a mob of female fairy tales chasing after them with what Apple could only guess to either be insanity, anger, or lust, neither one of which was very viable to the princess.

In her mind, her prince was allowed to talk and hang out with certain girls that he was friends with, even kiss them if they were really good friends, lost a bet, or won a competition, but they weren't allowed to be _that_ close to anyone, especially the future villain of her story. Apple sighed as she stepped away from the window and went to go sit and then lie down on her bed, her blonde curls spread out behind her as she started to think and mull her thoughts over. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, not since Ben had sudden shoved his way into her life.

All her life, she had been told by her parents and her nannies and her teachers and her servants and basically everyone else in her life that Daring Charming was her prince, and that she would grow up to marry him once her fairy tale was over and produce a child of which she would pass down her legacy to and watch as they repeated the role of the story again before possibly dying at a ripe old age. She was at first oddly okay with the fact that her entire life was and had been written out for her from the moment she had been born and had unquestionably followed and obeyed everything she had been told without question.

And then the day came when Raven disowned her destiny to try and write out her own, much to the anger and cheers of her fellow students; Apple at first had been hurt, how Raven could have been so selfish, but over time she started to see the young witch as more than just the future antagonist of her story. She began to see her as something more of a friend, someone she could share her troubles with and confide her deepest secrets to; she still hoped that Raven would eventually stop with this whole Rebel nonsense and wake up to become the villain she always was. And if not, at least hope that Raven would be kind enough to poison her out of kindness.

But ever since heard the mirror's prophecy and witness Ben transform, she was no longer sure of anything. All her life, she had been raised and told and promised that Daring would grow up to become her prince and awaken her from her poison induced slumber, but now that all logic and reason was thrown out the window, she didn't know what to think. She assumed that Blitzwolfer, Diamondhead, Mindmesser, Fasttrack, and even the bug man Raven had talked about were all Ben in disguise, but this did nothing to calm Apple's nerves; just what was Ben?

Being the Daughter of Snow White and having what was known to be the best destiny of all time, Apple had an extensive knowledge of fairy tales and their histories, but she was utterly clueless as to what Ben was. He couldn't just be a wolf, because she had seen him turn into a cat and then a frog; maybe he was simply a fairy tale with an undetermined destiny to follow, someone who would fill in the missing part of a story? Considering quite a lot of fairy tales involved the death of the villain, it was quite hard for them to produce an heir to carry on their legacy, so this made some sort of sense to her. Maybe he was even some obscure fairy tale even she had never heard about.

Apple found herself starting to daydream about Ben, a small smile coming across her lips as she started to let her mind wander; Maddie said allowing ones mind to wander was both a blessing and a curse, as some minds didn't come back once you let them wander free.

She saw herself lifeless and asleep in a glass coffin in the middle of the woods, surrounded by down trodden and mourning woodland creatures and dwarves as she lay there; she could just barely make out Raven at the edge of the clearing, peering out from behind a grove of trees at the scene; Apple could read her expression, too far away to see whether she was grinning maliciously or mourning as well.

A sudden whinny caught everyone's attention and they all turned to see a large, proud, snow white stallion come trotting through the trees, snorting and shaking its long, luxurious mane as it carried a prince upon its back; he had dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes over a charming smile that could have been mistaken for diamonds. He wore evergreen robes with a black cape clinging to his shoulders and neck, a large sword and shield clipped to his side as a strange, watch-like device sat strapped to his wrist. Apple immediately recognized him as Ben and watched as he climbed off of his trusty horse and dramatically made his way through the crowd of animals and dwarves to the coffin that she resided in. He delicately opened the lid to the coffin and admired her beauty for a few seconds before bending over and planting a sweet kiss on her blood red lips before stepping back to kneel and bow down to her.

At first, nothing happened, and Apple feared that Raven had actually killed her instead of just putting her to sleep; the image of the witch was starting to clear up, and Apple swore she could have seen a smile of sorts on her face. A slight movement caught Apple's attention, and she saw her fingers start to twitch a little before her bright blue eyes slowly fluttered open with a pleasant smile on her face. The dwarves and animals all gave a rambunctious cheer as Ben climbed to his feet and picked her up out of the coffin, his strong arms under her back and legs as her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders, a long and sweet kiss shared between the two of them that made Apple all warm inside; she could now fully see Raven on the edge of the woods and saw a relieved smile on her face as she retreated backwards into the woods, now unable to return to civilization.

A sudden noise like that of a large bird flying straight into a glass window shook her out of her daydream; she looked around, trying to find the source of the noise, but found nothing and quickly shrugged it off. Now that she went back over the lovely daydream she had moments ago. Now that she realized how wonderful her destiny would be should it play out, she knew she _had_ to make sure that Ben was hers.

When it came to love though, she was utterly clueless as to how to make things work in her favor. She realized that other than the fact that he could change his shape between different fairy tale characters, she didn't know a thing about Ben at all; talking Raven about him would not only expose that she had seen Raven and Ben in the woods, bit also that she was crushing on him as well.

That meant she was down to one final option.

* * *

"Cupid! Cupid!"

The young deity yelped fell out of her desk as Apple barged into the dorm she shared with Blondie Locks yelling her name at the top of her lungs; with a grunt, Cupid pulled herself back up to her feet and picked up her chair, glowering at the princess for a split second before softening; she had long, wavy pink hair accentuated with white strands and pale skin, blue eyes, and large, ivory feathered wings. She wore a dress in many shades of pink, white, black, and gold, with a small head band with a heart pierced by an arrow.

"What is it, Apple? I'm kinda busy with my Crownculus homework." Cupid sighed, rubbing her aching temples; she was not very good at math, and Crownculus was the absolute worst of her subjects. It just didn't make sense to her, being too ridged and having to follow all sorts of rules, unlike love..

"I need some advice," Apple said, twiddling her fingers. "About love-"

"Say no more! Crownculus will have to wait!" Cupid exclaimed, cleaning off her desk with one sweep of her arms as she grabbed Apple's hand and led her over to her bed, eagerly sitting down and making Apple quite uncomfortable; perhaps she should have asked someone else for advice?

"What do you want to know?" Cupid asked.

"Well . . . I have this . . . crush on someone." Apple began.

"May I ask who?" Cupid pressed.

Apple gulped, earning a reassuring smile from Cupid. "Whoever it is, Apple, I swear upon Uncle Zeus's lightning bolt that is will remain between the two of us. Doctor's honor."

"You're a doctor?" Apple raised an eyebrow.

"Licensed psychologist." Cupid corrected. "Being the daughter of Eros has its advantages. Now who's the lucky fairy tale?"

"Well . . . it's . . . Blitzwolfer." Apple breathed; she decided to keep Ben's secret safe for the time being. Not only would it be incredibly hard to explain to someone else what she had seen, but Cupid would most likely believe her to be crazy if Apple told her that she had seen the new student change into a human, floating frog, super fast cat, bug man, and diamond man.

"Okay. I'll admit, this is a new one for me, but lets give it a shot." Cupid shrugged, her expression never wavering. "How long have you had these feelings for him?"

"I only really just realized it now." Apple admitted. "And considering he's only been here for a day, that's not a long time."

"True." Cupid tapped her chin. "Maybe you need to start out with trying to become his friend first, find some common ground of sorts." she suggested. "Once you're well acquainted with him, tell him how you feel about him; if he shares the same feelings, try going out on a small date, nothing too serious."

"But what if he doesn't return my feelings for him?" Apple pressed. "Is there some way I could force him to be mine?"

Cupid shook her head. "Only my arrows could do that, but I refuse to let anyone but me use them. The last time that happened, it was a dragon-sized fairy fail." she shuddered at the memory.

"Please?" Apple pleaded.

Cupid shook her head again. "No. My answer is final." Cupid said firmly.

"Alright." Apple conceded. "Before I go, could you help me find my other crown? I think I might have accidentally left it here after out last sleepover."

"Fine." Cupid as she got off her bed and down onto her hand and knees on the floor, crawling about in search of the missing item; Apple followed suit, though she wasn't looking for the supposed missing crown. Against her principles and morals and what her parents, nannies, tutors, and servants had taught her, she had lied about the crown just to buy her enough time to find and make off with Cupid's bow and at least one of her arrows, stealing being something else she was told not to do. But as someone once said, desperate times called for desperate measures, and Apple was, in a word, desperate.

She checked under Cupid's desk first and then began to rummage around in her dresser and closet, claiming the young deity could have accidentally put it away during a cleaning session; considering Cupid roomed with Blondie of all students, this was a very likely prospect, and the search continued on without question. Apple then searched through Blondie's dresser and closet, suspecting that Cupid could have very well put her precious bow and arrows in a place someone wouldn't suspect them to be in; the hunt for the bow however, turned up cold, and Apple then went back to crawling on her hands and knees like Cupid, deciding to look underneath Cupid's bed.

At first, she found nothing but several boxes marked with words such as 'Dexter Photos', 'Extra Clothes', 'Neptune's Trident', and a couple layers of dust and cobwebs. Just when she was about to give up, she noticed something shoved deep under the bed behind a large cardboard box marked 'Lost Ark', something that was sharp and pointed, like that of an arrow. She inhaled a sharp breath, coughing out a lungful of dust, and reached for the object, quietly pulling it out into a clearer view. She sighed with relief upon seeing that it was a quiver full of arrows shaped very much like hearts; a pink bow lay nearby, much to Apple's satisfaction; she quickly slipped the small bow and quiver under her dress and stood up, praying that the quiver and bow would stay still long enough for her to leave the dorm without notice.

"Found it!" Apple declared as she made her way to the door.

"Really?" Cupid's voice came from the bathroom.

"Yep! Thanks for the advice, Cupid!" Apple called over her shoulder as she quickly left the door and walked as fast as she could down the hall towards her own dorm, praying that Raven would not be inside waiting for her; thankfully, the witchling was not, allowing Apple to stash the bow and arrows underneath her bed until she could put it to good use.

A plan was starting to form in her head as she started to rummage through her own closet; in order for it to work, she needed to entice Ben with whatever a wolf might find interesting, considering that seemed to be his most used form. Apple allowed a small smile to form on her face as she pulled several clothes of her closet and examined them to be sure they would attract Ben. By the time she was done, he would be all hers.

* * *

Blitzwolfer sighed with content as she walked through the Enchanted Forest on all fours, sampling the sweet smelling air the forest offered him as he walked along. After narrowly avoiding the mob of female fairy tales, he had dropped Cerise and Raven off at the nurse's office so the former could get her ribs and ankle looked at while the later was there to simply provided support and hopefully prevent Cerise's secret from being exposed. In the mean time, he had decided to take Miss Muffet up on her offer and go visit her at her frozen yogurt stand, opting to switch forms so that if he was caught, there wouldn't be much suspicion.

What surprised him was just how eager some of the girls had been upon seeing Fasttrack; now he understood why Rook sometimes hated going out in public on certain days and dealing with the press. Not only was doing an interview with Harangue of all people enough to grate his and most Plumber's nerves, there was the slight issue of fan girls finding him irresistible. Blitzwolfer himself never quite understood how anyone could like someone covered with fur, but then again he was dating a werewolf, so he really had nothing to complain about. It was just that the lengths the girls went to kiss him frightened him; when he stopped by his room, Faybelle had flown right into the window of his room, bouncing off and falling slightly before she managed to pump her wings and fly again.

A sudden humming noise caught his attention, and he twisted his sensitive ears around to locate the source of the sound he heard while sniffing the air with his powerful noise; he followed the sound and scent of what appeared to be bacon, a smell that was making him drool as he walked through the brush, opting to walk now on his hind legs so he could see better. Before long, he made his way towards the central path of the Enchanted Forest and peeked out through the brush to find Apple White skipping merrily along the path.

The Loboan was about to shrug it off as nothing more than just a simple outing when he noticed several things different about her; in addition to the fact that the wonderful scent of bacon seemed to be coming from her, Apple, she was wearing a blood red hood and cloak similar to Cerise's, carrying a picnic basket, and seemed to be wearing gloves that smelled to be made out of deer fur. All that, and the fact that Apple was dressed in nothing more than a red thong and lacy, red bra that showed off her pale legs, arms, midriff, ass, and bust very nicely, much to Blitzwolfer's embarrassment; if one could see under his fur, they would find him blushing furiously.

"I'm just bringing the Three Little Pigs their oh,so delicious lunches!" Apple announced loudly in a monotone voice. "I sure hope I make it there on time!" she added before continuing on down the path.

Blitzwolfer blinked and quietly began to follow after Apple, mostly concerned about her mental health rather than all the enticing things she had brought along to attract him. Well, the bacon smelling was also part of it, but that was more of an added bonus as he followed after Apple, wondering why she dressed and acting in such a manner. Had she accidentally hit her head?

"She's almost as crazy as Maddie." the Loboan muttered under her breath.

"Blitzwolfer?"

The Loboan startled for a moment before he realized that it was just Ashlynn and Hunter coming through a thicket. "What's going on? What are you doing?" Ashlynn wondered.

"Following Apple." he replied, nodding his head towards the central path; Ashlynn and Hunter peered through the thick vegetation and remained there for a few seconds before retreating, both of their faces a beet red while hunter sweated furiously.

"I am ashamed to admit that she is hotter than dragon fire." was all Hunter could say.

"Um . . . are you . . ." Ashlynn asked Blitzwolfer with wide eyes.

The Loboan shook his head. "No, I'm just following her to make sure she's okay." he replied. "I think she might have had too much Wonderland tea or somethin'. And considering she's pretty much trying to use every trick in the book to get me to come to her, I think she's after me."

"No offense, but are you sure?" Hunter cocked an eyebrow. "Unless Apple's been hanging out with the Wonderlandians, this isn't Apple at all. She's all about following her destiny, and her destiny states that her prince is Daring, not you."

"Which makes me all the more concerned." Blitzwolfer growled as he dropped back down to all fours and pushed his way out through the bushes and grass and out onto the main trail. "You comin'?"

"Wouldn't be a better idea to stay hidden?" Ashlynn suggested.

The Loboan shook his head, shaking his gray fur all over the place as his tail wagged back and forth. "She's not even trying to pretend that she doesn't know I'm here. The best option to either try and ask her what's wrong or bring her down and back to the school for a checkup."

"If you say so . . ." Hunter sighed as they followed after Blitzwolfer.

"Trust me, I know I'm doing." Blitzwolfer promised them. "I've done this kind of thing before."

"Just where do you come from that this is a normal thing?" Ashlynn wondered.

"A _very_ crazy place." the Loboan sighed.

* * *

Before long, the trio of concerned fairy tales had grown into a sizable group of at least eight; Sparrow Hood and Daring had been talked into coming after Blitzwolfer promised the later that he would at least give him a sporting chance to do better in Heroics 101 while the later came along simply because he was bored and wanted a peek at Apple before things changed. Briar, Maddie, and Dexter had also been managed to come along, the first two because they were concerned for Apple and the later because he hoped it would at least boost up his image with Raven.

"Uh, you sure this is gonna work?" Dexter gulped nervously as he adjusted his glasses.

"As sure as I beat your brother at his own game." Blitzwolfer chuckled; Daring sulked slightly at the mention of his record being broken once more.

"So what's the plan anyways?" Briar asked.

"Yeah, what does Sparrow do if he's not allowed to rock and ROOOOOLLLLL!" Sparrow screamed as he played a loud, obnoxious cord on his guitar, forcing Blitzwolfer to cover his ears until the music had died down to a softer volume.

"We first try to talk some sense into her." the Loboan replied. "And if that doesn't work, we jump her and drag her back to Ever After High. If anyone else has a better idea, I'm all ears." he added when he saw the skeptical looks coming from most of the group; Maddie didn't care either way as she was pouring Earl Grey a pot of tea, the stream of hot liquid flowing upwards into the dormouse's waiting tea cup. How the Hatter did this was beyond Blitzwolfer.

"Shhhh! I think she's stopped." Hunter hissed; the hunting party fell silent as they followed the trained huntsman towards a group of large bushes and shrubs, quietly peeking out through them as stealthily as they possibly could into the clearing Apple had supposedly stopped in.

"Wait, shouldn't there be a scantily clothed princess right now?" Daring wondered. Indeed, the clearing was completely devoid of any sign of Apple, with the exception of the small picnic basket she had been carrying all the way down the trail; the bacon scent Blitzwolfer had smelled earlier was all around the clearing, making it impossible for him to pick out any one scent and pinpoint where the wayward princess was at. Curious, he pushed past the others and stepped out into the clearing, freezing for a moment before slowly making his way towards the picnic basket, the others following warily as he picked up the lid of the picnic basket and slowly lifted it upwards.

"What the- there's nothing in here!" the Loboan pouted. "And I was really hoping for some bacon, too."

"Let me see that." Briar frowned as Blitzwolfer handed her the basket with his claws. While Briar examined the contents of the empty basket, he opened his senses up to the surrounding area, already suspicious about how things were going for them right now. The others were wary now too, though Maddie seemed to be much more relaxed than the others as she sipped her tea and offered Ashlynn and Hunter some as well.

"Something's not right." Blitzwolfer growled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he bristled and growled.

"Yeah! There's no food in this picnic basket! YEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Sparrow howled in an abhorrent tone that was really starting to grate both his and Briar's nerves.

"No, that's not it." the Loboan snarled; he suddenly pricked his ears up and dove to the side just as an arrow sliced through the air and embedded itself deep in Briar's shoulder; the princess screamed with pain for a moment before the arrow evaporated into a cloud of sparkling, pink dust and a dreamy expression crossed Briar's face.

"Hey, Blitzwolfer," she purred in a seductive manner. "Wanna kiss?"

"Whatwiththewhonow!?" Blitzwolfer gaped before another whistling noise caught his attention and he ducked to the ground and rolled as two arrows flew through the hair over his head and jammed themselves deep into Sparrow and Daring's arms and legs, eliciting yelps of surprise from the two boys before their arrows disappeared and similar expressions to Briar's crossed their faces.

"Hello there, handsome." Daring grinned charmingly to Sparrow, for once ignoring his own reflection.

"Sparrow totally agrees! You ain't half bad lookin' either!" Sparrow smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows at the prince charming.

"What the Sphinx!?" Blitzwolfer exclaimed as he launched himself into the air to avoid another arrow that burried itself into Ashlynn's chest just as another arrow fixed itself into Maddie's neck; panicked cries of terror from Ashlynn and hunter filled the air before the two arrows vanished in puffs of sparkling, pink smoke. Hunter watched with horror and a red face as his girlfriend and Maddie set eyes on each other and immediately latched onto the other girl, pressing their lips together and groping each other as they made out.

"Ashlynn? Ashlynn!" Hunter cried. "Come on, what's going on with-OWW!" the Huntsman roared as an another arrow embedded itself in his ankle.

"What's happening!?" Dexter panicked before an arrow thrust itself into the back of his neck and forced him to face plant down on the ground at Hunter's feet as the two arrows vanished in puff's of pink smoke. With a groan, Dexter picked himself up and patted around for his glasses, searching for them as fast and as delicately as he could before he finally found them, his fingers grazing someone else's. He quickly grabbed his glasses and put them back on to stare at the deep, chocolate almonds of Hunter's face, a small smile crossing his own.

"H-Hey, there." he chuckled nervously. "Y-You look gourd- great! I meant great!" he quickly corrected himself.

"You, too." Hunter chuckled, a light blush on his face.

"Okay, this is getting weird, even for me." the Loboan sighed. "Is this getting weird for anyone else!?" he yelled to the heavens as Briar threw herself at him, only to miss as Blitzwolfer ducked to the ground to avoid her.

"Oh, applesauce!" Apple's voice cursed as a rustling noise could be heard from above before a sudden yelp of surprise filled the air, followed by the sounds of snapping and cracking branches as Apple tumbled to the ground and landed on Blitzwolfer's back, breaking her fall; clutched tightly in her hand was a pink bow and strapped to her back was an empty quiver.

"Mind explaining?" the Loboan growled as he held Briar's attempts to kiss him at bay; Maddie had Ashlynn pressed up against a tree as she peppered the princess's neck and cheek with kisses, sucking on a patch of skin on her neck and eliciting a moan from Ashlynn while Daring and Sparrow passionately made out with each other. Hunter and Dexter were thankfully just talking things out for the moment, but with the way their faces were reddening with every passing second, it was only a matter of time before they too joined the madness of love.

"Well . . ." Apple gulped upon noticing Blitzwolfer's stern glare. "I kind of . . . saw you and Raven at the gazebo . . ." she trailed off as the Loboan's eyes widened.

"How much did you see?" she snarled.

"I saw you transform." Apple sighed. "I know you're not really a wolf-"

"Why are all of our friends sudden drowning in love?" the Loboan interrupted.

"M-My magic mirror told me that y-you were my prince, not Daring." Apple flinched. "I want to make sure that happened, so I borrowed Cupid's bow and arrows; I'm a really bad shot as you can guess." she added sheepishly.

"Come on, Blitzwolfer! Give me some sugar!" Briar pleaded.

"At least Briar has something else to cross off her bucket list." Blitzwolfer grumbled as he released her hold on Briar, wincing when she stumbled to the ground and quickly climbed to her feet, suddenly tackling Blitzwolfer to the ground and sending Apple flying as Briar kissed the Loboan on the nose.

"Owie!" Apple whimpered as she pulled herself out of the thorn bush she had landed in; her hood and cloak caught on the sharp thorns and she was forced to abandon it after several fruitless tugs, leaving her to walk about in all of her nearly-nude glory.

Briar paused in mid-kiss and gazed upon Apple, her eyes widening when she caught sight of the princess's smooth curves and plump lips, her jaw dropping opening when she traced her eyes over Apple's breasts and ass before starring deep into those bright blue eyes. Before Apple could react, Briar leaped off of Blitzwolfer and tackled Apple to the ground, hugging her tight as she smashed her lips into Apple's; the scantily clothed princess struggled as Briar began to move her lips steadily, slipping her tongue past Apple's lips and digging her fingers into Apple's blonde locks.

"Oh, for the love of gargoyles." Blitzwolfer grumbled under his breath as he hauled himself to his feet and grabbed Briar's leg, effortlessly tearing her away from Apple and tossed her over his shoulder where she crashed into Ashlynn and Maddie just as the Hatter was reaching underneath the princess's shirt; the three girls bounced off of the tree and tumbled into Daring and Sparrow, ruining their mae out session before all of them tumbled into Dexter and Hunter just as they were about to kiss.

"That was easier than I expected." the Loboan noted happily before turning to Apple. "You alright?"

The princess was unresponsive as she just lay there, gasping for breath as she starred wide eyed at the sky, completely oblivious to Blitzwolfer's yelling; she had just experienced her first kiss by another girl. What it was called, Apple didn't know, but what she did know was that it was extremely uncomfortable to her; she couldn't say the same thing for Maddie or Briar, but she found it utterly repulsive. But then again, the pure passion behind the kiss was something else . . .

"Hello? Earth to Apple?" Blitzwolfer poked her with a claw. "Anyone in there?"

"What just happened?" Apple breathed.

"You mean other than you shooting all of our friends with love arrows and making them fall in love with each other?" the Loboan said with a deadpanned expression. "Oh, and as an added bonus, they all seem to be attracted to one of us now. My bet is that it's on you." he added.

"Are you always this sarcastic?" Apple moaned as she climbed to her feet.

"No, only when I'm in very stressful situations." Blitzwolfer replied. "Now if you value your sanity, lips, and body, you get on my back without complaint and hold on for dear life."

Apple was about to protest when she took notice of the tangle of arms and legs that were her friends as they slowly pulled themselves free from each other, lustful and wanting looks on their faces as they all lunged for Apple as one; the princess gave a startled scream as she raised her hands to protect her face before Blitzwolfer grabbed her by the back of her bra and tossed her onto his back, running away at top speed with their lovestruck friends right behind them.

"Come back, Darling!" Daring cried out.

Appleeeee! I neeeeed you!" Briar moaned.

"The polywog needs its lilypad!" Maddie shouted.

"Geez, how strong are those love arrows?" Blitzwolfer grumbled. "How do we fix this?"

"M-Maybe it wears off after a while?" Apple gulped hopefully.

"Maybe." Blitzwolfer noted. "Where did you get that bow and arrows anyway?"

"I . . . I borrowed them from Cupid." Apple said nervously.

"Borrowed or stole?"

"Does it matter?" Apple asked hopefully; Blitzwolfer glanced over his shoulder to throw her a look before he continued to run.

"The best option we got ta fixin' this mess is ta go ta Cupid herself." the Loboan snarled.

"NO!" Apple yelled, yanking back on part of Blitzwolfer's mane and pulled him to a stop. "We can't let Cupid know about this!"

"Isn't being a princess all about being fair and true and stuff like that?" the Loboan asked. "Then again, you lied to your friend, stole her prized possession that she probably deliberately told you not to steal, and reduced yourself to dressing in something so small that it shouldn't' be considered clothing." he mumbled under his breath; Apple deflated upon hearing the list of felonies she had committed. Was she even to be considered a princess after everything she had done, going against everything she had been taught for her own needs and gain?

"Watch out!" Blitzwolfer cried. Before Apple could comprehend what was happening, she was pulled downwards and pushed roughly against the ground by the Loboan as Maddie sailed overhead and crashed into the oak tree in front of them, seeming to suffer no kind of injury as she peed herself off of the trunk and turned around to face them with a crazier smile than usual.

"Bacon and eggs, peanut butter and jelly, me and sweet applesauce." Maddie purred with that ever mad March hare smile on her lips.

"I have no idea what that means, but I'm pretty sure that it ain't good." Blitzwolfer grumbled.

"What do we do?" Apple whimpered when Maddie slipped off her hat and pulled out a frighteningly large mallet.

The Loboan sighed as he pinched his brow for a second. "You remember when you saw me change forms?"

Y-Yeah?" Apple gulped as Maddie edged forward, patting the blunt end of heavy mallet in her hand while she continued to grin in a demented manner that greatly frightened the princess.

"Well, lets just say that you haven't met the rest of the family." Blitzwolfer said as he slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his collar, swallowing himself in flash of green light as his DNA was scrambled and manipulated into something new. He felt his flesh become slightly squishy and more stretchable, glancing at himself while he turned a dark green in color, parts of his hips, shoulders, wrists, and knees turning black; large, red and yellow thorns ripped out of his shoulders and arms as he grew taller and taller, his head just barely scrapping a low hanging branch at least seven feet off of the ground. His hands turned into yellow claws covered by a dull, orange covered with small spikes on his knuckles as fleshy thorns popped out of his disappearing knee caps and melting toes. His entire skeleton seemed to vanish completely to be replace by something like the stem of a plant. He felt his head become engulfed in a fleshy flap as his ebbing skull became pointed and brightly colored; the flap suddenly split open, forming into a kind of collar as the Omnitrix appeared on his stomach, completing the transformation.

"Wha . . . What are you?" Apple stammered before suddenly gagging horribly. "And what is that awful smell?" she coughed and hacked, falling to the ground behind the Methanosian.

"Uh, yeah. That would be me." Swampfire chuckled sheepishly. "We'll have time for 20 questions later. Right now, we need to get you somewhere safe." he said; he grabbed ahold of Apple's shoulder and hauled her to his feet before raising his hand towards the sky in what seemed to be an overly dramatic fashion until the ground started to tremble and shake like it might during an elephant stampede. Before Apple's very eyes, a ring of tall, thorn, vines sprouted out from the earth and surrounded Maddie in a capsule of plant matter, trapping her in place just as she swung her hammer and was bounced back into the center of her prison.

"There we go." Swampfire sighed with relief. "She's not getting out of there anytime soon. Unless a really hungry beaver comes along." he added as an afterthought. Without a word of warning, the Methanosian then grabbed by her shoulders and effortlessly slung her over his own in a fireman's carry as he ran away, much to Apple's surprise and protest.

"Hey! At least give me a piggyback ride!" Apple protested; Swampfire sighed and allowed the princess to rearrange herself on his shoulders so that her bare legs draped over his chest and her heands rested on his pointed head, hanging on as he resumed running at a brisk pace back through the woods and to Ever After High. All the while, his mind was racing about how he could possibly his identity a secret if he came crashing through the front doors of the school smelling like a sewer and with a barely clothed Apple White on his shoulders with a group of love struck students chasing after them.

His thoughts were shaken from him when Apple suddenly screamed and was lifted off of his shoulders, her legs immediately wrapping around his head until they slipped over his jaw and away from him. Swampfire glanced up to see Sparrow Hood hanging from a high branch by his feet, his hands tightly gripped onto Apple's shoulders as she struggled and kicked to try and get free.

"Let me go! Let go of me!" she shouted.

"Now, come on, pretty Apple! You know you dig Sparrow as much as Sparrow digs you!" he grinned wolfishly.

"Hey! Put 'er down before I turn you into a barbecue!" Swampfire threatened.

"Sparrow's gonna show you up big time! YEEEAAHHHH!" Sparrow howled in response. The Methanosian glowered at the obnoxious boy above him as he effortlessly tossed Apple up into the air and caught her in his arms again. "How 'about giving Sparrow a kiss?" he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Apple," Swampfire growled. "Hold your breath." he ordered; Apple decided not to disobey him and sucked in a deep breath, her cheeks puffed out to her maximum as she signaled him with a thumbs up; Swampfire then raised a hand up at Sparrow and another down at the tree's roots before a large amount of toxic, green gas poured out from the holes in his palms, covering the air in a noxious smelling fume that would have made most species gag or even pass out from the smell. The large oak tree Sparrow was hanging from started to creak and groan as its branches started to move on their own accord, whipping all over the place as a flexible limb wrapped itself around Sparrow's chest and lifted him up into the air while a second one curled itself around Apple and lowered her to the ground and into Swampfire's arms; several more branches wrapped themselves around the Son of Robin Hood's wrists and ankles, thoroughly restraining him as he struggled and howled and sang off key.

"APPLEEEE! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEE!" Sparrow sang horribly.

"Sorry, Sparrow!" Apple apologized as the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and returned Ben to the world, startling the princess as she instinctively covered herself up in front of Ben,

"Seriously? You don't bother to do that when I'm Blitzwolfer or Swampfire or for anyone else, and yet when I'm human you get all self conscious?" Ben asked with disbelief.

"Sorry." Apple apologized again as she let her arms drop to her side. "I honestly don't even know what I was thinking when I thought about this whole mess and-"

"We can forgive and forget later," Ben interrupted. "Right now, we need to get to Cupid before this gets out of hand." he said, grabbing her hand and tugging her farther down the trail as Apple blushed slightly and jogged to keep up with him; her princess training didn't exactly cover running for great distances, making their progress slow as Apple tried to run in heels.

"So . . . what exactly are you? I don't think there was any fairy tale with a shape-shifter in it." Apple asked once they had left Sparrow far, far behind, much to Ben's pleasure.

"If you must know, I'm-AAAAGH!" Ben yelled as he was suddenly yanked upwards, his hand slipping out of Apple's grasp and up towards the canopy of the Enchanted Forest, his foot caught tightly in a loop trap that kept him aloft; a rustling noise came from several bushes as Hunter jumped out with a warm grin on his face as he approached Apple with a confident swagger.

"Hey, there, Beautiful. Is it hunting season? Because you just shot me through the heart." he said.

"Oh, come on! That has got to be the _worst_ pick up line I have ever heard!" Ben complained from above as he turned on the Omnitrix and aimlessly cycled through the roster before selecting a random alien and slapping the activation button, encompassing him in a flash of green light. Muscles quickly piled themselves onto Ben's arms and chest as his skin began to blister horribly until short, brown feathers crawled up his arms and legs, turning a lighter shade of brown on his chest and stomach; his mouth and nose melted together like butter, hardening into a yellow, horny beak as teeth lined the inside. The feathers continued to cover his body, racing up over his back and stomach, growing on nearly every inch of his body while Ben's wrists and ankles began to harden as thick scales appeared on them, his fingers crunching and grinding as they molded together into three digits. His fingers grew longer and bigger, becoming curved, black talons as his toes all formed together into two, long, sharp claws while his heel bone ground against his foot and thrust out the back in a third toe tipped with a sharp talon. A white plume appeared on Ben's head, looking something like a Mohawk of sorts as a pair of large, sharp blades thrust out of his elbows, glinting in the low light of the canopy as green wrst and ankle guards materialized on his body; a pair of black briefs and green and white belt appeared on him as well as a green mask covered his face and a green strap vest manifested on his chest, the Omnitrix appearing on the vest hooker.

Kickin' Hawk screeched as he readily curled himself up towards where the rope wrapped around foot and cut clean through it with one swipe of his talons and dropping down to the ground with a grunt. "You," he growled at Hunter. "Are _really_ starting to ruffle my feathers."

"Stand back, Apple! I shall protect thee from this foul fowl!" Hunter declared as he effortlessly tore off his shirt to show off his strong and tough chest; Apple couldn't but feel her face warm up as Kickin' Hawk face palmed himself.

"Really? Again with the shirt tearing?" he said. Hunter's response was to charge straight at the bird-like alien with his fists clenched tightly as he swung twice and missed every time as Kickin' Hawk jumped back and dodged before flipping back onto his hands to swipe out with his legs, striking Hunter in the chest and sending him backwards. Apple flinched and covered her eyes when Kickin' Hawk lunged forward and slugged Hunter across the face before dropping down to rest on his hands and swing his legs forward, kicking Hunter in the gut and sending him flying across the trail where he slammed painfully into the trunk of a tree.

With a grunt, Hunter climbed to his feet and launched himself at Kickin' Hawk, tackling him to the ground as he managed to gain a few punches to the alien's face before Kickin' Hawk kicked him in the gut and sent him flying up into the air where he juggled the huntsman on his feet for several seconds to catch his breath before he thrust his feet upwards and sent Hunter flying higher up; Kickin' Hawk quickly jumped to his feet and nailed Hunter in the gut with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying across the trail again into the same tree as before.

"Ow . . ." he groaned, sliding down the trunk into unconsciousness.

"Wasn't that a bit rough?" Apple winced.

"Says the girl whose practically naked trying to catch my attention." Kickin' Hawk smirked as the Omnitrix timed out and reverted him back to his original form.

"You . . . make a good point." Apple sighed with defeat before she turned to look at Hunter. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He should be," Ben rubbed his chin. "I didn't nail him that hard. Now come." he said, taking hold of Apple's hand again and pulling her farther down the trail as Apple tried harder to keep up with Ben's pace. It might have been just the fact that she was currently in nothing more than her undergarments with someone who was already dressed and a boy of all things, but she found her face warming up once more when his fingers clung tightly to hers like a life line; whenever she held hands with Daring, it always felt cold, clammy, and forced instead of intentional and warm.

"How many more of your friends do I have to battle just to get us back to school?" Ben wondered, cutting through Apple's thoughts like a knife.

"Uh, I don't remember." Apple responded.

"Great." Ben sighed. "I'm gonna be feeling this for a while."

They managed to get farther down the trail and away from where Hunter had ambushed them without running into any more trouble; this only made Ben more wary of where the remaining princes and princesses would pop out. His grip on Apple's hand tightened as the trees started to thin out, leaving them more exposed than they already were.

"We're almost there." he said. "Which means we're probably heading into a trap of some kind." he added.

"How do you know?" Apple asked.

"Lets just say that I have experience with this kind of thing." Ben answered.

"You didn't answer my question back there," Apple continued. "What are you?"

"Short version, I'm a regular, human kid with a watch that lets me turn into hundreds of alien heroes." Ben explained as they ran. "And before you ask, an alien is a being or species from another planet in space; had to explain that to Raven when she first found out."

Apple blinked, not quite sure how to process this new information. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

"That's exactly what I thought when I saw you skipping merrily down the trail in your underwear, a hood, and with an empty picnic basket in your arms." Ben shot back with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Why did you do that anyways?"

"Well, I-" Apple started to say before a rustling noise interrupted them; the two of them froze as Briar and Ashlynn leaped out from behind some bushes as Dexter and Daring cut them off from ahead of the path, sinister and loving smiles on their faces as they surrounded Apple and Ben and edged closer; Ben instinctively pulled Apple closer to him as he turned on the Omnitrix, grimacing he cycled steadily through the roster; Apple blushed even further as she hugged Ben's arm and snuggled a little deeper into him, not so much that he would notice but enough that she could feel safe in the current situation.

"Come on, Ben. We just want our sugar apple, Apple." Ashlynn purred seductively as she licked her lips.

"Ooo, I'm just tingling all over! Imagine the nights we'll have together!" Briar shivered with anticipation; Apple paled and hugged Ben a little tighter.

"Not until my handsome self gets to admire her first!" Daring grinned, wiggling his eyebrows as he flashed a charming smile at Apple; her knuckles were whiter than they were before as her nails dug deeper into Ben's arm.

"Y-You will be mine, Apple!" Dexter declared shakily. "I'll do anything for you!"

"We'll see about that." Ben grinned as he selected an alien and slammed a hand down the activation button, a green burst of light washing over him and warping his genetic code. His skinny figure suddenly swelled as hundreds of muscles piled on top of each other, sending his growing form upwards until he was more than twice as tall as his previous self. His fingers pulsed as thick veins appeared on his arms, sending alien blood through them as a second pair of eyes appeared above his own and every last hair on his head disappeared. A short beard appeared on his chin that ran up to his disappearing earlobes as his jaw jutted outwards. Suddenly, a second pair of smaller arms burst out from under his own, still just fresh muscle and bone; Apple felt like she was going to be sick, especially considering that one of the arms was currently wrapped around her protectively. Thankfully, rough, red skin covered them as Ben's toes melded into two large claws while a row of small spikes appeared on his head and shoulders. A black undershirt with a green stripe down the middle as a pair of black pants appeared as two pairs of black fingerless gloves came out of nowhere on his large hands, finishing the transformation.

Apple watched with wide eyes and a slack jaw as Four Arms grinned and cracked all four of his knuckles with a quick clench of his hands, a confident smirk on the Tetramand's face. "You just messed with the wrong Tetramand." he quipped; Briar and Daring eagerly attacked him, latching onto his thick, muscled arms and hanging on for dear life as the Tetramand swung them, but the prince and princess hung on like ticks.

Apple watched As Four Arms grabbed onto Briar and Daring with his extra two arms and threw them a distance away just as Dexter let out a war cry and charged at the Tetramand like a fool, his eyes squeezed shut as he blindly swung his fists as he rammed straight into his opponents iron gut and fruitlessly pummeled him with his fists without any effect; Four Arms drew back his fist and swung it in an underhanded motion, slamming it into the nerdy prince's gut and sending him flying into the treetops where he remained sprawled out across the branches. He whirled around just in time to earn a swift kick to the face from Briar as she flew through the air, grabbing onto a tree branch to swing herself upwards and onto the limb before she jumped back down and tackled the Tetramand to the ground.

"Get off of me!" Four Arms grunted as he grabbed Briar by the shoulders tossed her off of him and into the bushes just as Daring came charging at him while the Tetramand climbed to his feet. With a grunt, he sent Daring back a couple of feet with a lazy swing of his arms before he grabbed an old, rotting log the ground and hefted it up onto his shoulder, waiting for just the right moment when Daring came charging right back at him.

"Fore . . . Arms!" Four Arms joked as he swung the log like a baseball bat and felt it connect with the prince charming, sending him flying through the air and a long distance away as the Tetramand dropped his weapon to the ground to breath.

"See, it wasn't that hard, now was it, Apple?" he grinned confidently. "Apple?"

Looking around, the Tetramand didn't see any sign of the scarcely clad princess and he felt his two hearts beat faster and race with fear before he heard a low moan coming from a cluster of bushes that were rustling suspiciously. Suspicious, Four Arms edged towards the bush and peered through to find Briar, Ashlynn, and Apple lying on the ground together in a heap; Ashlynn's lips were pressed firmly to Apple's as she sloppily kissed her and wiggled her tongue around inside Apple's mouth, moaning louder whenever the princess struggled. Briar meanwhile was softly kissing Apple's neck and gently biting her collar bone and earlobe while massaging one of her breasts, her touch firm and gentle as she worked and Apple struggled to free herself from her two love struck friends.

"If I wasn't trying to protect you, this would so turn me on." Four Arms shook his head with shame as he grabbed Ashlynn and Briar by the backs of their necks and pulled them off of Apple with some effort, holding both princesses in the air for a few seconds as he looked between the two of them, thinking. Finally, he drew both of the girls back as if he were going to smash them together like a pair of symbols, something that made Apple's blood run cold as she watched her two friends come flying right at each other; when she didn't hear any loud yells of pain or foul cursing, she peeked through her fingers to see both Ashlynn and Briar passionately making out with each other in Four Arms' grasp, slipping their tongue's into the others mouths as they ran their hands over each others arms and faces, occasionally veering away to stroke and grope the other's breasts and ass; the Tetramand set them down on the ground and left Ashlynn and Briar on the forest floor to their business.

"How can you just leave them like that?" Apple whispered as she lifted off of the ground by Four Arms and hauled onto his shoulders.

"Better to have them focus on each other than on us, right?" the Tetramand responded as he crouched down to the ground. "Now hang on tight."

"Why should I- AHHHHHHHHH!" Apple screamed as Four Arms launched himself high into the air, bursting through the canopy of the Enchanted Forest in an explosion of leaves and soaring over the trees for almost the length of a block before he finally reached his peak and came crashing back down; branches and leaves slapped at Apple's face and clawed at her pale, white skin as the Tetramand carved a way down to the forest floor with his tough body, landing with a heavy _thud!_

Before Apple could even scream a second time, the Tetramand had launched himself up into the air once more like a gigantic grasshopper, shooting off like a rocket through the air and easily clearing the canopy before he came crashing back down, the branches and thorns that scrapped against his skin not even bothering him in the slightest; he kept this up for a couple more minutes, quickly leaving the Enchanted Forest behind and making his way back towards the school in the same manner.

By the time he came back down in a grove of trees near the school's entrance, Apple was hanging on with a white knuckled grip, her frail figure trembling and shivering, though whether this was out of fear or cold, Four Arms did not know; multiple scraps and cuts littered her perfect, snow white skin with ugly, red cuts. "Which balcony is Cupid's?" Four Arms asked.

"What?" Apple was shaken out of her fears.

"Which balcony is Cupid's?" Four Arms repeated.

"Uh, three more over." Apple directed; the Tetramand thankfully walked this time instead of jumping, hugging the shadows as he came around to the dorms side and counted off three balconies before stopping at the one that had to be the dorm Cupid shared with Blondie. With a grunt, Four Arms grabbed Apple by the shoulders with two of his meaty hands and brought her down to his chest where he hugged her tightly against him; Apple gulped and buried herself deeper into the Tetramand's thick hide before he jumped right at the window to the dorm.

* * *

Cupid had been through a lot ever since she was born.

She never knew her parents, having been abandoned and left at Eros' doorstep without any form of identification before she was taken in by the kind god and raised as his own; upon getting her wings and bow, she was transferred to Monster High where she encountered all manner of creature and monster, everything from werewolves and vampires to centaurs and gargoyles and everything in between. It had been fun for a while, pairing up monsters and helping them with love advice and the likes, but after a while it got kind of boring; monsters were not known for being very romantic or very caring about love in general, which was one reason she transferred to Ever After High in the first place. After that, she found her job to be all the more difficult, as fairy tales would come to her for advice or even attempt to ask her out, but the one boy she actually had a crush on was completely oblivious to her feelings. And it didn't help that she was horrible at math either.

So when a large, burly, red, four armed creature of unknown origin with Apple White dressed in nothing more than her underwear came crashing through her window, she wasn't as surprised or as shocked as most people would have been. Rather, she was simply confused and annoyed at being disturbed when she was trying to catch up on her Crownculus.

"What in the name of the ancestors is going on!?" Cupid yelled as she tumbled out of her chair for the second time that day. "And why are you in your underwear, Apple? And . . . who the hex is that?" she added, gesturing to Four Arms as he set Apple down on the ground and away from the broken shards of glass that dotted the floor. "And what are you doing with my bow!?"

"Long story short I tried to make Blitzwolfer fall in love with me but it turns out that I'm a horrible shot and I made Maddie fall in love with Ashlynn and Hunter fall in love with Dexter and Daring fall in love with Sparrow and Briar fall in love with Briar before they all fell in love with me and Ashlynn and Briar fell in love with each other and I am sooooooo sorry, please don't kill me!" Apple rattled in a loud voice, gasping breath by the time she finished her sentence.

Cupid blinked. "Uh . . . could you that by me one more time?" she asked.

"She stole your arrows, tried to shoot me and missed several times, making everyone else fall in love with her." Four Arms said, folding his two pairs of arms over his chest. "Can you fix it?"

"Why should I help you?" Cupid frowned, attempting to look serious and unforgiving; really, she was still trying to grasp the fact that Dexter had fallen in love with Hunter and then Apple. Even if it was only because one of her arrows, it still hurt, like someone was twisting a knife deeper into her heart.

"Well what the Sphinx do you want us to do!?" Four Arms exclaimed with annoyance.

Cupid blinked as the words tumbled around in her mind. The last time she had heard _anyone_ say that, was back at Monster High. And as far as she knew, there was no one else attending Ever After High that had attended her old school; she made a mental note to ask Four Arms about that later. "I'm kidding," she said as she walked over to Apple and took her bow back from the princess. "I've got just the thing for these kind of messes."

"That's a relief." Apple breathed as Cupid walked over to her closet and pulled out a quiver filled with arrows, their tips shaped like black hearts instead of pink.

"One shot of these should do it." Cupid said. Moments after she slipped the quiver over her shoulder and notched the first arrow, the door to the dormitory came crashing down, completely busted off of its hinges by Maddie as she carelessly tossed aside a large battering ram; Daring, Sparrow, Dexter, Hunter, Briar, and Ashlynn were all behind the Hatter, seductive and loving grins on their faces as they filed into the room and surrounded the three of them, trapping them.

"Voltage." Four Arms cursed as he balled his four hands into four fists and gritted his teeth while he put himself between the love struck fairy tales and Apple; the princess felt her face heat up again as she watched the Tetramand steal a couple of arrows from Cupid's quiver and chuck them right at the fairy tales as they lunged at the trio, missing with the first arrow and successfully hitting Daring right between the eyes. The prince charming slumped to the ground as the arrow disappeared in a puff of sparkling, black smoke as Cupid drew back the string on he bow and shot at Hunter point blank, hitting him right in the chest and wincing as he fell backwards and landed on Daring.

"How good are you at shooting long range?" Four Arms grunted as Maddie threw herself at him and easily tackled him to the floor of the dormitory in a head lock, holding him in a spot where she was just out of reach of his strong fingers.

"Ironically, I can't shoot the side of a barn unless I'm right next to it." Cupid admitted sheepishly.

"Seriously!? You're the Daughter of Eros and you suck at archery!?" Four Arms exclaimed in disbelief as he finally managed to grab Maddie by the shoulders and flip her over onto the floor, slugging her twice in the gut twice before backing up and performing an anvil drop to the Hatter; Maddie seemed to suffer no mortal injury, but stayed down nonetheless as Cupid shot her in the stomach, surrounding the Hatter in a black, sparkling cloud. "Sorry." the Tetramand apologized before Ashlynn threw herself at him.

"Come on, Ashlynn! Don't make me hurt you!" Four Arms cried as he held the princess back with his lower set of arms. His expression of regret turned into one of confusion when Ashlynn started to sing and then into one of panic as hundreds upon thousands of butterflies and birds came swooping in through the broken window, swarming the Tetramand in a flurry of feathers and wings.

"Agh! They're in my eyes!" Four Arms cried as a small flock of butterflies swarmed into his face, blinding him as he stumbled around, hanging on tightly onto Ashlynn.

Cupid gritted her teeth and expertly shot an arrow right at Sparrow, only to have the obnoxious musician block the shot with a swing of his guitar.

"You ain't got nothing on Sparrow! YEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Sparrow howled in triumph as he swung his guitar like a club and forced Cupid to jump back with every swing before she ducked under a particularly wide swing of Sparrow's instrument and giving the young deity a good shot at his armpit; Sparrow fell with a groan onto his back, his guitar playing a sour note as he hit the floor.

"Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me!" Four Arms yelled, swatting mindlessly at the butterflies and birds with three hands while holding onto Ashlynn to the other. Cursing under her breath, Cupid pulled another arrow out of her quill and jumped low across her bed before base sliding between the Tetramand's legs and jamming the arrow into Ashlynn's ankle; Ashlynn dropped limply to the ground just before the butterflies and birds left in a whirl of wings.

"Okay, I think that's everybody." Cupid sighed with relief, wiping her brow.

"Wait, where's Apple?" Four Arms asked worriedly, spitting out a mouthful of feathers. The two of them looked around widely in search of the missing princess as well as Dexter and Briar, having just realized that they were missing as well. It was then they noticed a low slurping noise coming from Blondie's closet; they each grabbed an arrow and warily approached the closet, Four Arms grabbing hold of the door knob and tearing the door clean off of its hinges to find Dexter clinging tightly to Apple as he passionately kissed her on the lips, running his fingers through her blonde locks as Briar sucked on her neck and played her breasts while Apple struggled.

"You ready?" Four Arms asked.

Cupid gave no response as she simply stood there, jaw slack and eyes wide as she watched the boy she loved kiss another girl right in front of her without shame; her pulse began to race as she clenched her teeth and gripped her bow tightly, breaking it in two as she saw red. "RAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly making her Tetramand partner wet himself out of fright as Dexter and Briar snapped their heads to look at her. Apple took the opportunity to pull herself free of her unwanted lovers and take cover behind Four Arms as Cupid charged right at Briar and Dexter like an angry bull, more so aimed at the later than the former.

"You okay?" Four Arms asked as unholy sounds of pain and agony came from the closet.

"Y-Yeah." Apple gulped for breath, hugging herself as she leaned into Four Arms' frame for comfort. "I'm just . . . really weirded out by all this . . ."

"Tell me about it." Four Arms chuckled. "I once had this hormonal affected sea monster friend of mine chasing me all the way through this hidden base fifty years in the future trying to mate with me."

"Um, what?" Apple raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" the Tetramand wondered. "In addition to being able to turn into aliens, I'm from a parallel where humans, monsters, and aliens live together."

"I think one of us is little crazy. And I think I know who . . ." Apple gave a small smile; Dexter's pained screams echoed through the walls of the dormitory as Briar lay unconscious on the floor of the dorm, a black arrow in her chest as her fingers twitched every now and again.

"Says the girl still in her underwear." Four Arms smirked. "And, hey, if I can turn into aliens with a watch, me being from a parallel universe shouldn't be that fare fetched." he added; Apple turned beet red and grabbed the covers of Cupid's bed, wrapping them around herself to hide herself as Cupid finally came out of the closet with her hand clenched tightly around the wrist of a bruised and unconscious Dexter with an arrow planted square between his eyes.

"Ouch." Four Arms winced as he was suddenly engulfed in a flash of green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world, startling Cupid.

"Wha . . . What _are_ you?" Cupid gaped, slightly scared of what had just happened.

"Oh, this is just getting redundant." Ben sighed, pinching his brow. "Is it okay if I just explain this all to you tomorrow? Stop by Blitzwolfer's dorm if you want answers."

"I . . . suppose . . ." Cupid agreed. "It has been a rather tiring day." she admitted.

"Ben! Apple!" Cupid! What's going on?" Raven asked as she came skidding into the entrance of the dorm to find Cupid looking as if she had just wrestled a mountain lion, Apple wrapped in a bed sheet in nothing but her underwear, a broken window, several of her unconscious friends, and Ben in the middle of it all.

"Trust me when I say it's a long story." Ben sighed. And you wanna know what the worst part is? I don't even know _why_ Apple did all this."

"Wait, _Apple_ did all this?" Raven parroted, flabbergasted.

The witchling's comment was ignored for the moment as all available eyes trained on Apple as she flushed red and shuffled uncomfortably. "W-Well . . . my magic mirror gave me a prophecy stating that Ben was to be my True Love, not Daring, and after I saw him transform, I knew it was right. I just wanted to make sure we would have a happy ending together because . . . well, I really like you." Apple practically whispered.

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean you shot all our friends with arrows and made Dexter fall in love with Hunter and made me go through all _that_ just because you like me and didn't have the guts to tell me?" Ben summed up. "You do know you could have just asked me out, right?"

Apple was about to argue that that silly idea wouldn't have worked when she realized how simple it was and face palmed herself out of exasperation; Cupid merely rubbed her aching temples when she heard that _her_ Dexter had not only kissed Apple but _Hunter,_ too. "I am _so_ sorry, Ben." Apple apologized. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Sure." Ben grinned. "I guess I can't really blame you. I mean, I _am_ pretty awesome." he joked; Raven rolled her eyes and smacked Ben upside the head for being an idiot.

"So . . . will you go out with me?" Apple asked hopefully.

"How about we fix the window, return our friends to their dorms, and get a good nights sleep." Ben suggested. "Maybe _then_ I'll consider it. I'm pretty sore right now." he said.

"Fair enough." Apple giggled.

"I am so lost right now." Raven sighed as she picked up Maddie and carried her down the hall towards the Hatter's dorm. "I can't _wait_ to hear about _this_ one."

 **And there we go!**

 **Once again, I have to give credit to _Codecrash_ for giving me the wonderful idea to this story; you rock dude! And on a side note, this will most likely be the last chapter for the month of August. I'm sorry, but I've become swamped with band camp, upcoming school, and other works and collaborations with other author's that I can't work on this story. I'm not giving up on it anytime soon, but it will be w hile before the next chapter.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Remember, there are no bad ieas! And let me know what you think of a yuri paring for this story!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	7. Perfect Chemistry

**And after an eternity of waiting, I have returned! Man, it seems like the enter Mesozoic Era passed by right into the next ice age! All jokes aside, I thank you for all the reviews you have sent my way; I didn't even think I could make it this far this fast, so I thank you once again from the bottom of my undead Tetramand hearts.**

 **Now, I've been getting a few negative comments about the last chapter, mostly about the yaoi pairings and how fast I've been taking things so far. And to be honest, I completely agree with you. I know I have probably been taking things a little farther, and this is mostly because I didn't know where I wanted to take my first story before and eventually came up with a good plot with the help of you guys; now, I have a full idea that I want to implement as fast as possible, so I guess I'm getting a little too eager. As for the yaoi pairings, I will admit they were a little hard to write, but they were never meant to be serious, merely for comedy reasons. All couples are still together.**

 **Onto the review answers!**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **I understand where you are coming from on the yaoi pairings and, as stated above, they were merely for comedic reasons. And yes, Ben hasn't forgotten about his ghouls back home; as for whether the victims of Apple's horrible aim will remember what happened . . . well, you'll just have to see ;)**

 _ **Cylon One –**_ **I thought you would like it.**

 _ **Harem Lover 26 –**_ **I don't think Raven's the jealous type, so your idea doesn't have much promise. As for an ApplexRaven pairing within the harem-to-come, I'll have to check with everyone else.**

 _ **Zak Saturday –**_ **Awkward, hilarious, both mean the same thing right? :)**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll admit, I didn't Ben could be so sarcastic, but when you're being chased by love crazed fairy tales who want to go all the way with a bikini wearing princess, things can get a little tense ;) And I totally agree with you on the rushed thing, though Apple always seemed like the kind to do something desperate as a last resort to me.**

 _ **TheInnerBeast –**_ **I understand if you feel uncomfortable with this, but a lot of people find this interesting and it was apparently a huge success in my previous story; I'm not saying you are wrong or stupid for not liking this sort of thing, but with the way things are going, there's a high prospect of it coming up in the future.**

 **n1ght4ury20 – I don't think that's actually possible, but it seems like a very good idea.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Yep, Ascalon will appear eventually. Eventually being a very long time though.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Yes, I have read** ** _Ever After High Civil War_ , a wonderful work by the way. And you make valuable and compelling points for the yuri pairings between Raven, Maddie, and Cerise; at least, I now have reasons should one of these pairings go into motion. Anyways, your points on Apple are also valid . . . wonder what the princess will chose? As for Cupid . . . well, that would be too easy, now wouldn't it?**

 _ **Guest –**_ **I like the incubus idea! I'm definitely going to use that. As for a 4** **th wall breaking alien, be patient; there _will_ be one coming up later on; as for Phantux tricking Apple . . . you'll just have to see ;) And once again, I agree that I have been taking things a little fast. And no, I am not the slightest bit annoyed that you are not leaving actual comments on my stories.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **I like the ideas, and something will happen to Cerise. The only thing I don't understand why people like watching ghouls/girls go animalistic on Ben. I agree that it's fun to write and that it's hilarious to read, but I don't get why everyone else likes it so much. Meh. Must be a reader thing ;)**

 _ **superfanman217 –**_ **Can you wait now? Can you wait now? Can you wait now? XD**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Actually, no. Officially, no girl is in Ben's Ever After harem, but that is subject to change. And you have guessed correctly, my friend.**

 _ **Mata-NuiXIII –**_ **I have actually mulled this thought over for some time now, and I actually intended to start this whole mess before Thronecoming, but with Giles already in the picture, that idea wouldn't have worked. So yes, this story takes place before** ** _Spring Unsprung_ , which will also be included in my story with _Way to Wonderland._**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Glad you found it so funny. As for Duchess and Dexter, I don't think that would work. Compared to other 'evil' characters in the show, like Faybelle, Kitty, or even Lizzie, Duchess is truly evil; she doesn't care about who she steps on to get what she wants, and Dexter . . . well, he's Dexter. Need I say more?**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Yeah, I understand you there; yuri is** ** _so_ much easier to write than yaoi, but that was only for comedic purposes. If you're looking for a more permanent yuri pairing, then stick around; it will happen, that I guarantee.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **hehehehehe. Send Maddie my regards. Either way, you aren't alone out there; a lot of readers were rather uncomfortable with the yaoi scenes, but it's nothing serious. No is threatening to sue you (yet) XD. To answer your review you left on my Total Drama story, I will not be making a Xover with that. To answer the review you left on my Ben 10/Monster High one-shot series, the ghouls will eventually come to Ever After, all of the girls you mentioned are high candidates for Ben's harem, and the Forever Knights** ** _will_ team up with a villain from Ever After (which one, is anyone's guess). As for Ben's new fusion partner . . . well, you'll just have to wait a little longer, my friend. Only a few more chapters, that I promise you!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I'm glad you found it so funny! To be fair, I didn't think I could be so good at writing comedy, but apparently I can. And hey, you deserve some of the credit too!**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Glad you found it so funny.**

 _ **kival737101 –**_ **Ooh! Swear word! It must be true!**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **I like your suggestions for Ben's aliens; I really need to start implementing them in. As for your suggestions, most of them are sound in some form, except for the last one, that one might raise a few protests (incest and all that).**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it so much. Enjoy!**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Ooh, this is gonna be a tough one. What** ** _could_ Kitty do with Ben's secret? The suspense is killing me XD**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **You know there will be attempts on the ghouls part to get even with Paradox ;). And yes, Ben** ** _will_ tell the girls about his ghouls . . . eventually.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **This is assuming Faybelle doesn't hurt him first :)**

 **Now then, I have been getting a lot of requests for a yuri pairing to appear within this series, and I have to say . . . I totally agree. Ever After High is full of potential yuri pairings, considering there are practically only five or six boys for the entire series and more than enough girls. Hex, even Raven's voice actor ships Raven and Apple together! So I am setting up a poll on my profile, dear readers that will allow you to select which girls get paired up! Whether they get paired up with ben as well or not is up to debate, though, so be patient!**

 **Alright! Enough of my senseless babbling!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onward!**

Raven sighed as she drummed her fingers on the lunch table, bored while she picked at her food with her spoon; looking around, she could see the other students enjoying their predetermined meals based on whatever their destinies had before them, with the Three Billy Goats Gruff feasting on a pile of vegetables and tin cans, Faybelle sipping sweet nectar and munching happily on her fruit salad, and Apple chewing away on . . . well, an apple. The princess stopped in mid-chew when she caught sight of Raven letting her gaze wander around the room; Apple swallowed and set the half-eaten fruit her tray before picking it up and walking over to the witchling to sit down across from her, taking note of the rather fancy looking food on Raven's plate and the glass of expensive looking red juice in a cup.

"Is that wine?" Apple raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Raven shook her head. "Thankfully, no." she said. "Apparently being the Daughter of the Evil Queen means I'm supposed to enjoy expensive, fancy foods; what I wouldn't kill for just some regular toast and bacon." she sighed, picking at her exotic spice covered omelet before she realized she had spoken too loudly and winced when she heard a trio of gasps coming the Three Little Pigs.

"Well, at least you aren't given apple's for every meal." Apple shrugged. "I mean, I feel like I'm ninety percent applesauce." she joked; the light humor made Raven only smile slightly before she returned to picking at her food with a fork.

The princess sighed; she wasn't sure what was going on with Raven as of lately. When she had woken up that morning, the witchling was already up and awake, slowly and almost absentmindedly brushing her hair as she starred at her reflection in the vanity mirror for the longest time without speaking. She hadn't said a word all morning, not even when Apple sang her usual morning song or when Sparrow woke up the rest of the school with a loud and rather off-key song of his own creation. The noise had promptly ended seconds later, followed by the loud clicking of claws on the floor.

"Raven? What's wrong?" Apple asked, reaching across the table to a rest a hand on the witch's arm. "Is something bothering you?"

"I . . . I guess." Raven sighed without looking up. "It's just . . . I keep having these dreams . . ."

"Go on." Apple urged her gently.

"A-About Ben . . . and me . . ." she said quietly; Apple stiffened slightly, but was all ears nonetheless. Perhaps this was nothing but a harmless dream of Ben kissing her awake as Raven watched her from a distance, or perhaps just one of those dreams Raven had been having before Apple was even aware of Ben's identity.

"What are the dreams about?" Apple asked.

"Well . . ." Raven bit her lip, hesitating for a few seconds before speaking. "He and I are there . . . and were in this huge city, with towers that reach for the sky surrounded by all these strange looking creatures; some have tentacles or extra eyes, horns or claws, and some seem to even be part animal. A-And there are all these people there too, not even the least bit bothered by them!" Raven continued. "Me and Ben are just standing there when this group of odd looking girls come walking up to us covered in everything from bandages, feathers, fur, vines, wings, claws, fangs, you name it. And . . . you were there too, actually. And Cerise and Maddie!"

Apple raised an eyebrow; this dream of Raven's was getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

"And . . . we just start talking, all of us. Like . . . we know each other or something." Raven finished, barely even more than a whisper before she massaged her temples with her palms and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "These dreams are so lively . . . I haven't been getting any sleep."

"I could ask Briar to help you with that." Apple offered kindly. "I'm sure she knows a thing or two about getting sleep considering she'll asleep for the next one-hundred years when her tale comes into play."

"Always nice to see so optimistic." Raven rolled her tired eyes sarcastically.

"Who's being optimistic?"

The two girls turned to see a tall creature standing over them with well, muscled arms and strong looking legs wrapped in something that looked like melted leaves. His entire body was covered in green with red hot thorns tipped a poisonous yellow tearing through his broad shoulders and firm arms; a large flap formed a sort of collar around the creature's brightly colored red, orange, and yellow head as it regarded the two girls with bright green eyes and a familiar symbol on his stomach.

"Ben?" Raven whispered, not daring to raise her voice any louder. "Is that you?"

"In the living flesh. Er, plant." the Methanosian corrected himself as he sat down next to Raven with a tray of compost, plant food, and cup of water; the witchling gagged and covered her nose with a hand before flicking her finger towards Swampfire and summoning a little air freshening shaped like a pine tree.

"Sorry about that." Swampfire apologized as he took the item between two fingers and slipped it around his neck, masking his horrible odor for the moment. "That's where being filled with methane gets ya." he chuckled.

"Why aren't you Blitzwolfer?" Apple hissed quietly, hoping no one would hear.

Swampfire shrugged. "Got tired of being stuck in one alien form all the time." he answered. "Plus, the Omnitrix doesn't always give me what I want; better to have more disguise options on hand should I not get what I want."

"That's . . . actually pretty smart." Raven admitted. "But how did you even get enrolled?"

"Funny thing about that," the Methanosian tapped his chin as he scooped a spoonful of plant food and swallowed it thoughtfully. "Giles seemed to accept me right away without concern; as for Headmaster Grimm, he only let me in when I told him I was the Son of the Beanstalk. For some reason, he seemed really tense when I mentioned that and let me enroll without issue."

"Son of the Beanstalk?" Raven cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You know, from Jack and the Beanstalk?" Swampfire shrugged. "Hate to have Tiny climbing up and down me though. That's gotta be uncomfortable, not to mention smelly." he shivered.

"This coming from the guy who just turned into a gas-filled plant that smells like a sewer." Raven smirked.

"The irony is not lost on me, Raven." Swampfire rolled his eyes. "But seriously, how often does a guy that size wash his feet?"

"Quite a lot, actually." Apple said. "He's quite considerate about others being at the same level as his feet and is really careful about not stepping on anyone." she said. "He's actually quite a good dancer, too."

"I don't think Duchess will want to share the spotlight though." Raven shook her head, remembering the time Tiny had somehow accidentally tripped when he was performing for Blondie's show and nearly crushed the Daughter of the Swan Queen. Oddly enough, the Headmaster had suddenly started walking around with a cane after that and was never too far from it as he hobbled through the halls of the school, mildly cursing under his breath when he thought no one could hear him.

"So what's been up with you two girls?" Swampfire asked, digging into his plant food and compost as he occasionally washing it down with water every now and then.

Raven was about to reply when Apple interrupted. "Oh, you know. Just discussing our destinies and all that." she said innocently; Raven raised an eyebrow at this and twisted her face into something of confusion. What was Apple doing?

"Tell me more that. Just what is destiny and why is so important?" Swampfire wondered.

"Well, long ago, our ancestors partook and wrote the first fairy tales known to anyone to ward off and protect the world from an ancient and all powerful dragon," Apple began. "As long the stories were passed down from generation to generation and reenacted each time, the balance of world would remain absolute; should anyone not agree to follow the destiny laid out for them and sign of the Storybook of Legends, their story will fade away forever, with them along with it, thus weakening the barrier that protects our world from the dragon."

"But it's never been proven to happen before." Raven added hurriedly.

"What do you mean?" Swampfire asked.

"There hasn't been any documented proof of someone denying their destiny and ceasing to exist," Raven explained. "I'm . . . actually the first to refuse to sign the book and . . . well, I'm still here." she chuckled sheepishly.

"So basically you're the smart one and everyone else is just paranoid?" the Methanosian summed it all up with a slight smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Raven shrugged. "The only reason I'm special is because I'm apparently the only one brave enough to deny their destiny in public, and now suddenly there are all these other Rebels coming out of the closet and they see me as their leader or something; Hunter, Ashlynn, Tiny, Cerise, Maddie, even Cupid."

"Speaking of Cupid, weren't you supposed to explain something to her?" Apple wondered.

The Methanosian seemed to have forgotten, as he snapped his fingers in remembrance and excused himself from the table, dumping out the rest of his food from his tray and heading towards the dorms, ignoring the odd looks passing fairy tales sometimes gave him. Once he was out of sight, Raven turned to look at Apple with a stern look, an ever familiar look that said that the witchling wanted answers and didn't want the princess to beat around the bush. Apple knew that look well and gulped nervously; she knew that Raven was not evil at heart, but she could definitely be scary when she wanted to be. _Very_ scary.

"Apple," the witchling said in a calm, cold voice that made Apple forget all attempts to either escape or cover her tracks. "Why didn't you tell Ben about the dream I had?" she asked.

Apple gulped, shivering under the frightful glare of those dark, violet eyes that seemed to flash with lightning behind them. She gulped against and felt herself start to sweat before she finally spoke in a stammering voice at first; Raven might as well have been a Gorgon, she could turn people to stone with that frightening scowl of hers. "I-I thought . . . now might n-not be the best time to tell him." she tried to say in a confident tone. "He just got over the whole love mess yesterday, and he still has to tell Cupid something; bothering him about another dream will probably just stress him out more than he already is."

Raven glowered at her for the longest time, seeming to bore straight into her very soul with those chilling eyes of her, as dark as the magic that flowed through her veins as much as her blood did, her gaze unwavering as she studied Apple's body language and pleasant smile before finally, after the longest time, accepting the answer and returning to her breakfast.

"I'll trade you some of my omelet for a few of your apples," Raven offered. "I can't even remember the last time I had those." Apple smiled and mentally sighed with relief as she sat two of her apples on Raven's tray while the witchling cut away a good portion of her meal and set it in front of Apple with a pleasant smile; it boggled Apple's mind how Raven could efficiently switch from being as cold as ice one moment and then to as warm as the sun's rays without hitch.

The real reason she hadn't told Ben about Raven's dream yet was that she wanted to make sure she had her hooks buried into him, so to speak, so if any other girl out there tried to flirt with him, he would be unaffected by them and stay loyal to her. That was the idea, anyway. Really, she hadn't the slightest idea on what she was doing, considering she never really actually had to think about love in all her life; with her entire destiny set out for her, with her predetermined Prince Charming being Daring Charming himself, she was quite unprepared for when it seemed everything set for her was wrong, that Daring wasn't her prince in the slightest. Now that years of preparation were thrown out the window, she had to work to make sure her destiny was to continue and that she would receive her happily ever after. She could only hope that she was doing the right thing.

"Hey, Raven. Hey, Apple."

The two girls looked up to see Cerise some limping over to them, her red hood pulled tightly over her face to shield the embarrassed look plastered to it as she struggled to move on the pair of crutches she had been given without spilling her tray of food; Raven took pity on her and took her tray for Cerise and set it down next to her as the Daughter of Red Riding Hood gave a small smile and sat on the bench next to her; it was only seconds before she sniffed the air and gagged horribly, her face turning a pale shade of green.

"What . . . what is that awful smell?" she whimpered, shuddering as she tried to keep her stomach in check; Raven snapped her fingers and summoned a bucket in a flash of purple smoke just in case Cerise wasn't able to keep her lunch down where it belonged.

"Well, uh, the new student, Swampfire, sat with us earlier," Apple explained. "He has this unfortunate problem with some kind of gas that makes him smell really bad."

"Methane." Raven corrected. "A gas common in belching and flatulence."

"What?" Apple blinked, confused.

"In simple terms, burps and farts." Raven sighed before turning to Cerise. "How's the leg coming? I stopped by yesterday to check on you, but there was this . . . issue I had to deal with first." she hesitated for a moment, not sure whether or not she should tell anyone else about the rather odd and confusing events from yesterday involving a scantily clothed Apple, a magic, love bow and arrows, a rather annoyed and tired shape-shifter, and some very poor aim on Apple's part; she wasn't even sure if she _could_ explain to anyone else without thinking she was crazy or just bursting out into laughter.

"It's fine." Cerise said in her usual quiet tone. "Thanks for the soup you left me. It was delicious."

"It's the least I could do." Raven smiled, giving her small hug and flinching slightly when Cerise inhaled sharply. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Cerise winced as the pain started to subside. "The nurse says I should take part in any strenuous activities or put pressure on my ribs for a couple of ribs. So, looks like I'll be skipping out on Bookball practice for a while," she sighed unhappily. Once her ribs had stopped hurting she dug into her breakfast, a meal consisting of fresh mutton and a small salad; Apple blinked and watched with slight concern and fear as Cerise gave a savage growl and messily tore into the leg of lamb before her, sinking her teeth deep into the meat and shaking her head from side to side like a dog before she noticed that Apple was starring at her.

"Sorry." Cerise swallowed the piece of mutton she had torn off. "I have a cold and . . . uh, headache." she fibbed, hoping the princess would buy it; thankfully, Apple did and offered her some medicine that she kept on hand for when she was in such moods. Cerise kindly declined and said that it wouldn't be necessary, that her sudden stuffiness often went away within a couple of hours at the very least.

"Well, if your sure." Apple shrugged as she picked up her tray. "Well, I better get to class. Have a royal-tastic day!" she called over her shoulder as she practically skipped out of the Castleteria, humming a peppy tune to herself.

Cerise practically went limp with relief when Apple was out of sight and ear-shot. "That was too close."

"You can say that again." Raven sighed before she put a hand on the hooded girl's shoulder. "Cerise, you can't hide this forever. Sooner or later, you're gonna slip up and someone's going to find out."

"I know." Cerise sighed. "I just wish that things weren't so . . . complicated."

"Believe me when I say I know someone with a _much_ more complex life than yours." Raven joked; Cerise smiled again before hungrily returning to her breakfast and quickly finishing it off as if she hadn't eaten in days. Then again, she had spent the majority of yesterday halfway in and out of consciousness as the sedatives kicked in and out, only allowing her enough time to eat the soup Raven had left for her before she fell asleep again. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where Blitzwolfer is, do you?"

Raven shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him." she lied. "Why? Do you like him?" she teased.

"N-no." Cerise blushed her hood, tugging it down further to hide her red face. "I-I just want to ask him a few things; he is supposed to be distantly related to me, you know."

"Fair enough." Raven laughed as she grabbed her and Cerise's lunch trays. "You better get going; class is gonna start soon."

"I know." Cerise nodded as she climbed to her feet and leaned on the crutches she had been given, wincing slightly when her bandaged and cast foot scrapped against the floor every now and again. "Oh, and Raven?"

"Hmm?" the witch hummed.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For everything I guess." Cerise smiled, giving Raven a short hug before she smiled again and limped down the hall towards her first class, noting that Raven smelled like lavender. It was a rather pleasant smell.

* * *

Swampfire strolled through the halls of the dormitories, quietly whistling an aimless tune to himself as he walked along. He was thinking as he walked along, mostly about how he was going to explain things to Cupid about how her world technically no longer existed but had been combined with another one entirely; however, a single thought kept on cutting through his thoughts like one of Nefera's swords.

Apple.

The Methanosian had to admit that she was quite beautiful, even for a princess; he could easily see why she was well liked around the school by practically everyone, especially the boys. But in addition to her looks, she seemed a bit . . . stubborn, to put it lightly. While more than a good share of the student populace of Ever After High had claimed to join the Rebel cause with Raven as their unofficial leader, Apple seemed to cling on to the strings of tradition with a death grip worthy of the Grim Reaper himself. This concerned him slightly about how she would act and behave during their date, should it still it still be in action, and concerned him even more of how she would react when she found out that he was in a relationship with well over a dozen monster girls back home.

"E-Excuse me? Swampfire?"

The Methanosian startled slightly and turned at the sound of his name towards a large open window to a gigantic, hazel brown eye starring right at him, blinking every few seconds; Swampfire startled for a second before he realized that it was most likely the school's resident giant, Tiny.

"I-I would to, uh, apologize for, er anything I or my people have done to kind." the giant apologized, his voice sounding frail and afraid for someone of his size.

"What?" Swampfire blinked. "Oh, uh, yeah. So harm done." he said quickly.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, yeah. We don't really feel it when people or giants climb up or down us." Swampfire said. "The whole 'chopping us down so the giant can't follow me' thing though, that hurts like Sphinx."

"Well, if you're sure you're okay with it." Tiny seemed to shrug; the Methanosian couldn't really see any other part of him. "Bye then!' the giant said farewell, backing away from the window so that Swampfire could just barely see a glimpse of the sun as Tiny turned around. With a shrug, he continued on his way, walking down the hallway that led to the girl's dormitory and counting off the number of doors on his left side before he counted three and came to a stop in front of what he presumed to be Cupid's dorm; he gave a short knock and waited as the sound of footsteps came from the other side of the door, rapid and quick at first before becoming slow and calm.

The door creaked open wide enough for Cupid to poke her head and glance at the Methanosian; confusion crossed her face before she noticed the Omnitrix residing on Swampfire's chest and recognition crossed her eyes. "Oh, Ben! I didn't recognize you for a second." she smiled.

"I get that a lot first time around." Swampfire chuckled, taking note that Cupid's hair was damp. "Is anyone else in there with you?"

Cupid shook her head. "No, Blondie left earlier so that her breakfast porridge would be 'just right'." she joked as she opened the door further and beckoned the Methanosian in. Swampfire walked into the dorm and noted how that it smell like a combination of perfumes and chocolate, with just a hint of honey, which he suspected the later to be from Blondie and the former to be from Cupid.

"Pardon my appearance; I just got out of the shower when you came." Cupid apologized as she closed the door behind him and exposed her bright pink bathrobe to Swampfire; a small, red heart sat over where her own beating organ would be. Swampfire tried not to blush as the Omnitrix beeped and timed out in a flash of light while Cupid hurriedly rushed over to the windows and pulled the curtains across them to keep Ben's identity secret from any prying eyes. That, and her semi-nude form.

"Alright, start talking." Cupid said, getting down to business as she sat down on her bed next to Ben. "How do you know about Monster High?"

"In order to explain _everything_ I'd have to tell you about the mechanics of time travel and parallel universes." Ben replied. "Long story short though, I ended up at Monster High through a rift in the fabric of space/time with the interference of my time traveling friend, Professor Paradox." he said. "Are you following me so far?"

"I . . . think so." Cupid said, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Ben was from an parallel universe where she most likely didn't exist and the rules were entirely different than what she might be use to. "Continue."

Ben nodded. "So anyways, when I first arrived, I disguised myself as some of more monster-looking aliens and infiltrated the student body of Monster High, attracting the affections of Frankie, Venus, and Robecca. To start out anyway."

"What do you mean 'to start out'?" Cupid wondered.

"By the time I returned make to my universe with the ghouls in tow, I already had a harem of about . . . seventeen? I sometimes forget." Ben admitted sheepishly. He had approximately three seconds to cover his ears before Cupid squealed happily and clapped her hands like an excited child that had just been told they would be going to an amusement park for the entire day for free; Ben then had less than two seconds to react before Cupid suddenly hugged him tightly, squeezing him in a bone crushing hug that not only seemed to cut off Ben's oxygen supply but seem to break his spine in two. That, and the young deity's sizable breasts were pressed quite deeply into his chest, making him blush furiously until Cupid was kind enough to let him go and allow the color to return to his face.

"Sorry." Cupid apologized. "I'm just so happy! I've never heard of so much love in one place!" she squealed. "So who's all in one the fun?" she asked eagerly.

Ben chuckled. "Well, there's Frankie, Venus, Robecca, Clawdeen, Spectra, Skelita, Jinafire, Twyla, and even Nefera; those are just the ones you know, though. Then there's also Vandala Doubloons, Avea Trotter, Bonita Femur, Jane Boolittle, Lorna McNessie, Gigi and Whisp Grant, and Lilith Van Hellscream."

Cupid yelped and startled back a little. "Did you just say Lilith _Van Hellscream?_ " she whimpered.

Ben nodded. "Don't worry. She's totally changed her view on monsters. And, truth be told, she's a monster herself." he added a grin. "Jersey Devil, to be exact. Van Hellscream got turned into an ogre." At this, Cupid relaxed before bursting out into laughter, falling back on the bed as she giggled at the thought of Van Hellscream finally getting what he deserved; Ben just tried not to look up her bathrobe out of common courtesy; Cupid eventually stopped laughing and sat up.

"So your love life aside, what happened to Monster High?" Cupid asked.

"It is currently fused with my own universe." Ben explained. "It's now a place where humans, monsters, _and_ aliens live together; there are some issues here and there, but nothing I can't smooth out."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Cupid nodded. "Can you really turn into aliens?"

"Yep." Ben grinned as he hopped off the bed and tapped the Omnitrix. "You wanna see?"

Cupid eagerly nodded her head as Ben cycled through his roster before selecting Feedback and slapping the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light as his DNA was scrambled and twisted into something new. His skin quickly hardened, fusing together with his bones to form a thick, tough shell that quickly reddened, parts of it turning a gray in color; four of his ribs suddenly ripped out of his skin and bent in two places, becoming a pair of jointed legs that folded back against his chest as green eyes formed on his chest. Spikes that curved backwards appeared on his feet as dozens of barnacles appeared all over his body while his fingers cracked and shifted into jointed claws; his lips protruded outwards and hardened into a pair of pincer-like mouth parts. Ben's separated into two, splitted pairs as the skin on the back his head became loose and saggy like a wet, paper bag before hardening again to form something similar to a hood over his skill. The final transformation was the addition of a nozzle-like hole on each of his palms and the Omnitrix on his chest, completing the form.

"Oh, great. This thing's on the fritz again." Water Hazard grumbled.

"It's still cool though." Cupid admired as she traced her hands over the Orishan's tough, red armor plating. "What can you do?"

"Water manipulation, mostly." Water Hazard replied before his eyes set on Cupid's wet, pink hair. "Allow me to demonstrate." he said as he raised his hands over his hand and opened the hatches on his palms; the young deity watched with awe as the Orishan began to absorb the moisture from her hair and the surrounding air, drawing it into himself in thick, vaporous streams until Cupid's hair was nice and dry. Before she could do anything else, Water Hazard then walked over to the window and opened it before pointing his hands out of the window and shooting twin, pressurized streams of water from his hands, gulping nervously as the water smashed into headmaster Grimm during his morning walk and knocked him down to the ground; the Orishan quickly disappeared back into Cupid's dorm and drew the curtains shut before the grumpy and now wet man could figure out what had hit him.

"Hexcellent!" Cupid smiled as she patted her dried hair before starting to brush it how she liked; the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and returned Ben to the world.

"Well, I better get going to class." Ben said as he headed towards the door. "If I'm late, Professor Rumpelstiltskin is gonna have my head."

"Actually, that's the Queen of Hearts," Cupid corrected. "Professor Rumpelstiltskin will most likely make you spin gold if you're late."

"Great." Ben said sarcastically. "And I don't have the faintest idea on how to spin straw into gold."

Cupid laughed. "Relax. You'll be fine. In fact, if you wait a moment, I'll go with you. I happen to have Science and Sorcery first class, too." she smiled as she grabbed a change of clothes from her closet and moved to the private bathroom she shared with Blondie.

"Better change into my own suit." Ben mused to himself as he turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting Swampfire and slamming a hand down on the activation button. He felt himself grow taller and much more muscled a s gray colored fur sprouted all over his body while his face bulged forward into a pointed muzzle lined with sharp, canine teeth as a black nose formed on the end. Organs sloshed around him and bones crunched and ground together as he felt said muzzle split into four, flexible flaps; his fingers became longer tipped razor-sharp claws that could easily slice through most objects. His toes melted into two, large talons as a third sprouted from his heel and a long, furry tail grew from the base of his spine. A mane of shaggy, dark fur rose from the back of his neck as spikes sprouted from his elbows and shoulders. A green and black suit appeared on his body with green wrist bans and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix at its center.

"Hard to believe Blitzwolfer's an alien." Cupid remarked as she came strolling out of the bathroom in an outfit similar to what she had worn the other day. "Ready to go?"

"Ready whenever you are." Blitzwolfer nodded as he held the door open for the young deity and followed after her.

* * *

Cerise sighed as she rested her head on her hands, tuning out the boring drawl of Professor Rumpelstiltskin's lecture; truth be told, the little, diminutive man was yelling and making rude comments at the top of his lungs as he waved his ruler around like a sword, but it was his teachings nonetheless. How the imp even managed to see past his long, scraggly beard and over-sized hat was beyond the Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood.

"You okay, Cerise?"

Cerise rolled her head to the side to see Maddie sitting in the chair next to her, enjoying a cup of tea with Earl Grey as she scribbled notes down onto a piece of notebook paper every now and again when she deemed something was important enough; this was usually a rare case in Rumpelstiltskin, as the impish man spent most of his time either yelling at his students or making impossible tests so that they could spin gold for him.

"Yeah. Just sleepy." Cerise replied. "Twisting your ankle and bruising your ribs will do that to you."

"I imagine it would. Well, I would imagine if I had a mind, but I let mine wander yesterday and it hasn't come back yet. I think it might be taking a vacation somewhere." Maddie shrugged as she pulled off her hat and reached inside to pull out a second tea pot and cup that she set down in front of Cerise before pouring some for her. "Drink this. It'll perk you right up!" the Hatter said cheerfully.

"Thanks." Cerise gave a small smile as she curled her fingers around the steaming cup of tea, enjoying the warmth that slowly spread from her hands to her arms and eventually every last part of her. She eventually then took a sip and savored the warm, almost meaty taste of the tea; this made her pause and glance at Maddie, wondering if she somehow knew Cerise's secret. When she noticed that the Hatter was now standing on her head to drink her tea and take notes, she decided this was not the case and returned her attention to Professor Rumpelstiltskin.

This was significantly harder to do when she noticed Blitzwolfer sitting at the lab table across the way from her and Maddie, drumming his claws on the table while he sat next to Cupid. Cerise felt a smal; pang of jealousy towards Cupid, but this quickly subsided when she noticed that the young deity was starring lovingly at Dexter Charming in the row in front of her. As much she hated to admit it, she was starting to fall for the wolf; she didn't know if it was just his kind personality or his charming good looks, but she was falling for him. She had originally been attracted to Daring Charming, drawn to him by his status as the school's alpha, the one who was large and in charge in the halls and on the Bookball field. That all quickly changed when Blitzwolfer had effortlessly shattered his record into a million pieces before putting them back together again only to tear it apart again and bury it six feet under; Cerise supposed the analogy was a rather cruel one, but that pretty much the gist of Blitzwolfer's capabilities. By her rules and ancestry, he was now the alpha.

"Cerise Hood!" Professor Rumpelstiltskin announced loudly, shaking her out of her thoughts. "For the experiment, you will be partnered with . . . eh, the over-sized doggy." the short man said.

"I have a name you know." Blitzwolfer growled.

"I know. I just do not care." Rumpelstiltskin replied. "AHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled.

Blitzwolfer rolled his eyes and got up from his seat to cross the way over to Cerise's table, saving her a long and potentially painful trip as Maddie was called upon to be Cupid's partner; the young deity seemed rather uneasy about this, especially when she noticed that the Hatter was walking on her hands and balancing her tea pot, cup, and Earl Grey on the bottoms of her shoes. While everyone else in the class regarded this as weird, they didn't it that unusual considering it was Maddie. Had it been anyone else, there would have been cause for alarm.

"How do you put up with this jerk?" Blitzwolfer grumbled.

"I heard that!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled from his desk before he sat back in his comfy chair and promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly as his students worked.

"We mostly make fun of him behind his back." Cerise answered in her usual tone with a small smile. "That, and he gets really upset when everyone in his class passes his surprise tests."

"Seriously? That's all you do to get even with the guy?" Blitzwolfer wondered as he scanned over the list of instructions they had been handed.

Cerise tapped her chin. "Well, no. Sparrow Hood once waxed his beard off all at once to get back at him for confiscating his guitar; he was supposed to spin gold for nearly two months before Professor Rumpelstiltskin let him go earlier. Apparently he couldn't stand Sparrow's music." she smiled slightly.

"Now that _is_ torture." the Loboan grinned before returning to the assignment at hand. "How much powdered dragon claws are we supposed to add in?"

"I think a tea spoon." Cerise answered as she took the small measuring instrument and scooped into a bowl of black powder before dumping it into the beaker that sat over a flame in front of them. "Then we stir for two minutes exactly before adding in the phoenix ashes; the mixture should turn a bright green." Cerise read off the instructions as Blitzwolfer dipped in a stirring stick and moved it about the beaker.

"I know you're probably getting' tired of bein' asked this asked this, but how's the leg?" the Loboan wondered. "I heard you injured at the race."

Cerise smiled. "It's okay. I'm just really tired as of late, and getting to class is a pain."

"I could give ya a lift if you want." Blitzwolfer offered. "I'm pretty fast; I can make it ta your class and then to mine with minutes to spare." he added when he noticed the Daughter of Red Riding Hood was about to protest. With a reluctant sigh, she returned her attention back to potion they were working on, tensing up when she noticed that the mixture was bubbling furiously in a fiery, orange color.

"Uh, is it supposed to be doin' that?" Blitzwolfer wondered fearfully.

"No, no it's not." Cerise gulped as the concoction began to get more and more violent with every passing second. "Oh, hex."

"Hit the deck! She's gonna blow!" Cerise yelled loudly to the class; students spared a glance at their table and immediately went into a panic, throwing themselves onto the ground and crawling under the desks to prepare for the unknown; Cerise yelped when Blitzwolfer grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her tightly to his chest, curling himself up into a ball of fur on the floor as the potion rattled and clattered violently in its holder.

"What is going on!?" Professor Rumpelstiltskin yelled angrily as he awoke with a start. "Why have you awaken me!?" he roared angrily before he noticed the frothing potion.

" _O, dlya lyubvi zolota._ " the diminutive imp cursed before the potion suddenly exploded in a fiery, orange and yellow cloud; Cerise could have sworn she felt her ears pop, but she really could tell all that much. All she knew was that she was safe and warm at the same time, a wonderful feeling that made her blush a crimson red as well as yawn slightly. By the time Blitzwolfer had released his hold on her, she was nearly half asleep and was brutally awoken by loud cursing in another language.

Looking up from Blitzwolfer's embrace, she found Professor Rumpelstiltskin plastered to the ceiling inside of a gelatinous, sticky substance like that of petroleum jelly mixed with maple syrup; and if the cracking noise that was filling the air was anything to go by, it was quickly hardening like cooling lava, no matter how much the diminutive little man struggled and cursed incoherently in his prison.

"Now that," Blitzwolfer grinned. "Is what I call payback."

"Agreed." Cerise smiled, subtly snuggling a little deeper into the Loboan's chest, not wanting to be disturbed; if only that faint cursing would fall silent. And the funny thing was, her sensitive hearing told her that it was coming from _outside_ the classroom, despite Professor Rumpelstiltskin now starting to yell threats if he wasn't cut down soon. Apparently the resulting substance of the mysterious potion was giving him the worst wedgie imaginable.

* * *

Apple raised an eyebrow as she waited outside of the Science and Sorcery classroom, glancing at the wall clock out in the hall every few seconds; her class had been released five minutes early and she was waiting for her second class to begin. Curious as to what was taking so long, she peered in through the window in the door and nearly dropped her books when she saw Cerise Hood sitting on top of Blitzwolfer's shoulders as the Loboan stood on top of a stack of chairs on Professor Rumpelstiltskin's desk; said teacher was clearly plastered to ceiling by a mysterious, orange substance and was spouting off curses and profanities in some language Apple couldn't identify as Cerise tugged on his little legs in an effort to free him.

Eventually, Cupid dug out her bow from her backpack and notched an arrow, biting her lip nervously as she took careful aim and fired off the projectile, flinching and nearly dropping her bow when the arrow just barely missed Professor Rumpelstiltskin's right hand; fortunately, the arrow had embedded deep within the adamantine material, forming thin cracks that allowed for Cerise to pull Rumpelstiltskin's arm free so that he could start making rude gestures while he cursed. It wasn't until Maddie reached into her little top hat and pulled out a comically over-sized mallet did the impish professor shut up and wait as the Hatter climbed the ladder of chairs, Loboan, and Riding Hood to smash the strange, orange substance into pieces with two swings of her weapon and catch the falling professor before he could face plant on the floor below.

"Class dismissed." the imp groaned with defeat; Apple quickly stepped away from the door as the entire class came stampeding out of the classroom in a mob of papers, heels, and crowns; Maddie soon followed on her hands, balancing a tea pot, full tea cup, and Earl Grey on the bottom of her shoes with Cupid behind, staying a fair distance away so should Maddie trip she wouldn't be splashed with the hot liquid. Finally, Cerise came hobbling out of the classroom on her crutches with Blitzwolfer right behind her with her books under his arm.

"Hey, Apple. What's wicked?" Cerise smiled.

"Oh, nothing much." Apple shrugged. "What happened in there?"

"Lab experiment gone wrong." Cerise said simply.

"Oh. Hey, Cerise? Can I borrow Blitzwolfer for a splinter?" Apple asked.

Cerise nodded. "Sure. Just be quick; he's giving me a lift to my next class." she said as she hobbled a short distance away to give the princess and Loboan some privacy.

"What's up?" Blitzwolfer asked once he was sure Cerise was out of earshot.

Apple sucked in a deep breath before she spoke. "You remember . . . what happened yesterday?"

"No, I was out of town at the time." Blitzwolfer said sarcastically.

"R-right." Apple flushed a deep crimson. "Well . . . you remember what I wanted to ask you?"

"Yes?"

"Will . . . you go out with me?" she asked with a slightly timid voice, slightly afraid of what the answer might be; in the short time between yesterday's insanity and now, Apple had quickly learned that Blitzwolfer did not want to talk about the event all the much. It seemed to bring unpleasant memories back, as if he had experienced something like it before; Apple didn't know what the prospect was of someone experiencing some as similar as fending off crazed, love-struck fairy tales was, but she decided not to push the subject.

"I guess I'm willin' to try." Blitzwolfer shrugged. "You gotta a place in mind?"

"How about a movie at the Multihex?" Apple suggested.

"A movie, eh?" the Loboan tapped his furry chin. "Alright. How does sometime around eight sound?"

"Sounds great!" Apple practically squealed happily, bouncing up and down on the toes of her heels. "I'll see you then!" she smiled before skipping merrily into the classroom.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Blitzwolfer wondered under his breath as he shuffled back over to Cerise and sat her on top of his shoulders, letting her feet dangled down around his neck and on his chest as she dug her fingers into his furry mane while he carried her crutches and books in his paws while he walked down the hallway towards Cerise's next class.

 **And there we go!**

 **As I really have nothing else to say right now, I will remind you all of the poll that will be set up on my profile shortly after this chapter has been posted; don't forget to vote for what yuri couple you wish to see, and the answer will be revealed when the time comes!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta luego!**


	8. Movie Madness

**And I'm back, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **I honestly would have posted this sooner, but the servers were down where I was and wouldn't allow me to access anything on my account, including allowing me to post this story. Who else had trouble getting online!?**

 **Okay, I'm cool, I'm calm. Anyway, the feedback as usual as been phenomenal and I am simply over the moon about it; well, I would be if I wasn't dead. Still an undead Tetramand, peeps! And, as an added bonus, I have clarified who and which Narrators are speaking. A lot of you were confused by this and honestly, I can't balme you; I intend to make edits to the last chapter to fix this little issue.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Seriously, I think Professor Rumpelstiltskin is just asking to be glued to the ceiling.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Quit reading my mind! Get out of my head! AHHHH!**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Glad you liked Rumpelstiltskin's unfortunate accident; as for Apple's reaction, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **What if I told you it was next?**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Ben won't meet them all right away, but he'll meet them soon enough, I guarantee.**

 _ **.908 –**_ **Regarding the yuri, I can't guarantee it won't involve Ben or not. As for Cerise, read ahead and find out!**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Yeah, I know about Wildvine being a better candidate for the Son of Beanstalk gag, but I figured Swampfire looked more stalk-like, if that makes sense. Plus, who says beanstalks can't shoot fire? The beanstalks in the story could have just not expelled flame in the first place even though it could ;)**

 _ **Justaquestion12 –**_ **What is with people reading my mind! GET OUTTA MY HEAD!**

 _ **DracoAngel17 – Considering**_ **Ben's luck, you're probably right.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Wow, did you swallow dictionary or something? Perhaps drank a gallon of coffe? Or is my writing just that good? Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed it; it was fun to get revenge on Rumpelstiltskin because, if you ask me, he has it coming after everything he puts his students through. Maybe I should have him make Ben spin straw for him and suffer the consequences? Either way, thank you for the wonderful ideas for this chapter.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Yeah, the whole beanstalk thing was just for laughs. I didn't expect anyone to take it seriously (except maybe Tiny). Either way, the many, laughable suggestions for rolls of Ben's aliens were indeed questionable and they could very well be used, if only to draw suspicion to Ben. As for CerisexRaven . . . my lips are sealed.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **You make several valuable points. We'll have to see how this turns out . . .**

 _ **n1ght4ury20 –**_ **Ah, thank you for the clarification. Now that that's been cleared up, it actually makes a lot of sense. This could very give one reason for the Evil Queen to target Ben. As for the time travel idea, I think I want to avoid that as much as possible; I did that at least three times in my previous story and I want to try new things to differentiate this story from that one so people won't groan when things are too similar to each other.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'd marry you too, but I'm not good with commitments XD Either way, I love that you loved the chapter, and considering Apple's thick skull, I think you'll like what's to come. As for Charmcaster, you're correct; like hex Dragoon's gonna leave her alone, and no, he is** _ **not**_ **the dragon Apple was talking about. Not that he couldn't be mistaken for it though ;) As for Kai and Julie, they might make small appearances, cameos, or mentions, but nothing too serious (yet) and as for Myaxx . . . she didn't really play a big part throughout the entire series, only really showing up three times through out Ben 10, Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and Omniverse. And if the future's anything to go by, it looks like Ghoulia will be taking her place ;)**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **You may have called it, but that doesn't mean it'll be official; we'll have to wait until the poll results come in. Anyways, thanks for your full analysis on the feral ghouls/girls bit. And, being a guy myself, I have to admit that is rather attractive and hilarious at the same time. As for who the Alpha Female will be of the Ever After harem, we'll have to see (it should be pretty obvious though). And don't worry; Cerise going feral will be coming up soon enough, when the time is just right . . . and the moon is full . . .**

 **Enough of my meaningless babbling! Give a big hand to** _ **Codecrash**_ **and** _ **Darkness Rissing**_ **for giving me the ideas to work with this chapter, and if you haven't voted on the poll yet, please do!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Muppets. And while I'm making this disclaimer, I do not own Ben 10, Monster High, or Ever After High; if I did, there would already be a cannon Xover of Monster High and Ever After High, as well as Ben 10 and Monster High. Curse you laws of the universe! Curse you!**

 **Onward!**

M.N: _So it seems things have gotten a bit . . . uh . . ._

F.N: _Crazy? Intense? Absolutely bananas with a sprinkling of cashew nuts the size of China on top?_

M.N: _. . . I was going to say unhinged, but those work just as well, I suppose. Now then, Apple White had finally discovered Ben's identity during her harrowing adventure with the young shape-shifter and Cupid's arrows; just what will unfold for our beloved princess?_

F.N: _Really? That's how you're going to end it?_

M.N: _AGH! You always do this to me! Do you here me criticizing_ _ **your**_ _story telling? No, I don't think so!_

F.N: _Oh, really? What about-_

M.N: _Don't even bring_ _ **that**_ _up!_

F.N: _You skipped a whole bunch of important stuff, and you know it! What about the Forever Knights or Ben's ghouls back home, or Cerise's crush on Ben? What about all that, huh?_

M.N: _Okay, wise guy, lets see you try to tell this tale!_

F.N: _What pleasure! Ahem. But all was not delightful and well in the world of Ever After; deep beneath the streets of the Village of Book End, the Forever Knights were plotting, conspiring against Ben to rise up and seek vengeance against him for all the wrongs he had done them while a far darker, more twisted evil lurked in the shadows, biding its time until the moment was just right. Will Ben realize what's going on before it's too late?_

M.H: _Oh, I sure hope not!_

M.N: _What the- Miss hatter!? What are_ _ **you**_ _doing here!?_

M.H: _Oh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but mostly I've just been listening to you guys ever since this wonderful tale started! It's hat-tastic!_

M.F: _I'm beginning to hate Wonderland and all of its ability to hear us . . ._

M.H: _That's not nice! When do I get to come in and meet Ben?_

M.F: _Soon enough. Now, get out of here!_

M.N: _Go on! Shoo! Scram! Beat it!_

M.H: _Well someone missed their morning cup of tea . . ._

* * *

Joseph Chadwick growled with disdain as he drummed his thick fingers on the arm of his makeshift throne; it was mostly constructed of stone blocks and whatever wood remains the knights had managed to scrounge up when they first arrived in this strange, parallel world where dragons roamed free and knights in shining armor stood tall and proud. But before they could fully introduce themselves to this strange, new world they had been forced underground by the presence of _him_.

The Forever King clenched his teeth even tighter as he thought about him, the alien scum, here in the same universe they had so chosen to move to after they had realized that they were not making any progress in their battle against the off world tyranny that had plagued the planet; they couldn't seem to gain any sort of ground in the alien stained world they had left behind and so sought off in search of a world that would except them without concern and blindly worship them into giving them power. It had been a rather complex plan as well, having to stoop to the levels of the alien criminals that haunted Undertown's backstreets and alleys, but it had been worth it when they had managed to gather enough parts to build a makeshift dimensional jumper dubbed 'The Battering Ram', so called on the fact that it basically punched a hole through the fabric of space/time and into whatever world lay on the other side.

"Me Lord!"

Chadwick paused in his stewing and rose up to see Sir Morton standing at the entrance to the makeshift throne room; tattered tapestries with the Forever Knights symbol crudely painted over the already stitched images lined the walls and a long, red carpet that smelled of mold and mildew ran from the door to the throne without hitch as water dripped from the ceiling and strange things scurried in the darkened corners that were left untouched by the crude chandelier overhead.

"What is it, Morton?" Chadwick growled, hauling his considerable bulk up into a more considerable position. "Can't you see that I am busy thinking?"

The Forever Knight bowed with respect. "Apologies, me Lord, but I come bringing the surveillance camera of our fallen comrade, the Forever Ninja."

"Please, Morton. It is an android." Chadwick scoffed as he gestured for Sir Morton to approach. "I hunger to learn more of this world we have landed ourselves in. What have the Twins discovered?"

"As of yet, not much, me Lord. They have been spending the majority of their time trying to extract the footage from the robot." Morton answered. "What we can tell you is there are an unsettling amount of dragons plaguing this world; we saw a sighting of one making its lair down a large sewer drain not too far from here, in fact."

"Repulsive beasts." Chadwick spat with annoyance. "Well? What did the android find?"

"Well . . . it would be easier to simply show you, your majesty." Sir Morton bowed, opening his palms as he knelt down onto one knee and presented his king with a small disk about the size of flattened bouncy ball. The hulking, ape-like monster gingerly reached forward and plucked the item out of his servant's hands between two large fingers before setting it in one of his large palms and waiting as the center blinked a bright red for a few seconds before it gave a bright flash; a large, shimmering, red holographic screen appeared before Chadwick's face, fizzling and crackling for a few seconds before a crystal clear image stained the color red appeared before him.

The Forever King was seeing the world of Ever After through his robot's eyes, watching with interest as the video feed jumped from rooftop to rooftop with ease, pausing every now and then to gaze upon the people below. For the most part, they seemed to be normal human villagers simply trying to make an honest living, until Chadwick noticed something about about a few of them; a woman sitting at a cafe snapped her fingers and summoned a spoon into her hand in a burst of bright light as a trio of small, anthropomorphic pigs tossed around a tough, leather book with the white bindings of a football. A pair of gigantic legs and feet wrapped in vines carefully marched down the main street as what looked like fairies and sprites hitched a ride on the leaves that clung to his leaves.

"This world is infected with unearthly scum!" Chadwick roared angrily as the footage rolled past his eyes. His anger only grew greater when the Forever Ninja jumped down from the rooftops and its laser sword flashed into view as it quietly stalked up behind a girl that seemed to be made out of some kind of wood with curly, brown and purple hair; the blade swung and initially missed the first time as the girl absentmindedly bent down to sniff some flowers for sale and was then alerted of the assassin's presence by the destruction of the stand itself. The audio was unavailable, but the Forever King could easily tell that she was screaming and he was eager as she ran away as fast as she could with the Forever Ninja skillfully chasing after her, somersaulting over the frightened, wooden girl to cut her off and force her down an alley where she became trapped at the end.

Chadwick was practically biting his lip with anticipation as the Forever Ninja edged closer and closer, savoring the time before he would hack the wooden girl into kindling; this was abruptly stopped when the android's view turned around to face off against a very large and angry Diamondhead. The two of them clashed for a few minutes, the Forever Ninja suffering a few blows every now and then as it expertly fended off the Petrosapien before the very tips of crystals poked themselves into its vision; the last thing Chadwick saw before the video feed cut out was Diamondhead's face as he raised a crystal fist and cracked it over the robot's head.

"It's worse than I imagined." Chadwick cursed, closing his fist around the small disk as the video feed cut out and the hologram disappeared. "Dragons, possessed puppets, witches, talking animals, giants, fairies, this whole world is infected with magical impurities!" he roared angrily, his voice echoing for minutes on end in the sewer tunnels.

"What are your orders, your majesty?" Sir Morton asked.

The Forever King was silent for a few minutes as he sat back in his thrown to think, inhaling the rotting stench of the sewers he was forced to call a lair for the moment and trying to hold back his lunch. Eventually he answered, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion of disgust and hatred. "Find more about this world and its inhabitants, as much as you can, and report back to me your findings." he ordered. "Should you encounter the traitorous alien scum . . . surprise me."

"As you wish, me Lord." Sir Morton bowed before he left the chamber and his king.

* * *

Cerise smiled slightly to herself as she closed her eyes and inhaled slow and deep through her nose, taking in the rich scent of old books and ink as the warm sun cut through the window panes and softly stroked her pale skin and made her feel nice and pleasant inside. While the sun felt good against her skin, she was getting a different feeling deep inside of her, a feeling that she oddly only ever got when she thought of Blitzwolfer. That, or was in the same room as Blitzwolfer. Basically Blitzwolfer in general, actually.

The Daughter of Red Riding Hood found herself watching Blitzwolfer as he stalked around the school's library in complete silence, even making the Evil Step-librarians on the edge; no student was or ever had managed to be _this_ quiet, and the two ugly hags were just waiting for the moment when the Loboan would make a sound, any sort of sound other than breathing, so they could least know he was human (in the literary sense, of course). She had sent Blitzwolfer out to collect the books she needed for her Damsel-in-Distressing class; the class was pointless in her opinion, but it was apparently one of the most important classes in Ever After High. Not that Cerise was actually thinking of studying for such a class, rather she was simply admiring the Loboan from a distance so that she could watch him freely without being disturbed.

Or so she thought.

"Hmmm, looks like the little she-wolf has some puppy love." a slow, seductive voice purred. Cerise yelped and startled as a cheeky smile materialized out of the air next to her before Kitty Chesire slowly came into existence in a flash of glittering sparkles like that of a thousand stars; the feline was dressed in long, striped stockings a light shade of periwinkle and purple with a black and purple dress with cat designs as her cat flickered back and forth absentmindedly behind her while she glanced over her claws and blew a strand of lavender hair out of her face.

"What do you want, Kitty?" Cerise growled, baring her teeth angrily; she naturally didn't get along with cats, with the exception of Fasttrack, and Kitty's manipulative and annoyingly clever personality only made her dislike them even further. And with the threat of Kitty knowing her secret, she was not open to any ideas the Wonderlandian had to offer, no matter what.

"Oh, nothing much." Kitty shrugged innocently. "I was noticing your . . . what's the proper word for it? Oh, yes, _attraction_ to the new student." she purred. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?"

"And what you do if I answered yes?" Cerise bristled, her face flushing a deep red; whether it was from anger or embarrassment, was up to debate.

"Nothing much," Kitty tapped her chin in thought before she stretched and bedded down on the comfy couch in front of the large window in a warm patch of sunlight next to Cerise. "Just thought there might be something you wanted to know about Blitzwolfer, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Cerise narrowed her eyes; she didn't trust Kitty as far as she could throw her, which was most likely about a couple of yards if she wasn't trying. Should she be angry or feral at the time, then that would have been an entirely different story, but the hooded girl didn't trust the crafty feline in the slightest, not now, not ever.

"You didn't overhear?" Kitty purred, disappearing in a burst of sparkles before reappearing right behind Cerise with a broad smile on her maroon lips. "Apple White just asked Blitzwolfer," she paused dramatically as she leaned down to whisper in Cerise's ear. "On a _date_."

Cerise froze on the spot, her eyes wide and unwavering as she seemed to stare off into space. She was in total and complete shock, barely able to understand yet fully grasp the situation at hand; her own hands trembled slightly as she clenched her teeth and felt a feral growl escape her lips as her eyes flashed an intense amber. The Daughter of Red Riding Hood hissed and pressed a hand to her head, taking deep breaths until she was relatively calm; the book in her hands had been torn clean in two and Kitty had been wise enough to scoot to the edge of the seat, far away from Cerise as possible with, ironically enough, an impudent grin still plastered to her face, as if she couldn't help but smile.

"What . . . what did he say?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"He accepted." Kitty grinned widely, shivering with anticipation as Cerise seemed to explode on the inside as she quickly got up from her seat, grabbed her crutches, and swiftly hobbled her way out of the library as fast as she could; seconds later, an unearthly and beast-like roar shook the school and resonated loud and deep throughout the halls for minutes, maybe hours on end.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Blitzwolfer defended himself when all heads in the library turned to him; the Evil Step-librarians relaxed and shushed him angrily, earning a low growl from the Loboan in response as Cerise came hobbling back into the library with a mask of calmness on her face, hoping that no one would connect the sudden din to her.

"Why are you telling me this?" Cerise whispered in a hushed tone as she sat back down on the couch and laid her crutches on the floor. "What do _you_ have to possibly gain from telling me any of this?"

"What, can't a good friend help another friend?" Kitty asked innocently; Cerise merely increased the intensity of her glare at the Daughter of the Chesire Cat before she spoke again. "I _know_ you have a crush on him; quite hard to miss actually. Don't you want to see how his _date_ goes." Kitty grinned, putting an emphasis on the word. While she knew Cerise hated to admit it, her persuasive charms were working their magic on Cerise, sowing the seed of doubt she just _love_ to tend to until it blossomed. What it would grow into was anyone's guess, which was why Kitty loved messing with people so much; one never knew what to expect.

"What do you suggest we do?" Cerise growled through gritted teeth; the doggy had taken the bait.

" _Well,_ I was thinking we could a little espionage, a little spying on Blitzwolfer and Apple. See how their date goes." Kitty purred as if she had just come up with the idea; Cerise knew better to suspect that the crafty cat had most likely been plotting the whole scheme for hours on end before coming to her, having gone through every possible scenario and come up with a proper reaction to each outcome. "What you say? Ready to make some chaos?"

Cerise glowered at Kitty and the outstretched hand before her, wondering whether she could get away with chasing the feline up a tree or biting her hand off before she decided that both actions were a bit rash. "Fine." she agreed, taking Kitty's hand and just barely shaking it. "But _nobody_ finds out about my secret, got it? Or you'll be Carmine's new chew toy." Cerise threatened.

"Fair enough, I suppose." Kitty purred.

* * *

Apple hummed cheerfully to herself as she admired herself in her magic mirror for a few seconds, fixing her red bow so that it sat just above her right eye and pinned a stubborn strand of blonde hair out of the way; she twirled around to admire the dress she had chosen out, a mostly black dress with a strip of royal red dotted with golden apples down the front that attached to a black silk dress that showed off her long, pale legs and accented her bright, blue eyes as she gave a small smile and glanced at her gold heels. She had figured that, considering Ben's background, he might appreciate something a little less . . . adorable and find her more attractive if she was a little . . . darker.

"You sure you wanna go out in that?" Raven asked from her side of the room, lounging on her bed as she read a book.

Apple smiled. "Oh, Raven. Ben's not going to care what I look like."

"Then why did you spend an hour sorting through your entire closet before picking out the one dress?"

"Because I wanted to look nice!" Apple argued.

"So you _do_ care about what Ben thinks of you." Raven smirked, knowing she had gotten the upper hand on her roommate; the witchling closed the book, memorizing the number of the page she had been on, and sat up in bed. "Look, I'm gonna be the sensible and cautious one here and suggest that maybe you hold off on the date until Ben's more comfortable here. He just got dumped here in our world, and who knows what he could have left behind; friends, family, a _girlfriend_ maybe?" Raven suggested with a pointed look.

Apple blinked. She hadn't thought about _that._ Hopefully, by the time the day was down and over, Ben would have forgotten all about any sort of girl he had loved back home in favor of her; she had to admit that it sounded cruel, sadistic or insane even, but she wasn't just doing this for her own needs and desires. She was doing this for the world of Ever After, preventing its destruction by getting Ben to fall for her and become the prince he was always meant to be.

"Just . . . try to take it easy on him tonight, okay, Apple? Don't take things too far." Raven pleaded.

Before Apple could respond, there came a knock at the door. The princess smiled and clapped her hands before practically rushing over to the door and pulling it open to reveal Blitzwolfer standing there, looking quite out of place and rather nervous while he kept on glancing up and down the hallways, as if expecting some kind of monster to suddenly come rushing at him; in his hand, he carried a single, blood red rose.

"Uh, thought I'd try an' make a good impression." the Loboan chuckled sheepishly.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Apple cooed, scratching him under the chin and making his tail wag back and forth as she took the flower from him and took a small sniff, blushing slightly when she realized how wonderful it smelled. "Shall we get going?" she asked as she turned around to carefully set the rose in a small vase by the window sill.

"Sure. Ready whenever you are." Blitzwolfer grinned as he gently took Apple's delicate hand between his strong fingers and led her out the door, waving good-bye to Raven as the two of them left. With that, they quickly walked down the corridor and out into the main hall that spilled into the school, walking down the staircase in silence as they silently slipped out the doors of Ever After High and headed down the path to the Village of Book End; the majority of the population of the student body could be found here partying the night away with friends and lovers alike when they weren't busy trying to catch up on their homework. A few teachers could also be seen here and there, looking rather odd and out of place compared to the wild and carefree teenage fairy tales that made their way through the streets and open shops. A few street lamps had clicked on to give Book end a warm and inviting glow, but it was mostly the hundreds of fireflies and sprites that blinked on and off in the night air and the bright, white moon overhead that bathed the town in its comforting luminescence.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Apple breathed as the cool, night air tickled against her fair skin.

"Yeah." Blitzwolfer agreed. "What movie are we seein' anyway?"

"I thought I'd let you chose," Apple replied, oblivious to the couple of stares sent her way when several fairy tales caught sight of the tiny princess walking next to the monstrous wolf. "It'll be my treat, assuming you don't have a job."

"I use ta work at the Coffin Bean. Ya got any recommendations?" Blitzwolfer asked.

"You could try the Glass Slipper. I'm sure Ashlynn wouldn't mind hiring you." Apple suggested.

"Uh, I'm not really the best with breakable objects." the Loboan said.

Apple giggled slightly. "That's just the name, silly. It's really a shoe shop."

"I still think I'll should look somewhere else; because in case you haven't noticed, several people are starring at us and I think more than a few of them are about to try and rescue you from me." the Loboan growled with annoyance, pausing long enough to snarl at a band of boys that were getting ready to attack him; the boys thought better of it and ran away.

"Well, why don't we discuss this after the movie? You know, just relax and have a fun night out?" Apple suggested with a pleasant smile as they finally arrived at the Multi-Hex Theater, a collection of large trees that had been grown together so tight and well knitted that they formed a building of sorts with sturdy, wide trunks for walls and a leafy canopy for the roof that occasionally let in a few rain drops if it was raining; movie posters decorated the walls of the movie theater, advertising swash-buckling thrillers or sappy romance movies that invited happy couples to make out when no one was looking.

"Hmm, so many movies to watch, so little time." Blitzwolfer hummed as he looked over the available movies. "You got any preferences or somethin'?"

Apple panned over the available movie titles, tapping her chin in thought as she wondered which movie would be the most appropriate for her plan to work the most effectively; if she chose a romance movie, Blitzwolfer would either get the wrong idea or become too uncomfortable when they were surrounded by smooching couples, and if chose an action movie he might become too focused on the movie itself and ignore her altogether. She needed a movie that would let the Loboan easily divert his attention back and forth between both the movie itself and her so that she could begin to charm him. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she found the perfect movie.

"What about this one?" she suggested.

" _The Poisoning?_ " Blitzwolfer read over the title. "A horror movie? You sure?" he asked with concern.

Apple nodded eagerly. "I've always wanted to see a horror movie! And, truth be told, my mother's not really fond of this one."

"Dare I ask why?" the Loboan asked.

"It's about a Snow White ancestor that went insane and started going around poisoning other fairy tales." Apple replied. "At least, I think that's what Briar told me."

"Did she tell you that you probably shouldn't see it?" Blitzwolfer guessed.

"How'd you know?"

"Just a hunch." the Loboan replied. "Look, if you want to see a horror movie, how about we pick something that's not gonna leave you scarred for he rest of your life?"

"Like what?"

Blitzwolfer paused and glanced over the list of available movies like Apple had done before, glancing over their titles, ratings, and what genre they were supposed to be before he found one that looked suitable. "How about _Mary, Mary: The Gardening?_ It's a little less rated than what you suggested to watch."

"Meaning?" Apple wondered.

"It'll only give you nightmares for a night, maybe two at the most." the Loboan answered. Once the movie had been settled upon, they stopped to get snacks consisting of a large bucket of popcorn and two Fairy Berry Sodas before they headed to the appropriate theater, unaware that they were being watched. They were nearly to the doors of the theater when disaster struck.

"Do you here that beeping sound?" Apple asked her date.

"Oh, Sphinx!" Blitzwolfer cursed, glancing down at his collar to find that the Omnitrix was blinking a bright green. With a yelp, the Loboan shoved their snacks into Apple's arms and ran right towards the men's room, slamming into the door and shoving it behind him just as the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and returned Ben to the world; thankfully, the restroom was empty.

"Ben? Everything alright in there?" Apple's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Fine!" Ben yelled back. "Just give me a second!" he said as he tapped on the Omnitrix, waiting for the familiar green holographic selection ring to appear and let him pick the alien transformation he needed; unfortunately, the watch didn't respond.

"Ben?"

Ben sighed and slid down the back of the door, pinching his brow. "Apple? Listen, the Omnitrix is in recharge mode," he said. "We're gonna have to do this date another time; I can't let people know my secret. Not yet."

Apple sighed from the other side of the door. "Ben, please? Can you just come out?"

"No. I can't let people see me like this. And it'll ruin your reputation!"

"I don't care, Ben." Apple argued. "I want to spend time with you, not Blitzwolfer. Can you please come out?" Apple begged; she was so close to getting Ben to be hers. She had had the tickets, the snacks, and the perfect movie where Apple could hold onto Ben all she wanted and it wouldn't seem strange or make him uncomfortable. The princess was determined and she was not about to let some stupid watch's dead battery get in the way of her happily ever after. Thankfully, eventually, the door opened and Ben came strolling out, freezing for a few seconds to see if anyone would notice his odd look or bizarre choice of clothes before finally relaxed.

"Come on. Movie's about to start." Ben grinned.

* * *

The theater itself was actually something more of a glade, with several levels of freshly cut grass leading down like stairs to the screen as the night sky opened up overhead through the canopy, letting the twinkling stars shine down on the clearing; couples sat on blankets on the grassy steps and talked and held each other lovingly while they waited for the movie to start, when a cloud of fireflies would come down from the ancient trees around them and light up the screen for everyone.

Cerise ignored the beautiful architecture of the Multi-Hex and narrowed her eyes as she watched Apple come walking down the isle to pick an empty blanket in the middle isle; the half-breed's eyes widened when she saw not the strong, muscled, and brave wolf she had fallen in love come strolling down the isle with a bucket of popcorn and two sodas, but a regular, human boy with scruffy, brown hair, sharp green eyes, and a black and green T-shirt with the number ten on the front.

"Well, now that isn't Blitzwolfer, now is it?" Kitty purred in Cerise's ear as she popped a popcorn kernel into her mouth. "Wonder what happened to him?"

Cerise clenched her fists tightly, digging her nails into her fists until she swore she was bleeding while she ground her teeth together. _That no good, backstabbing, two-timing, little, son of witch!_ she cursed in her head. _How dare she cheat on Blitzwolfer! He's probably curled up in his dorm right now howling his miseries away at the moon while she sits here with this-_

"Whoa, Cerise, calm down." Kitty smirked.

Cerise blinked and whirled around on Kitty. "How did-"

"The Narrators." Kitty replied. "I usually ignore them, but they sometimes talk too loud." she shrugged without concern as Cerise gave a weird look. "Now be quiet. The trailer's are starting." the feline silenced Cerise as the first trailer, another horror movie, came and went just as two elderly voices cut through the hushed silence of the theater.

"Now that's talent! An actor that can sing while getting hacked in two." a squat, elderly puppet with rusted, red wood, a pair of trousers, white stockings, and a black bowler chuckled from one of the balcony seats in the trees overhead. "I wonder if there's anything she isn't good at."

"Yes." a second voice just as old and attached to a taller, thinner puppet with a short mustache, deep brown wood, a pair of lederhosen, and jacket said. "Choosing what movie to star in!" he finished as he and his partner roared with laughter.

"Who are those two?" Cerise wondered.

"Cedar's uncles, Birchman and Oakler. They spend every night in one of the theaters here at the Multi-Hex heckling the trailers, actors, plot, and pretty much the entire movie itself, too." Kitty replied without care. "Sometimes they even start going after the patrons themselves."

"That was a great movie, I don't care what you say!" Birchman's voice rang out through the theater.

"I thought it was dumb." Oakler said.

"Maybe you're right." Birchman agreed before the two of them burst out into laughter again.

"Doesn't this get annoying?" Cerise sighed; she didn't often go out to such places like the Multi-Hex unless absolutely necessary for fear of someone discovering her secret. But they were towards the back of the theater in one of the darker corners at Cerise's request, and she hoped it would pay off and that she wouldn't lose her cool against the two puppets currently mocking everything the theater threw at them.

"You get use to it." Kitty shrugged as she sipped her soda. "Sometimes they can actually be quite funny.

Birchman suddenly started to moan loudly, as if he was in great pain. "What's wrong with you?" Oakler wondered.

"It's either this movie or indigestion." Birchman groaned. "I hope it's indigestion."

"Why?" Oakler wondered.

"It'll get better in a little while." Birchman replied with a slight chuckle that only Cerise was able to hear with her acute hearing.

Cerise groaned her teeth as another trailer began to play on the screen; not only Apple double cross Blitzwolfer and cheat on him with some other random boy, but the two puppets in the balcony were starting to grind her last nerve while the trailer came to an end a few minutes later. "Hey, maybe we oughta go on stage!" Birchman suggested loudly.

"Yes," Oakler agreed. "There's one in five minutes: be under it!"

"Don't heckle me, you old fool, heckle the movie!" Birchman snapped.

"Is that a toupee you're wearing, or did your cat die!?" Oakler cracked, hooting loudly until Birchman angrily cuffed him over the head with a wooden hand.

Cerise was about to get up from the blanket she was sharing with Kitty to go give the pair of marionettes a piece of her mind when she heard a voice call out her name; she turned to see Blondie waving at them from the doors to the theater as she eagerly rushed down the isle with a soda in hand and sat next to Kitty and Cerise.

"Hey, Kitty! Hey, Cerise! What're you doing here?" Blondie asked sweetly.

Cerise was about to simply reply that she and Kitty were watching a movie together when Kitty interrupted her with one of her astute schemes. "We're spying on Apple." the cat replied craftily.

"Why?" Blondie asked, sensing a good story.

"Well, I overheard Apple asking _Blitzwolfer_ out on a movie date," Kitty started with her usual, cheeky smile. "But, it seems our dear, sweet princess stood him up and is currently sitting just over there with some strange boy." Kitty grinned as she pointed over to where Apple and Ben were sitting and talking quietly.

"No way!" Blondie gasped as she whipped out her Mirrorphone and quickly typed something down for later before she quickly and quietly snapped a photo of Apple and Ben sitting together just as the movie started; unfortunately, the two old puppets in the balcony couldn't or wouldn't take a hint.

"I already know what's wrong with this movie." Oakler declared loudly.

"What's that?" Birchman asked.

"It's the theater!"

"What's wrong with it?" Birchman wondered.

"The seats face the screen!" Oakler delivered the punchline, erupting into chuckles and laughter with Birchman until the entire population of the room had finally had enough and silenced them all with a single shush and some airborne buckets of popcorn.

""Do they do this every time?" Ben wondered.

"You think that's bad, you should have heard them when me, Briar, and Blondie went to see that tragedy movie last week."

"Why? What did they do?" Ben wondered.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's anything to cry over." Apple joked with a small smile.

"Hey! Leave the heckling us!" Oakler yelled from the balcony.

"Which reminds me, Oakler. What'd you think of Humpty Dumpty's jokes?" Birchman asked.

"You know I hate off the wall comedy!" Oakler protested before he and Birchman burst out into laughter once more, earning groans of disappointment from the audience as the movie finally started; thankfully, mercifully, the two puppets decided to keep their jokes to their self. For the time being, that is.

"Do you know what this movie's about?" Ben whispered to Apple.

"I'm not quite sure. Based on the title though, I'd say it has to do with something about-" Apple started before a sudden scream of fright cut through the night as the horror movie rolled into the first act just as a beautiful princess of unknown origin was attacked by a bunch of thorn, prickly vines that wrapped her up like a spider's lunch and squeezed the life out of her before sucking her dry of her blood and tossing the lifeless corpse to the ground to rot as a woman's laugh cackled darkly from somewhere off screen; Ben found that about half of his popcorn had been split all over the place as Apple fearful clung onto him, burying her head into his shoulder as she trembled.

"That?" Ben guessed.

"Y-yeah." Apple whimpered as the sinister plants crept their way through the ancient castle on screen, quickly taking it over as vines and creepers covered the walls and draped from the ceiling, turning the entire structure into a jungle as the servants, cooks, butlers, and maids were all taken one by one, suffering a similar or worse fate to that of the princess at the start of the movie.

"Scared?" Ben asked.

"N-no, I _like_ using y-you as a human shield." Apple shivered as a woman with four, thorny creepers for legs under her dress of poison oak leaves and deadly flowers against her pale, green skin suddenly lunged out of the shadows and wrapped an unsuspecting knight up in twisted roots that cut through and stripped him of his tough armor before she savagely bit his neck and drained him of his fluids, casting the lifeless body aside as a few, bloody drops dripped from the cage of fangs that resided past her plump, blood red lips.

"You're scared." Ben concluded with a knowing smile. "Don't worry; I was almost exactly like you when I saw my first horror movie." he told her.

"R-Really? Wh-what happened?" Apple asked.

"I was nine at the time; stuffed every last one of my clothes, stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows underneath my bed and locked my closet so the monsters couldn't get me. Ended up sleeping in my parents room out of fear." Ben replied a smile; a cook on screen tried to beat back the advancing jungle with a rolling pin before one of the creepers managed to wretch it from his grasp and crack it over his head, knocking him out as the jungle hungrily descended on him.

"Don't worry. I gotcha." Ben reassured her, looping a protective arm around her shoulder; Apple blushed a crimson red and snuggled into his embrace before she quickly burrowed her head into his chest to avoid watching a screaming maid be torn in two by the savage plants before she devoured, all the while the mysterious woman cackled and screamed with laughter at the death that surrounded her.

"I think that scene raises a pertinent question." Oakler's voice rang out loud over the movie.

"What's that?" Birchman wondered.

"Why did they do it?" Oakler asked, earning a chuckle from him and his partner; nobody heard or cared as they were too busy either screaming and covering their eyes or just too busy watching the movie itself. Ben ignored the two, heckling puppets and merely hugged Apple close, comforting her as he watched the movie and occasionally whispered comforting words to her whenever she dared to peek at the movie itself.

Unbeknownst to either Ben, Apple, Cerise, Kitty, or even Blondie, Raven and Maddie were watching both groups from farther up from where Ben and Apple were sitting; a few minutes after the princess had left their dorm, Raven had quickly left the room and gathered Maddie as back up as she followed both Apple and Blitzwolfer through the streets of Book End and into the Multi-Hex. Her goal was somewhat similar to Cerise and Kitty's, but she was doing it more out of concern for Ben than Apple. She wasn't entirely sure what Ben was feeling right at the moment, but she assumed that he wouldn't want to take things too fast if someone he had only met days ago when he probably already had someone back home who was probably missing him. Raven felt her heart clench as memories came flooding back to her: a terrified shriek and the sound of metal cutting through flesh as cruel and sick laughter echoed through it all.

"Ooh! She's gonna get hacked! She's gonna get hacked good!" Maddie cheered with as much enthusiasm as one might be at a bookball game. On screen, a servant managed to cut off and fend herself from several sharp and prickly vines and roots trying to get at her as she was backed into a dark corner when suddenly, the plant woman shattered the glass of the window behind her and drove her spike-like nails into the girl's neck, sucking her dry as she dragged her out the window; Raven wasn't the slightest bit fazed. She had seen _far_ worse.

It was then that she noticed out of the corner of her eye Kitty vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but her mischievous smile behind for a few seconds before it too disappeared and then reappeared attached to its usual place on Kitty's face on a branch overhead of directly where Ben and Apple were sitting; in her hand was a cup of soda that she "accidentally" spilled, her eyes widening with amusement when the sticky liquid fell closer and closer to the unsuspecting couple.

Acting entirely out of impulse, Raven raised a finger and sent a ball of raw magic right at the falling cup of soda, wincing slightly when the purple energy collided with the drink and sent it flying back towards Cerise and Blondie, splashing them all over with a loud hissing noise; several girls in the theater flinched and yelped, thinking that a snake had managed to slither its way into the theater, before they quieted down.

Raven just hoped nothing else would go wrong that night when the movie screen suddenly split open and was torn in two, sending the fireflies scattering in swarms as a massive, bulky figure with broad shoulders came charging out from behind the screen with his metal fists clenched tightly; directly behind him were two, seemingly identical figures that moved in near perfect unison as a final figure the color of rust and blood flew through the air and flipped before landing directly in front of Ben and Apple, startling them.

"Surrender now, alien scum!" Sir Morton roared. "Yer comin' with us!"

"RUN!" Ben yelled; the reaction was immediate as movie patrons screamed and yelled as they fled the theater, throwing their popcorn and drinks and candies in all directions as they ran; all among the confusion and terror, Ben tapped the Omnitrix, sighing with relief when he found out that it had recharged, and cycled through his roster before finding a suitable transformation and slamming down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a burst of green light as he was changed into something new and out of this world, literally. Ben's bones cracked and splintered as they were hollowed out, becoming strong and hollow as his skin crackled loudly and turned a pale gray in color while it softened; muscles piled themselves under his arms as his veins swelled and pumped alien blood throughout his body while his hands twitched violently before turning into wicked claws that looked like they could easily slice through flesh. His feet ripped out of his shoes, now three sharp talons attached to three, strong toes as his legs being more muscled and tone while his chest expanded. His teeth crunched loudly as they sharpened into razor-sharp, yellow fangs just as a black and green jumpsuit with a tough, green chest plate and gloves with green fingers materialized on him just as a green mask with two, spiked horns that resembled bat wings formed on his face; the Omnitrix appeared on his stomach as a thin membrane formed between his elbow and waist, completing the transformation.

Whampire's hissed angrily as he bared his dagger sharp claws and showed off his razor-sharp fangs, making Sir Morton pause for a moment; the Vladat was about to take the moment to rush at the Forever Knight and tackle him to the ground when he was suddenly blinded by an irritating flash.

"What are you doing!?" Whampire snarled at Blondie just before Sir Morton slammed him, sending him skidding back before he was slugged twice painfully in his pointed jaw before he managed to get a moment's peace with a sharp punch to Morton's face. With the knight distracted, the Vladat flapped his arms and took to the air, now out of reach of Sir Morton but not out of reach, unfortunately, of the Twins; each of them a short device about as long as their arm that was constructed like a triangle with a blaster being attached to the longest end, a laser lance. The Twins fired off their weapons at Whampire in the hopes of hitting him, forcing the Vladat to move and dodge through the blaster fire as the wild shots cut through the canopy and struck against the trunks of the trees, putrid smoke filling the air as wood burned.

Apple gulped and curled herself up into a ball for protection, covering her ears as the battle raged on around her; the movie had greatly frightened her, but this was beyond terrifying. She had been taught that knights were noble people that put others needs before their own as they gallantly rode across the land and righted wrongs, slayed dragons, rescued princesses, and stopped evil in its tracks all while being kind, courteous, and brave. These knights though, they didn't seem to follow the code very well, putting innocent lives in danger as they wildly and almost randomly fired off their weapons without care and endangered those that remained trapped in the theater in their mad chase after Whampire.

"Fear not, fair maiden!" Sir Morton's voice punched against her ears. "I shall save ye from the alien spawn!" he declared as he roughly picked Apple up in one arm and heaved her over his shoulder, holding her nice and secure as she screamed and beat her hands angrily on his back.

"Apple!" Whampire cried. With a savage hiss, the Vladat bared his teeth and dove down at the Twins, slamming into the first one before grabbing him by the arm and throwing him into his brother before flying tight at the two of them and slammed them into the trunk of a thick tree. Whampire then turned his attention onto Sir Morton as he then tried to attempt and pick up Cerise; the half-breed did not take kindly to this and bared her teeth angrily, growling like an angry dog. The Vladat took Sir Morton's hesitant pause as a chance to rush at him, crashing into him before he grabbed him by the shoulders with Apple in tow and hauled him up into the air, tossing him up before he slugged him a dozen times in the face, neck, chest, gut, and head before he let the Forever Knight fall to the ground.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Apple screamed as she plummeted; Raven gasped and was about to reach out with her magic and try to form a cushion of some kind to catch the fall princess when a green and black blur streaked through the air and caught Apple just in the nick of time; Whampire held Apple close to him with his strong hands under her legs and back as he descended to the ground and set her down before he was suddenly punched in the face.

Holding his jaw, the alien vampire stumbled back to see a newly repaired and highly vengeful Forever Ninja standing before him, giving him a taunting gesture before it lashed out with a roundhouse kick and sent Whampire flying into a tree trunk.

"Please give me something useful." Whampire pleaded as he slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix on his chest and was swallowed in a burst of green light as his DNA was scrambled and turned into something new. Ben's bones and skeleton snapped and crunched with excruciating noises as he got smaller and smaller, shrinking down to about the size of a small child; a layer of short fur sprouted all over his body, become slim and smooth enough to be mistaken for skin as darker spots formed on his arms and face like freckles. His toes ground and shifted into stubby paws with three digits as tissue and muscle formed slightly on his arms and legs and more packed on his stomach, giving him a slight potbelly. His ears drooped like liquid, becoming long and pointed as their rotated like liquid metal to the top of his forehead while his eyes became round and moved farther apart as his nose snapped and cracked loudly, pushed back into his face. His top jaw crunched as it was thrust forward, allowing for his front teeth to grow bigger and longer as a green and black jumpsuit formed on his body and white gloves appeared on his hand just as a big, blonde mustache puffed into existence on his face; the Omnitrix appeared on a large belt around his considerable waistline, completing the transformation.

"Ha-ha! Mole-stahce, eh?" the small, plump alien chuckled as he climbed to his feet while the Forever Ninja stalked closer. "I say, dear chap, put your dukes up and have at me!"

With a grunt, the small rodentoid lunged at the android as his long and fluid mustache morphed into a pair of hairy fists that slugged the Forever Ninja in the head, causing it to stumble back before it was struck in the stomach region and sent flying; Mole-Stache chuckled in triumph before raising his mustache fists just in time to block a swing from Sir Morton, giving him a swift uppercut that sent him flying back towards the screen, tearing out an even bigger portion of it before crashed to the ground, unmoving.

"Ha, ha! So it seems you no match for me, gentlemen!" Mole-Stache chuckled confidently. "I suggest you chaps crawl back to whatever hole you slithered out of right now before you make even more upset than I already am." he suggested; the Twins were all to eager to leave as they scrambled to their feet and rushed to the destroyed movie screen to each grab onto one of Sir Morton's legs and drag him away. The Forever Ninja however, was not one to give up so easily and whipped out its laser sword before charging right at plump alien and swinging its sword in two quick swipes; a loud hissing and the smell of burning hair filled the air as the two burly fists Mole-Stache had constructed fell limp to the ground and fell into piles of lose hair.

"I say, time for a change of face." he gulped as he quickly slapped the Omnitrix on his chest, swallowing himself in a flash of green light as his body was changed and distorted into something new and bizarre, the likes of which Ever After had never seen before. His bones ground and crunched as he was shrunk down to a height of roughly two and a half feet tall as his skin turned a smooth, blood red in color; a thin, spaded tail snaked out from the base of his as his fingers grew longer and more jointed while his nails became curved and sharpened. His eyes widened apart slightly as his nose suddenly jutted out at a comical, almost ridiculous length; Ben's ears became larger and slightly bat-like before becoming spiked as his toes melted together into three digits, his heel grinding against his foot before becoming a small spike. He became slightly obese as spikes formed on his chin and the corners of his eyes before a green and black aviator's outfit appeared on his body, complete with a white ascot and a pair of goggles strapped to his head; the Omnitrix appeared on his belt, finishing the transformation.

"Jury Rigg, huh?" the imp-like creature grinned wickedly as he looked himself over and pulled his goggles down over his eyes. "Alright! Lets do this!"

Blondie ducked out from behind the tree she had taken shelter behind just as Jury Rigg cackled and swiftly dodged to the elft to avoid a swing of the Forever Ninja's sword and then launched himself right at the android's face, hanging on with strong fingers and firm claws as his tail wagged back and forth. There then came a bright flash of light as Jury Rigg's fist punched clean through the Forever Ninja's head and yanked out a fistful of wires and conduits.

"BREAK! BREAK! BREAK!" the imp cackled madly as he left deep scratches on the android's red plating and tore out more wires and processors; Blondie gasped and quickly snapped a photo with her Mirrorphone before ducking behind the tree again to glance over the pictures she had taken, sighing with relief when she saw she had captured images of Whampire, Mole-Stache, Jury Rigg, _and_ Ben and Apple together.

"FIX! FIX! FIX! FIX!" Jury Rigg now chanted as he pulled wires and processors or memory chips back into new and seemingly random places, all while he cackled with an insane personality and rooted through the remaining items within the Forever Ninja. "DONE!" he cried triumphantly as he leaped back off of the android and clapped his hands together. The robot hummed and moved rigidly for a few seconds before it beeped and bowed low to the imp and gave a quick salute before swiftly and silently leaving the Multi-Hex behind, taking to the rooftops to avoid being spotted; the Omnitrix timed out seconds after Ben dove behind a log that functioned as a bench in the hopes of not being discovered. All was silent for a few more seconds before Apple uncurled herself from the ball she had folded up into to look around the trashed movie theater.

"You, okay?" Ben whispered.

"I'm fine." Apple responded. "C'mon. We should get out of here before the authorities come."

"Agreed." Ben nodded, taking Apple's hand, a gesture that made the princess blush slightly, and run out of the Mutli-Hex. Raven sat up, rubbing her head and looked around to find that Apple and Ben had left, most likely heading back to Ever After; mentally cursing herself, the witchling roused Maddie and swiftly left the movie theater as well, taking a shortcut she had used numerous times through the Enchanted Forest to get there before either Apple or Ben. Maddie didn't question her friends sudden rush and ran just as fast with her, cackling merrily all the way.

"Cerise? Kitty?" Blondie whispered once she was sure the coast was clear.

"Right here, Blondie." Cerise responded in a soft tone as she appeared to ooze out of a dark shadow, her hood tugged protectively over her head and face; Kitty flashed into existence next to the half-breed, a frown on her face as soda dripped from her hair and popcorn clung to her clothes, forcing Cerise to stifle a chuckle when she caught sight of the feline

"What happened, Kitty?" Blondie wondered.

"I don't wanna talk about it." the cat huffed. "I just wanna get back home and into a bath." With little else to say in the matter, the three girls left, Kitty feeling as if she had been tricked and outsmarted somehow, Cerise feeling both hurt and severely annoyed at Apple and the mysterious boy she had been with, and Blondie feeling especially hexcited; she was going to be up all night preparing for her latest newscast.

The theater remained silent for a few more minutes before Birchman and Oakler eventually spoke and filled the empty space with their heckling voices once more.

"What was _that?_ " Oakler wondered.

"It was very strange." Birchman tapped his wooden chin.

"It was very weird!" Oakler nodded.

"It was peculiar!" Birchman agreed.

"It was kinda amusing."

"Yes, it was rather funny!"

"It was incredibly funny!"

"I loved it!" Birchman declared loudly. "Encore! Encore!"

"More! More!" Oakler cheered as their low, elderly voice echoed through the empty theater for no one in particular to hear of laugh with.

* * *

The moon was bright and full overhead as Ben finally came to a stop over the Troll's Bridge to catch his breath, Apple pausing next to him; the two of them remained silent for a few minutes as Ben sighed and rested his elbows on the bridge, setting his face into his hands as he sighed. "Not one of my better nights." he sighed.

"Well . . . it could have been worse." Apple ventured.

"How?"

"You could have missed." Apple suggested.

"Maybe." Ben inhaled a deep breath to clear his thoughts. "Look, Apple? Tonight started out as a fun night, but . . . I don't think I'm being completely honest with you."

"What do you mean?" Apple wondered.

"You know how I'm from another universe?"

"Yes?" Apple gulped nervously.

"Well . . . to be completely honest, I have . . . a girlfriend back home. Several actually." Ben admitted. "A harem of sorts, if you will."

"A . . . harem?" Apple gulped, her throat becoming dry and parched upon hearing that word; while it was not uncommon for a king or prince to have multiple spouses or wives, Apple was not use to this fact. She had grown up in a home with only one mother and father and an army of servants, cooks, nannies, butlers, and guards at her beck and call to order around or play with depending on what she needed. She saw them as an extended family of sorts in addition to her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and limited cousins, and treated them as such, often giving them homemade gifts on Christmas or their birthdays when it was known, but she had never seen her father treat them as other wives or her mother treat them as multiple husbands. It just seemed . . . unnatural.

"Yes." Ben sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm sorry, Apple, tonight was fun while it lasted, but . . . I can't continue doing this without it feeling like I'm backstabbing the ghouls I've come to love."

"You said it was a harem, right?" Apple spoke up after a few minutes of thought. "That means you would be able date and collect other girls without any problems, right?" she wondered hopefully; truth be told, she was against the whole harem idea, but if she could just get Ben to accept her at first, she could work her way into cutting off all his ties with the others girls of his harem until she was the only one left. She knew that it sounded selfish, but the way she saw it she was preventing the end of her world here but making sure her story played out as it was supposed to be, with a poisoned apple, a handsome knight, and evil queen, a beautiful princess, and seven adorable dwarves.

"I suppose . . ." Ben said, turning around to lean against the bridge; frogs croaked and trilled in the water below, singing their serenades as fireflies and fairies skimmed low and care free over the water surface, just barely grazing the surface to cause tiny ripples make the sky's reflection shimmer and waver. "It just doesn't sit well with me hooking up with girls from another universe without their permission first; we never actually discussed me dating other ghouls."

"Why do you keep saying that word? Ghouls?" Apple wondered.

"The girls I'm dating are monsters. Werewolves, sea monsters, ghosts, that kind of thing." Ben replied without being fazed in the slightest; Apple froze up upon hearing the word _monster_ pass over Ben's lips. He had to be kidding, right? There was no way he could be dating nightmarish, terrifying creatures beyond all description of horror and fear, right? She glanced up at his face and winced slightly when she saw it was firm and unwavering; it had to be true. "Al-Alright." Apple nodded, shaken and uncomfortable with the fact that she was not the first, nor probably the last girl to fall in love with Ben.. "I suppose that's fair."

Ben sighed for what seemed the hundredth time. "Look, Apple, I like you, I really do. You're clever and pretty, everyone likes you and is totally bonkers over your beauty, but I just can't go any farther without getting this feeling that what I'm doing."

"So . . . it's over?" Apple asked fearfully; she felt like she was going to cry, and Ben seemed to sense it too.

"Well . . . no . . ." Ben surrendered. "I suppose . . . we could try taking things a little further." he said before becoming serious again. "But if I find out that this kind of thing isn't okay with my ghouls, it's off, no arguments, okay?"

Apple nodded eagerly, only really paying attention to half of what he had; she had stopped listening after Ben said they could try dating. She anxiously lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Ben, hugging him tightly under the moon as Ben reluctantly slipped his arms around her too, surprised to feel that it somehow felt natural; he had done this numerous times with the other ghouls, but this felt unique and different. Ben shrugged it off as finally lovingly hugging someone that was an actual human and not some walking corpse composed entirely out of "borrowed" body parts. He felt Apple nuzzle her head into the crook of his neck and it felt oddly innate somehow; he reached with a hand and carefully stroked his fingers through Apple's luscious, blonde curls, marveling at how smooth and fluid they were before Apple suddenly tilted her head upwards and kissed him softly on the cheek. Ben froze on the spot, closing his eyes as he inhaled the cool, night air sharply and noticed for the first time that night that Apple smelled like fresh apple blossoms in the spring time. Without entirely knowing what he was doing, he tilted his head downwards and tentatively pressed his lips to Apple's, the two of them freezing on the spot like statues to savor the moment before Ben slowly moved his lips and let Apple catch up, mentally smiling when the princess moaned quietly and shivered at his touch before they broke away to embrace each other.

The two of them seemed to glow an intense, white light in the darkness of the night, glowing brighter as the two of them embrace and held onto each other for the longest time, completely oblivious to their sudden luminescence before it died away. "I love you, Ben." Apple whispered softly as she rested her head against Ben's chest.

"I . . . love you, too, Apple." Ben answered back, meaning every word.

* * *

Frankie grunted as she ducked low under a swipe of Lilith's leg before popping back up and jumping backwards to avoid a swing of the Jersey Devil's fist; Lilith was about to run right at the young cadaver again when she was suddenly slammed into by Bonita as she swooped down from the air and slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. The three ghouls were training together in one of the many facilities the Plumber Base had to offer its working officers and cadets, the room having a black hexagonal patterned floor and tall posts and platform of the same shape with a circuit design rising up from the floor here and there, providing cover or a high vantage point depending on how the training Plumbers chose to use them.

"You're gonna regret that, Bonita." Lilith hissed, her sharp tongue slipping over her fangs as she turned to the Omnitrix on her wrist without hesitation and turned it on, selecting one of the two available transformations before slamming a hand down on the waiting activation button; Bonita gulped and hid behind one of the pillars. Lilith's skin turned a bright yellow and became hard and plated with a loud cracking noise while her fingers and thumbs melted together into a single, sharp spike. Her arms and legs snapped and crunched loudly, becoming jointed as she fell forward onto her new legs; her lips protruded out from her face and twisted sideways, swelling into a horny pair of cupped pincers. Lilith's eyes turned a jet black with blues slits as her horns rotated together with their bases fusing together into a single growth as they seemed to grow from her eyebrows into a large, forked pair of antennae while she continued to shrink and grow smaller until she was the size of a small dog; a blue and white neck brace formed around her chest, the Omnitrix appearing in a burst of blue light and completing the transformation.

"BugBomb!" the small insect declared loudly.

"I thought you named it Balle Weevil?" Bonita whimpered from behind the pillar she had taken cover behind.

"I renamed it, alright? Got tired of fans telling me the name was already used and that I was nothing more than a copycat." BugBomb grumbled before she suddenly coughed horribly and hacked up a gooey, blue ball of plasma and kicked it like a soccer ball right at Bonita and Frankie; the former of the two yelped with fright and instinctively took to the air as Frankie dove for cover just as the ball of plasma exploded and reduced the pillar Bonita had been hiding behind into rubble. BugBomb then coughed up another plasma ball and skittered on top of it, wobbling for a few seconds before she kicked her four, little legs into high gear and sped off in Bonita's general direction, absorbing the debris that littered the floor and succeeding in growing her plasma ball to a bigger proportion as she took a lap around the arena.

"Well, if if we're using our Omnitrixes . . ." Frankie thought to herself before she sighed; Ben would have loved seeing this, watching the ghouls train with each other as he occasionally interrupted with pointers for each ghoul on how to properly use an alien or help one of them out himself if they were having particular trouble mastering an ability. He was never harsh or cruel, and Ben often told the ghouls that he had once been rookie at handling the secrets of the Omnitrix himself.

Frankie shook her head; she was in the middle of a training match, not mourn over her boyfriend's disappearance; with a deep breath, she turned on her own Omnitrix and selected Tourma before slapping the activation button and letting the familiar cyan colored light wash over her and change her DNA into something new. Her fingers ground and cracked, twitching violently as her veins grew in size, pumping alien blood through her circulation as her skin oozed into an inky, black shade the color of midnight as her fingertips snapped and crunched in a painful noise, turning blocky and cube-shaped as they hardened into metallic plugs; Frankie's back cracked loudly as a long, whip-like tail sprouted from the base of her spine, a metallic growth forming on the end like that of a plug as her body shot upwards few feet and swelled with muscle and tissue. She formed a slight bust as her toes ripped through her shoes and morphed into two, sharp claws as every last hair on her head was sucked back into her scalp like strands of spaghetti while her bottom jaw thrust forward slightly and let her teeth grow into razor edges. Her mismatched eyes melted together into a single, cyan orb as a pair of long, elastic antennae sprouted from her skull as chest and stomach turned a light shade of cyan down the middle, the Omnitrix forming between her breasts and completing the transformation.

"Ooh! I got Feedback!" the female Conductoid grinned when she glanced over herself, whipping her tail back and forth for a few seconds to test it out. "Although, I suppose I should pick a different name."

"How about 'Roadkill'?" BugBomb suggested as she back around on a now car-sized plasma ball and ran right towards the Conductoid, barely missing by inches as she dove out of the way in the nick of time.

"That's a horrible name!" the electric alien protested. "What about 'Plug-in'?" she tried.

"I-I like it." Bonita gulped as she glanced at her own Omnitrix before shifting her eyes around in fear; there was supposed to be one more ghoul in the room with them, but she was nowhere to be seen, and this greatly worried the hybrid as she alighted down on the top of one of the pedestals, watching as Plug-in thrust her tail into the floor and siphoned off a considerable amount of electricity before raising her plugged fingers and firing off the high amount of energy at BugBomb, gulping nervously when the plasma ball only got bigger when it absorbed the attack.

The three ghouls and currently missing one had been divided up into two teams, with Frankie and Bonita being partnered up, and were currently locked in a challenge to try and hold the other at gunpoint (or claw, flipper, tooth, tail, or fist point, depending on the situation); so far they were at a stalemate of sorts, with the introduction of the Omnitrixes given to them by Ben meant to be used as a tiebreaker.

"Hello? Twyla?" Bonita gulped nervously, her voice sounding frail and insignificant despite the sound of electricity crackling the air and explosions echoing off the walls. When no answer came, she carefully turned on her Omnitrix and selected Eye Gal, pausing to make sure she was completely safe before she pressed the activation and engulfing herself in a soft pink light just as Twyla popped out of her own shadow and slammed into her, knocking the both of them off of the pillar as the Boogie girl activated her own Omnitrix and was swallowed in a bright, white light.

Bonita grew upwards a few feet, her pink exoskeleton cracking and splitting loudly as it became soft to the touch and spread over the gaps between her rib bones, radiating over her head and face and wholly blinding her; she could no longer see anything but light shining through the folds of skin over her eyes before they withered away into nothing nothingness, her skull crunching as new bone filled the empty sockets and her arms grew longer. Her feathery antennae wavered for a second before snapping loudly and hardening into large, flaps of skin strung between two, thin rods that curled into slight swirls at the tips while her teeth ground loudly as they became needle-like behind her blackening lips. Bonita's knuckles were covered by brand new skin and sprouted sharp claws at the end of her fingers while her toes burst out of her shoes. Then suddenly, she could see again. At first, she saw nothing but the ceiling above as she fell. Then she saw the floor racing upwards her. Then she could see BugBomb detonate her massive sticky ball in a fiery, blue explosion as Plug-in jumped back to avoid it. Then she could see up, down, forward, behind, and all around and even the inside of her tight, platinum and pink trimmed top until she could see in every direction possible as a pair of white and pink short appeared below a pink belt with the Omnitrix on it.

Twyla felt her entire body swell slightly with muscle and tissue as her shoulders broadened and arms bulked up with her veins pumping fresh blood through her system as her hands twitched and trembled and grew slightly larger than before, her fingers fusing together into three, long and flexible digits. Her throat bloated largely before deflating, now a malleable sack of skin as her legs became packed with muscles, becoming heavily padded in her hips, thighs and ass as her small bust grew considerably larger than before as her toes fused into two, long digits. Her pale, gray skin turned a pale shade of green as deeper mottled spots formed on her arms, legs and head as her lips became plump and full; a dark gray bodysuit with patches of periwinkle formed on her shoulders, arms, wrists, chest, stomach, and thigh as her feet were encompassed in firm, single-toe shoes, leaving only her face and fingers exposed. The transformation completed as an air tank of some kind formed on her back, a pair of sunglasses appeared over her eyes, and the Omnitrix appeared on the breathing device of her air tank.

The two aliens smashed into the floor of the arena, sending up a cloud of dust and debris before one of them finally emerged: an Incursean.

"AO, look at dis new alien!" the humanoid frog ribbited with a loud, Boston accent. "Whadda ya think I should name it?"

"How about 'look out behind you'!?" BugBomb gave a warning yell before she coughed off several more globets of plasma and hurled them at Plug-in; the Incursean whirled around just to receive an eyeblast to the gut, sending her flying across the arena and into one of the pillars where she slid down to the ground with a groan.

"Bet ya didn't _see_ that one comin;." Eye Gal grinned as she climbed out of the crater and dusted herself. "And now for the _eye_ -cing on the cake!"

"Hey, watch da puns!" the Incursean croaked as she climbed to her feet. "And as fer my name, how about Leapfrog?" she grinned before she gave a loud ribbit and lashed out with her long, elastic tongue, cracking her flexible organ across the Opticoid's face before wrapping it around her waist and slamming her into the ground twice before throwing her into Plug-in just as BugBomb was about to detonate her massive sticky ball; the ball of plasma exploded in a gooey, green mass, trapping and pinning Eye Gal and Plug-in to the floor.

"So whaddya say, toots? Surrender?" Leapfrog smirked as BugBomb crawled up onto her shoulder.

"Y-Yes, p-please." Eye Gal trembled; Leapfrog gave a satisfied nod and helped the Opticoid and Conductoid to their feet as all four Omnitrixes timed out in colorful bursts of light, returning Frankie, Lilith, Bonita, and Twyla to the world.

"Sorry I got the drop on you, Bonita." Twyla apologized.

"I-It's okay." Bonita replied shakily. "I'm j-just glad it's over."

"And just as well," Grandpa Max's voice rang out from the viewing platform above, drawing all four of the ghoul's attention. "Charmcaster and Dragoon just arrived back from Ledgerdomain with some interesting news." The ghouls waited patiently, catching their breath and resting until the doors to the training room hissed open and the enchantress and dragon themselves came strolling in; Charmcaster had changed her appearance since last time the ghouls had seen her, now wearing a short, purple dress with black patterns and pink hearts with purple centers on her arms and hips. She had a high, pink collar, pink sash around her waist, and black gloves that ran up to her elbow traced in pink. Black leggings adorned her legs and bizarre and strange black symbols and markings dotted her exposed arms as a black crwon sat on her head, the royal robes of a rule of Ledgerdomain; Dragoon meanwhile, stayed dressed in regular clothes, consisting of little more than just a pair of ragged jeans and white robe top trimmed with red as similar markings to Charmcaster's dotted his golden scales.

"Hey, Charmcaster." Lilith smiled. "How's Ledgerdomain treating you and Dragoon?"

The sorceress, who had been straight and ridged when she entered the room suddenly when limp and relaxed, suddenly tired. "Ruling a dimension is tougher than it sounds." she replied. "It was rather rough at first, but we're finally starting to repopulate and rebuild."

"After some . . . incentive." Dragoon added with a small smile, blowing a cloud of smoke from his mouth.

"Any luck finding Ben?" Frankie asked hopefully.

Charmcaster shook her head. "Unfortunately, no." she sighed. "We're coming nowhere close to locating him. And our problems just got bigger."

"How?" Bonita asked worriedly.

"It's Adwaita." Charmcaster sighed wearily; Dragoon wrapped a comforting arm around her, earning a small smile. "He's escaped from his prison in Ledgerdomain."

"I thought he wasn't being punished?" Twyla raised an eyebrow. "That he had suffered enough in your bag?"

Charmcaster was about to answer when she paused and reached down to unclip a familiar, mouthed bag seemingly sewed together from scraps of cloth and fabric before raising it up to her ear. "No, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that. You're actually quite comfortable."

When she received odd and worried looks from the ghouls, concerned that she was having a relapse of sorts, Dragoon interrupted. "Believe it or not, the bag's actually alive. And he cheats at cards, too."

"He?" Bonita gulped.

"Don't worry about it," Charmcaster waved it off. "Just some unimportant sorcerer whose serving his own punishment as my purse." she explained. "Anyway, while he _did_ spend some time inside of my bag, he still has time to serve according to the traditions of my people."

"What happened?" Lilith asked.

"We don't know." Dragoon said gravely. "But Adwaita's free and on the loose. And no one will be safe."

 **And there we go!**

 **Apple's officially a part of the harem, folks! After an eternity of waiting, Ben's finally got an Ever After girl! Just how much will Apple change due to Ben's influence? You'll have to wait and see!**

 **Now before I go on, I apologize for anyone that thinks otherwise for Leapfrog's number of fingers; I am fully aware of the fact that every other Incursean, including Bullfrag, has three digits while Lord Emperor Milleous and Attea have five fingers (don't ask me how that works; I'm thinking its some kind of rare mutation that's only common among the royal family currently in power. That, or somewhere along the line, Milleous and Attea's ancestors married with humans or something), but with the picture I had to work with, it didn't show the hands.**

 **Speaking of the drawing, if you are wondering what I am talking about, I based Leapfrog on a wonderful drawing made by _TheWalrusclown_ and _ZigWolf_ called _Croakette_. It's basically a rule 63 version of Bullfrag; they've done several of these for Gwen 10, and I base some of the ghoul's transformations of them if female species of their aliens are not available for me to look at.**

 **Okay, enough of my babbling. Don't forget to vote on which yuri couple you want to see!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	9. Tennyson's Got Talent

**Hello, all you wonderful fairytales and monsters! Tis I, _Creaturemaster_ , talking to you from the dark, twisted, bowels of the Underworld once more! And, hey, if you Hades' place sounds depressing, you clearly have not been to The Pit of Eternal Body Odor deep within the bowels of the Monster High catacombs; that place is _truly_ nasty.**

 **On an unrelated note, I am simply astounded, astonished, bewildered, confounded, shocked, flabbergasted, stupefied, dumbfounded, surprised, and down right blown away by all the wonderful feedback and reviews I've received from you awesome guys and gals. _OVER_ _200 REVIEWS_ for this story and only eight chapters! This is the best I have ever done on a story! I can't thank you wonderful readers enough.]**

 **Onto your reviews and the answers I bring with them!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I'm glad you got the joke and enjoyed the chapter! To borrow a line from Skurd, "Ah, the irony. It is delic; as well as the DNA."**

 _ **The Tell-Tale Man –**_ **Fully intend to,** ** _mi amigo_.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I shall never let go, Mr. Coconut! NEVER!**

 _ **FriendlyDogDude –**_ **Don't worry about Apple; her eyes will opened soon enough. As for Wonderland and Ben's multiple watches . . . that actually makes a good visual, like each transformation he has is inside one Omnitrix on a certain part of his body and a running gag is that he can't figure out which one belongs to which alien.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Everything you just said, from BenxCerise to Blondie's new cast will happen either in this chapter or the next couple to come, my friend. And don't worry about Jigsaw; he'll be coming along soon enough, with hilarious results for us and humiliating results for Headmaster Grimm ;)**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **I enjoy the Muppets as much as anyone does or did, but I love Statler and Walford for the best, with their constant complaining, witty comebacks, and the hilarious heckling of Fozzie Bear (and sometimes each other). In all honesty, I never really decided between the two puppets (Cedar's uncles) of who represented who in this story, so you're welcome to believe who you think is who (is there an owl in here?). As for history repeating itself . . . well, the schools gotta have its news. And while Apple may seem as cold as the Ice Queen right at the moment, she's in all honesty just really blind and naive (until Way to Wonderland that is. Trust me when I say Jigsaw will play a major role in that. I think. Still working on the plot).**

 _ **masterart –**_ **What gave it away? Just like my first story, I am taking this some place epic. But in order to do that, I'll have to take things slow and steady and not rushed like I did for the first couple of chapters when I was really hex-cited to begin this. As for Ben's new partner . . . well, he's not really** ** _new_ in the sense that he's new (does this make sense?).**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **My, my, aren't we the clever one. You're very perceptive. And as for an answer . . . like I'm gonna tell ya! ;)**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Horde your drinking water! Invest in gold! Break out the happy snacks!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Hey, you deserve at least** ** _some_ credit for this; you're the one that came up with the idea. Either way, there's actually a picture of Apple wearing something similar to what I had her in on the Ever After wiki (for all your Ever After needs). As for the ghouls, they probably won't appear until Ben has a sizable harem, but when they do the girls (and Ben) better hope they can run fast enough. Or at the very least, calm down said ghouls. I'll have to ask how they feel.**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **While Apple will attempt to do such a thing, she's going to learn very quickly that Ben's not going to budge on such a matter; sorry for portraying her as a bad girl right now, but she'll get better as time goes on.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Wait no more, my good man! Ignore everything else I say and read on! I insist!**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **A daredevil, huh? Maybe to try and impress Ben, but I doubt she'd remain that way. That's more of Briar's style as she tries to cram in everything she can before she sleeps for a hundred years or so.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **While Ben is just as concerned about the Forever Knights, he's more worried about keeping his identity secret for the time being; as for Raven's jealousy, just you wait. Something's bound to pop up. Glad you enjoyed the Muppets bit, and I totally agree with you. Statler and Waldorf, eat your hearts out. As for a Predator alien, the idea sounds really cool. I'll consider it, but for the moment I have other aliens I want to incorporate.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **I like your ideas, but sadly not all of them can be used. Blondie very well could be confronted by an angry Whampire and the Forever Knights will most likely be seen as the good guys until they take things too far. As for the Lollipop Chainsaw thing . . . never heard of it; I don't want o make Phantux too over powered and to be honest I already have an idea of what I want him to look like and do. As for a list of all of Ben's OC aliens, a list from both series will be listed at the end of the chapter.**

 _ **Titanzilla – T**_ **he thing about mass panic is that it makes for a really good cover; people are so busy running for their lives that they don't really notice things right away. Sure, they may later recount them, but in the heat of the moment, details tend to be a little fuzzy, and even a strange, teenage boy turning into an alien vampire can go unnoticed at first. And yes, pairing Ben and Apple together felt a little too rushed to me too, but there'll be an explanation for that too. For a princess, Apple can be quite crafty when she needs to be.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Having Cupid being able to dance between worlds without a care seems a bit too much of a loop hole for this story, so I won't be using that little trick right now, if ever; plus, I have no idea how that actually works fully. Either way, you can bet your boots that Ben will do something before Apple convinces him to turn away from his ghouls. Just out curiosity, which side of the conflict would you be on, considering your name?**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **Actually, Raven** ** _does_ have a non-evil class: Muse-ic. As far as I know, Raven put up such a fight with Headmaster Grimm and Baba Yaga about taking Muse-ic (a class usually reserved for princesses, even though Raven is _technically_ a princess) they either surrendered or Gile stepped in and let Raven take the class, convincing his brother that it might make Raven far less sadistic than her mother was should she decide to follow her destiny (which I doubt will ever happen).**

 _ **n1ght4ury20 –**_ **Just like** ** _Cartoonfan10,_ you're very perceptive. As for your space idea, I think I'll keep things down to earth for the time being; though considering the very likely possibility that at least one of the doors in the Mad Hatter's tea shop opens up into outer space, this could be very likely.**

 _ **Maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Can't really blame the knights though; they didn't really have any idea** ** _what_ kind of world they had stumbled into until the very last second. And trust me, your views on the Forever Idiots are shared by many (though I personally think the Forever Ninja is awesome).**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **I'll see your bet of Cerise and Apple and raise you a brand new chapter!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm sensing some hostility towards the Forever Knights, no? And as for what will happen next . . . well, I ain't telling. You make a valuable and incredibly hilarious point about Venus though, and I fully intend to use that when the time comes. And while agree that Statler and Waldorg were rather harsh on Fozzie, you gotta admit they were awesome hecklers. "The Original Trolls", as I like to call them.**

 **Enough of babbling!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own anything from the Muppets, Ben 10, Monster High, or Ever After High; if I did, Ben 10 and Monster High would already have a cannon Xover, just like Ever After High and Monster High (apparently it's a novel or something).**

 **Onward!**

* * *

M.N: _Everyone at Ever After High has secrets; for instance, Cerise Hood's father is none other than the Big Bad Wolf, C.A. Cupid has a not-so-secret secret crush on Dexter Charming, and Briar Beauty tossed the **real** Storybook of Legends down the Wonderland Well._

F.N: _But perhaps the biggest secret lying within the bowels of Ever After High is Ben Tennyson, Wielder of the Omnitrix._

M.N: _Did you **really** just say 'bowels'?_

F.N: _I stole your chance to tell the reader about Ben, and your more concerned about me using the word 'bowels'!? Who are you!?_

M.N: _I was getting to that, ahem, **small** matter. Now then, where was I?_

F.N: _Ben Tennyson? Big secret? Need I say more?_

M.N: _Oh, yes. But secrets have a tendency to slip lose, to be found out, and to be exposed. Just how long can Ben stay hidden inside of his alien forms before his luck runs out?_

F.N: _Seriously? You're ending it there?_

M.N: _Quiet, you!_

* * *

"Ben!"

"Raven!"

Raven watched helplessly, fighting against the gale force winds that ragged around like a hurricane, whipping her purple and black locks into a frenzy as Ben fought his way through the sea of horrifying Forever Knights below her; she couldn't see anything else but those awful knights for as far as she could see, their terrifying faces hidden behind their emotionless helmets as they heartlessly attacked her friend. Ben struggled against the army of armored men, ramming his head into one of their guts before sweeping out of the legs of another before he was suddenly overwhelmed and disappeared underneath the knight's for a brief second before his fist popped out of the top, the Omnitrix glowing a warning green in color.

Light blue fur sprouted all over Ben's body in a short layer, covering him from head to toe before his arms and thighs suddenly shed every last hair off of them, exposing deep, black skin beneath the blanket of fur; black spots appeared in random places on Ben's body as his bones hollowed out and became lightweight and strong, filled with sturdy beams of sorts that supported their structure while muscles piled themselves onto his arms and legs, packing themselves particularly tight in his chest and thighs. His fingers strengthened as his fingers grew into sharp and pointed claws with a loud cracking noise. A long, feline tail with a black tip arched out from the base of his spine, cracking back and forth with anticipation as his toes molded together into a pair of sturdy paws while his ears became sharp and pointed like a cat's, rotating to the top of his head as if they were floating on liquid metal; a handul of whiskers sprouted on his face as his teeth cracked and ground into sharp canine's. The final transformation was the addition of a black and green track suit, a pair of green tinted goggles, and the Omnitrix on the center of a belt around his waist.

"Eyah!" Fasttrack cried as he burst out from under the pile of Forever Knights before running around in a tight circle to create a vacuum of sorts that pulled in a good number of the armored villains around him, forming a tornado that reached higher and higher into the air the faster the Citrakayah ran until he came to a screeching halt and slammed into another one of the faceless knights, sliding down to the ground with a groan; the small vortex he had created dissipated and let the knights drop to the ground where they exploded into piles of ash and dust upon contact with the rocky ground.

Raven felt a firm hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see Headmaster Grimm standing with her on the high rock pillar that rose up over the endless sea of Forever Knights, a stern and unforgiving expression on his face.

"Sign the book!" he hissed, his grip on Raven's shoulder tightening.

"No!" Raven cried, wretching free from him. "Why can't you just leave me alone!?" she glared.

The Headmaster ignored the question. "You will sign the book _or else_." he threatened.

"Or else what?" Raven glowered, trying to sound brave as her bottom lip trembled slightly with fear; the Headmaster's eyes brightened into a cruel grin upon seeing this and merely turned his gaze upwards with a slight gesture of his hand; Raven followed his gaze and nearly vomited upon seeing the horrific sight above her.

Standing on dozens upon dozens of platforms that hung high above the rock pillar she and the Headmaster were every last fairy tale Raven could have called a friend, everyone from Apple and Cerise to Maddie and Dexter; even Hunter and Ashlynn were there, struggling against the gags that covered their mouths and prevented them from speaking. Rough ropes hung likes nooses around their necks, tied tightly around them as every last one of them stood on their own gallows, murmuring and fighting against their bonds.

"Every time you refuse to sign the Storybook of Legends . . ." Headmaster Grimm grinned sadistically. "One of your pathetic, Rebel friends pays the price." he hissed before pulling out a quill pen from his pocket. "Sign it!" he demanded, shoving the writing tool into Raven's grip.

"No!" Raven yelled defiantly. The Headmaster smiled cruelly and snapped his fingers, a loud _clack!_ echoing through the air as a trapdoor opened and a loud, sickening choking sound punched its way into Raven's ears, forever haunting her as she looked up and gasped to see Maddie's bloody corpse hanging from the noose overhead, her dress tattered and torn; an object fell from the Hatter's dead fingers and shattered loudly on the rock below, a hot liquid pooling around Raven as she fell to her knees and scooped up the precious brew into her hands: tea.

"Y-you . . . you _monster!_ Raven screamed, tears forming in her eyes and streaking down her face.

"Remember this, Raven. _You_ are the one that killed them." Grimm said coldly. "Now sign the book!"

"N-No!" Raven yelled back; another trapdoor banged open and another noose tightened as another life was taken from Raven's life, this time belonging to none other than Apple. Her flawless, white skin was now stained a horrifying pink from the many wounds and cuts that pockmarked her body, her dress destroyed and barely clinging to her her as hot, bubbling blood dripped her lips and pitter-pattered quietly in front of Raven.

"Sigh the book!" Headmaster Grimm demanded.

"N-N-Never!" Raven cried weakly. A third trapdoor opened overhead and another noose tightened with that same sickening sound that sent shivers down Raven's spine, the victim this time being Hunter; Ashlynn gave a muffled scream as she sobbed uncontrollably, unable to tear her pained eyes away from the lifeless corpse that hung next to her as a flock of vultures circled lazily overhead, descending down to peck and nibble at his carcass every now and then much to the princess's horror.

"Sigh the book!" Headmaster Grimm ordered once more.

"N-No . . . no!" Raven cried again, her voice choking as another trapdoor opened, another noose tightened, and another one of her friends died by her hand; Ashlynn now hung inert next to Hunter, the rope digging raw marks into her perfect skin as blood dripped from her mouth and from a large stab wound under her breasts, right where her no longer beating heart would have been as the vultures now changed targets, tearing into the princess's corpse with vigor much to Raven's horror and Grimm's twisted horror.

"You can end this anytime, Raven." Grimm told her.

"B-Ben . . . h-he'll stop you!" Raven yelled over the howling storm, unable to look up at her friends overhead.

"The alien spawn?" Headmaster Grimm scoffed. "He's worthless, barely even able to save himself." he grinned, pointing behind raven with the quill pen; Fasttrack grunted as he slapped the Omnitrix on his waist, swallowing himself in a burst of green light as his DNA was scrambled and shifted into something new. His skin changed into a smooth, chrome white that became tougher than his original exterior as his skeleton crunched and compressed into something smaller until he barely reached about knee high of the knights that surrounded him on all sides; his face was stretched as his mouth widened and his eyes followed, moving farther and farther apart as his bones became softer and more bendable. Ben's lungs began to blow up like balloons until they were the largest organs in his body while his ears melted back into his head to become gaping holes in his skull before they were covered by a hardened shell that wrapped around his head in a way that resembled headphones; the Omnitrix appeared on his forehead, completing the transformation.

Echo Echo quickly divided himself into half a dozen clones, each one of them inhaling sharply and sucking in massive amounts of air before they shot it back out in an ultrasonic blast, sending all the knights within a good dozen yard radius flying in all directions; the knights exploded into ash and dust upon making contact with the ground, but these were easily replaced by an endless army of the cruel armored men.

"He won't last for long, Ms. Queen." Headmaster Grimm grinned darkly. "Sign the book, and your friends and his life will be spared."

Raven trembled, gulping nervously as the Sonorosian recollected all of his clones and slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix resting on his forehead, encompassing himself in another burst of green light as the changes began to warp and change his body. Millions of muscles piled themselves onto every part of his body, his fingers and hands swelling in size as alien blood pumped through his veins; stitches arched their way across his body as the transformation teared through his shirt, ripping it into shreds as patchwork skin took the place of his old one. A pair of heavy, green gauntlets formed on his hands as metallic bolts burst out from his body on his arms and back while two, gigantic conductors teared out from his massive shoulders and crackled with electricity; a pair of black pants and large boots appeared on his Ben as his jaw jutted outwards, a few crooked teeth sticking out as his hair turned jet black and became long and shaggy. The final piece of the transformation was the Omnitrix popping out of his right pectoral muscle in an almost painful manner as a scar etched itself out from the device, completing the transformation.

"This can all end, Ms. Queen," Headmaster Grimm promised. "Just sign the book, and your friends will be released, unharmed." he said simply as Frankenstrike crashed his fists together and let a dangerous amount of electrical travel its way through his conductors and body, electrocuting the vast army of knights surrounding him, grinning victoriously as they exploded into dust and ash all around him; his smug grin quickly turned into a look of worry as more Forever Knights converged on him, kicking aside the mounds of cinders and swarming around the Transylian. No matter how much Frankenstrike fought, grabbing unlucky knights by the heads to crash them together like symbols before frying them and using their battered bodies as bludgeons and weapons, there were always four more to take the place of every one knight that disintegrated into cinders and ashes.

"Sign the book!" Headmaster Grimm roared over the howling winds for what seemed the hundredth time.

"N-Never!" Raven gulped; another trapdoor snapped open and another noose tightened, killing another one of her friends; she didn't dare look up, her throat dry and parch as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing all the misery and horror to go away before a loud _clank!_ caught her attention. She cracked open her eyes and nearly fainted with fear as Dexter's dented crown lay in front of her, the rim stained red as if the crown had been stapled to poor Dexter's head before being painfully ripped out of the prince's head and tossed carelessly at Raven's feet; Dexter's broken and mangled glasses soon followed after, clattering loudly to the stone pillar as Raven cried and held herself.

"W-Why . . . why are you d-doing this to me?" Raven choked between tears.

"Because you are _spineless_ , _worthless_ , and _pathetic!_ " Grimm roared loudly, bending down to grab the young witchling by the front of her shirt and yank her to her feet to yell in her face. "You are nothing but a lowly _worm_ who deserves everything you have coming!" he spat in her face grabbing her shoulder with his other hand and messily tearing away her dress in anger before throwing her to the ground, his glare of disgust turning into one of hatred as his eyes traced over the ugly, silver scars marking her arms and shoulders, traveling around and across her neck before disappearing under her dress to run over her breasts.

"Raven!" Frankenstrike called from below as he finally overwhelmed by the infinite battalion, disappearing under the layers of Forever Knights as he suffocated.

"Ben!" Raven screamed.

* * *

Raven gasped and bolted up straight in bed, gasping for breath as she clenched her bed sheets with white knuckles; she looked around fearfully like a panicked, wild animal surrounded on all sides by hunters, panting heavily as her heart thumped in her chest. Her throat was dry and parched as sweat dripped down pale skin, staining her bed sheets with moisture. Once her heart rate had calmed down slightly, she glanced across the room to see that Apple was still asleep and unaware in her own bed, a pleasant and innocent smile on the princess's face.

Confident that she wouldn't be seen, Raven reached with a shaky hand for the hem of her nightgown around her neck, slipping down around her shoulders enough for her to carefully trace her trembling fingers over the barely visible scars that sat there; the wounds have healed, but the pain was still there, sending shivers up Raven's spine whenever she touched them. They hurt every time she was touched, every time some affectionately hugged her tightly, they hurt every time she brushed up against someone in the hallway; the young witchling was in constant pain everyone so much as touched her. She had gotten very good at hiding the pain after a while, managing to suppress whimpers of pain or the involuntary way her body jerked, but every now and then when she was sure she was alone, she would let everything she had bottled up inside her out, becoming nothing more than a heaving, sobbing mess that tried to cry the tears of agony that never came. The only one who knew what Raven went through every day was Maddie, and even the crazy Hatter managed to suppress her insane and wild urges around Raven, being delicate and tentative whenever touching her friend.

Her Mirrorphone that sat on the nightstand next to her bed suddenly buzzed, nearly scaring Raven witless before she realized it was just the harmless device; the witchling picked it up and turned on, biting her lip nervously when she saw she had gotten alert about Blondie's latest new report. Worry crept across her face as she tapped the notification after a few minutes of debating whether or not she should look at it, her eyes widening when she read the headline.

The sudden rustling of sheets caught Raven's attention and she just barely pulled her nightgown back up over her before Apple woke up and could take notice of her hidden scars.

"Good morning, Raven." Apple yawned. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Not so good." Raven admitted. "How was your date with Ben?"

"Oh, it was so wonderful!" Apple beamed happily. "We went to see a horror movie and a great time . . . until these knights came in and ruined the movie; I didn't get to see how it ended!" she pouted slightly before quickly brightening. "It was worth it though."

"How? Getting attacked by the Forever Knights doesn't sound like a fun time to me." Raven said, trying to hold back her nervous expression.

"Who are the Forever Knights?" Apple wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"A group of racist knights who hate and destroy anything alien, supernatural, or just plain creepy; fairies, aliens, giants, monsters, you name it." Raven replied. "So why was getting attacked by the Forever Knights worth it?"

Apple was practically squealing. "He . . . he kissed me!" she exclaimed happily. "Underneath the moonlight at Troll's Bridge! It was _so_ romantic." she sighed lovingly.

Raven blinked; she hadn't thought Apple would be that successful in seducing Ben so quickly. But then again, they had been rather close in the Multi-Hex last night, with Apple cuddling up nice and close to Ben during the movie with Ben not seeming to be bothered in the slightest, though Rave suspected he was just being gentlemanly and comforting the frightened princess during the scary parts of the movie. Apparently this was not the case in any way, considering Apple had claimed Ben had kissed her right after the date; and the reason Raven believed this to be true was the fact that Apple was a horrible liar. While nowhere near as horrible as Cedar, where the wooden puppet could do nothing but tell the truth even when the situation never called for it, Apple was just simply bad at hiding the fact she was lying, constantly twiddling her thumbs, avoiding eye contact, playing with her hair.

It was then that the princess noticed she had a notification on her Mirrorphone.

"Ooh! A new post from Blondie!" Apple smiled as she read over the short message. "Wonder what it's about?"

"Uh, Apple, I wouldn't do that if I were you . . ." Raven tried to warn her friend, but Apple ignored the witchling's admonition as she tapped the alert and eagerly scanned her eyes over the report before she finally realized what it was about.

And then came the scream.

* * *

Cerise ground her teeth heavily against each other as she messily tore into her mutton, not even caring in the slightest that passerby were giving her odd and rather frightened looks, especially Lilly Bo Peep and her small flock of sheep; the gigantic, flat screen TV currently broadcasting Blondie Lock's latest news bulletin was not helping in the slightest as the naive blonde continued to spout off words that increasing began to anger the half-breed further and further.

"Big Bad news, Ever After!" Blondie announced. "It seems our very own Apple White isn't as perfect as everyone thinks she is."

"You have no idea." Cerise growled under her breath.

"It seems our sweet Apple White asked the newest student to arrive at Ever After High's doors, Blitzwolfer, Son of the Big Bad Wolf, out on a date," Blondie explained. "Only for the princess who's all about following our destinies stand the big lug up! Prepare yourselves, Ever After High, for what this reporter managed to capture!" Blondie smiled as her image was cut out to show a picture of Apple leaning into the warm embrace of a tall, fit boy with scruffy, brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a kind smile on his face as he wore a black T-shirt with green trimmings.

Several gasps sounded from around the Castleteria and Cerise could only gristle and grind her fangs together when she heard a few sighs and swoons of happiness upon seeing the boy in the picture next to Apple.

"I cannot tell a lie, that boy is so dreamy!" Cerise heard Cedar's voice come from across the Castleteria, making her bristle and growl under her breath even more.

"Apple declined a comment of any kind and our mysterious strange could not be reach, but get a good look, fairy tales!" Blondie spoke up. "Because you haven't seen anything yet! This reporter managed to also uncover some incredibly pictures for you hungry fans! It turns out that while our little Apple was busy cheating on the one she asked out, the date was crashed when three heroic knights and a red golem crashed the party just in time to save the Multi-Hex's patrons from a plague of three monsters! Get a good look, Ever After High!" the reporter smiled as she once again disappeared to be replaced by the images of a large, humanoid bat with pale skin and gigantic fangs, a small rodent with a massive, blonde mustache, and a crazy, insane red imp dressed in an aviator's outfit as he messily tore into the helpless, red golem.

"Thankfully, no one was injured in the attacks by the three monsters and the noble knights managed to save the night before retreating, leaving the identities unknown for the time being; not that this reporter will stop until she knows, that I promise you!" Blondie smiled. "This is reporter Blondie Locks signing off!" she concluded before the screen went dark once more and the Castleteria quickly filled with chatter about Apple, the monsters, and especially about the strange boy Apple had been with; that last one was mostly discussed by the girls.

Cerise suddenly decided she was no longer hungry and got up from her table to dump her lunch tray away when she was suddenly struck by someone walking by; the half-breed immediately went on the defensive and let loose a warning snarl as her eyes flashed an intense amber before she realized that she was glaring at a terrified Daring Charming, a shattered mirror at his feet and a somewhat cowardly look on his face.

"Sorry." Cerise mumbled quietly over her shoulder towards the prince before dumping her tray out and heading towards the dorms, deciding to see if Blitzwolfer was awake and alright.

* * *

It took approximately ten minutes for Raven to finally calm Apple down long enough to take the princess's Mirrorphone away from her and pull her into a comforting hug; the witchling mentally winced as Apple unknowingly brushed her hands across the hidden scars that marked her neck and shoulders, but she was willing to put up with the pain to comfort her distraught friend as she rubbed Apple's back and whispered soothing words in her ear.

In a way, Raven acted something like a second mother to Apple while the two of them were at school, being the more rational and down to earth of the two, in addition to being a good friend; Apple could never figure out how Raven could stay so calm and collective in such situations that often made her head spin and tie her crown in a knot. She was certainly worthy of being the leader of the Rebel cause, that much Apple would admit to anyone without hesitation.

"Shh, come on. It won't be that bad." Raven reassured her.

"R-Really?" Apple sniffed.

"I promise." Raven nodded. "If I can't think of some way to get you out of this mess, Ben will. I'm sure of it."

"Did someone _rrrrr_ call my name?" a high-pitched, squeaky voice trilled. Both girls looked up to watch as a small fairy-like creature with light, blue skin and a pair of purple and pink butterfly-like wings come fluttering in through the balcony window; the creature had dark blue hair that stuck straight up and back into a sort of curl, pink markings on its cheeks and chin, green eyes with feminine eyelashes, white gloves, and wore a green dress-like outfit with black zigzags down the front with the ever familiar Omnitrix symbol on the creature's chest.

Apple couldn't help but smile and giggle slightly as Pesky Dust landed on the bed next to them, a perturbed look crossing his face when he saw the amused expressions on the girl's faces. "What?" he glared irritably.

"It's just . . . you look hilarious!" Apple laughed, falling back on the bed as Raven smiled slightly, her grin broadening when the Nemuina glared at the two of them.

"I'll have you know that I am still _rrrrr_ tough in my own right!" Pesky Dust protested.

"What can you do?" Raven asked, knowing Apple was too busy laughing and trying to catch her breath to ask for an explanation; as an added bonus, Ben's current state distracted Apple from Blondie's revealing report.

"I can _rrrrrr_ manipulate dreams." Pesky Dust grinned deviously. "So unless you wanna have a _rrrrrr_ relapse of _Mary, Mary: The Gardening_ , I suggest you _rrrrr_ stop laughing!"

"Okay . . . okay . . ." Apple sighed as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I think I'm good."

"Good." Pesky Dust huffed. "So what's with _rrrrrr_ the rude awakening? I swear half the school could hear you."

"Didn't you hear about Blondie's latest news report?" Apple wondered.

"Don't gotta a Mirrorphone, just an iCoffin." Pesky Dust shrugged. Raven sighed and handed the Nemuina her Mirrorphone, smirking slightly when she noticed the device was nearly as big as him; her slight smile only turned into a frown when she notice the fairy-like alien grow angrier and angrier as he read Blondie's report to the point where she actually had to steal her Mirrorphone back for fear of Pesky Dust snapping it in half out of anger.

"I'll be _rrrrr_ right back." Pesky Dust glowered as he fluttered his wings as flew towards the window. "If anyone asks what happened, just tell them Blitzwolfer got detention and didn't want Apple to go to the movies alone!" he called over his shoulder before fly out of the window.

"Should we be concerned?" Apple wondered.

The door to their dorm suddenly received a loud _bang!_ from the outside, the wooden door bending inwards as it was struck for a second time before being ripped off its hinges and knocked to the floor to reveal a very angry and very vengeful Cerise Hood on the other side, her breath short and ragged as she held her bent hands and fingers in a claw-like manner while her eyes glowed a suspicious amber and her teeth became sharp fangs.

"I think we should be more concerned about _that_." Raven flinched; stopping Cerise when she was in a somewhat controlled, feral state was not going to be easy to handle, especially when the witchling was going to do everything in her power to try and keep the Daughter of Red Riding Hood's secret from being found out by Apple of all fairy tales.

"C-Cerise?" Apple trembled in terror as the half-breed stalked closer. "W-W-What's wrong?"

" _You are._ " Cerise snarled, crouching down low to the ground and growling lowly before she gave a loud roar and pounced at the terrified princess as she screamed; at the last second, Raven moved her hands in a quick motion in front of the two of them and created a protective, shimmering, purple shield just as Cerise slammed into it.

"Cerise! Calm down!" Raven grunted, struggling to hold up the construct that quivered under every blow from the Riding Hood.

"Can't we talk this out?" Apple whimpered, hugging Raven tightly out of fear.

Cerise paused and caught her breath, glowering venomously at the two of them like a hungry wolf that was just out of reach of its prey. "Let me through, Raven. It's the backstabbing witch I want."

"You know, that's _kinda_ offensive." Raven frowned.

"Sorry. I would have called her something else much worse." Cerise seemed to regain some of her humanity for a split second before slipping back into the vicious, feral, killing machine that she was. "Now hand her over."

Raven glanced between the two of them, between savage Cerise and petrified Apple, as if she were almost debating over which one she should listen. Cerise was waiting patiently on the other side of the purple construct, biding her time until she either lost her patience or Raven an answer while Apple was hugging Raven tightly like a lifeline, looking up at her pleading eyes that begged her not to throw her mad Riding Hood currently trying to kill her for some unknown reason; Raven bit back a yelp of pain from how tightly Apple was squeezing her out of fear.

"No." Raven stated loud and clear.

Cerise hesitated for a split second before she attacked the purple shield with renewed vigor, beating her fists powerfully on the shield and roaring angrily as Raven hissed and tried to keep the construct up until she couldn't any longer; the magic shield dissipated with a loud explosion of raw magic, causing Raven to cry out and hold her head in pain. Apple screamed at the top of her lungs as she let go of the young witchling and dove out of the way just to avoid a swipe of Cerise's claws.

"You're gonna pay for what you did!" Cerise snarled viciously, letting out a long, wolf-like howl before dropping down to all fours and racing across the dormitory towards Raven's half of the room where Apple had taken cover underneath the bed; the terrified princess screamed again as Cerise slammed into her and dug her claws into her skin, dragging her underneath the bed with surprising strength as Apple tried to fight and battled her way to freedom.

"Help me!" she yelled as she managed to scramble out from under the bed and reach for Raven with pleading hands before Cerise dragged her back beneath the bed again; Raven watched with horror as Cerise yanked and pulled at Apple's blond locks, slugging her repeatedly in the arms and chest before boxing the princess's ears and slapping her across the face several times before deciding to punch that too. A sudden relapse of Raven's dream came back to her, how she had been like Apple in that raging storm, helpless to do anything as her friends died by her hand one by one.

Not anymore.

" _ENOUGH!_ " Raven roared at the top of her lungs, dispelling a blast of raw magic and power that swept over the dormitory and slammed into Cerise and Apple, knocking the half-breed off of the princess for a few seconds, long enough for Cerise to calm down as Apple sobbed and curled up into a fetal position and buried her head into her knees; it was a few minutes before Cerise came crawling out from under Raven's bed in a cautious manner, wincing when she saw the stern glare on Raven's perturbed face. The half-breed had attempted to pull Apple out with her, by the beaten princess only screamed and cried and fought harder whenever Cerise touched her.

"Mind explaining why you just destroyed our door and turned Apple into an emotional wreck?" Raven sighed, rubbing her aching temples; it was too early in the morning for this kind of thing.

"She cheated on Blitzwolfer." Cerise stated lamely, hesitating before answering and flinching under Raven's angry stare; the witchling may never become truly evil, but when she was angry or annoyed, she would be a force to be reckoned with. The half-breed had no doubt that Raven would make an excellent mother some day.

"And that gave you the right to traumatize poor Apple?" Raven's glare deepened.

"No . . ." Cerise cringed.

Raven glared at Cerise for a few more seconds before nodding, believing she had scolded the young half-breed enough. "Apple didn't cheat on Blitzwolfer, by the way." she said as bent down on her knees and scooted closer to her bed.

"What?" Cerise blinked.

"You know that little explosion in Science and Sorcery? Well, Professor Rumpelstiltskin made Blitzwolfer come back after school to spin gold during detention as payback for accidentally gluing him to the ceiling," Raven explained; the news about the little mishap in Science and Sorcery had spread like wildfire, and now the grumpy, Russian, imp couldn't go anywhere in the hallways without being followed by a gaggle of giggles sent his way. "Blitzwolfer didn't want to leave Apple hanging, so he told her to go to the movies with someone else."

Now Cerise felt _really_ terrible. Not only had she probably traumatized and scarred Apple for months now, but she had believed that the one she had come to secretly love would want her to do something like this to someone who was for once completely innocent in what she had done. She watched as Raven slowly slipped her arm under her breath, brushing a gentle hand against Apple's leg and quickly drawing it back when the frightened princess flinched before reaching back under the bed to carefully wrap her arms around Apple and slowly, tentatively, pulled Apple out from under the bed to pull her into her lap and hold her. Cerise gasped and covered her mouth with her shocked hands when she saw the wounds she had inflicted upon Apple, everything but horrible, purple bruises on her arms, head, and face to raw claw marks that were slowly starting to seep blood; and those were just the ones the half-breed could see.

Raven slowly petted Apple on the head, running her fingers through her blonde curls with such care that it seemed almost impossible for it to occur; Cerise watched as Apple cried and sobbed helplessly in the witchling's lap like a newborn baby, holding her tightly and burying her head into her as she shyed away from Cerise as much as possible.

"I think you need to give her a little space," Raven said quietly after a few minutes. "She's pretty shaken up."

Cerise tried to form words, but found that her throat was closed and wouldn't allow her to speak, only letting her give a lame nod as she climbed to her feet and slowly made her way towards the broken door, looking back at the beaten princess that lay in Raven's lap like a frightened child; it was then that Cerise actually noticed Raven looked radiant and commanding somehow in the bright light of the coming dawn, how she tenderly comforted Apple. The half-breed shook her head and left the dormitory, making a mental note to call Hunter about fixing the door.

No doubt she would be hearing from her parents about this little mess.

* * *

Blondie hummed happily to herself as sampled her porridge, smacking her lips to taste it before deeming it to be "just right" and digging in hungrily, though not without restraint; savagely digging into her food like a starving animal was not very becoming of a princess or the Daughter of Goldie Locks. She wasn't entirely sure she classified as a princess in the first place, but she liked to think so.

If only everyone believed it as much as she tried to make them to.

No matter how hard she tried, Blondie couldn't seem to convince other fairy tales that she was as important as she claimed to be, that she was actually the daughter of a queen in a far away land that no one had ever heard, thus making her the princess she claimed to; unfortunately, no one ever believed her, as the Daughter of Goldie Locks had a tendency to stretch the truth about herself or the stories and news she had come to write and report.

The Castleteria was surprisingly empty around her, leaving her to be the only student there; most would have found it downright creepy or at the very least unnerving, but Blondie wasn't the least bit bothered by it; she had delicious, wonderful, _just right_ porridge in front of her, for crying out loud! No sir, Blondie wasn't the least bit bothered by the fact that she was alone in the Castleteria with nothing but a bowl of porridge and a spoon.

That is, until the lights went out. _That_ bothered her.

"Must just be a power shortage." Blonde shrugged off, ignoring the sudden darkness and focusing on her porridge again; she still had the large windows that let in bright shafts of sunlight to see by, only making the Castleteria slightly dimmer than it was before. That is, until the big curtains on either side of every window were suddenly drawn shut, swept over the glass panes by a gust of wind and sending Blondie into total darkness, the only light being the warm, inviting hallway and the slight light given off behind the curtains.

"O-Okay, this is just not right . . ." Blondie gulped nervously. She carefully took another spoonful of porridge, frantically glancing around with wild eyes for any sign of anything else that might come her way; the final straw was when the doors to the hallway suddenly banged shut and gave a loud _click!_ locking her inside.

""Okay, this is _definitely_ just not right!" Blondie cried, not caring in the slightest when she knocked over her bowl of porridge in her mad rush to the doors. "This isn't funny anymore! Let me out!" she cried, banging her fists on the doors; no one heard on the other side as she slammed her fists against the door one last time before sliding down to the floor.

"Okay, Blondie, get a hold of yourself. The sudden lack of light and captivity are admittedly unnerving," she said to herself. "But . . . princesses get themselves locked in towers and tight places all the time! So, maybe this is just a training exercise? Yes, that's gotta be it! That's just right!" she sighed contently, glad she had managed to convince herself that everything was fine.

"Talking to yourself, huh? That's usually the first sign of insanity."

The Daughter of Goldie Locks gulped and frantically looked around the source of the voice, not wanting to believe that she was already going crazy and hearing voices in her head; it was not very becoming of a reporter to go insane. That was more of Maddie's gig, and it didn't feel just right to tread on the Hatter's livelihood without permission; not that she really ever _asked_ for permission.

"Up here."

Blondie fearfully rolled her head upwards the ceiling and startled upon what she saw. Hanging from the chandeliers overhead was a large creature about the size of a tall man with deathly pale skin; the creature had a pair of pure, green eyes that narrowed and glared at her as his mouth curved into a deep frown, showing off the yellow fangs that resided within his mouth. He had a pair of considerably well muscled arms and legs, the strong hands tipped with razor-sharp claws clicked loudly as the creature drummed them irritably on his arm when he had them crossed over his strong, durable chest. Not much else about the creature could be seen other than that it wore a black and green jumpsuit and a green masked with a pair of spiked horns that looked like bat wings, similar to the very same ones that sat under his arms and folded up when not in use.

The chilling thing was that it was the very same monster that had attacked the Multi-hex last night.

"You!" Blondie screamed, pointing a trembling finger up at the monster. "Y-You were there! Y-you attacked the theater!"

"At the theater? Yes." the creature hissed. "Attacked the theater? No. And on a related note . . . I don't like having my picture taken." he snarled.

"What . . . what are you?" Blondie gulped, her voice shaky and full of fear.

The creature grinned toothily, fully sensing her fear; he could see the blood flowing through her circulatory system, her heart beating faster and faster with every passing second. The constant thumping was music to her ears as he swung down from the ceiling and landed low on the ground in a crouching position, a hungry grin on his face as he drew up to his full height and stalked closer and closer to the terrified reporter until he had her standing and pressed against the locked doors with his face just an inch away from hers.

"The name is Whampire." the Vladat hissed. "Now I am going to give you _one_ chance. Never expose me or my monster kind ever again, or I will hunt you down and drain you of every last fluid in your body until you are nothing by an empty husk. Got it?" he threatened.

Blondie was too frightened to answer, merely standing there and trembling with fear; it almost reminded Whampire of the first time he met Spectra, hunting her down and chasing her like mad through the hallways of Monster High until he had her cornered and crying. The difference was that he didn't have to phase through walls to get to the annoying reporter trying to expose his secret. With a quick snap of his hand, he grabbed Blondie by the throat and effortlessly lifted her off of the ground, her feet dangling a foot or two above the Castleteria floor as her hands instinctively went to her neck to try and release some of the pressure.

"I said, _got it!?_ " Whampire hissed darkly.

"Y-Yes . . ." Blondie choked.

"Good." the Vladat growled as he set Blondie down and let her crumble to the floor with fear. "I will be watching . . ." he warned her before unlocking the doors, flapping his wings and flying up to the ceiling, slipping into the shadows and waiting patiently as Blondie caught her breath and looked around fearfully before panicking and running out into the hallway without a sound, not daring to scream or call for help for fear of having her body sucked dry.

"What do you know? Threatening people is actually kinda fun." Whampire chuckled to himself as he descended from the ceiling and slapped the Omnitrix on his stomach, swallowing himself in a bright, green light that changed and scrambled his DNA. He felt himself grow taller and much more muscled as thick, shaggy, gray colored fur sprouted all over his body as his back and chest swelled with muscle and tissue, his skeleton crunching and cracking as it was reinforced and changed to accommodate his new body. Ben's skull crunched and snapped in an almost painful manner as his face bulged into a pointed muzzle lined with sharp, canine teeth while a wet, black nose formed on the end; organs sloshed around inside of him as his bones crunched and ground heavily against each other while his muzzle split into four, flexible flaps. His fingers became longer and tipped with wicked claws that looked like they could easily slice through most objects as two, large talons ripped his shoes while a third popped out from the back. A long, fluffy tail sprouted from the base of Ben's spine as a mane of dark, coarse fur rose from his shoulders and neck as spikes sprouted from his elbows and shoulders; a green and black body suit appeared on his shifting body with green wrist bands a collar around his nec with the Omnitrix at its center, completing the transformation.

"Wonder how Apple's handling things?" he wondered to himself as he dropped down to all fours and walked out of the Castleteria after turning the lights back on and pulling back all the curtains, effectively erasing all traces of him being there. The hallways were mostly quiet, though they weren't empty as the Loboan noticed students given him odd and sympathetic looks when they walked by and whispering behind his back when they thought they were out of range of his sensitive hearing.

"Blitzwolfer!"

The Loboan held back a minor sigh of annoyance as Cedar Wood came running up the hall behind him, stumbling slightly when the Three Little Pigs scampered past her tossing a bookball back and forth, much to Headmaster Grimm's chargin as he chased after them, scolding the swine; Blitzwolfer waited as the wooden girl regained her footing and caught up to him, gasping for slight breath.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened to you even though the guy Apple was with was really hot looking and I really wanna meet him and-" Cedar stopped before she realized what she was saying and decided then to clam up, struggling to hold in the rest of whatever else she was going to say.

"Apple didn't two time me." Blitzwolfer stated calmly.

"What?"

"I said that Apple didn't two time me; I got detention for that explosion in Science and Sorcery, meaning I would miss my date with Apple. I wanted her to go with someone else so she could still enjoy herself even though I wasn't there." Blitzwolfer explained.

"Then why does it look like Apple just got into a fight with a mountain lion?" Cedar wondered.

"WHAT!?"

The Loboan whirled around to see Raven and Apple come shuffling towards them, the later of the two looking incredibly scared and frightened as she hugged herself closely to Raven as if she were the single most thing that could protect her harm; the whispers that had briefly followed Blitzwolfer now intensified when Apple and Raven passed by their fellow students, angry and disgusted looks following after them, though they seemed to be more directed at Apple than Raven.

"What happened?" Blitzwolfer growled when the two girls finally stopped at them; Apple immediately switched from sticking close to Raven to hiding near the Loboan, hanging onto him tightly and flickering eyes around the hallway as if she were about to be attacked at any given time.

"Cerise kinda . . . decided to take matters into her own hands," Raven rubbed the back of her neck in a sheepish manner. "On your behalf, she attacked Apple and now she won't stray more than two feet away me; I had to wait inside the bathroom for her to even consider taking a shower." she added with a light blush to her ivory face. "She's scared beyond all reason."

"Considering those bruises and wounds, I can't blame her. I may not know how human skin works yet, but I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be that color." Cedar shook her head; the whispers and rumors that had followed Raven and Apple now became even louder and more wild when the student body saw Blitzwolfer and Apple together again as if Blondie's report had never happened at all. Things only got worse when Cedar and Raven were thrown into the mix as well.

"So . . ." Raven said awkwardly. "Um, you guys gonna try out for the talent show next week?" the witchling wondered, attempting to change the conversation.

"I didn't know there was a talent show." Blitzwolfer cocked an eyebrow.

"We have them twice a year," Cedar explained as Apple continued to cling to Blitzwolfer with an iron grip and without any sign of letting go anytime soon. "Last time, I did a ventriloquist act with my puppet, Splinter."

"Cute act." Raven said with a smile. "How'd you get the puppet to lie though?"

"I . . . actually don't know." Cedar admitted. "I was just as surprised as everyone else."

"Okay, that's just creepy." Blitzwolfer shivered; Apple silently nodded her head in agreement, not daring to make a sound for fear of being heard by Cerise. "You gonna do anything for the talent show, Raven?"

Raven gave a nervous smile and twiddled her fingers absentmindedly. "Well, last time I tried to do a guitar solo until Sparrow Hood interrupted me and stole the show."

"Until you let your bad side out. It was awesome!" Cedar explained before clapping her hands over her mouth. "Sorry." she winced at Raven's crestfallen look; as much as she enjoyed performing in front of the cheering crowd and seeing Sparrow get what was coming to him, for the next several days people wouldn't stop calling her 'evil or a 'bad girl' ever since she lost her cool. She wasn't sure she wanted to do that again or even participate in the talent show at all, but she loved playing her guitar; she always had ever since she was a little girl and her dad had given her a toy violin to play on before giving her the real thing and then upgrading it to a full guitar.

"Sounds interestin'." Blitzwolfer rubbed his chin.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I want to do that again . . ." Raven sighed.

"You should! You would be awesome!" Cedar nodded eagerly.

"I dunno . . ." Raven tapped her chin in thought.

"Believe it or not, I actually play a little guitar." Blitzwolfer spoke up. "We could do a duet. Ya know, change things up a bit, that way Sparrow can't try and show ya up if he tries what he did last time."

"You two would be awesome!" Cedar agreed; Apple nodded her head in agreement again, becoming slightly more relaxed than before.

"Is 'awesome' all you can say?" Blitzwolfer raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what else to call it." Cedar shrugged sheepishly. Before the conversation could continue further, a sudden yelp caught all their attentions and they turned to see Dexter slip on the recently walked floor of a connect hallway, landing painfully on his back as his glasses and crown went flying; Blitzwolfer effortlessly caught the two items between his claws as they flew at his head.

"Thanks." Dexter groaned as he picked himself up and walked over to collect his things; Apple shied away from the nerdy prince, taking cover behind Blitzwolfer as if she were actually afraid that Dexter would hurt her. "S-So, uh, R-R-Raven?" the prince stammered. "I was w-wondering . . ."

"Yes?" Raven pressed.

"Um, if you, uh, w-wanted to . . . d-do something t-together for the talent show?" Dexter asked.

"I thought you were the sound man and technician?" Raven wondered.

"Y-Yeah, uh, Humphrey offered to cover me on that. As long as I give him twenty bucks in return." he added sheepishly. "I-I know that you really like music, s-so maybe we could play s-something together? I play the trumpet." he offered.

Raven gave the nerdy prince charming a sad smile. "I'd love to Dexter, but me and Blitzwolfer are already doing something together; if you want to rehearse or play together some other time, I'd love to." she said.

Dexter wilted slightly, but tried to look as if he were unaffected. "Oh. Uh, okay, then. I g-guess I'll see you a-round then." he gave a friendly smile before turning around and heading back down the hallway he come through, thankfully missing the slippery patch on the floor before he switched to a depressed body posture when he thought the witchling couldn't see him. Raven sighed sadly as she watched Dexter go; she had gone on a date with Dexter to the Multi-Hex once, all excited and eager to go with him, as well as nervous; the date had been nice and Raven had had a nice time with the prince charming, but she didn't really feel anything there. She knew Dexter had a hopeless crush on her, and for a time she thoguth she liked him to until that date; things just . . . didn't click. The witchling didn't know how to tell Dexter without tearing out his already damaged heart and stomping it into the dust.

"He's not good with rejection, is he?" Blitzwolfer guessed.

"Not really, no." Cedar shook her head. "Being related to Daring will do that to you."

"Just be glad you ain't related ta me, _SPARROW HOOD!_ " the Son of Robin Hood screamed loudly as he slid across the floor in front of the small group on his knees, wailing away on his guitar; Blitzwolfer clapped his hands over his sensitive ears, growling annoyance as Apple whimpered and held onto him tighter, taking Raven's hand and giving a nearly bone crushing squeeze until Sparrow was finally kind enough to end his guitar solo.

"Anything you can do, _I_ can do better! YEAH!" Sparrow cried.

"You mean like last time we had a talent show?" Raven smirked.

"That last time didn't count!"

"If you say so." Raven rolled her eyes. "Just remember that practice makes perfect."

"Practice is for losers, _OHHHH!_ " Sparrow sang as he played his guitar in what most would assume to be an off key and tone death manner.

"We'll see about that." Raven narrowed her eyes at the musician.

* * *

Headmaster Grimm frowned and watched as Cedar stood on stage, once again doing an act with a miniature version of herself sitting in her hand as she talked to the puppet and responded to it as if it were alive and well; around the Headmaster, hundreds of students snickered and laughed every few seconds as Splinter, Cedar's puppet, back sassed and lied to her continually while others were simply confused as to how Cedar was able to make the tiny puppet lie.

The Headmaster could care less about how the puppet could lie while Cedar could not (though he found Splinter's blank stare to be quite unnerving). He was far more focused on what he deemed to be more important matters, mostly the new student Blitzwolfer; something about the wolf put him on edge and made him bristle on the inside whenever he saw him in the hallways, chatting absentmindedly with Royals and Rebels alike and actually getting along very well with Cerise Hood when they were clearly supposed to be enemies. And it wasn't just that. The wolf was slowly taking control over Ever After High without even realizing it, showing up the princes and heroes in Heroics 101 and trying new ideas in Beast Training and Care that _were not_ supposed to be used in fairy tales! Nowadays, future heroes and princes charming would not try to appear charming and handsome in their quests to rescue the damsel in distress or fight and slay the furious dragons and beasts they would come across in their quests; instead they focused more on defeating the enemies and rescuing the damsels in record time and opted to try and befriend the unsavory beasts and creatures they would come across instead of fighting them.

Blitzwolfer was grinding Headmaster Grimm's last nerve, and he had tried to do something about it; he had hidden under one of the desks in the Science and Sorcery classroom, just getting barely lucky enough to be hiding under the one that Blitzwolfer was using in the experiment with Cerise Hood. Once he had been sure the two of them were distracted, he had slipped a small vial of troll snot into the bubbling potion the two of them had created, resulting the explosion that had landed Professor Rumpelstiltskin a nice stay on the ceiling of his classroom and sent the Headmaster himself flying out of the classroom, through and open window, and into the river that ran under Troll's Bridge, much to his annoyance. His plan had been to get Blitzwolfer either detention or even expelled, but that plan had quickly backfired. _Literally._

When the Headmaster had held auditions for the school's next talent show, he wasn't the least bit surprised to find that Raven Queen was going to be playing a guitar solo; while originally disappointed that her song hadn't been evil enough, he was quickly put off by the presence of Blitzwolfer and had excepted their act together out of both fear and the small sliver of hope that combined they would do something truly evil.

"And that was once again Cedar Wood and her little friend, Splinter!" Maddie announced. "Who, oddly enough, can _still_ only lie!" she added as Cedar smiled and bowed to the light applause she was given while Splinter gave a friendly wave; the judges, consisting of Earl Grey, Lizzie Hearts, and Kitty Cheshire gave the performance two thumbs up out of three.

"What'd you think of her act?"

"I dunno. I thought it was a little _wooden_!"

"And please welcome Cedar's uncles, Birchman and Oakler, everybody!" Maddie added, clapping lightly while the rest of the audience booed and hissed at the two old gentleman sitting in one of the balcony seats of the auditorium. "If I may ask, _why_ are you here? Don't you normally haunt the Multi-Hex?" the Hatter asked.

"He's so old, he might as well haunt it!" Birchman chuckled, jerking a thumb at Oakler until the puppet smacked his partner over the head. "Alright, alright. Long story short, we've heckled the hex outta everything at the Multi-Hex."

"So we came here and decided to heckle everything else!" Oakler added, the two old puppets chuckling to themselves.

"Oh, it's gonna be a long show." Maddie sighed quietly to herself. "Anywho! Up next, we have The Hilarious Hunter Huntsman!" she announced; Tiny quickly yanked the curtains shut behind the Hatter, his great size and strength making the task effortless as Hunter walked out on stage with a sign in hand that he set up out on stage before slipping back behind the curtain to grab a stool.

" _Die_ Hunter Huntsman?" Oakler read.

"Looks like the reviews came out early!" Birchman cracked.

"For your information, it's supposed to be German!" Hunter's voice rang out over the microphone system, causing a horrible squeaking sound that made several of the students, particularly Cerise, wince in pain until Dexter and Humphrey managed to turn the sound down on Hunter's mic; moments later, the Son of the Huntsman himself came back out on stage with a stool in hand that he promptly sat down on in front of the stage.

"Thank you, Maddie for that wonderful introduction," Hunter started off. "First time I've been introduced by a Wonderlandian MC. Of course you know what that means: she can be crazy over there and here and practically everywhere else!" Hunter cracked; a few snickers rolled through the audience as Hunter continued to warm up.

"I feel great, folks, just got back from a pleasure trip," Hunter continued. "Took my mother-in-law to the airport!" he said, earning a few more laughs. "And while I was there, I-"

"Funny, funny, funny!" two aged voices announced loud and sarcastically. Hunter sighed and looked up into the balcony to see Birchman and Oakler starring back at them, smirks on their wooden faces as if they had something planned.

"It's beginning, ladies and gentlemen. It's happening," Hunter grinned as he decided to turn the slight mishap into his act; after all, the best comedians were able to think on their feet and work with brand new material no matter the situation. "They're the two guys I heard about that heckle from the box! Get a good look at 'em, ladies and gentlemen: the original Grimm brothers." Hunter smirked as the audience broke into laughter. "Come on guys, don't start with me, don't start with me."

"Hey, Huntsman!" Oakler shouted.

"What?" Hunter sighed.

"I think I figured out your style!" Oakler replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you work like Gregory Hex!" Oakler yelled.

Hunter smiled and nodded before he realized something. "Wait, Gregory Hex isn't a comedian."

"Well . . ." Oakler smirked; the audience burst into a fit of laughter, louder and more wild than what Hunter had been getting before the two marionettes jumped in and started heckling his act.

"Now wait just a splinter, I have been a successful comedian for half of my life!" Hunter argued, now annoyed.

"How come we got this half?" Birchman yelled back before he and Oakler burst out into snickers and chuckles; the audience were now holding onto their seats for support as Hunter fumed on stage and thought up a quick come back.

"Look, did you come in here to be entertained or no!?" he snapped angrily.

"That's right!" Oakler responded.

"What's right?"

"We came here to be enterained, and we're not!" Oakler spouted off, grinning and giggling to himself.

"Oh, yeah?" Hunter narrowed his eyes at the two wooden puppets sitting in the balcony above him. "I'd like to see you come down here an' be funny!"

"You first!" Birchman yelled before hooting with laughter as the audience fell into disarray, falling into the aisles into fits of laughter and chuckles that left them nearly breathless while hunter gritted his teeth in anger.

"Ha, ha, ha, the audience! Don't pay any attention to 'im folks. He's the ninth child of a family of eight." Hunter smirked as the audience laughed at his own joke and not at him being heckled. "Now lemme tell this story-"

"Hey, Huntsman!" Oakler yelled.

"Oh, what is it?" Hunter sighed irritably.

"You know what you're doing wrong?"

"No, what am I doing wrong?" Hunter sighed.

"You're standing too close to the audience!" Oakler replied.

Hunter decided to humor the old puppet in the hopes that he and his partner would stay silent for the rest of his act. "How's this?" Hunter asked as he scooted his stool back a couple of feet.

"You're still too close!"

"Sorry, is this okay?" hunter asked, now scooting back a couple yards until he was pressed against the curtains.

"A little more!"

"How far back do you want me to go?" Hunter wondered.

"You got a horse?" Oakler cracked as he and Birchamn snickered at Hunter's expense.

Hunter gritted his teeth and marched to the front of the stage, no longer putting up with the two puppets. "Let me tell you something, if you don't stop I'll have the usher throw you out!" the Son of the Huntsman threatened.

"He can't, he's too busy keeping people in!" Birchman cracked, falling out of his seat in laughter as Oakler and the rest of the audience joined him, hooting and howling like animals as they laughed and chuckled loudly.

"And you're encouraging him!" Hunter complained to the crowd before turning back to the two wooden puppets. "You know, I got a good mind to go up and punch you in your nose!" he threatened.

"Please, not while I'm holding it!" Birchman begged, earning more laughter from them and the audience.

Hunter couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the joke himself. "Thtat's . . . that's actually pretty good." he admitted.

"You can use it!" Birchman offered, earning a lighter round of giggles and chuckles than before.

Hunter frowned again. "I don't need your material, pal." he said. "I got a million funny lines in the back of my head!"

"Yeah? How come they never reach your mouth!?" Oakler yelled, the crowd laughing once more at Hunter's expense.

Hunter himself sighed and pinched his brow in exasperation. "Guys, would you take it easy? Do you think I'm doing this for money?"

"Not so far!" Oakler cracked.

Hunter growled. "Oh, I see. And you think you can do better?"

"I couldn't do worse!" Oakler shouted, hooting loudly along with Birchman.

"Alright, I dare both of you to come down here and entertain!" Hunter yelled.

"Hmm. We should." Birchman agreed.

"Oh, yeah?" Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Can you sing?"

"No." Birchman responded.

"Can you dance?"

"No." Oakler replied.

"Can you get laughs?"

"No." Birchman shook his head.

"Then what would you do?" Hunter wondered, now utterly confused.

"Just what you're doin'!" Birchman joked, snickering along with Oakler as the audience cracked up for the umpteenth time since Hunter began his comedy act.

Hunter sighed and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, that's it! I'm gonna . . . I'm gonna call the police!" he warned the two elderly puppets.

"Yeah, you need all the protection you can get!" Oakler cracked, laughing so hard he could ahrdly breath.

"Don't! Just . . . just stop!" Hunter yelled at the audience before returning his attention back to the two hecklers in the balcony. "Look, I've had it! I've just . . . just had it with you two! I'm not gonna take anymore of this!"

"Uh, Hunter?" Maddie said quietly, tapping the stressed huntsman on the shoulder.

"What!?" he yelled.

"How are things going?" the Hatter wondered innocently.

"Oh, I'm gonna start with you now, huh? It's going terrible, that's how it's going. These have been pickin' on me ever since I started!" he complained, jerking a finger up towards Birchman and Oakler while the two puppets waved.

"Well can I help you out?" Maddie offered.

"Please." Hunter sighed.

"Alright, which way did you come in?" Maddie asked.

That was the last straw. With an enraged scream of fury, Hunter picked up his stool and sigh ran screaming offstage at the top of his lungs as the crowd seemed to die with laughter upon seeing the huntsman's reaction; with Hunter gone, Birchman and Oakler stood up in their seats and bowed, waving to their audience as Maddie giggled and retook hold of the microphone as the judges gave Hunter a similar score to Hunter's; once they had managed to catch their breath from laughing so much.

"And that was The Hilarious Hunter Huntsman! Who will now probably need psychological help." Maddie with a slight giggle. "Next up we have Raven Queen and Blitzwolfer performing a duet!"

Raven gulped nervously from within the wings of the stage, biting her lip when she noticed how many _people_ there were; they were everywhere, filling the aisles of the auditorium and cramming into every available space and training all their eyes on the stage. The stage _she_ was about to walk out on and perform.

"Come on." Blitzwolfer reassured her as her grip on her guitar tightened. "We're gonna be fine. I'll be there right beside you," he promised her. "Most of the attention'll probably be on me anyways."

Raven nodded and sucked in a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves before turning around to face Apple; the princess hadn't left her or Blitzwolfer's side ever since that fateful day Cerise had decided to take matters into her own hands, never straying more than two feet away from any one of them when she could help it. While Apple had become a tad less frightened than before, she was just as jittery as before, if not even more; for seem reason, the more time passed between the attack and present seemed to make the princess more on edge, as if Cerise were plotting some complicated scheme to hurt her again.

"Tiny? Can you please keep an eye on Apple?" Raven asked the giant. "She's still . . . shaken up."

"That's an understatement." Blitzwolfer grumbled. Word of Cerise's attack on Apple had spread throughout the school faster than a lightning strike, with a few people actually now feeling sorry for the princess once they heard the false explanation Blitzwolfer had spread around; thankfully, all it took was telling Cedar how things supposedly went, making the task all the easier.

"Don't worry. "Sh-She'll be safe with me." Tiny promised as he slowly reached down with a hand and set it on the ground; Apple gulped and gave Blitzwolfer and Raven a terrified look as she walked onto the outstretched hand and let the friendly giant deposit her onto her knee, safe within eyesight and out of immediate reach.

The two of them were met with polite applause as Raven gulped and panned her eyes out over the audience, relaxing slightly when she saw Maddie and Cupid give her reassuring thumbs up; Blitzwolfer gave her a comforting nod as he tuned his guitar, wondering to himself how in the name of Egor's dentures he was going to play a guitar with claws while Raven tapped the microphone in front of her to make sure it was working.

"H-Hello? Can everybody hear me?" she asked; she got several thumbs up and cheers approval, followed by the incessant booing from Birchman and Oakler in the balcony.

"Ready when you are, Rae." Blitzwolfer nodded.

Raven gave a nervous smile and sucked in a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves; she had always dreamed of this moment, to grow up to become a pop star, to perform in front of a crowd of thousands, to inspire others to follow their own destinies with her lyrics. Now that she was here, on a somewhat smaller scale at least, she felt like she was standing in front of the world's biggest crowd stark naked with nothing to cover herself up with; it wasn't until she looked back and saw Maddie, Cupid, and now Dexter smiling and urging for her to go on from the wings as Apple and Tiny gave her reassuring gestures. Now feeling confident, Raven sucked in a sharp breath and played a soft, long chord on her guitar that sounded long and mournful, like that of a flute being played out over a wide and impressive mountain range; Blitzwolfer suddenly joined in with a quick strum of his guitar, turning the sweet note into a short rock ballad that last for several measures before Raven finally began to sing.

" _Do you know what it's like when you're scared to see yourself?"_

 _"Do you know what it's like when you wish it were someone else,_

 _"Who didn't need your help to get by?"_

" _Do you know what it's like to wanna surrender?"_

Blitzwolfer smiled as he watched Raven sing her heart out to the crowd, a round of applause rolling its way across the auditorium as a few people nodded their heads along to the soothing song; a quick glance at Headmaster Grimm and the Loboan was surprised to see that his normally stern and stressed out posture was relaxed and limp, as if Raven's music and words were actually calming.

" _I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow, I don't wanna live like this today."_

 _Make me feel better, I wanna feel better! Stay with me here now and never surrender!"_

 _"Never surrender."_ Blitzwolfer howled soft and low, bobbing his head to the rhythm and beat of the song as he and Raven moved onto the next couple of verses; a short glance into the wings and he found that Apple was less ridged than she had been before, becoming much more relaxed as she sat there on Tiny's knee with that pleasant smile on his face that he had quickly come to love. Some would claim readying falling in love with someone he barely even knew was bad advice, but the Loboan had been through worse. Much worse.

Little did he know that Raven had been through worse as well.

" _Do you know what it's like when you're not who you wanna be?"_

 _"Do you know what it's like to be your own worst enemy,_

 _"Who sees the things in me I can't hide?"_

" _Do you know what it's like to wanna surrender?"_

Cupid clasped her hands together eagerly as she watched Raven sing on stage, her heart swelling with joy when she absentmindedly leaned against Dexter; the prince charming didn't flinch in the slightest and merely gave her that friendly smile she would spend all day daydreaming about and nearly fainted from happiness when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"There's our little Raven." Dexter smiled. "I'm so proud of her." he sighed.

"The chick will grow to one day be an eagle." Maddie nodded happily.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Sparrow growled with a devious smirk on his face as he pushed his way past the three of them with his guitar clutched tightly in his hands. Without so much as a warning, Sparrow ran across the stage before dropping down to his knees to slide the rest of his way, starting to play a loud, rock ballad on his guitar as he cut through the song Raven and Blitzwolfer were singing like a knife. The music was loud, abrasive, and made Blitzwolfer and Cerise howl in pain from the sheer noise level; but he rest of the audience seemed to love it, climbing to their feet and cheering loudly as Sparrow took over raven's performance.

"Silly, little Raven! I told ya practice is for losers! _YEAAAAAAH!_ " he crowed loudly.

Raven didn't quite know what happened after that; one moment she was performing with Blitzwolfer and having their song interrupted by Sparrow, the next she was screaming at the top of her lungs as raw magic curled off of her body like hot, purple flames as everyone in the auditorium gasped and cringed as Raven's power stretched out into long, cracking tentacles that rose high up into the air before slamming down onto the stage, sending out a tremor and rush of power in a wide radius.

"Dexter!" Cupid gasped when she noticed that Dexter and Maddie were swiftly lifted off of the ground, glowing a worrisome purple aura; a yelp of surprise came from the audience as Melody Piper was taken from the crowd of fairy tales; she had lavender-white hair patterned with dark purple streaks and had violet-brown eyes on her olive skinned face. She wore a bright, colorful yellow T-shirt under a black, leather jacket and a purple skirt that reached to her knees before she wore knee-high black, leather boots; a set of headphones were looped around her neck as she struggled and wobbled in the air for a few seconds as she, Dexter, and Maddie were pulled up onto stage as Raven's magic swirled and swam around her and Blitzwolfer, pooling in some areas and objects began to take form; a trumpet, a DJ stand, a keyboard.

Bright, purple light swept over each of the taken fairy tales, Raven, and Blitzwolfer, changing them as the light died down to reveal their clothes had been changed and switched into something new; Maddie still sported her ever present top hat, but it was now a deep black in color as she a blue pinstripe top with a short, pink skirt that only reached her thighs as she wore a pair of blue stockings beneath. Dexter now wore a deep blue T-shirt with a white crown and crossbones on front underneath of a black leather jacket and blue jeans as he took hold of his trumpet, confused and eager at the same time. Melody didn't change all that much from her original outfit, only stenciling strange symbols and tattoos on her arms and neck as a pair finger-less gloves and black cap appeared on her head. Raven now wore a long, purple dress that reached down to her ankles, a black top covering her upper half with silver sleeves that looked like feathers with a pink sash around her waist and a pair of silver headphones around her neck. Blitzwolfer now wore a ragged, white shirt that looked as if it had been slashed and clawed under a black, leather jacket in addition to the green collar around his neck. A black helmet with a single spike on the top sat on his head as he wore a pair of tight black pants.

"R-Raven? What's going on?" Dexter wondered.

"You said you wanted to play something together, right?" Raven smirked. "Think of this as something like that, but with some our other friends."

"But . . . we don't even know what to play!" Meldoy protested after admiring the white, purple, and black DJ stand she had been set behind, quickly plugging in her headphones as Maddie clapped happily upon noticing she had been placed at the keyboard with Dexter holding his trumpet.

"Just follow my lead." Raven smiled.

"Trust me. I think she knows what she's doin'." Blitzwolfer reassured them. Before any of them could argue or protest, both the Loboan and Raven both let loose with loud chords from their guitars; Maddie immediately jumped in and Melody grinned as she set a steady, thumping beat for her fellow musicians and the audience to follow; Dexter gulped but decided to go along as he tried to look brave and put the trumpet to his lips, blowing a soft note that wouldn't have noticeable had anyone not been looking for it.

" _Me and my friends get no respect!"_

" _What do the Royals do that we neglect?"_

"We be puttin' all our destinies in check, but me and my friends get no respect!"

Raven crooned into the microphone as Dexter blew a series of brave notes that sounded like a short fanfare of sorts, exciting the audience as Melody grinned, sensing where things were going, and glanced over the series of buttons and switches on her DJ stand before pressing one that gave off a steady drum roll; Maddie meanwhile, just took things like she did with everything: fast paced and crazily.

" _So what? Who cares? We're doin' it how we like."_

" _I'm singin' into my mic, a special fairy-magic mic!"_

"Who's gonna save the world? Who's gonna save the day?"

" _From warlocks, evil witches, and giant dragons with fiery rays?"_

"Who's gonna charge into battle when the hero isn't there?

" _Who's gonna chase down villains and never turn around and run in fear?"_

Blitzwolfer grinned as he slashed his guitar with his claws, grinning wolfishly as he watched Raven sing her heart out towards the audience, a smile on her face as she slashed and shredded her guitar. The Loboan smiled upon seeing her so happy, so content to be able to follow her dream and looked utterly gorgeous and beautiful while doing it; plus, the look on Sparrow's face was priceless. The Son of Robin Hood glared at the newly formed band on stage and attempted to play his guitar louder than them, wailing away on his instrument as a mischievous smile crept across Raven's face and she made a quick motion with her finger, summoning a portion of the power that ran through her veins before throwing the glowing ball of energy at Sparrow's guitar, holding back giggles when the instrument shuddered and shook before suddenly seeming to exploded, smoke curling off of Sparrow's guitar; the musician gaped and wailed at his damaged instrument, his cries unheard over the cheering crowd.

" _You know who I'm talkin' about, we're strong and big on brains and I do not mean Daring Charming, I mean Fairy Tales!"_ Raven sang into the microphone, holding out the word for the longest time before she and Blitzwolfer dropped into a duel of guitars between each other as Melody kept the beat rolling; Maddie was practically dancing on her keyboard as dozens of scurrying mice scampered and scrambled around her feet to climb up onto Melody's DJ stand and dance the night away as Dexter blew one long blast, grinning sheepishly as the audience roared with approval.

" _We try to further justice without making waves,"_

" _And to impress the men and ladies, but in subtle ways."_

" _They get lost between the sediment and water mains,"_ Raven smiled before cheekily turning to Blitzwolfer. _"And I will never date you 'cause you smell like meat!"_ she laughed as the Loboan pouted.

" _So what? Who cares?"_

"When a evil warlocks plots,"

"To send an army of ogrebots,"

"To tie you up in dragons' knots?"

" _Who's gonna save the world? Who's gonna save the day?"_

" _From warlocks, evil witches, and giant dragons with fiery rays?"_

"Who's gonna charge into battle when the hero isn't there?

" _Who's gonna chase down villains and never turn around and run in fear?"_

" _Who's gonna stand for justice, when bad guys break the law?"_ Raven sang loud and proud as the music suddenly dropped low and quiet, building up bigger and bigger as Dexter climbed the scales and Melody kept the beat short and quick to get the audience pumped as they danced in the aisle's and cheered loudly to the beat. Blitzwolfer glanced at the young witchling and nodded as he strummed his guitar faster and faster building up the tension and covering both his and Raven's parts as she spun her hands around in a quick motion before turning around to fire a purple blast of energy and magic at Melody's DJ stand, hitting it right in the center as words began to form for all to see and read.

" _You know who I'm talkin' about, we Dexter, Melody, Maddie, and Raven and Blitz, but if you're catchin' a odor of power, we're Fairy Tales!"_ Raven ended the lyric portion, taking to simply shredding on her guitar as she copied Sparrow's movements and jumped high into the air to play a loud note before sliding down to her knees and towards the front of the stage, putting her heart and soul into the song as Dexter blew a long ending note that was only drowned out by Blitzwolfer's sudden howl of triumph and approval as all three judges gave the group a perfect score, much to Sparrow's disappointment and the audience's approval.

"Thank you, Ever After High!" Raven waved to the crowd. "We're Raven and the Rebels! Thank you, and good night!" she smiled, her voice drowned out by the roar and screams of the crowd as several girls from the audience scrambled towards Dexter's portion of the stage; Cupid tightly gripped an old, broken microphone before breaking it over her leg with a swift movement, restraining herself when she saw the group of girls try to get to _her_ Dexter.

"Wonderful, wonderful! That band is terrific!" Birchman nodded appreciatively.

"I reserve judgement." Oakler socffed.

"Until when?" Birchman wondered.

"Until the princess tells me what to say." Oakler gulped as he slowly turned around in his seat to stare at Brair's clenched fist; Birchman did the same and winced upon seeing the princess's stern expression, as if she were daring them to try and heckle her friend's performance on stage.

"Raven and the Rebels you can like." she said after a few seconds.

"I loved them! Loved them!" Oakler cheered.

"Good, good! Spelltactular!" Birchman added.

"It's the thief you gotta hate!" Briar added, jerking her finger down at Sparrow as he tried to get noticed by the crowd and feebly play something on his broken guitar.

"I hated him! Hate the Hood!" Oakler yelled.

"Rotten Robin Hood! Awful, truly awful!" Birchman chimed in.

"You did awesome." Blitzwolfer grinned as he waved to the crowd and ignored the two elderly puppets that guffawed and spouted nonsense from the balcony at them.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you." she admitted before turning to the other three. "Sorry about that. I . . . kinda lost my cool when Sparrow stole my spotlight."

"Don't worry about it, Raven." Melody smiled as she spun a record around on one of her fingers with a smirk. "This was awesome; I always wanted to play in the talent show, but didn't know how to do it properly."

"I got no complaints." Dexter grinned as he took off his crown and tossed it out in the crowd, wincing when the crown clattered to the floor and was immediately descended upon by the group of ravenous fan girls like a flock of starving vultures, each girl trying to claim the crown as their own while fighting off the others. This went on until Headmaster Grimm got involved and tried to take the crown for safe keeping, only uniting all of the girls under one flag and earning a painful beating as they tried to steal Dexter's crown back from him.

"I honestly don't see how this night could get any better, Raven." Maddie giggled as she pulled off her top hat and took out a tea kettle and tea cup before turning the tea pot upside down and letting the boiling liquid flow upwards into her empty tea cup.

Blitzwolfer was about to put in his own input when a sudden beeping noise caught his attention. He gulped and glanced down at the collar around his neck, the Omnitrix beeping a warning green that got faster and faster with every second before it became a steady beam.

"Uh, oh." the Loboan gulped before he was suddenly swallowed in a flash of green light. His body began to shrink and compress, his strong, tight muscles shriveling and loosening up as his powerful arms withered into the equivalent of fleshy, bony noodles; his fingers cracked and ground heavily as they shrank into thin rods and the sharp, pointed claws on the end became short, stubby fingernails. His legs snapped as the extra joint in them disappeared, becoming the stiff pole that was his ankle while the long, fluffy tail at the base of his spine was slurped back into him like a long piece of spaghetti. Ben's face crunched and compressed as it was shoved back inwards into a rough ball shape, his pointed ears becoming small, round disks once more as they moved back to either side of his head. The shaggy coat of fur was shed slowly, gradually shifting back into Ben's body as the large mane on his shoulders and head was reduced to a scruffy, brown patch of hair on his head while his teeth ground against each other until they were flat and even instead of dagger-like spikes. The sharp talons on his toes were reduced to toenails as three small toes popped back into existence one after the other; a black T-shirt with green trimming and a white number ten in the center, a pair of brown pants, and a pair of green and white sneakers appeared on him as the Omnitrix reappeared on his wrist, ending the transformation.

The entire auditorium fell silent as all movement ceased and all eyes suddenly trained and moved on Ben as he stood there on stage in his human form; Dexter and Melody were starring with shocked expressions while Maddie had an all knowing and happy look plastered on her face as Raven gulped nervously and waited for someone to react or speak or do anything at that moment just to end the awkward silence.

Cupid covered her eyes from the wings, not sure whether she wanted to see what would happen next or not as Apple covered her gaping mouth her hands, a stunned and frightened expression on her face when she caught sight of Headmaster Grimm's stunned and furious expression from beneath the pile of frozen girls that were still reaching for Dexter's crown; Cerise had long since fainted into Daring's arms upon seeing the wolf she had come to love turn out to be nothing more than a human in disguise, the feeling of betrayal and deception heavy on her while Ashlynn and Hunter simply starred with wide eyes. Blondie had her Mirrorphone out, snapping pictures of Ben and the band onstage when she wasn't busy starring and Cedar was somewhere stuck between starring at Ben with shock and drooling over him.

"What do you suppose they call that, a novelty act?" Oakler's voice cut through the silence.

"I dunno, but it wasn't too bad." Birchman shrugged.

"Well, that's a novelty!" Oakler cracked before he and Birchman burst into laughter, their chortles and guffaws sounding tiny and insignificant in the thick silence that hung over the auditorium like a blanket.

"Aw, man!" Ben cursed under his breath.

 **And there we go!**

 **What has our hero managed to get himself into this time? Deep trouble, that's what! On a side note, how many of you saw Pesky Dust appearing in her before Ben's secret was exposed? C'mon, show of hands, don't be shy. Now before any of you start and claim that Ben was exposed too soon, Ben is technically exposed about a little over two weeks of staying at Ever After High, while it was a little over a week and a half at Monster High. I really have nothing else to say, but I've getting a couple of messages asking for a list of all the OC aliens for this story and the past one; I assume it would be to clarify confusion. So without further ado, here is the list below.**

 _ **We're All Monsters**_

 _ **Phobos**_

 _ **Overflow**_

 _ **RazrEdge**_

 _ **Mindmesser**_

 _ **Teleportail**_

 _ **Brains and Brawn**_

 _ **Bonez**_

 _ **Spikefall**_

 _ **Once Upon Tennyson**_

 _ **Spitter**_

 _ **Sludge Puppy**_

 _ **Jumbo**_

 _ **Snakepit**_

 _ **Sandbox**_

 _ **Blowhard**_

 _ **Ventrilosquid**_

 _ **Darkflame**_

 _ **Smashface**_

 _ **Phantux**_

 _ **Valkrie**_

 _ **Laser Rush**_

 _ **Joker**_

 _ **Jigsaw**_

 **Keep in mind that all these new OC aliens are subject to change and that these are the ones I decided to included in my story; I might add in more or take away some or not change them at, but the alien list for _Once Ypon a Tennyson_ is not permanent. Let it be known that I said that!**

 **Disclaimer: _Never Surrender_ is a saw by _Skillet,_ writer's of my all time favorite song, _Monster_. If you haven't heard ot them, I highly suggest you listen to some of their songs. Very empowering and very emotional as well. Also, I do not own _Jabberjaw_ ; who here remembers the Cartoon Network Groovies they made, especially the one with Jabberjaw in it? Yeah, that song belongs to the band _Pain._ The reason this song made it into the story was because I was just humming it one day and it wouldn't get out of my head and I eventually came up with some edited lyrics for my story and the rest is history.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	10. Destiny Dilemma

**Hello, everybody! I have returned! Please, hold all of your applause, please. What, no applause? I thought you guys _liked_ this story? I deserve an applause!**

 **Okay, fine. Don't give me an applause. I don't care, because I got all of your reviews to make me happy! So much feedback in so little time, it nearly blew my Tetramand brain outta my Tetramand skull (did I mention I'm a Tetramand?)!**

 **Onto your questions and the answers I bring with them! Brace yourselves!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Tonight for one night only! In this corner, weighing at an undetermined weight for fear of getting bitten is Cerise Hood, Daughter of Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf! And in this corner weighing in at an estimated combined weight of 5 metric tons is The Incredible Hulk, She-Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, and Skarr! Get ready fight of the century, 'cause we're ready to** ** _rumbleeeeeeeeee!_**

 _ **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf –**_ **Knowing Ben, he'll probably think of something at the last minute. And don't worry about Cerise and Apple; things are only beginning from here.**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Wait no more,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **.908 –**_ **Whose to say Pesky Dust won't be squeezed to death? It might not be Apple, but it could be some other girl ;)**

 _ **kival737101 –**_ **Agreed. Couldn't have said it better myself.**

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **Hmm. Choosing between more lying or blubbering? Decisions, decisions, decisions.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I fully intend to. I shall never let go!**

 _ **n1ght4ury20 –**_ **Intend for that to happen, but if you like, then I'll take credit for it by all means!**

 _ **masterart –**_ **You'll have to wait and see! Heeheeheehee!**

 _ **Isom -**_ **A field day . . . or a ninja battle!**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **Now where the fun in that be? There's be action, excitement, pain! Oh, wait, I'm getting this confused with my Total Drama story.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Scared, eh? Then I highly recommend you do not look at Toepick anytime soon.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **While that would be fun, that would taking things a little too fast. I'm more of the subtle approach (I think. I have to look up what subtle means).'**

 _ **DracoAngel7 –**_ **When's the funeral? XD**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I will admit, while this is very good, it won't be happening** ** _exactly_. I've said too much already!**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Thank you, it's very much appreciated. As for how things turn out, I am trying to make this as different from my previous story as much as possible, so things** ** _will_ be different. As for the dream . . . that does sound nice. I have been being a bit rough on Raven, haven't I? On an unrelated note, _ARE YOU IN CAHOOTS WITH KITTY CHESHIRE!?_**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed that bit, along with the puppets; I seriously had a fit of the giggles and snickers when I was writing that bit. There's just something about seeing Hunter getting constantly hurt and humiliated only to be comforted by Ashlynn that is so hilarious and adorable at the same time. BTW, thank you for the awesome PM idea. Blondie is definitely and will be a force to be reckoned with once she gets the chance; hope Ben sleeps with one eye open. As for Ben himself, wouldn't that technically make him a zombie?**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Well, if I made Phantux not like a ghost, then he couldn't be called Phantux, now could he? I'm portraying him as a subspecies of Ectonurite, similar to the Gourmands, but in this case that Phantux's species are weaker compared to Ectonurites but much more crafty and smart. As for a lemon . . . it might happen, but if it does it will be published as a separate story entirely, much like I did with** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_. And in response to your latest review, maybe I'm busy, maybe I'm not. I could simply be building up the suspense! XD**

 _ **The Question –**_ **I know I've been putting it off long enough, and I** ** _will_ be getting to that; whether Red Riding Hood will neuter Professor Bad Wolf with a rusty spoon is yet to debate. Perhaps he enlists Ben as a sort of bodyguard until he can explain things to his wife?**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **So many questions, so little time. Either way, I ain't tellin'!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **About half of those would taking the easy way out, now wouldn't it? And since when has Ben ever taken the easy way out? As for more appearances of Birchman and Oakler, expect to see them wherever a balcony seat might be available. I have now made it my personal goal to make you like Apple White! Even if I have to spend the rest of my life updating this story to change your mind,** ** _I WILL!_**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **You make a valid point. However, Birchman and Oakler are hard to please, just like Statler and Waldorf.**

 _ **Mr. Z –**_ **Thank you for the congratulations! I never actually checked my word count, so wow. I'm impressed with myself. I guess that rumor about the sequels never being as good as the originals is false in this case. Enjoy!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm glad you loved the chapter; I swear, I was giggling to myself the whole time I was writing Hunter's act (for some reason, he's fun to torture). And if you think Blondie was pushing things** ** _then,_ wait'll you see what happens next! As for Xenarms . . . it has a nice ring to it, but I like to avoid including other franchises as much as possible (Birchman and Oakler don't count). As for how Ben meets Ginger, it's pure genius, though knowing Ben things will probably go horribly wrong (somehow). Enjoy the following chapter (I'm sensing some hostility towards Daring. I'll see what I can do to ease that up;)!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Ben doesn't have every alien made by** ** _kjmarch_ (such as Skybird or Airphant). He does however have _kjmarch's_ version of Atomix, though I have renamed him Bonez. As for _Artmachband196,_ I normally use his Ultimate alien designs when the time calls for them.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **I was actually thinking of bringing in Albedo at one point, if not only to just bring back the Ultimate aliens and make Ben's life a little more bothersome; as for the Forever Knights attacking the show . . . well, I can't say. A duel between Daring and Ben however, will most definitely happen if not this chapter then the next.**

 _ **Harem Lover 26 –**_ **I've said this before, but I suppose you weren't there to hear it. I fully intend to incorporate the plots of** ** _Way to Wonderland_ and _Spring Unsprung_ into my story, similar to how I put _Haunted_ in my previous work.**

 _ **Classic Lover –**_ **It wouldn't be fun if I didn't, now would it? XD**

 **Enough of my- okay, you know what? I've probably said that enough times to.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Muppets, Looney Tunes, Ben 10, Monster High, or Ever After High. Also, on an unrelated note, I would like to thank _Guest_ and _Isom_ for giving me awesome ideas to work with. You guys (or gals) rock!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love to hear your ideas!**

 **Onward!**

The tension was heavy in the air as everyone starred at Ben and he in turn starred back at them, not quite sure how he should properly react to such a mixture of looks thrown his way; Cupid had her hands over her eyes, worried about what was about to happen next while Apple and Raven simultaneously bit their lips out of fear. Hunter and Ashlynn hugged each other tightly as the later tried hold back tears of betrayal while the former looked like he wanted to tie Ben in a knot as Kitty flashed into existence on the railing of Birchman and Oakler's balcony, a look of interest plastered on her smiling face.

Faybelle was admiring Ben with a light blush on her face, tapping her fingers together in thought while Cedar simply drooled over him as if she were a dog gazing at a piece of prime meat; Cerise was now awake and looked as if she wanted to cry and break Ben in half at the same time as Blondie snapped picture after picture, eagerly smiling and not caring in the slightest that she been threatened by nothing more than a human boy in a costume. None of these looks however, put Ben off more than the enraged look on Headmaster Grimm's quickly reddening face as he shoved the group of stupefied girls off of him and looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"Well . . ." Ben spoke up, his voice sounding hollow and nervous in the silence of the auditorium. "This has been fun, but I really gotta be leaving now. See ya!" he cried as he attempted to make a mad dash off stage.

"Not so fast, _boy!_ " Headmaster Grimm snarled. "You owe us some answers!" he yelled before an idea crossed his mind. "Now that I think about it, you aren't even a student here, which means you are trespassing."

"Is that good or bad?" Ben wondered.

"For you, bad." Grimm smirked. " _GUARDS!_ Remove this . . . this . . . _incubus_ at once!"

"What did you just call me?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"An incubus," Raven whispered. "In simple terms, it's a sex demon."

" _EXCUSE ME!?_ " Ben yelled before the two doors at the back of the auditorium burst open, making several rattled students yelp with surprise and quickly back out of the way as row after row of enchanted armored suits marched through the aisle's in an orderly fashion, their suits creaking and clanking loudly as they each carried a shield and sword in their grips; a faint, pink aura surrounded them as they moved before they came to a halt at the foot of the stage, about four dozen or so magical suits of armor standing between Ben and the doors.

Unbeknownst to Headmaster Grimm, Ben was not one to use doors very often.

"Well, looks like that's my cue." Ben shrugged as he tapped the Omnitrix on his wrist and called up the ever familiar green hologram before selecting a transformation and raising his hand above his head. "Thanks for coming out, everybody!" he quipped before slamming a hand down on the Omnitrix and swallowing himself in a flash of green light, sending gasps of shock and surprise through the crowd; Blonde looked like she was about to faint from being so happy as she switched from pictures to recording, much to Headmaster Grimm and Ben's annoyance. His skeleton crunched and scraped against itself as his frame stretched upwards about three feet before his shoulders broadened and his arms swelled with muscle and tissue, tight ligaments and tendons knitting together as Ben's skin turned a pale green in color; every last strand of hair on his body was slurped back under his skin, leaving him completely hairless as a small layer of slime spread over his body. His jaw was thrust outwards with a loud crunching noise as his tongue became long and elastic, able to stretch for dozens of feet when it wasn't coiled up inside of his mouth and his now expandable throat. His two middle fingers were slurped back into his hands with a series of snaps, his remaining three digits strengthening while feet shifted and morphed, leaving Ben only able to count to two on his now long toes. A black bodysuit with a green stripe down the middle appeared on his person with green cuffs at his wrists and ankles while an air tank of sorts materialized on his back and a pair of green shades on his face, shielding his eyes; the Omnitrix appeared on the breathing device of the air tank, completing the transformation.

"Good enough." Bullfrag shrugged.

"Get him!" Headmaster Grimm commanded the suits of armor before turning to the students. "Everyone else, please return your dorms until we have the situation under control!"

"Yeah, you do that." Bullfrag rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as several of the enchanted suits of armor climbed up on stage while the members of the recently cobbled band fled the stage; Raven however, stood her ground, clenching her fists tightly as a furious look crossed her face.

"You helpin', beautiful?" the Incursean croaked.

"I guess I am?" Raven shrugged with a light blush.

"Was that a question or an answer?" Bullfrag smirked.

"Grimm always did want me to be a bad girl." Raven smiled as she summoned crackling orbs of raw magic and power into her hands before hurling one of them at a knight as it clambered up onto the stage with its sword raised over its head; the magical suit of armor was struck square in the chest and off the stage just before two more knights took its place.

"Ben! Run!" Apple screamed as Tiny climbed to his gigantic feet and scooped her up carefully in his grip, turning around to flee with the princess in hand.

"Don' need ta tell me twice, babe." Bullfrag ribbited before he lashed out with his long, elastic tongue and cracked the strong appendage across the face before wrapping his flexible tongue around the suit of armor's arm and yanking it off of the ground to smash into a pair of its brothers before slamming it into the auditorium's wall; the progress of moving the students to the safety of their dorms was going slow as most of them were too enraptured in the fight to even think about their own safety.

"Ben, go! Get out of here!" Raven yelled as she moved her hands in a quick motion and summoned a shimmering, purple shield in front of her and the Incursean, blocking the attack of the enchanted knights as they slashed at and struck the construct with shields and swords, the barrier weakening with every blow as Raven struggled to keep it up.

"Alright, alright. I'll get goin'." Bullfrag grumbled as he slugged a knight in the face before bending his legs and launching himself high into the air, much to the fleeing audience's surprise and delight as he came crashing down into Birchman and Oakler's balcony seats, startling the two eldery puppets and Briar.

"Looks like it's the movies all over again." Birchman noted.

" _Finally_ some real entertainment!" Oakler cracked, the two of them chuckling before Bullfrag grabbed the two of them by their wooden heads and tossed them over his shoulders where Daring was kind enough to break their fall without knowing it.

"Hey, gorgeous. Mind lettin' be by?" Bullfrag asked.

Briar fought back an intense blush at the nickname as she balled her hands into fists. "Why would I do that?" she growled.

"Because you're special, I can tell. Ya like doin' exciting and bad things, dontcha?" Bullfrag smirked.

"M-Maybe . . ." Briar was now a bright, rose red in color; she couldn't believe she was already falling for the mysterious, shape-shifting character when she knew that Hopper Croakington II had a crush on her as big as the man-sized frog currently sitting on the balcony railing before her; she wasn't sure she could break the tiny frog's heart so quickly. While she was thinking however, Bullfrag saw his chance and jumped over the stupefied princess, making his escape down the stairs behind the balcony seats.

"Later!" he called out behind him.

"Hex!" Brair cursed.

The enchanted suits of armor had now changed locations, turning their attention away from battering Raven's shield and now focusing their attention on shoving their way through the throngs of fleeing students and fairy tales in their mad rush to capture Bullfrag; the Incursean himself was currently running down a white, marble hallway, his webbed feet slapping loudly against the floor as a small group of knights chased him from behind. He was coming up towards a flight of stairs, giving him a quick escape route if he slid down the banister; he was almost there when another group of knights rushed up the stairs and cut him off, trapping him between the two groups of magical suits of armor.

"Well, if this isn't jus' dandy." Bullfrag croaked, balling his webbed fingers into fists. "You wanna piece of Bullfrag? Comin' get some!" he threatened; the two small armies of knights surged forward at him, shields raised and swords drawn as they rushed right at the Incursean, only to have him suddenly drop down to the ground and let the two lead knights crash right into each other before he swept their metal legs out from under them. Bullfrag then jumped back up to his feet, kicking two more knights in the face on the way up before spinning around to slug another knight in the face and deliver a swift uppercut to a third.

The Incursean was being pressed in from all sides by the enchanted knights, being pushed tightly together in the ring of metal suits and slowly suffocating when the knight's swords were threatening to cut him through until he sucked in a deep breath and inflated the large throat sac in his chest, inflating like an air bag and pushing the magical suits of armor away form him and allowing him to skyrocket straight up and grab onto a waiting chandelier overhead; Bullfrag swung the expensive lighting structure for a few seconds his weight was too much and it fell out of the ceiling and onto the knights below, defeating the rest of them as Bullfrag jumped free during the fall and landed on his feet just before the Omnitrix timed out and bathed him in a green light, changing him back into Ben.

"Okay, now how do I find my way out of here?" Ben wondered to himself. He decided to take the stairs and hopefully find a less noticeable entrance than just smashing through a wall or window, taking the steps two at a time before the sound of clashing swords and metal feet against marble caught his attention and he noticed a group of furious knights charging right at him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Definitely not that way!" Ben yelped as he turned tail to run down the opposite hallway with the knights right behind him.

"Please give me Lodestar!" the Omnitrix wearer pleaded as he tapped the device and cycled through Biosovortian icon before slapping the waiting activation button and engulfing himself in a flash of green light as hid DNA was changed and scrambled to his liking. A coating light, blue fur raced over his body, covering him from head to toe as his spine arched and forced him down onto his hands just as his fingers molded together like hot candle wax into three, firm digits designed to grasp and swing as his toes lengthened and became three, strong digits as well; Ben's skin flashed a dark blue as his shoulders swelled slightly and became muscled and fur as his chest expanded and muscles and tissue piled themselves up onto his body. His skeleton crunched and snapped loudly as he was compressed down to the size of a large dog, his spine arching and cracking loudly before a long, prehensile tail snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking back and forth with anticipation as several special organs formed at the base of the appendage. His lower jaw was thrust outwards as the warm fur covered his face and his eyes split into a two more green pairs as the shaggy hair on his head flipped up to form a pair of furry horns. The most dramatic transformation however, was when a pair of identical arms to his original pair suddenly burst out his sides from underneath him, flexing and moving on their own as two, green sashes formed across Ben's chest with the Omnitrix at the center, completing the transformation.

"Spidermonkey? That doesn't even _sound_ like Lodestar! Ook, ook!" the Arachnichimp whined as he scampered down the hallway on his four knuckles before he launched himself at the nearest wall and began to run from the top of the lockers now, just barely out of reach of the annoying suits of armor below. Sooner or later however, he was going to run out of lockers to run on and he had no idea as to where the hallway was even taking him; with little choice left, Spidermonkey raised his tail into the air and fired off a sticky webbing at both end of the hallway, creating a large net-like webbing stretched across the entire hallway.

The Arachnichimp quickly jumped off of the lockers and landed in the center of the sticky trap, blowing a raspberry at the suits of armor. "C'mon! Ya don't wanna monkey with the monkey! Ook, ook!" he chattered.

The magical suits of armor fell for the trap and rushed blindly into the webbing, sticking fast to the glue-like strands as they fought and struggled to free themselves while Spidermonkey jumped down to the floor and dusted off his hands triumphantly.

"Alright, enough monkey business. How do I find my way outta here again?" he wondered to himself before he heard a short slicing sound; the noise was followed by several more and before he knew it, the band of knights had freed themselves from the webbing with their sharp swords, though they lacked the shields that remained stuck fast to the sticky trap.

"Geez, can't talk this out? Ook, ook! It's nothing to go ape over!" Spidermonkey gulped before turning tail and running, firing off a quick strand of webbing at the face of the lead knight and blinding it as its comrades pushed and jostled it to get ahead, unknowingly trampling their brother underneath their metal feet as they chased after Spidermonkey. The Arachnichimp whipped out his tail and fired off a sticky shot of silk about half a foot above the floor, drawing across the width of the hallway before scampering away to safety just as the first couple knights metal feet caught on the craftily made tripwire and fell to the ground, immediately being run over by their armored comrades.

Argh, this driving me bananas!" Spidermonkey cried as he fired off another jet of webbing and hooked himself to the ceiling before using the sticky strand like a grappling hook to swing himself up onto the ceiling, out of range of the knights; the Arachnichimp fired off another strand of webbing from his tail as he hung onto the previous strand and hooked it around a knight's sword before pulling the weapon away. Now that he had a proper weapon, Spidermonkey jumped to the ground and waved it around ina threatening manner, trying to look as dangerous as possible.

"En guard! Ook! Ook!" he chattered.

The rest of the enchanted suits of armor quickly drew their swords and pointed them at Spidermonkey.

"Oh, right. Forgot about the whole 'outnumbered thing'." Spidermonkey gulped nervously. With a sheepish smile, he gently set the sword down on the ground before running away as fast as his six limbs could carry him, with the now furious and insulted knight's right behind him.

"For the love of gargoyles, someone help me!" the Arachnichimp screeched loudly before he heard a sudden whooshing noise followed by several loud thumps and the clattering of metal; breathless, he turned around to see Raven standing between him and the magical metal suits, a shimmering, purple barrier thrown up between him, the witchling, and the angry knights.

"Thanks, Raven." Spidermonkey sighed with relief as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben back to the world. "I owe ya one."

"You can pay me back now and not get yourself killed or expelled!" Raven grunted as the enchanted warriors battered and attacked the shield. "And if you're going to do something, do it quickly! This kinda hurts!" she added with a pained tone.

Ben nodded and turned on the Omnitrix, cycling through his transformations before selecting a suitable one and slapping the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of bright light as the changes began. His skeleton snapped and compressed loudly as he shrank down to less than half of his height while his skin became a pale white color; his fingers crunched and cracked loudly as they fused together into a single digit that quickly swelled and grew to the size and shape of a bowling ball. Muscles packed themselves tightly into his arms and torso, piling themselves heavily onto his legs while his toes ripped through his shoes and fused together into three, strong digits tipped with spike-like claws; every last hair on his head and body was sucked back underneath Ben's skin as his ears grew long and droopy to hang at his side. A pair of black pants trimmed in green materialized on his body as the Omnitrix appeared on a belt around his waist, completing the transformation.

"Brawn! Brawn! Brawn!" WOO-HOO!" the Twin cackled before bending his spring-loaded legs and launching himself right at the small army of knights. Raven barely lowered the shield in time before Brawn sailed over her head and slammed into the first knight he came across, effortlessly slugging it across the face and sending it flying all the way down the hallway where it slammed into the opposite wall; a painted picture of the first Snow White hung on the wall above the dazed knight trembled and fell off the wall, hitting the suit of armor over the head and thrusting right through where the painting's face was.

Raven held back a slight snicker as Brawn easily tore his way through the horde of knights, punching them in their metal guts and chest and slugging them in the heads and nether regions with no remorse; metal crunched and shrieked in protest as Brawn raked his claws across the suits of armor before he raised his two fists above his head to bring them down on the helmet of one of the knights, crushing and compressing the poor enchanted warrior into a pancake. The Twin then launched himself off of the destroyed suit of armor and back flipped through the air to land on the shoulders of another enchanted knight; before the metal man could do anything, Brawn had grabbed the edges of its helmet and effortlessly tore the helmet off, killing the warrior as it dropped lifeless to the ground.

A sudden scream caught his attention, and Brawn turned around to see a spellbound suit of armor with its metal hand wrapped all too tightly around Raven's wrist, squeezing hard and cutting off the circulation as the witchling struggled to free herself, too frightened and weak to summon any of her spells to defend herself

"Keep yer hands off of my woman!" Brawn roared savagely; the magical suit of armor never knew what hit it as Brawn rammed his titanium hard skull into its chest, heavily damaging the metal chest plate before delivering a swift upper cut to the knight's jaw and kicking it in its nether regions. Before the suit of armor could react, Brawn had kicked it several dozen times in the time of two seconds in the gut before slugging it across the face and tearing its head off, killing it.

Raven blushed red at the comment as she held her throbbing wrist, wincing at the bruises forming on her delicate skin; another scar to add to the collection. Brawn seemed to be in some kind of a rage now, using the lifeless corpse of the recently defeated knight as a weapon to beat the other suits of armor over the head with the limp knight; the Twin was roaring and yelling obscenities and threats at the top of his lungs as he effortlessly slammed the massive body over his head down onto another knight, dazing it long enough for Brawn launch himself high into the air and bounce off the ceiling like a spring to then slam into the two suits of armor on the floor, sending them crashing into the dorm below with a loud _crash!_

"Ben!" Raven yelled with worry, sighing with relief when Brawn crawled out of the hole completely unharmed before the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light. The sound of a door being opened put the both of them on edge and then immediately whirled around with Ben just about to activate the Omnitrix for a fourth time and Raven about to blast the upcoming offender with raw magic before they realized that it was just Apple; the princess gulped nervously and peeked out from behind the door in the hallway, as if expecting Cerise to appear out of nowhere before she stepped out into the hallway, closed the door behind her, and raced right at Raven and Ben, immediately latching onto the later in fear.

"Apple! I . . . can't feel . . . my arm!" Ben gasped as Apple's nails dug heavily into his skin; the princess whimpered an apology and released her hold, though she didn't move an inch away from Ben.

"What are you going to do?" Apple wondered quietly. "You can't keep running forever."

"I could try." Ben joked. No one laughed.

"Apple's right, Ben. Sooner or later, the Omnitrix will lose power or you'll get caught." Raven sighed. "And I can't keep protecting you in those moments either."

Ben sighed and rubbed his temples. "I know, I know. What's Grimm's deal anyway?"

"As far as he knows, you aren't the descendant of a fairy tale character," Apple explained. "So unless someone or something else says otherwise, you're a threat to his goal of keeping the world in one piece."

"Geez, paranoid much?" Ben scoffed; Apple cringed slightly at the words. In order for her plan to work, for Ben to become her prince, for her to get her happily ever after, for the world to _not end_ , she had to get Ben use to the idea of destinies and the important role they played in keeping their world safe and balanced. She needed to get Ben open to idea that destinies were important, while making sure that he lost any connections he had to a potential lover back home; it might have sounded harsh, but saving an entire universe and countless lives were more important than someone Ben might have loved back home, right?

"Ms. Queen! Ms. White!"

Her thoughts were interrupted as Headmaster Grimm, Professor Rumpelstiltskin, and a trio of armed suits of armor with shields and swords crashed through the doors at the end of the hallway, a furious look on Grimm's face and a large shotgun in Rumpelstiltskin's hands.

"Oh, applesauce." Apple whimpered.

"I got this." Ben smirked as he tapped the Omnitrix and selected the Vaxasaurian icon. "Better to go big than to go home!" he grinned as he slammed a hand down on the waiting activation button, fully expecting the changes to begin, for him to suddenly tower over the upcoming threat and then effortlessly obliterate it; except nothing happened.

"Oh, come on! A recharge!?" Ben cried with exasperation.

"RUN!" Raven screamed; Ben didn't need to be told twice as he grabbed Apple's hand and tore down the hallway in the opposite direction as Rumpelstiltskin roared something incomprehensible and fired off his hunting riffle, missing several times and shooting out a few windows and littering the walls and floors with bullet holes as Ben, Apple, Raven fled the scene.

"AFTER THEM!" Headmaster Grimm's angry voice echoed down the hallway as the three of them ran towards the nearest door they could find, tearing it open and diving inside before slamming the door shut, only to realize that they had unwittingly landed themselves right into the Headmaster's very own office.

"Please tell me that thing is fully charged!" Apple whimpered.

"Almost . . . there!" Ben sighed with relief as the familiar glow of the holographic menu popped up; the sound of metal feet and heavy breathing from a slightly overweight man caught his attention, and he quickly directed Apple and Raven to hide behind a curtain, the two girls pressed to hide behind the same curtain as Ben selected the Tetramand icon and slammed the activation button, engulfing himself in a burst of green light as his DNA was scrambled and rearranged.

* * *

Headmaster Grimm breathed heavily as he jogged down the hallway, his belly jiggling like jello as he pumped his arms and panted as the enchanted suits of armor silently ran past him, Professor Rumpelstiltskin skittering his little legs just to keep up with them; he had to stop that . . . _demon_ from ruining all that he had worked hard for, from ruining his plans to make sure the world of Ever After stood tall and rpoud even after he was long gone and dead. He had to make the incubus was silenced and that his hypnotized victims were released so that Apple could fulfill her destiny as the next Snow White and Raven would finally get over the silly Rebel nonsense and except her fate as the next Evil Queen whether she liked it or not.

A sudden flash of bright, green light caught his attention, making him skid to a stop when he noticed that the fading light was coming under a closed door. _His_ closed door. The retched demon was in his office, invading his private space and no doubt torturing Apple and Raven with horrific sexual assaults as he waited for his chance to slip away with his victims in tow. Not if he could help it.

With an enraged roar of defiance, the Headmaster kicked open the doors to his own office with Professor Rumpelstiltskin and the three enchanted suits of armor right behind him and ready to defend their master from any harm that should come upon him; standing in the middle of the office was a tall, lean figure about a foot or so taller than the Headmaster and covered in smooth, slimy looking skin. He was roughly human-like, with dark, black hair and bangs underneath his black top hat and his blank green eyes behind the pure white mask that obscured his entire face. He wore a pure black suit with green puzzle piece patterns and had three, sharp toe claws for feet while his sharp clawed hands rested on the emerald studded cane in his hands; the ever familiar symbol of the Omnitrix rested on his left breast as the creature regarded Headmaster Grimm with a cool attitude while he munched on a carrot.

"Ehhh, what's up Headmaster?" he asked nonchalantly.

"You can't fool me, you foul, heartless demon!" Headmaster Grimm spat.

"Try lookin' in a mirror sometime, bub." the Dodgjierian smirked as he took off his hat and tossed the half-eaten carrot inside for later. "What can I do ya for?"

Professor Rumpelstiltskin growled. "You, you shape-shifting demon with your shape-shifting ways and your blowing me up! You will make an excellent trophy for my wall!" he exclaimed as he cocked and loaded his gun.

"But, doc! You don't have a license to shoot me!" the Dodgjierian pointed out. "Ya don't wanna get in trouble with the law, do you?" he scolded.

The diminutive imp paused for a second, lowering his gun slightly to think it over while Headmaster Grimm seethed. "Stop with these mind games, you heartless incubus! Surrender now and release those under your control at once, or I will be forced to use . . . force." the Headmaster finished lamely, the warning not coming out quite as threatening as he hoped as he gestured to his three, armored body guards.

"Really? All this trouble over little ol' me? Aw, you shouldn't have," the Dodgjierian said bashfully. "The name's Jigsaw, by the way."

"I don't care if your name happens to be Cottoncandy Hexbunny Mcgee! Surrender now!" Headmaster Grimm snapped angrily; Professor Rumpelstiltskin finally got over his befuddlement and fired off a warning shot, putting a hole through Jigsaw's hat much to the Dodgjierian's shock. With horror, he took the hat off of his head and examined the hole in his precious hat before narrowing his eyes and setting it back on his head, his grip on his cane tightening.

"Of course, you realize that this means war." he growled; faster than Rumpelstiltskin or Headmaster Grimm could react, the Dodgjierian lunged forward with his cane and swung it like a sword, slicing it across the three enchanted suits of armor in quite succession before bashing each one of them over the head. At first, it seemed nothing happened until the three knight's clattered loudly to the ground intp three piles of metal shards and pieces, dead.

Headmaster Grimm's face reddened with anger as steam actually escaped from his ears and formed a rolling thunder cloud around him, much to Rumpelstiltskin's surprise before the Headmaster lunged at Jigsaw with deadly intent. "Those were three of my best men!" he roared.

"If those were your best men, I don't wanna see your best woman!" Jigsaw joked as he danced out of harms way. "When's the wedding, by the way?"

"ARGH!" Grimm roared with anger as the Dodgjierian gracefully dodged another attempt by the Headmaster to be grabbed as he danced over to Grimm's desk and pulled open one of the large desk drawers before pinching his nose shut and jumping right in, the drawer snapping shut.

"Ah-HA!" Headmaster Grimm exclaimed triumphantly. "I've that screwy demon cornered!" he grinned as he motioned for Rumpelstiltskin to come over and take over; the diminutive imp complied and eagerly scurried over to the desk, prying the drawer open long enough for him to wiggle the barrel of his gun into the drawer.

"Alright, demon! I know your in there!" Rumpelstiltskin growled. "If you're not out of there with your hands up by the count of ten, I'll blast ya out!" he ordered before he began to quickly count to ten; Headmaster Grimm grinned deviously and moved a short distance away, jamming his fingers into his ears to block out the inevitable gunfire. While it would no doubt mean he would have to get a new desk, it would all be worth it in the end when the girls were safe and that blasted incubus was out of his life.

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

"Okay, demon! Now I gotcha!" Rumpelstiltskin's voice came as he slid the smoking drawer open and popped his head inside.

"Ehhh, what's up doc?"

Headmaster Grimm's eyes popped open as he whirled around to see Rumpelstiltskin and Jigsaw's heads stuck in the drawer, the former of the two not seeming the slightest bit concerned he had missed his target. "I'm hunting demons," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "It's demon season. I think." he added, scratching his head.

"Demon season, eh?" Jigsaw scratched his chin as the two of them gazed back into the depths of the smoking desk drawer. "Have any luck?" he wondered.

"Well, no. As a matter of fact, I haven't even seen a demon lately." Rumpelstiltskin said; the Headmaster could not believe what he was seeing. There, standing right next to him and talking to the little imp was none other than the very demon they were hunting, and yet Rumpelstiltskin didn't seem able to tell the difference between said demon and an average fairy tale one won't find on the street and talk with, much like they were doing now.

"This is preposterous!" he exclaimed with exasperation, storming over to the desk. "Don't you even know what an _incubus_ looks like!? _Hmmm!?_ " he wondered before pointing an accusing finger right at Jigsaw as the Dodgjierian nonchalantly munched on the carrot he had been saving for later before the Headmaster grabbed Rumpelstiltskin's gun and shoved it into his hands, confident he had managed to smooth out the small mishap.

"It's true, doc. I'm a demon, alright." Jigsaw admitted with a straight face, even though what he was exactly was far from what Grimm thought. "Would you like to shoot me now, or wait until you get home?" he offered.

"Shoot him now! Shoot him now!" Headmaster Grimm roared, at his wits end.

"You keep out of this!" Jigsaw yelled, suddenly turning on the Headmaster. "He doesn't have to shoot you now!"

Headmaster Grimm's red face got angrier and angrier with every passing second. "He does so have to shoot me now!" he snapped before turning to Rumpelstiltskin. "I _demand_ that you shoot me now!" Rumpelstiltskin blinked, not quite sure he was hearing things directly; wasn't he supposed to shoot the demon and not the Headmaster? Then again, the demon was a master of disguise and could have very well impersonated the Headmaster, demanding to be shot like the fool the Headmaster was not so he would turn on the false demon and shoot _him_ instead. Then again, if that wasn't how things were, it was better to be safe then sorry.

" _Nah!_ " Headmaster stuck out his chin with pride as Rumpelstiltskin leveled his weapon at him and pulled the trigger, a loud _bang!_ erupting from the barrel of the gun; Apple flinched involuntarily at the sound of the gun going off and whimpered, hugging Raven tightly as the witch dared a peek out from behind the curtain to find that the Headmaster was completely unharmed, save for a smoking head and his mustache completely blown off and now serving as an extra pair of bushy eyebrows. With annoyance, the Headmaster wiped the soot off of his face pulled off his mustache from his head, firmly reattaching it back to his upper lip before turning around to march right back up to a smirking Jigsaw.

"Lets run through that again." he growled.

"Okay." Jigsaw shrugged before clearing his throat. "Would you like to shoot me now or wait until you get home?" he recited.

"Shoot him now. Shoot him now." the Headmaster repeated in a monotone voice.

"You keep out of this. He doesn't have to shoot you now." Jigsaw added in the same tone of voice.

"HA! That's it! Hold it right there!" he exclaimed. "Pronoun trouble." he mumbled to himself before turning back to the Dodgjierian. "It's not 'he doesn't have to shoot _you_ now', it's 'he doesn't have to shoot _me_ now'." Headmaster Grimm corrected. "Well I say he _does_ have to shoot me now!" he yelled before turning back on an incredibly confused Rumpelstiltskin. "So shoot me now!" he demanded; Rumpelstiltskin blinked and shrugged before blasting the clearly confused Headmaster in the face again, now turning his mustache into a pair of earrings on his smoldering ears.

With an irritable growl, the Headmaster pulled the smoking remains of his mustache from his ears and set them back in their proper place before turning back to Jigsaw and opening his mouth as if he wanted to yell some very loud and colorful words at the Dodgjierian.

"Yes?" Jigsaw asked innocently, not even flinching.

Realizing that yelling at the crafty demon was not going to get himself anywhere but another painful shot in the face, the Headmaster sucked in a deep breath and calmed down, lowering his accusing arm and closing his lips. "Oh, no." he shook his head. "Not again. Sorry." he said before turning around to face Rumpelstiltskin. "This time we'll try it from the other end." he muttered.

"What's going on?" Apple murmured, her face buried deep into Raven's cleavage, not daring to look up; the witchling tried hold back the furious blush on her face and the pained yelp at the back of her throat whenever Apple absentmindedly brushed up against the scars she didn't know were there.

"I think Ben's winning." Raven whispered. "Just hang tight. With the way things are going, it should only be a few more minutes." he promised the princess, hugging her protectively and stroking her blonde curls to calm her down.

"Look, you're a hunter, right?" Headmaster Grimm sighed, pinching his brow.

"Uh . . . yes?" Rumpelstiltskin agreed.

"And you're hunting a demon, right?"

"Right!" Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"And if he was a demon, what would you do?" Jigsaw jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah, you're so smart! If I _was_ a demon, what would you do?" Headmaster Grimm huffed, triumphantly crossing his arms over his chest now that he was confident he was not going to be shot for a third time.

"Well, I'd-" Rumpelstiltskin started before he decided it would be better to show what he was going to do rather than explain it and level his weapon at the Headmaster for the third time in a row.

"Not again." Grimm whimpered before receiving another blast of gunfire to the face, his mustache now functioning as a pair of furry horns on top of his head; once again, the Headmaster wiped the soot off of his face and returned his mustache to its proper place before grabbing Rumpelstiltskin by the shoulder and dragging him over to the snickering Dodgjierian.

"For the last time, you shoot the demon, not me! Shoot the demon!" Headmaster Grimm growled.

"No way! It's Grimm season!" Jigsaw argued.

"Demon season!" Headmaster Grimm shot back.

"Grimm season!" Jigsaw shouted.

"Demon season!" Grimm protested.

"Grimm season!

"Demon season!"

"Demon season!" Jigsaw yelled with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Grimm season!" Headmaster Grimm roared.

"Demon season!" Jigsaw continued to argue.

"I say it's demon season, and I say fire!" Headmaster roared, putting an end to the argument; Professor Rumpelstiltskin blinked and attempted to figure out who to fire at before shrugging and aiming at the confident Headmaster Grimm, blasting him for the fourth time in the face and turning his mustache into a goatee, much to Grimm's annoyance.

"Lets . . . try that again." Headmaster Grimm growled at Jigsaw. " _I'll_ start it this time."

"Alright." the Dodgjierian shrugged.

"Demon season!" Headmaster Grimm growled, grabbing the barrel of Rumpelstiltskin's hunting riffle and pointing it at Jigsaw.

"Grimm season." Jigsaw smirked, pushing the barrel back towards the Headmaster.

"Demon season!" Headmaster Grimm argued, pointing the gun back at Jigsaw.

"Demon season!" the Dodgjierian grinned mischievously, now turning the gun back on himself.

"Grimm season! FIRE!" Headmaster Grimm roared, holding the barrel of the gun right at his face and earning a fifth shot from the now smoking gun; his mustache now acted like a necklace around his plump neck before he set it back into place, his temper almost at the breaking point. " _You_ start it this time." he growled at Jigsaw.

"Whatever you say." the Dodgjierian shrugged before grabbing the barrel of the gun and pointing it at himself. " _Demon._ "

"GRIMM! FIRE!" Headmaster Grimm roared, leveling the barrel of Rumpelstiltskin's gun right at his face and consequently getting himself blasted for a sixth time in a row, leaving the score Jigsaw: 6, Headmaster: 0. Not that anyone was keeping track as the Dodgjierian slipped a small chalkboard with several hash marks on one side with his name and an entirely blank side on the other back into his top hat.

"For the love of hex, just shoot him!" Headmaster Grimm roared, at his wits end.

"I would, but it looks like I don't have any bullets left." Rumpelstiltskin sighed.

"No more bullets?" Jigsaw sounded surprised. "You hear that, Grimm? No more bullets!"

"No more bullets!?" Headmaster Grimm snarled. "Lemme see that." he growled, taking the gun away from Rumpelstiltskin and peering down the long end of the barrel to see what the problem was and why he wasn't currently be victorious over the troublesome demon; the hunting riffle suddenly fired off, seemingly on its own.

"Oh, look! One bullet left!" Rumpelstiltskin remarked sheepishly.

"One bullet left?" Jigsaw gasped happily. "You hear that Grimm? No bullet-"

"Yes, I heard." Headmaster Grimm growled lowly, his face once more covered in soot and ash with his mustache nowhere to be seen; considering the way his upper lip was smoking and the smell of burnt hair however, it was most likely the mustache had been burned to a crisp after being blasted so much.

"Now, if we're done here . . ." Jigsaw smiled as he pulled his top hat off of his head and threw it on the floor. "That's all, folks!" he cackled before swan diving into the hat and disappearing into its seemingly endless depths; the hat remained on the floor for what seemed the longest time to the Headmaster before it suddenly vanished out of existence in a flash of green light. A quick check behind the seemingly noise affected curtains revealing nothing but dust bunnies.

"Um . . . Headmaster Grimm?" Rumpelstiltskin spoke up, shattering the awkward silence.

"Please, Rumpelstiltskin. Leave my presence." Grimm sighed, rubbing his aching temples. "We obviously will not catch the demon anytime soon, especially not with my current state of mind; return to your office and inform the rest of the faculty not to disturb me until tomorrow, when my headache has hopefully cleared up." he moaned.

"Are you-"

"Yes!" Headmaster shouted before sucking in a deep breath to calm his rattled nerves. "Yes. I am sure." he repeated in a much quieter tone. "Now please, leave me alone." The diminutive imp didn't dare argue and quickly scampered out of the office, leaving the exhausted Headmaster and the piles of shredded metal on the floor alone.

* * *

The halls and corridors of the boy's dormitory was dark and quite as the night, the luminous, white beams of the moonlight slipping through the windows and illuminating the bare hallways. A thin, feminine figure silently slipped through the hallway, dressed entirely in black garbs that covered everything from the neck down, letting the figure effortlessly blend in to the shadows. Blondie sucked in a deep breath as she looked around carefully to make sure that no one had seen her before she slipped a black mask over her head, stuffing her blonde locks inside as she let her eyes adjust to the darkness.

The now ninja-like Daughter of Goldie Locks quietly checked her pockets to ensure that she still had her the gift from her mother, a golden key that could fit into any key hole or lock and allow her to enter without difficulty. She breathed with relief when she felt the familiar shape in her pocket before she checked to make sure that Daring's sword was clipped to her belt; it had been rather tough to enter the prince charming's dorm without waking him, but it was worth it when she managed to borrow his blade without him waking up. With what she was about to do, she needed all the protection she could get.

Blondie's feet scrapped softly against the marble floor of the hallway as she she crept farther down and away from the dorm Daring shared with Hopper Croakington II; the sound of metal feet clanking faintly against the marble floor caught her attention and she dove into a particularly dark shadow behind a pillar built into the hallway's elaborate design, sucking her breath to reduce any sort of noise she might make as a pair of enchanted suits of armor carrying battle axes and shields marched by. She felt her heart skip a beat when the knight closest to her paused in its mindless march and slowly turned its metal head around to examine the corridor. Blondie was sure she was going to get caught before the knight finally moved on to catch up with his partner; the Daughter of Goldie Locks didn't dare move until the two metal men had vanished farther down the hall.

She released the deep breath she had been holding and gripped the hilt of Daring's sword tighter; her mission was too risky to be caught by the sudden surge in security ever since Ben had suddenly popped into the sheltered world of Ever After High, forcing the students to remain in the safety of their dorms.

All except Blondie, that is.

She was determined to get to the bottom of the sudden appearance of the incubus within their school, gather all and any necessary information about it and its shape-shifting ways. If not for her daily news report, than to save Apple and Raven from its hypnotic spell; there had been reports that the two of them had been closely associated with the morphing demon and had been seen protecting it from harm whenever it seemed to be in a kind of powered down state. If she could somehow figure out how to defeat the demon and chase it off, she would be regarded as a hero and never be doubted again!

Blondie finally came to the lair of the incubus, a simple dormitory that had once belonged to Blitzwolfer before things turned sour; oddly, no guards or knights were positioned outside to keep the horrific creature inside, but a strange, metal panel had replaced the lock and knob on all of the other dorm rooms; she cautiously approached the panel and noticed that it had a small screen and simple, red button. Without a lock to slip her magic key in, Blondie had little other choice than to press the single button and stifled a yelp when the screen in front of her blinked to life with six, glowing green rings flashing into existence one after the other on the screen.

"Please enter Omnimatrix Mutli-species Code to gain access." a computerized voice asked politely as images of dozens of bizarre and unusual images of strange creatures buzzed past her eyes, floating in a kind of card deck and waiting to be selected; in a way, it was like scrolling through the many pictures and videos Blondie had on her Mirrorpad.

With little choice left, Blondie reached with a finger to touch the screen and selected one of the strange creatures, startling when the computerized voice spoke upon again. "Talpaedan – Armodrillo." it announced.; one of the six glowing rings was filled with the image of a large, yellow, armored creature with broad shoulders, a small head, and jackhammer-like arms.

"What are these things?" Blondie wondered to herself as she chose the picture of a tall, green, plant-like creature with four, springy tentacles to walk on and a pair of leaf-like flaps on either side of its head.

"Florauna – Wildvine." the voice announced as the picture appeared in the second ring; Blondie gulped and selected the picture of another unusual creature, this one looking like nothing more than a small, blue fish with a pair of tiny legs jammed into its body. "Icthyperambuloid – Walkatrout." the computer responded, filling the in the third ring with the strange and rather funny looking creature.

"I hope I got this right." Blondie whispered as she swiped past more images of other strange creatures, pausing to look at one that looked like a fairy of sorts and another like that of a gigantic, brown, wingless dragon. She finally selected the image of a black, human-like creature with little, white dots that bared resemblance to stars marking its muscular body; Blondie decided to select this picture and watched as its image appeared in the fourth ring, leaving two more open.

"Celestialsapien – Alien X." the computer responded.

"Alien? What the hex is an alien?" Blondie wondered to herself as she selected the image of another creature similar in body structure to that of a gorilla made entirely out of colorful building blocks and massive fists; the image filled the fifth ring, leaving one last choice left.

"Segmentasapien – Bloxx." the computer recited without emotion.

"Which one next?" Blondie hummed quietly, tapping her chin in thought before she selected the image of what seemed to be a gigantic, roughly humanoid figure composed entirely out of water, an almost impossibly small head attached to the end of a long neck with a white mask marked with red and black markings covering the creature's face.

"Aguadite – Overflow." the computer said before the six selected creature;s glowed brightly and leveled out into a single row as the device hummed for a few seconds before beeping. "Access granted."

Blondie blinked; she had been guessing the whole time! She didn't think it would be _that_ easy. With a deep breath, she silently pushed the unlocked door open, wincing slightly as the wooden door creaked loudly; the sound of bed sheets rustling caught her attention and she quickly dove into the shadows, hoping her black outfit would keep her hidden and protected. Blondie breathed with relief when the noise died down and quickly climbed to her feet, rushing across the sparsely decorated dormitory to search the large, oak desk pushed up against the wall near the balcony that led outside. She quickly checked the desk drawers, mentally cursing when she found nothing at all in the empty desk; Blondie then checked the dresser, but found no such luck. After a couple more minutes of searching, she ground her teeth together. Other than a change of clothes, there was nothing useful here, nothing about the strange incubus plaguing their school or his origins!

A sudden sharp breath caught her attention and she froze on the spot, turning to where the noise had come from to see the bed covers pushed aside and a very familiar face come into view. With her plump, red lips curled into a smile and her blonde curls draping messily over her face, Apple White lay asleep on the bed with an arm hanging over the side, her breathing slow and deep. Blondie felt her breath catch in her throat when more movement caught her eye and she saw a tall, lean, muscled boy with dark brown hair, pale skin, and a strange, watch-like device strapped lying in the bed next to the princess, an arm wrapped over her protectively.

A small squeak of surprise escaped her lips; Blondie knew the moment she let her guard down she was in trouble as the boy's eyes snapped open to reveal piercing, green orbs as he quietly sat up in bed and blinked blearily into the darkness, his eyes narrowing when they set on Blondie in the middle of the room. Without a word, he crawled out of bed and slipped the covers back over Apple as he drew up to his full height and frowned deeply at her; Blondie felt herself blushing underneath her black mask when she noticed that the boy was bare chested and wearing nothing but his brown pants, exposing his well toned muscles.

"What do you want?" Ben hissed.

Blondie gulped and grabbed the hilt of Daring's sword in her trembling hands as she drew it out before her, the large, silver blade shaking in her grip. "D-Don't move! I-I-I've got a sword a-and I'm not afraid to use it!" she tried to sound threatening; Ben rolled his eyes and tapped the Omnitrix, selecting the first alien that showed up in his roster before slapping the activation button without care, swallowing himself in a flash of green light as his DNA was rearranged and changed into something new. Ben felt every fiber and cell within himself being ripped apart at the molecular, maybe even the quantum scale, becoming lose and separated; he felt a sort of darkness within himself, a vile serpent that was curling its way around his heart the dark fibers began to condense and pack back together into a somewhat more sold form. Ben watched from what seemed like a third person view as the black fibers, shadows seemed to be the more proper term, twisted and turned and molded together, forming the standard body shape for a four-legged creature, complete with four muscled legs that ended in sharp, black hooves, and a tail that consisted mostly of stray hairs, much like one would find on a horse. The sequence didn't stop there as the shadows began to form what seemed to be the head, only for Ben to discover that the fibers were morphing themselves into a muscled torso as four, thin, muscle arms formed on the chest and torso, two on either side. A somewhat human-shaped head formed on the end of a slim neck, elf-like ears forming on either side of it as a white orbs took the place of the eyes. Dark, midnight colored hair sprouted from the scalp, tightening and condensing into long, wavy black hair tied into a ponytail. Ben then felt himself get sucked back into the lifeless body as a dark green chest plate that contrasted nicely against his shadowy skin materialized on him; arm, wrist guards, and spiked shoulder pads with black stripes against dark green formed on him while a Roman style helmet with a bright green plume appeared on his head, completing the transformation as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest.

"Let me show you what happens when you disturb the shadows." Phobos hissed in a low, whispery voice that sent shivers down Blondie's spine; two pairs of long, curved blades formed in his hands with small explosions of black fire, making Blondie's weapon of choice look downright pathetic.

"I will _cut_ you a deal," the Varjoain half-joked, lowering his weapons slightly. "Leave this room now and leave me alone or . . ."

"Or what?" Blondie gulped.

"We duel. Every time you manage to strike a blow, I answer a question; if you wake up Apple however or if I defeat you, you get out of my room and never bother me again." Phobos proposed. "Do we have deal?"

The Daughter of Goldie Locks gulped and glanced between her quivering weapon and the four, dark blades that sat waiting in Phobos' hands, seeming to taunt and jeer at her for even _thinking_ of trying to even compete against them; she would have given up right then and there and left Ben and Apple alone for the rest of the night, marching back to the room she shared with Cupid to bed down for a good night's sleep, but her reporter's instincts would not allow it. She sensed the story of the century somewhere and knew that the shape-shifting incubus was the key to it. If getting information meant that she would have to risk her life and her dignity . . . so be it.

"Hit me with your best shot." Blondie tried to sound brave; the way Daring's sword quivered and jiggled as if it were made of jello however, said otherwise.

"Your funeral." Phobos seemed to smirk darkly as he absentmindedly tossed one of his sharpened blades carelessly in his hand, catching it by the blade before tossing it up to catch it by the handle before raising all four blades above his head; Blondie recognized it as a sporting gesture. He was allowing her to attack her first.

The ninja-like Blondie took the opportunity and clumsily lunged forward with Daring's sword, swinging it in a wide arch and wincing when the Varjoain effortlessly blocked with a loud clashing of two of his swords; before she knew what was happening, Phobos had reared up onto his hind legs and lashed out with his front ones, barely missing Blondie as she ducked to the ground and tried to get up under his guard, only to be blocked once more Phobos' two other swords.

"Hex." Blondie gulped nervously as Phobos pushed against her single blade and knocked her down onto her back, sending Daring's sword skidding away and far out of reach; Apple stirred slightly in the bed. The kunoichi rolled to the side just in time to avoid getting her nose broken by one of Phobos' iron hard hooves and quickly jumped up to her feet, breathing heavily as Apple fell back into slumber. The Varjoain seemed to be grinned devilishly at her as he juggled his swords between his four hands with ease, slowly stalking forward at her with his hooves clopping loudly against the floor. With her heart racing, Blondie turned around and made a mad dash for Daring's sword just as Phobos surged after her, ready to strike her in the back when she suddenly grabbed her weapon and fell onto her back, sticking the blade straight up and stabbing it clean through his withers; the two of them remained frozen there for the longest time, Blondie breathing heavily as Phobos just starred at the blade implanted within him.

"That's going to need some stitches." Phobos joked darkly as his four swords vanished back into the shadows while he reached down to grab the blade and pull it out of himself; the wound dripped dark, purple blood that hissed loudly when it touched the floor before the wound almost instantaneously by itself. "Alright, you got me. You can ask me one question." the Varjoain mumbled.

Blondie took a few minutes to catch her breath, the sword suddenly filling like molten lead in her shaky grip; she couldn't believe she had been skilled enough to even _touch_ the alien centaur, much less actually stab him with Daring's weapon. She quickly corrected herself, realizing it hadn't been skill, just more like pure, dumb _luck_. Luck that she had managed to earn a free question, luck that she hadn't woken up Apple, luck that she hadn't been injured or even killed. "What . . . what is an alien?" she asked breathlessly.

The Varjoain sighed and pinched his brow. "Oh, brother. _This_ question again." he grumbled. "In terms you would be able to understand, an alien is another being or creature from another planet in space; beyond the stars, if you will."

"Really?" Blondie marveled. "Is that what you are?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Phobos' tut-tutted, wagging his finger back and forth as if he were scolding a small child. "One question per blow." he seemed to smile. Blondie gulped with fear as she climbed to her feet and held Daring's sword out in front of her, waiting as the Varjoain summoned a different type of weapon into his hands: a large, double-ended war hammer.

The kunoichi suddenly dropped down to the ground as Phobos' spun the heavy weapon in front of him before taking a swing at her; the blow would have knocked her head clean off her body at the most, giving her a severe headache or damaged skull at the very least had she not managed to avoid it and roll across the floor in a tight ball and between the Varjoain's legs to pop up behind him, confident she would be able to get him from behind.

 _ **CLANG!**_

Blondie gasped with surprise and shock when she saw that her strike had been effortlessly blocked by a long, reptilian tail with a mace-like growth at the end tipped with razor-sharp spikes; the strange appendage had appeared out of nowhere, as if crafted by the shadows themselves, though it had suspiciously taken the place of the Varjoain's original tail.

"Bet you didn't know I could do _that_ , huh?" Phobos' smirked as he raised his new tail and slammed it into Blondie, sending flying across the room and rolling across the floor with the breath knocked out of her; Daring's weapon had once again slid out of her reach, this time sliding underneath the bed and just barely touching the tips of Apple's fingers as she peacefully slumbered.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide." Phobos gave a mouth-less grin as he raised his war hammer above his head and slammed it down onto the spot where Blondie had been moments before she had scrambled away and crawled as fast as she could to the bed, holding her breath as she reached underneath of Apple and managed to grab the hilt of Daring's sword before quickly drawing it back out to block another swing of the Varjoain's hammer.

"Looks like you're a _cut_ above the rest." Phobos joked.

"Do you always do this?" Blondie grunted as she struggled to keep her trembling arms from giving out on her.

"I won't respond until you hit me." Phobos responded.

"Then take this!" Blondie yelled, kicking her legs out and feeling the satisfying crunch as they slammed into the Varjoain's forelegs, knocking him down to the floor as Blondie popped back up to her feet and held Daring's blade at the Varjoain's throat. "Enough games. I want answers!"

" _Shhhhh_." Phobos shushed her, pointing a finger towards the bed where Apple had stirred once more; Blondie froze on the spot and didn't dare breath until the sleeping princess had settled back down, if only with a slightly concerned expression now on her face.

"Now answer me," Blondie rasped. "Who are you and why have you come here?"

Phobos rolled his eyes. "My name is Ben Tennyson. As for why I'm here, I have no idea." he answered simply.

Blondie seemed surprised at this answer; he wasn't here to drain them all of their blood, souls, organs, and other bodily fluids? Then again, he could be lying. "What are you?" she hissed, edging the sharpened edge of Daring's sword closer.

"I'm just a human boy with a special watch that lets me turn into aliens!" the Varjoain managed to say with the blade of the sword just barely touching his throat.

Blondie was now more confused than before. "Wait, so all those strange creatures on your door . . . those are aliens? And you can turn into them?"

"In a word, yes." Phobos nodded stiffly.

"I'm so confused . . ." Blondie sighed, rubbing her eyes with her hand as she lowered her weapon slightly; a bright flash of green light caught her attention, and she found that Phobos had disappeared to be replaced by the bare chested boy she had seen before. The Daughter of Goldie Locks felt a light blush creep across her face, and she was once again thankful that Ben could not see anything but her figure and her big, blue eyes.

"You room with Cupid, right?" Ben yawned.

Blondie nodded. "Why? Does she know, too?"

"She knew before I was exposed at the talent show earlier today." Ben explained. "Talk to her and she'll explain the rest; not only is it late, but I have explained this whole thing so many times that it's not even funny anymore."

"Alright . . ." Blondie agreed. "Can I just ask a few more questions first?"

"Make them quick." Ben sighed.

"What did you do to Apple?" Blondie wondered.

Ben rolled her eyes. "If this is about me being a sex demon . . ." he warned.

"No, no! Not at all!" Blondie quickly said. "I just want to get the facts straight!"

Ben narrowed his eyes at her, studying her for a few seconds before nodding. "You remind me of Spectra. You two would have gotten along well," he said. "To answer your question, she's my girlfriend. We kind of hooked up after the movie date that _you_ so rudely reported about." Ben explained with an annoyed tone. "And before you ask, I didn't put her under any kind of spell or whatever; ever since Cerise attacked her, she's been on edge and only feels completely safe Raven or me."

"So . . . you're not an incubus?" Blondie guessed.

Ben face palmed himself. " _NO!_ " he hissed.

"Good. Just wanted to be clear on that." Blondie sighed. "Before I go though . . . can I get an interview tomorrow? Sometime around lunch, perhaps?"

Ben sighed. "If it's live and it gets you out of my room faster, then yes." he agreed.

"Thank you!" Blondie smiled. "Sorry for waking you. Good night!" she apologized as she slipped out of the dorm and closed the door behind her with a soft click. Ben stood there in the middle of the room for a few minutes, starring at the spot where Blondie had been moments ago.

"Mental note: change passcode." Ben sighed. "Guess Bluckic and Driba were actually right about Cerebrocrustaceans." He was about to return to bed down with Apple at his side when the door to the dorm clicked open again; Ben was fully expecting Blondie to come back in and pester him with questions again and was fully ready to use Four Arms if he needed to before he relaxed when he saw it was only Raven. In nothing but her nightgown, too.

"Ben? What's going on?" Raven whispered and she silently stepped into the dorm. "I thought I saw Blondie leave your room a few seconds ago."

"Well, you thought right." Ben grumbled. "The girl's got a knack for picking locks, no matter how advanced they are."

Raven chuckled. "Well, her entire story basically says she does a lot of breaking and entering. It'd make since if she was trained to know how to enter places she's not supposed to be in."

"Just like Spectra." Ben smiled. "Only difference between the two of them is that Spectra's dead and can pass through walls."

Raven smiled again. "I came to check on Apple; I heard the door close and her bed was empty. This is the first place I thought she'd come." she explained, getting right down to the point as she moved over to the bed and sat down next to Apple. The witchling set a tender hand on Apple's head and gently stroked her fingers through the princess's blonde curls, noticing that her expression had softened and her posture had relaxed at her touch, much like it had been before Ben had been rudely awakened.

"She's still scared as ever." Ben sighed, sitting down next to Raven. "We can't keep this up for much longer."

"I know, I know." Raven said with disappointment in her voice. "But at this point, there's nothing we can really do but be there for Apple and provide some kind of comfort."

Ben rested his chin in his hand, thinking. It wasn't something he normally did in his spare time, but when the situation called for it he could be quite resourceful, though his ideas and plans seemed rather off-kilter than ingenious until the moment they actually worked. "I have an idea." he said. "But you're not going to like it-"

"What is it?" Raven asked without hesitation. Ben blinked with surprised but nevertheless bent over to her and whispered his plan into her ear, taking note that the witchling's eyes widened upon hearing it.

"Are you sure that's safe?" she asked.

"I'll be right there to save Apple if things go wrong." Ben promised.

"If you say so," Raven sighed as she climbed to her feet and stretched a little, giving Ben a fair look at her slim figure, before she walked out over to the balcony and quietly opened one of the doors to step out into the cool, night air; Ben silently followed her, coming to rest on the balcony railing beside her as the two of them looked up to gaze at the glowing moon overhead.

"Something wrong?" Ben spoke up after awhile.

"You could say that . . ." Raven sighed. "I'm just . . . worried."

"About what?"

"About you." Raven replied. "What happens if you get caught or expelled? What am I, what are _we_ going to do without you?" she wondered.

Ben scoffed at the idea. "Grimm's gonna have a hard time getting rid of me." he smiled. "Did you see the way I used Jigsaw on him?"

Raven giggled at the memory of watching the calm, classy, and sophisticated Headmaster Grimm reduced to nothing more than a bumbling idiot that fell for the simplest of tricks. "How did you do that anyway?" she wondered.

"Turns out Jigsaw can make others act like their in a cartoon, too. He's got some kind of gas or chemical or something that can make the even the smartest of people prone to falling for his tricks and gags. I wonder what Maddie would think when she sees him?"

"I'm pretty sure she'd fall head over heels in love with you." Raven laughed. "Especially if you like tea."

"To be fair, I didn't like tea to start out with; mostly kept to smoothies." Ben admitted. "Once I started dating Robecca though, ginger tea has become one of my favorite drinks. Still like smoothies better though."

"You talk about your ghoulfriends really fondly," Raven noted. "Do you miss them?"

"I've missed them every day and every second since I've been here." Ben replied. "I just hope they're alright; I know they can handle themselves just fine without me, but there are some things out there that even they aren't ready to face."

"Like what?" Raven wondered.

"Vilgax."

Raven was about to ask more about this 'Vilgax' that Ben spoke of, but one look at his stoic face and cold expression told her that it was probably not the best idea; with the way Ben's eye was twitching and how hard he seemed to be gritting his teeth, this Vilgax was not someone Ben was fond of in the slightest. She wisely chose to change the subject.

"So, uh, have you thought about how your ghouls will react when they hear you're dating Apple?" Raven wondered.

"Yeah. Most of them are pretty relaxed, though I might have to restrain Lilith, Nefera, Avea, and possibly Venus; they can be a tad . . . aggressive at times." Ben replied. "They are particularly fond of any human girls I know, with a few exceptions."

"Why's that?"

"Because it seems impossible to keep up with my hero duties and tend to a girlfriend at the same time," Ben answered. "Apparently, the rule doesn't apply to girls that aren't human."

Raven frowned at the mention of this. Ben had been trying his hardest to juggle his responsibilities as a hero and as a boyfriend, but it seemed no matter what he did or who he dated, it never worked out; she didn't learn the names of the girls Ben had dated or the situations they had been in together, but it seemed that all of them with the possible exception of a few never liked Ben for himself entirely; they always solely preferred his human or alien half, never the both of them. That is until he met girls that were just as freaky as he was, with horns and claws, wings and tails, bandages and vines, it seemed not even one of them were entirely human to begin with.

"It doesn't sound like you've had a lot of luck with love." Raven noted.

"Before I met my ghouls, no." Ben admitted. "But I love them and they love me, and nothing its going to stop me from returning to them in one piece."

"You sound so sure that you'll make it back." Raven remarked.

"That's because I am." Ben said.

The two of them were quiet for a while after that, simply just staring up at the night sky that yawned above them as the twinkling stars shimmered and glowed in the luminous light of the moon. A light breeze blew through the air, making Raven shiver slightly; considering she was wearing nothing but a thin night gown over her black undergarments, it was not a pleasant experience, though Ben seemed to be just fine. The young witchling found herself unconsciously leaning in closer to him, noting with satisfaction at how warm his skin was to the touch. Ben either didn't notice or didn't care at the moment.

"Can I . . . can I ask you something crazy?" Raven asked after awhile.

"Crazy became my middle name ever since I got this thing." Ben joked, holding up his Omnitrix wrist.

The witchling laughed slightly at the joke and felt her face warm up; she had always felt something whenever she was around Ben, but she had dismissed it as some kind of close friendship with him, where they were partners in the prevention of mass destruction, or even something like brother and sister. But ever since that night when she first learned his secret, that night where her fears had been tamed for the time being, that night where he had kissed her good night, that feeling had gotten warmer whenever she was around Ben. It was similar to how she had felt when she thought she had felt . . . something . . . for Dexter, but this feeling stronger, more sure it seemed. And there was that moment when Ben had turned into Bullfrag and called her beautiful . . . Ben had explained to her once that his transformations sometimes altered his personality slightly, and the Incursean form was no exception. But he always had some form of control over his alien forms . . . did that mean he thought she was beautiful, too?

"You remember earlier today at the talent show? When you turned into Bullfrag?" Raven asked. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"You know when we were at the gazebo and I thought you were the Daughter of Snow White?" Ben asked her back. "I meant every word I said. Before I actually knew whose parents were whose, you were about as beautiful, if not more than, the story described." Ben explained. "Not only that, but you are highly respected by your friends and even those you don't know, you're smart, and not afraid to fight for what you believe in; sort of like my ghoul, Frankie, now that I think about it. You would have liked her."

Raven smiled lightly. "So you're sure your ghouls would like us?"

"What do you mean 'us'?" Ben wondered; as far as he knew, Apple was the only girl he was dating in Ever After. Then again, he had a knack for attracting members of the opposite sex without meaning to.

"This." Raven smiled. She warped her arms around Ben's chest and hugged him tightly, warmth entering her body when she felt his strong arms slide around her and shield her from the chilling wind. She inhaled sharply when she felt his hands wrap around her back, fully expecting to feel a pointed spike of pain rattle throughout; it never came. Ben's touch was soft and delicate to her, as if somehow sensed that she was sensitive to touch while he carefully rested her hands on her hugged her tentatively, Not even Maddie was this gentle with her. Raven felt her eyes droop shut as a low moan escaped her lips when Ben let his hands travel up her shoulders to slowly massive the tense flesh while Raven rested her hand on his firm, yet soft chest. The young witchling felt Ben rest his chin on top of her head, running his fingers through her messy black and purple locks; Raven whimpered with pleasure as she tilted her head to softly peck Ben's chin and savor his sweet scent.

She couldn't describe how Ben smelled to her, like a combination of sweat, courage, tropical fruits, and hundreds of other scents she couldn't identify with her pathetic nose. Ben cupped her face in his hand, smiling as she rested her head against his and pressed her lips to his own, savoring the feeling as she felt an intense warmth flow throughout her body, flowing through her veins like blood as she slowly began to move her lips; Ben copied her movements, hugging her close against his body, his face warming up when he felt her breasts press into his chest while her delicate arms wrapped around his neck. She moaned into the kiss that filled her body and mind with such pleasure, furiously pressing her lips harder to Ben's to intensify the pleasure she was feeling when she suddenly felt her tongue jam past both her and Ben's lips, startling the both of them for a few seconds. Raven felt her face heat up more severely than before as Ben smiled with his eyes and suddenly touched her own tongue with his, sending a passionate shiver down Raven's spine as Ben worked her nice and slow, letting her savor every moment as they fell against the railing together; it was several more minutes before they broke away for air, Raven panting heavily as Ben held her.

"So . . ." he trailed off.

"Yeah . . ." Raven gasped awkwardly.

"How do you think Apple will react?" Ben wondered.

"Probably . . . panicked at first." Raven guessed. "She'll get over it. I hope."

"How about we save the hope for tomorrow? I'm beat." Ben yawned as he stood back up with Raven still leaning into his frame and hugging him lovingly. "Do you want to go back to your room or stay the night?"

"I think I'll . . . stay." Raven nodded. "I'm too tired to move much more."

"In that case, I can take the floor if you want." Ben offered.

Raven shook her head firmly. "Oh, no. If we want to get Apple use to this, we are not going to have her waking up to her sharing a bed with only another girl; she'll be more open to it if you're there too and not curled up in a cramped ball on the floor."

"Fair enough." Ben smiled, kissing her on the forehead. With a slight yelp of surprise, Raven was lifted off of the ground by Ben and carried off of the balcony back into the room where she was set down on the bed on the other side of Apple, leaving an open space for Ben to occupy as he crawled over the sleeping princess and settled back down on the comfy mattress, already feeling drowsy and tired.

"Good night, Ben." Raven yawned as she snuggled up to him and set her head on his chest.

"Good night, Raven." Ben smiled, wrapping an arm around Apple and pulling her closer to him; the princess reacted immediately and cuddled up to him in her sleep, resting her head on Ben's arm and wrapping an arm protectively over his chest as the covers were pulled up slightly over the three of them.

Unbeknownst to the three, sleeping teens, the door to the room softly clicked open, creaking loudly as the hinges squealed in protest; the locking mechanism on the door had been destroyed with a single swipe of one of the battle axes one of the six, magical knights were carrying. Headmaster Grimm stood at the head of the small group, a stern frown on his face as he quietly stalked into the room, his shoes clapping softly against the floor as he approached the bed and grabbed hold of the covers, yanking them back to reveal the three teens huddled together.

"Disgusting." Grimm rasped quietly to him as he held his breath and reached inside of his breast pocket to pull out a fistful of shimmering, golden powder: fairy dust mixed with ground unicorn horn. Without hesitation, the Headmaster cast the powder over Raven, Apple, and Ben, being careful to not inhale the sleep inducing drug as it settled on the three of them and was inhaled quickly into their bodies. Once he was sure they were sound asleep and would be able to sleep through a dragon attack, Grimm snapped his fingers. The six suits of armor quickly scrambled into the room, three of them grabbing one of the sleeping teens and throwing them over their shoulder while the other three tightened their grips on their weapons for safety.

"It will all be worth it." the Headmaster whispered to himself as he felt the room with the three knights trailing after him. "No one makes a fool out of Headmaster Milton Grimm."

* * *

Ben yawned and stiffened slightly, groaning as he blinked open his eyes; he felt like he had been nailed by a train driven by Jury Rigg in his sleep, considering everything was stiff and sore. His legs were like bars of gold while his arms seemed to be like hot, molten lead while his skull pounded like a bass drum. He tried to see where he was, but the light was so intense that it took what seemed an eternity of blinking just to get his eyes adjusted to the bright light. What he found was rather startling.

He was in stocks, two wooden boards stacked together on their edges with holes carved out for his head and arms to slip through, trapping and holding him in place; Ben struggled to try and find some way out of his bindings, hoping the planks were rotten or old enough to snap with ease, but it proved to be fruitless. He attempted to twist his head to the side and sighed with relief when he saw that Raven and Apple were safe and alright, albeit chained to the wooden floor by their legs with large blankets wrapped around them. Looking down at himself, Ben found he was still only wearing his pants, much like he had been the later night, which could only mean the two princesses were still in their night clothes too.

A sudden noise caught his attention and he looked up to see that he was outside in Ever After High's courtyard and stage area, with him being held and displayed on the stage like some kind of animal to the large crowd below him; the students of the school were shouting things at him, most of them negative and insulting. Daring, Hunter, and Hopper were booing at the top of their lungs as they called him out and made rude gestures with their hands, particularly Daring while Cerise seemed like she wanted to strangle Ben with her bare hands. Maddie was waving excitedly at him once she noticed he was awake, a warm tea pot in her hands while Cedar waved sheepishly to catch his attention, a light blush on her face. Blondie was at the front of the stage, snapping a few pictures of the crowd and Ben before putting her Mirrorphone away.

"Blondie! What's going on!?" Ben yelled over the roar of the angry crowd.

"I don't know!" she yelled back. "But from what I can gather, it's a trial of some kind! They still think you're an incubus hellbent on ruining all of Ever After!"

"That's insane!" Ben shouted.

"I know!" Blondie screamed over the crowd again. "I tried to post an update about what you really were, but the Wifi was out! And I was so tired! And-"

"It's not your fault, Blondie!" Ben yelled.

"But-"

"Look, if you feel that bad, then do me a favor and hit the Omnitrix! I need to get out of these things!" Ben yelled.

Blondie gulped and looked back at the crowd of angry fairy tales behind her, wondering if activating the Omnitrix and freeing Ben was worth it; when she saw Headmaster Grimm and a magical suit of armor with a black cloth draped over its head come marching down the aisle much to the crowd's delight, she knew she had little other choice. With a deep breath, she rushed at the stage and jumped up to grab the edge, hauling her up onto the wooden platform; the crowd had taken notice and started to yell again, with Headmaster Grimm and the executioner knight running faster down the aisle.

"Guards! Stop her!" Headmaster Grimm roared.

Blondie was sweating as she fumbled with the Omnitrix, trying to listen to Ben's instructions as the sound of dozens of metal feet clapping loudly against the ground pounded into her ears over the roar of the angry crowd of students; was this what Ben had to deal with every day.

"Which one do I pick!?" she shouted.

"Anything!" Ben yelled, starting to struggle against the stocks when he caught sight of the small army of enchanted suits of armor running towards him, with dozens of razor-sharp weapons ready to slice and dice and cut him in half. Blondie nodded and held her fingers down on the Omnitrix, cycling through the images of the strange creatures and aliens.

"No. No. No. Hex, what's this one?" she mumbled to herself.

"Hurry!" Ben yelled as Headmaster Grimm and the executioner climbed up on stage and charged at them, the former getting ready to tackle Blondie to the ground while the later raised its weapon above its head to kill Ben.

"Got it!" Blondie yelled as she finally selected a transformation and punched the waiting activation button just as Headmaster Grimm slammed into her and tackled her to the stage; a bright flash of green light washed over Ben's form as his DNA was changed and warped and rearranged into something new. His wrists bloated to the size of basketballs as his fingers cracked and hardened, turning into large, black claws as the blubber from his hands traveled up the length of his arms, expanding and growing and swelling to massive proportions on his shoulders; his belly suddenly exploded outwards, and it would have been funny had the situation not been so dire. His legs crunched and cracked heavily as their became shorter than before while his toes became bony and sharp, now black claws to support his growing weight on as his skin began to harden in certain areas, piling up into layers on his shoulders, back, thighs, and wrists; durable, yellow armor that could withstand the most corrosive of acids and lava now covered him protectively as his skin paled to a chrome white while the top half of him turned a pitch black. His neck ground and snapped loudly as his head was compressed into his shoulders, his mouth widening to fit appropriately over his wide face as his eyes moved farther apart. The final part of the transformation was the addition of the Omnitrix on his chest and the sudden flexibility of his spinal cord.

"Cannonbolt!" the Arburian Pelarota roared triumphantly as the stocks were reduced to splinters due to the side of his head and wrists; a collective gasp rolled over the crowd as the Arburian Pelarota blocked the incoming ax with a quick movement of his armored wrist before grabbed the blade of the weapon with his other hand and pulled the sharpened ax out of the knight's hand before throwing it over his shoulder, ignoring it as it flew through the air and embedded itself deep within the trunk of a tree. Before the helpless executioner could do anything, Cannonbolt folded up on himself and curled into a tight ball of impenetrable armor before rushing right at the suit of armor and rolling it out into metal paste.

More knights came to their master's aid with swords and pikes and lances to defend themselves from the enraged Arburian Pelarota; Cannonbolt uncurled himself and gritted his teeth before he swung a powerful arm and smacked the lead knight across the face, sending it flying into the crowd where it crashed to the ground where the sea of students had parted to avoid getting hit. The next couple of knights were dealt in a similar manner, Cannonbolt's claws leaving deep scratches through their armor before he curled up into a ball again to protect himself from the upcoming wave of knights.

It was then that Apple and Raven woke up.

At first, Apple was confused as to why she was outside, in her pajamas, wrapped up in a blanket with Raven, and in front of a crowd of people. Then she noticed the enchanted metal men attacking the strange, yellow ball a little ways off to her left; it didn't take a genius for her to figure out that the yellow ball was Ben.

"Leave him alone!" Apple screamed as she threw the blanket off of her, not caring in the slightest that the entire school could now see her red bra and panties underneath her pink nightgown when the sunlight shined through it as she ran towards the knights and tried to shove her way through the crowd of metal men; one of the knights grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and dragged her out of the crowd of armored knights, holding her tightly in a bear hug as she screamed and struggled to free herself.

A sudden blast of purple fire to the knight's face released her as the enchanted suit of armor dropped dead to the ground; Apple glanced over to see Raven standing there in her night clothes too, a furious expression on her face as glowing orbs of raw energy and magic sat in her pale palms. If Apple didn't know that they were on the same side, she would have screamed and run for cover, the look on the witchling's face was so scary.

"She said, _LEAVE HIM ALONE!_ " Raven roared at the top of her lungs, firing off a concentrated beam of raw magic and power at the knights, her expression grim and angry as the enchanted suits of armor started to melt before her very eyes, liquefying into hot pools of molten metal much to the crowd's shock and horror; Apple would have normally acted the same way had the knights not been attacking her boyfriend. Cannonbolt suddenly started to spin in a tight circle on his axis, spinning faster and faster and creating a sort of vacuum that sucked the magical suits of armor towards him and into a small tornado; Apple and Raven held onto each other, hoping their combined weight would be enough to keep them from being pulled in as they tried to their nightgowns from being pulled off as well while the knights were helpless spin around and around. A sudden beeping sound echoed out over the roar of the howling wind and the Arburian Pelarota was swiftly engulfed in a bright flash of green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned to the world, dropping the suits of armor painfully to the stage.

Before Ben could move, Headmaster Grimm had scrambled off a nearly blue in the face Blondie to sudden tackle him to the stage, wrestling with him for a few minutes and sorely loosing at first before he managed to grab Ben by both of his wrists and haul him off of the ground for the crowd to see, a furious expression on his red face; Blondie gasped for breath as Raven and Apple helped her to her feet.

"You . . ." Headmaster Grimm growled. "You have messed with my plans for the last time!" he roared.

Ben frowned and spat in his face in defiance.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't strangle you right now!" Grimm spat.

"You mean other than the fact that I could crush you into a bloody paste with one movement of my Omnitrix or the fact that Raven, Apple, and maybe even Blondie will make your life a living hell if you kill me?" Ben smirked; the two of them glared angrily at the other for what seemed an eternity, the tension between the two of them building to a frightening amount. Just when it seemed one of the two of them or the already enraged crowd would strike first, a shrill whistle echoed over the courtyard. Every head in the crowd to see a man wearing a maroon coat with some patches, orange vest, glasses, sneakers, and a pair of long, mismatched socks coming rushing down the aisle, waving his arms wildly; the man had wild, unkempt gray hair and smiling, green eyes behind his spectacles as he rushed up onto the stage and came to a stop in front Headmaster Grimm.

"What is it, Giles? Can't you see that I am in the middle of something here?" Headmaster Grimm rasped.

"Brother, put him down. He has done nothing wrong." Giles sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Done nothing wrong? Of course he has done _something_ wrong!" Grimm roared, dropping Ben to the ground; Giles slipped off his maroon coat and gave it to Ben to wear while Raven and Apple grabbed the blanket they had been previously wrapped up in to cover themselves up. "He's impersonated fairy tales, hypnotized our students, caused trouble and mischief in classes, humiliated me _multiple_ times, and gone against the way of our ancestors without care for tradition!"

Giles sighed and pinched his brow. "Milton, half of those things I know for a fact _you_ were at fault for. As for impersonating students, there is nothing wrong with disguising one's self to try something out before choosing to publicly indulge in it."

"He's still trying to destroy Ever After." Headmaster Grimm snarled lowly.

"And what makes you think that?" Giles raised an eyebrow. "Keep in mind that Raven Queen is currently taking Muse-ic, a class normally reserved for princesses and Royals; Ever After remains fully intact." Headmaster Grimm tried to come up with a half descent response but could find none and clammed up angrily, balling his hands into fists as if he wanted nothing more than to punch Ben's block clean off; the way the boy was smirking slightly was not helping.

"He still should not attend Ever After High!" Headmaster Grimm protested. "He is not even in the Storybook of Legends!"

"And how would know this, Milton?" Giles pressed. "Need I remind you that the Storybook of Legends we currently have is a _fake?_ "

"Don't remind me." Grimm growled under his breath.

"But, if you are _so_ concerned about . . . I'm sorry, I never caught your name." he apologized when he turned to Ben.

"Ben Tennyson." Ben replied casually.

"Right. If you are _so_ concerned about Ben not being a descendant of a fairy tale, then let us check the book we currently have; it may not be the one we currently have, but it still holds all of the current and dormant tales of Ever After."

"Fine." Headmaster huffed. "But when we find out he's not in the Storybook of Legends-"

"You mean _if_ he's not in the Storybook of Legends." Apple spoke up.

" _If_ he's not in the Storybook of Legends, I get to send him far, far, far, far away where I'll never have to see him ever after again!" Headmaster Grimm growled.

"Someone needs to take a chill pill." Ben remarked.

"Why, you-" Headmaster Grimm started before stopping himself from strangling Ben; he knew full well that there was no chance that Ben would _ever after_ be in the Storybook of Legends, which things would return back to the way it should have been, with students following their destinies like they should have been from the start without all this silly Rebel nonsense to cloud and poison their minds. He so busy imagining what things would be like once Ben was gone, that he barely had anytime to react before the fake Storybook of Legends came flying right at his face and slammed into his noise; Maddie giggled madly as she her top hat back on her head, Cedar noting that her aim was painfully accurate.

"Go ahead, _Tennyson_." Headmaster Grimm smirked as he set the old, leather book down on the podium in front of them. "But when you _fail,_ your rein of terror ends here!"

"Y'know, you are starting to remind of Harangue; he got turned into a slug alien." Ben threatened as he approached the podium and book, unsure of what would happen; Headmaster knew that if a key didn't appear before him, that it would prove Ben was not of fairy tale material and had no business in messing with his affairs. Unfortunately for him and to the surprise of everyone, even Ben, a key _did_ appear in a flash of green light; the key was shaped like the Omnitrix, a black disk with a sharp, green hourglass on it.

Headmaster Grimm could feel himself getting hotter in anger as Ben slowly reached for the key and curled his fingers around it, carefully inserting it into the waiting lock on the Storybook of Legends; the empty symbol on the book suddenly flashed an image of the Omnitrix on it before it magical opened by itself, the pages flying back and forth wildly as if the howling wind couldn't make up its mind. The sky began to darken as thunderclouds rolled in across the land, causing panic and hysteria among the students and staff as the four, massive mirrors that floated above the courtyard stage trembled and shuddered as they struggled to form an image. A tremendous roar shook the earth as a beam of green light suddenly shot out from the pages of the Storybook of Legends, turning the darkened sky a green hue as everyone gasped in shock and surprise; Ben turned around to look at the four mirrors, ignoring the small one that had flashed into existence in front of him as images began to traverse their way across the glass panes.

Raven gasped when she noticed that unlike everyone else during Legacy Day, where the mirrors had shown four, identical pictures of the same image, the mirrors were showing whatever destiny belonged to Ben across all four of them like a gigantic TV screen; black shapes began to form together across a green background of bubbling orbs as familiar figures began to form. They were all roughly human-like, all with a feminine figure and human-like traits as they began to appear before everyone's eyes. One was a girl with mint green skin, mismatched eyes, black and white streaked hair, and a cyan colored Omnitrix on her wrist while another was purple centaur with broad bird wings and a dark blue Omnitrix on her wrist. More and more girls flashed into existence with horns and fur, vines and gills, metal plating and sharpened fangs, all of them with Omnitrixes on their wrists before Ben suddenly flashed into existence at the head of them, standing tall and proud with his own Omnitrix raised above his head. The shapes and figures of his aliens formed around him and the odd looking girls, much to the crowd's surprise and horror as fantastic and bizarre shapes took form. But the show didn't stop there; Headmaster Grimm watched furiously as Raven and Apple suddenly appeared by Ben's side before more girls flashed into the already sizable ranks behind Ben, among them that were recognizable being Cerise Hood, Maddie Hatter, Faybelle Thorn, and even Lizzie Hearts.

More and more students and people began to appear and arrive behind Ben and the girls surrounding them, though they themselves seemed to be farther set apart; Apple easily recognized Hunter Huntsman and Ashlynn Ella, Daring Charming, Dexter Charming and C.A. Cupid, Duchess Swan and Sparrow Hood; a woman with snow white hair tipped with a venomous purple with violet eyes stood by the side of a massive, rust red fire-breathing dragon while another, human-like figure covered in periwinkle fur and black stripes stood on the other side, each and every one of them standing tall and proud, looking battle hardened and stoic as they stood near Ben and his girls. The mirrors then rotated the already large group of Ben, fairy tales, monsters, and aliens to then face the opposite side of the mirrors as more sinister shapes began to form.

Gasps radiated out through the crowd as the shapes of a large, muscled knight in shining armor formed opposite of Ben before two figures identical to each other appeared by his side with a red golem appearing next to them as a gigantic, gorilla-like monster flashed into existence behind them. Blondie watched with horror and surprise, her shaking hand barely able to hold her Mirrorphone steady enough to film the spectacle as a large, turtle-like creature appeared next to the previous monster, only for a small, hideous looking man to appear on the other side. A boy that looked nearly identical to Ben, with the exception of his blood red eyes and snow white hair appeared at the head of the group of villains as thousands of enchanted suits of armor appeared in ranks behind them, accompanied by roaring dragons and other hideous monstrosities. The final straw was when a gigantic, shadowy figure rose up behind the line up of villains, her purple eyes flashing like lightning as deafening cackling echoed through the mirrors and open air, sending shivers down everyone's spine as Headmaster Grimm watched with disbelief and horror as the world of Ever After appeared before the two parties before they suddenly rushed at each other. The imagery came to swift and sudden halt just as the two sides were about to clash; the sky became clear once more with a sudden _boom!_ and the wind dropped down to a barely noticeable breeze as the book slammed shut once more, leaving everyone in total and dead silence.

"Well . . . that was . . . something." Ben remarked.

* * *

 _Tap. Tap. Tap Scrape. Click!_

The work was grueling to say the least, forcing her to draw on massive amounts of energy that had taken years to store and gather within herself; but soon, even those reserves had dried up and she was forced to use every last ounce of strength she could muster, using it almost immediately as soon as she had it. Her work was hard and laborious, not to mention tedious. She was barely making any progress, not even a quarter of the way there as she slowly, ever so slowly picked her way at the seal that kept her in her prison.

After what seemed hours of working and only making slight progress, she decided to take a break; time, after ten years of imprisonment, meant nothing to her anymore. Hours had turned into days and days had morphed into weeks before bleeding into months and finally years. She stopped her work and rested, her strength and energy slowly returning to her as the hours ticked by, though she could only guess at what hours were now after going so long without anyway to tell time. With a sudden surge of energy, she reached out with her senses to check upon the world that had kept her locked away.

The spawn was fine, becoming as powerful as she had hoped. But there was something different about it . . . something odd that she couldn't put her finger on. She reached out further with her senses, deciding to worry about the spawn later when her senses were suddenly obliterated by a surge of power, making her mind reel from pain as she caught her breath; now that she was aware of the power there, she carefully poked and prodded at it, examining it with the greatest care. She was quite surprised when the odd power actually responded back to her, analyzing and investing her carefully, caressing her with great care. Soon, the surge of power had taken its leave and vanished from her senses, leaving her blind once more. That is, until she sensed something else just as powerful, if not more than, as her or the previous anomaly; she stretched her senses out towards, her expression darkening when she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. It was so strange and unnatural . . . almost alien in touch. She felt her strength leaving her and she closed up her senses once more to save energy, waiting a few more minutes or hours or whatever measure of time passed for her now before she returned to her long and tedious work.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

These strange entities . . . once she was free, if she could somehow locate them and subjugate them to her, make them bend to her wishes, all would go according to plan if not faster. And if they refused to swear their allegiance to her . . . she would have no problem taking their powers for her own. In fact, why even bother with trusting them in the first place? If they were as just as powerful as she was, they would not hesitate to turn on her if it gained them something, even if it was nothing more than the assurance that she would be out of the way.

Not if she could help it.

 _Tap. Tap. Scrape. Tap. Click!_

 **And there we go!**

 **Wow. I had _a lot_ I wanted to write about! And that second to last part . . . I didn't know I could write like that. I swear I had a shiver going down my undead spine. _This_ is why I was taking so long to write it. That, and life keeps getting in the way. Sometimes, I just wish I could hole up in a room with unlimited Wifi, TV, food, a bathroom, and the fastest computer the world can offer so that I can just write fanfiction for all you awesome gals and guys out there, but alas, that's not how life works; if it did, I suppose the world would no longer run. Oh, well!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love hearing from you guys!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	11. A Blitzwolfer in Sheep's Clothing

**And here we are again, monsters and fairy tales! It seems no matter I do with ya, you always come crawling back for more! Can't you take a hint? XD**

 **I'm kidding, of course. I love you guys and gals, you are the absolute greatest. I love hearing from your guys, the feedback from the chapters are awesome, and the creative and interesting ideas I hear help me keep this story going. I honestly don't know what I would do without you peeps tuning in to read, so give yourself a round of applause!**

 **In gratitude for your general awesomeness, I would like to do a shout out to _mi amigo,_ the always brilliant and amazing _Menatron the Angel of Ideas!_ This reader is, as their name implies, is a closet of ideas just full to bursting, made evident by how all of his ideas get turned into stories or used. All except one: an _Avengers/Winx Club Xover._ Now, I have no plans to write this myself (already got some other works in the works), but if you are up for the challenge, go ahead and PM them. Tell them i sent ya over.**

 **Now, I've gotten some negative feedback on Ben and Headmaster Grimm's interactions with each other, and to be honest, I am not the slightest bit disappointed; I love constructive feedback so I can better my works. So, I would like those of you who didn't like what they see to tell what they didn't like so I can try to fix this in future chapters. Much appreciated!**

 **Enough of my sniveling and blubbering! Onto your questions and reviews!**

 _ **Cloud4012 –**_ **Glad you liked it. Had this actually been an episode or something, I would have felt a shiver of awesomeness go up my spine. At least, that's what I like to think.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Yep. Jigsaw is one of the new aliens I'm throwing into the mix of things. I can't really take all the credit though;** ** _Isom_ is the one that came up with a concept good enough for to instantly love and want to write in.**

 _ **Wolfslick –**_ **Thank you. Expect to see more** ** _Looney Tunes_ references when Wonderland is involved!**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **I'm not sure I want to give the fairy tale girls Omnitrixes of their own, just to avoid a cliché. Though, I suppose it would be unfair to give the ghouls Omnitrixes and not the girls. It's something to think about.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Thank you, thank you very much.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Before you don't fall off! I hear falling out of one's seat is particularly dangerous. Especially if one is positioned on the edge of a precarious cliff over a pit of lava. Glad you loved the chapter.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Maaaaaaybe. Maaaaaaaaybe not. I don't know! XD**

 _ **Isom –**_ **The picture of Jigsaw will hopefully be up soon; with keeping up with my stories and my regular life, this doesn't leave much time for my DeviantArt account. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible. My goal is to get it posted at least a week after this has been posted.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Jigsaw will be up on my DeiviantArt account about a week after this has been posted at least; as for Phantux, I fully intend to give him some special abilities that'll set him apart from Ectonurites (one that does not include giving him legs). As for Valkrie . . . just wait and see ;)**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I was actually planning to use 'Incubus' as a funny petname for Ben, but I didn't think it was a good idea until now. I can just imagine Ben being driven crazy when his girls call him that (especially Maddie).**

 _ **.908 –**_ **The vision of Ben's destiny only gave the gist of what was to come; while all the ghouls will eventually be drawn into the whole mess, all of the Ever After girls shown are confirmed to be in the harem; this does not mean that there will not be more though (this also means that girls such as Ashlynn, who is dating Hunter, will not be in the harem. I like her too much with Hunter to break them up).**

 _ **Gosick5233 –**_ **The enchanted suits of armor are completely mindless and are only able to move around through magic; it's pretty much the equivalent of cutting down hordes of robots in** ** _Team Fortress 2: Mann vs. Machine._ Plus, Ben was Brawn at the time, and Brawn has a tendency to . . . overdo somethings, especially when someone he loves is in danger.**

 _ **Luffy1010 –**_ **thank you for the kind words. Now that you mention it, I could totally see that happening to Headmaster Grimm: it shall happen the next time Jigsaw appears. As for Josie and the Pussycats, I don't I'll be using the groovie with them, mostly it doesn't have a constant style of music like Jabberjaw did.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Yes, that was an** ** _Aladdin_ reference made by Spidermonkey. And yes, Ben will try to warn everyone but, as usual, not many people will trust him at this point. And yes, both Daring and Dexter will challenge Ben to a fight, the former for his dignity and the later for Raven; Briar will also end up in the harem, though when will not be disclosed. As for Jigsaw, I plan to have a picture of him up on DeviantArt about a week after this chapter has been posted.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Wildmutt is technically based on the Xenomorphs, but I have no problem with giving the Evil Queen Xenomorph-like monsters/demons/minions to control for her army. Again, they'll go through some modifications so they won't be pure Xenomorphs, but I like the idea enough to put in when the time comes. As for Toepick, I have never wondered for fear of being scarred for life and unable to sleep at night (he said sarcastically).**

 _ **Classic Lover –**_ **Yes, Jigsaw is an original alien made by** ** _Isom_. He will be making more appearances, which means more references to Looney Tunes whenever he rears his head (much to Headmaster Grimm's annoyance.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **I am now very terrified of you. To answer your question, I didn't list every girl you mentioned because I wanted to keep people guessing at who would fall for Ben and who wouldn't. And actually, Cerise and Faybelle were with Ben in the vision. Sorry to disappoint you with Alien X though.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Yes, Jigsaw will appear on my account on DeviantArt soon enough. As for Maddie . . . even I don't know what I have in store for her. She's that unpredictable!**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Actually, no. I just thought it would look cool. But then again, now that I gave a look back over it, I think I might been unconsciously inspired by it.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **All will be explained in due time,** ** _mi amigo._ That time is just not now.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I think Raven might have realized it. I don't know. I'll have to ask her myself.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Unknown at this time. Glad you liked Jigsaw though!**

 _ **king –**_ **Nothin'g much, doc. Just huntin' some plot lines, that's all.**

 _ **1985 –**_ **I'm sorry to say this, but Cupid will not be in the harem. Similar to how I paired Abbey and Heath together in my previous work, I want to pair Cupid with someone else (three guesses on who it'll be). I am considering on writing a one-shot with Ben and Cupid as the main couple though, just because I feel Cupid would love Ben, just not in this story.**

 _ **501st Legion –**_ **So many questions, so little time. Answers in the order you asked them: keep reading ahead; yes, it is because Headmaster Grimm believes Ben is controlling members of the female populace for his own selfish desires simply because Ben is not a fairy tale character (or is he!?); all in due time; just because she hasn't interacted with Ben before doesn't mean she won't; and very soon. And I actually picture Jigsaw laughing more like Bugs Bunny.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Trust me, things will pick up soon enough!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Actually never heard of 'Slapstick'. I mostly just based him off of** ** _Isom's_ idea of a Wonderland alien who behaved similarly to Bugs Bunny. Glad you liked him though!**

 _ **Maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Glad you loved the chapter. I really enjoyed writing Jigsaw. Now then, about the villain line up: you got nearly all of them. Only two of them are wrong (as to which ones, you'll have to keep guessing). The new heavy hitters make a lot of sense, but I'd like to point out that Way Big doesn't have to be strictly used on To'kustar (he has gone up against Malware and Trumbipulor as well). As for the upcoming brawl between Daring and Ben . . . enjoy!**

 _ **animefan –**_ **I hope your mind can be put back together again!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm sensing some hostility towards Grimm, no? XD Either way, the dragon is a definite and awesome idea that will make its way into the story at one point or another; look out, Dragoon. Your girlfriend just got ten times hotter!**

 _ **n1ght4ury –**_ **Maaaaaybe. Maaaaaaaybe not. You'll just have to see!**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **To answer your question, those are only the confirm ones. There others that will join the already massive harem, but I ain't saying who! Canon couples, such as Hunter and Ashlynn though, will remina together. And yes, Albedo has been thrown into the mess of things! This should be interesting . . .**

 _ **Da999 –**_ **I have no idea why I am not famous already. I should have my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (he declared sarcastically)! As for the poll, I took it down because I already knew what ghoul was going to make the chapter (no hints to who it is!) and yes, it** ** _is_ taking me a while to post. I'll hopefully have it posted up by tomorrow (the day after this chapter is out).**

 **Enough of my babbling. I would like to thank _Royal Rebel_ for giving me the idea to start off this chapter. I have been a little rough on Raven, haven't I? ;) I would also like to thank the always helpful _Codecrash_ for giving another idea to work with. One that involves everyone's favorite luchador alien!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onward!**

Raven blinked as she looked around at her surroundings.

She had been expecting a raging storm to be whipping around her, threatening to send her flying off into the distance never to be seen again while Headmaster Grimm continued to try and force her to sign the book as her friends were used as incentive against her with Ben helpless to help anyone, even himself. She expected to see her friends die by her hand one by one as she refused to sign the book. She expected to see Ben fighting his way to her to try and help her, never gaining or losing any ground against the dark, Forever Knights that held him bay. She even expected her mother to suddenly appear and try to kill her, waking her up in a cold sweat that would often take hours to get her to calm down long enough to fall back asleep into fruitless slumber.

What she was not expecting however, was to find herself in a sunny garden surrounded by ancient, ivy coated, stone walls. She found herself sitting underneath of an old oak tree whose leaves let in dappled amount of light through the canopy; the fresh, green grass felt cool against her bare feet and legs as bright, colorful flowers sprouted up from everywhere and filled the garden with wonder and color, not to mention delicate and beautiful butterflies.

Raven glanced over herself to find herself in a loose, purple and black dress that reached down to her knees and let her arms out into the open air; she couldn't feel anything to pin her back and shoulders into place, nothing to prevent her from moving freely and how she wanted. Looking down at her arms, she found the silvery scars that had patterned their way all over her delicate skin had vanished, gone as if they had never been there. She felt someone grab her hand and she turned to see Ben sitting next to her, a warm and kind smile on his face as he leaned against the tree with her and held her close to him; he looked more grown up than she remembered, sporting a short beard on his chin and looking more muscled and grown than before as he wore two, green gauntlet-like devices on his wrists, a white and green T-shirt, a pair of green, cargo pants, and black boots.

A sudden motion caught her eye; she and Ben weren't alone in the garden together. A little ways off and sitting under another tree together, Raven could see what appeared to be an older version of Cerise, still wearing her mother's red hood after all the years that had seemingly gone by. The only difference was that the half-breed was no longer hiding inside her cloak, having her hood down and exposing her furry, wolf ears to the world without a care as she laughed and chatted with another girl that was completely covered in dark, earthy brown fur from head to toe, sporting a full head of luscious brown locks that hid a pair of pointed ears, a pair of sharp, golden eyes, and a mouthful of fangs. At their feet were three kids playing tug o' war with an old piece of rope like excitable puppies; two of them, a girl and boy, were covered in light brown fur and sported ivy green eyes as they dug their teeth into one end of the rope and dug their heels into the earth as the third child, a little girl that couldn't have been more than maybe four years old, bit into the other end of the rope, easily outmatching her siblings in the game. She wore a small, red hood had had midnight black hair with a brown and white streak on one side, her entire body covered in a light coating of brown hair that could have been easily mistaken for a tanned skin tone.

Sitting around a large toadstool as if it were a table not too far away from where Raven and Ben were sitting was what appeared to be Maddie, older and still crazy as ever; the Hatter now wore a large, bright blue hat on her head that occasionally slid down over her eyes much to the delight of the two little girls sitting on mushrooms as if they were chairs. They both had wild, untamed hair the colors of blue and purple with bright, green eyes that filled to the brim with wonder and insanity as they sipped on their sippy cups filled with tea. A sudden flash of light put the small tea party on hold as a pair of pearly white teeth flashed into existence on an empty toadstool before the rest of Kitty Cheshire appeared, now sporting a pair of cat-like ears underneath her perwinkle curls and a long, feline tail that flickered back and forth as she held a small bundle in her arms with her ever cheeky smile plastered to her face; the bundle squirmed and protested for a few seconds before Raven was able to get a glimpse of a small boy with mischievous, lavender eyes and dark, brown hair and fur.

Strung between two more trees and lying happily in a hammock was Briar, still sleepy as ever as her wild, brown curls draped over the edge of the sling as it gently rocked back and forth in the breeze, nodding the princess off to sleep; the little girl in her hands that had vibrant green eyes, nearly white skin like Raven's, and short, brown hair felt the same way, cuddling up closer to her mother as she held the hand of another little girl perhaps a few years younger than her. The little girl had pasty, gray skin and twilight blue and pastel green locks with several purple streaks and wore a pajama-like dress as she she held a teddy bear tightly in her arm while sucking on her thumb with the other hand; a woman with light, gray skin, a similar hair color and style, a black, leather suit, and an eye patch over her left eye sat on a stump nearby in the shade of the trees, reading a book.

"Do you have any sevens?" a mischievous voice purred.

"Off with your head!" a small voice squeaked.

"Just like mother." Raven heard Lizzie smile proudly. A quick turn of her head and she found the Queen of Hearts sitting at another gigantic mushroom with a deck of cards in her hands; she wore a short, black and gold skirt and black leggings with red diamonds and clubs while royal red robes trimmed with gold hooked around her neck and shoulders. An impressive, gold crown decorated with ruby hearts and glittering, black diamonds sat on her head with black gloves on her arms and white ruffles just above her wrists. Sitting next to the queen on another toadstool was a little girl with pale skin, bright red hair with a single, black streak through her hair, and a large black diamond over the right side of her face, highlighting her bright, green eyes and small, red dress as she waved her hand of cards around in the air.

Sitting across from the queen and princess was an adult version of Faybelle; the fairy had pale, gray skin and long, luscious, blonde and blue locks that draped over her shoulders and down her back as a pair of curved horns grew out of her skull and a pair of large, black bird wings wrapped around herself like a blanket in the place of where her original fairy wings would have been. She wore a dress that was a wild collage of blues and blacks with a pair of black leggings in addition to the large, wooden staff tipped with a large eagle's claws holding a dull, orange orb in its grip; her belly was well swollen, as if she had swallowed a basketball and was still digesting it.

A sudden rustling of leaves caught Raven's attention, and she glanced up into the tree to see three figures sitting in the branches above her and Ben; the first was a woman with pale, green skin and bright pink lips that allowed several fangs to curve up and down over her plump lips at seemingly random points. She had neon green and pink hair on her head that was shaved off on one side and swept over the other, an odd look in Raven's opinion; in a way, it reminded her of Hunter. She wore a pair of bright, pink boots with multiple straps and buckles that reached up to her knees, the fronts of which seemed have massive teeth that dripped saliva and occasionally growled whenever a butterfly fluttered too close; sitting on her shoulder was a creature about the size of a monkey with tentacle-like roots and a football-shaped head filled with razor-sharp teeth and small, cute eyes. Settled comfortably in the woman's lap was a small boy with his thumb in his mouth as he cuddled something tightly to his chest, a second, smaller plant creature it seemed. The little boy had a somewhat wilted looked compared to what Raven could only guess to be his mom and had surprisingly sharp, blue eyes unlike nearly all of the other children Raven had seen; his hair was bright pink and his expression tired yet curious as he watched a pair of colorful butterflies dance in front of his face.

The second figure was a human girl with dark, brown skin in the same tone as the ancient tree she was currently sitting in, her skin so smooth Raven almost mistook it for wood; it wasn't until the witch noticed the bubbly, hazel eyes and purple streaks in the woman's wavy, chocolate brown hair that she realized it was in fact Cedar sitting in the tree as a real girl. She now wore a pair of bold purple pants with random, yellow and pink paint splatters and a loose, white T-shirt with a purple vest over it; sitting on Cedar's shoulder was a bronze, clockwork bird that nuzzled its head lovingly against her cheek every now and again.

The third figure, like the first, Raven didn't recognize. This was mostly due to the fact however, that the figure never seemed to hold the same shape more than once, constantly morphing into something different every few seconds as it lay sprawled out on the branch next to the green skinned girl, asleep; the woman didn't seem to notice or care about the strange entity resting its head in her lap as it changed in a sleek, purple stained jaguar before smoothly turning into a violet orangutan and then morphing into a lavender colored iguana, after which it finally turned into a shape that Raven recognized; it was a woman with light, purple skin and wild, untamed hair the color of black, purple, and dark pink and reached down to her waist, like that of the jungle shadows at dusk. She wore a purple skirt that bared resemblance to long grass or shaggy fur and a red top covered in faint, fern designs and with feathered shoulders. Clinging tightly to her back and equally as tired was a small, baby girl with pale, purple skin and black locks with a single, brown streak that couldn't have been more a couple months old at most, her grip tight and stuck fast to her mother's back, even all the way up in the treetops.

A happy giggling caught Raven's attention and she looked to see a little girl with hair as brown as earth, eyes as blue as the sea, and skin as white as snow come racing by in a red dress and a small, golden crown, the little girl giggling happily before she was suddenly scooped by a pair of equally pale arms and cuddled close to what Raven assumed to be an older version of Apple; the princess, now queen, had grown her golden locks out a little more, allowing them to reach as low as her waist while she wore a more casual version of her royal robes to allow her more mobility to play around with her child.

A low moan caught the two girls attention, and they startled as two pasty figures suddenly phased up from under the ground, moaning loudly and rattling their chains in a frightening manner before bursting out into fits of laughter and small giggles. The first was a tall woman with shimmering and wavering white skin that gave off a faint, purple glow as she laughed with her dark, purple lips and lavender eyes. She had deep, indigo locks that seemed to float as freely as she did off of the ground and wore a black and purple jumpsuit with chains wrapped around her legs, waist, and wrist. The little girl next to her had translucent skin as well, but her eyes were a vibrant, familiar green and her terra-twist hair was a light brown in color. Her image seemed to flicker a little between becoming invisible and staying solid, as if she couldn't make up her mind while she wore a white dress with black, silk trimming and a pair of black boots with multiple straps that reached up to her knees.

More laughter caught her attention and she watched as four figures entered the garden; the first was a tall woman with mint green skin, bolts that crackled with electricity jammed into her neck, stitches that arched their way across her body, mismatched eyes, and black and white streaked hair, a kind and cheery smile on her plump pink lips as she waved at Ben and Raven and went off to join in the card game Faybelle and Lizzie were currently loosing horribly at to Lizzie's daughter, much to her delight.

The other two seemed to be twins between the ages of four and five; the first was a boy with tanned skin, sharp, violet eyes, and hair as black as raven feathers. He wore a loose, black T-shirt with the purple symbol of a cawing raven on the front and a pair of brown pants as he ran eagerly towards Raven and Ben. His sister however, had frighteningly pale skin, soft, green eyes, and long hair that reached past her shoulders, half of which was a dull brown while the half was a dark purple in color; she wore a purple shirt and black skirt over black leggings as she bare foot through the cool grass, giggling happily at the pure, black, dog-sized dragon that scampered happily around their feet.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the little girl waved excitedly before she and her brother rushed over to Raven and Ben and slammed into them with as much force as they could muster, tackling the two of them to the ground in a fit of giggles. "Come play with us!" the girl begged.

"Please?" the boy added in a pleading tone.

Raven felt herself blinking back tears as she looked at the little girl within her grasp, holding onto her with unconditional love and affection and those big, green eyes; without hesitation, the witch wrapped her arms around the girl that she knew could only be her daughter and hugged her close, tears of joy starting to run from her eyes when she felt the little girl return the hug without pause.

* * *

Raven awoke with a slow start, her eyes blinking open lazily and drinking in the warm sunlight that gazed in through the window; she drew in a sharp breath and stretched a little without moving the covers or disturbing the sheets before settling back down, her mind going back over the wonderlandiful dream she had just had. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, she had experienced true happiness, even if it was only in a dream. The young witchling wanted to shed tears of joy, knowing full well that it would never happen, but she could always cry in her dreams; she wanted to cry at the wonderlandiful thought of her choice of turning Rebel paying off in the end, with everyone being able to follow their stories how they wanted to. Apple had still ended up getting her destiny and accepting that choosing not to follow ones' story was just as fulfilling as following it, Cerise had been able to come out from her under her hood without fear of being judged for her heritage, and even Maddie's wild and crazy personality had been excepted without concern.

"Morning, beautiful."

Raven blushed at the name and snuggled deeper into Ben's chest, a warm feeling sending a tingling sensation throughout her entire body as she reached her a hand to slip her fingers into Ben's and grasp it tightly; she held it like that for a few seconds before taking Ben's hand and setting it upon her left breast, pressing it deep and close to her chest as Ben turned a deep red.

"What are you-" he started.

"Just listen." Raven whispered. Ben did as he was told, not daring to even twitch his fingers in such a position as his ears picked up a dull _thump thump!_ as his hand sensed a small, pulsing motion beneath Raven's soft skin; her throbbing heart. "It beats faster when you're near it." Raven smiled, her cheeks still a rosy red.

"I love you, too." Ben smiled, pecking Raven on the head. "When do you think we should tell Apple?" he wondered, nodding to the other princess that was peacefully sleeping next to him in his bed, oblivious to the fact that Raven had slipped beneath the covers with them in the middle of the night.

"It's better to tell her sooner than later." Raven suggested. "She'll be far more accepting of it if its quick, kind of like taking off a bandage."

"You think she'll be open to the idea?" Ben asked.

"In all honesty? Probably not." Raven admitted with a sheepish smile on her lips before she rested her head in the crook of Ben's neck. "But I'm not taking no for an answer." she sighed; Apple stirred slightly in her sleep before her blue eyes fluttered open, a pleasant smile crossing her face. "And I guess there's no time like now." the witchling noted.

"Good morning, Ben." Apple yawned as she sat up in bed and stretched slightly. "Morning, Raven."

Ben raised an eyebrow and looked to Raven for an answer, only to see the witchling holding up three fingers. Two. One.

It was then that Apple realized something was amiss. "Raven? What . . . what are you doing here?" she gaped, flabbergasted. "In Ben's room? In Ben's bed? With me? And with Ben?"

"So many questions, so little time." Ben sighed as he sat up and scooted to the edge of the mattress. "If neither of you two don't want the first shower, I'll just leave you two to talk." he said quickly before grabbing his T-shirt and scurrying into the private bathroom his dorm offered, making a mental note to buy a second change of clothes soon.

"What's going on, Raven?" Apple asked her roommate and friend for an explanation.

Raven winced at seeing those big, innocent, pleading eyes that Apple always seemed to flash without knowing it, but decided to remain firm and not crack underneath the pressure; the last thing she wanted to do was make the situation worse by lying. She wasn't quite sure what Cedar saw in lying, but it was definitely something the witchling did not want to get involved in if she couldn't help it. "Apple . . . I'm going to be completely honest with you," Raven sighed, knowing this was not going to end well. "I . . . I like Ben . . . a lot." she began. "And . . . he likes me, too. We actually being an official couple before . . . . you know, Headmaster Grimm tried to execute Ben. A little dramatic, if you ask me." she added quietly./

As expected, Apple was stunned and remained quiet for what seemed the longest time to Raven; she could hear the water in the bathroom come to a stop, signaling Ben was almost done with his shower. The witchling hoped in the name of the ancestors that Apple would decided to stay calm and not freak out like she normally did, a fine example being Blondie's most recent report. Eventually, the princess spoke up and it was thankfully in a calm and collective tone.

"Y-you . . . you love each other?" Apple croaked in a hoarse tone; Raven could tell she was on the verge of tears and quickly pulled the princess into a small hug, rubbing her delicate hands on her back.

"Yes, we do." Raven told her. "But Ben still loves you, too. Has he ever stopped showing affection for you sense you shared that kiss after the Multi-Hex Incident?"

"No . . ." Apple sniffed, forcing her tears of betrayal to stay put; she would not allow herself to be turned back into the sobbing mess she had become after Cerise's attack. That had been out of pure terror and an inability to understand why she had been attacked for a reason she was not aware of. She would not allow herself to be turned into another crying mess again, not if she could help it. "B-But . . . what will everyone else think?"

"Ben's told you he already has multiple girlfriends back home, right?" Raven suggested. "Most people will shrug it off as him not knowing any better before they begin to accept it. And if Headmaster Grimm has anything to say about it, Ben will make sure nothing happens to me _or_ you. I've only known him for a couple of weeks now, and I already know he isn't one to give up on things easily, and that includes us." Raven reassured her.

Apple nodded in agreement, though she wasn't entirely aware that she was doing it. The princess was still mostly trying to wrap her head around the fact that Raven, her roommate, frenemy, and future arch enemy, had fallen in love with the same prince charming that had captured Apple's eye. It were as if the witchling were trying to make the already invisible target on her back all the bigger and more obvious by falling in love with a hero when she was to play the villain of her story; the princess had worried that something like this would happen, but she never thought it would happen so soon and so quickly. If her plan to isolate Ben for herself alone was going to work, she needed to act calm and collective; but on the plus side that her plan didn't work, she could at least be confident in the fact that she was sharing Ben with her friends and not some horrifying monsters that were no doubt just fattening Ben up to eat him in his sleep.

"I . . . suppose you're right." Apple agreed after a few minutes.

Raven blinked; that had been far easier than she had thought. Normally, Apple would have fought and argued that following ones' destiny was the right thing to do, even if one was not satisfied with it. At first, the witchling suspected the princess was up to something crafty, but then again Apple had been raised to be the most honest and fairest princess of them all, meaning she didn't have a single, scheming bone in her body. Right?

"So, I take it things have been worked out?" Ben asked as he walked out of the bathroom with a head of wet hair and a soaked T-shirt slung over his shoulder. "And before you ask, there weren't any towels." he added when he caught sight of both girls staring at him with red faces.

"Y-Yeah, everything's alright." Apple reassured Ben with a red face, trying not to stare at Ben's fit physic and wet muscles; Raven seemed to be handling things far better than the princess, though her face was just as red. "We should p-probably get going." Apple added.

"Yep!" Raven quickly agreed. "We'll see you at your interview with Blondie." she added as she quickly got up from the bed.

"Still can't believe Grimm fainted after that whole Storybook of Legends thing." Ben chuckled slightly; immediately after the slightly overweight Headmaster had fainted, all classes had been called off for the rest of the day due to Headmaster Grimm not being able to operate and function around school. That, and Giles had sensed an air of unease and overall overwhelming stress among the already shaken up student body and decided that everyone could use the day off to try and calm themselves down. In Ben's case, this had been spent trying to avoid stares thrown his way and catch up sleeping (waking up in old, wooden stocks was not a recommended way to catch a good nights sleep); Blondie herself had postponed the interview with Ben to work on her latest news post about none other than the very events that had gotten her the day off.

"See you later, _Incubus_." Apple giggled as she kissed Ben on the cheek.

"Stop calling me that!" Ben exclaimed.

"We'll stop calling you that when it stops being funny." Raven smiled, kissing Ben on the other cheek as she followed Apple out of Ben's dorm, hopefully before any of the other boys woke up and saw them in their pajamas. " _Incubus._ " the witch added with a devious smirk before leaving.

"AAAAAGH!"

* * *

Blondie bit her lip nervously as she scrolled through the notes she had made on her Mirrorpad, hoping to hex that she would remember to hit all the key points and ask all the important questions that she. and her audience no doubt, were wondering. This was perhaps and by far the most important show she was about to report to the student body of Ever After High in all of her career; she could only hope that nothing went wrong.

"Are you alright, Blondie?" Dexter asked with concern as he made some final adjustments to the camera; a quick thumbs up from Humphrey Dumpty, a boy with skin as pale as an eggshell and just as fragile, signaled that everything was set and ready to go. All they needed was their guest to arrive. The Son of Prince Charming wasn't quite sure how he felt about Ben; on one hand, he found the short time he had spent with the shape-shifter on stage in front of the entire school with _Raven_ to be one of the best experiences of his life so far. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he could fully trust him yet, considering how he had lied to everyone and hid himself away behind his transformations. The other members of their small band, Maddie and Melody felt similarly, though the Hatter semed to have somehow known beforehand.

"Yes . . . yes, I'm fine, Dexter." Blondie took a deep breath. "I'm just . . . nervous."

Dexter blinked. "You? Nervous?" he gaped. The very idea sounded preposterous.

"I know right?" Blondie laughed nervously. "It's just . . . this is the highest point of my career. I've never reported a story so . . . _big_."

"You think this is big, you should see me as a To'kustar. RAWK!"

The small news crew turned their heads towards the nearest window to see a roughly human-sized creature covered in rust red plating and having the head of something that looked like a large bird of some kind, save for the way the beak was serrated like teeth; the creature had a short crest thrusting out of the back of its head and a pair of antennae-like feathers growing out of his skull while it wore a pair of green and black overalls with green finger-less and toe-less boots and gloves. A pair of large, retractable wings grew out of the creatures back while a familiar symbol sat on its left shoulder.

"Ben? Is that you?" Blondie sighed with relief.

"RAWK! Do you know any other people that can turn into Astrodactyl?" the pterosaur-like alien squawked as he flew in through the window and alighted down on the floor before the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and returned Ben to the world. "Hope I'm not too late?"

"Right on time, actually." Blondie smiled eagerly.

"That's a relief. Lets get this over with," Ben sighed. "I haven't had lunch yet."

"Hat-tastic!" Blondie smiled as she grabbed Ben by the shoulder and rushed him over in front of the camera and practically threw him onto the plush couch set up in the small studio that took up a significant amount of the Mirrorlab's space; other than the couch that Ben was now lying face down on, there were a couple of potted plants to add a more homey feel to it, a large desk for Blondie to sit at and question her guests, and a large window that overlooked the school grounds and made the studio look bright and vibrant when things were "just right", as Blondie often put it.

"So, what do I do?" Ben asked.

"You just sit there and answer questions, duh." Humphrey scoffed from behind Dexter while he was fiddling with some wires cords inside the main computer. "I would think even _you_ would be able to do that."

"Don't mind Humphrey, Ben." Dexter defend the Son of Humpty Dumpty. "He's got his crown on too tight."

"Sure. _That's_ the problem." Humphrey rolled his eyes before returning to his work. "Before you begin, Dex, send Ashlynn a hext; I think we got another dragonfly infestation."

"Noted." the Son of Prince Charming nodded before returning his attention to the camera. "And we're live in five, four, three, two . . ." Dexter listed off before holding up a single finger giving a thumbs up to signal that they were rolling.

"Good afternoon, Ever After High!" Blondie began cheerily. "We're coming to you live from our studio to give you a special report! Now, I'm sure every one ever after has heard about our latest student and that every one is simply dying to know more about him. So I have taken the liberty of securing an interview with him which, let me just say, was not an easy task." she chuckled nervously. "Please give a warm round of applause for Ben Tennyson!"

* * *

Cerise most certainly did not want to give Ben Tennyson a warm round of applause.

Currently, the half-breed was sitting by herself at one of the tables towards the back of the Castleteria where the light from bright sun didn't reach as far, casting the corners in dim shadows; Cerise bit viciously into a hunk of mutton, tearing off the meat with a quick motion of her head and angrily chewing as she watched Blondie on one of the large TV screens hung on the Castleteria walls that were normally used to keep students updated about school events when Blondie wasn't using it for propaganda reasons.

"Hey, Cerise!"

The Riding Hood rolled her eyes up to see Cedar standing in front of her with a bright, innocent smile on her wooden face; Cerise felt her stone glare soften slightly upon setting it on the wooden puppet, knowing she didn't deserve an accidental hit of the searing rage that growing in the pit of her stomach. "What's upon-ing, Cedar?" she asked with forced kindness, trying to act descent around her roommate.

"Nothing much." the puppet shrugged as she set her tray of food down on the table in front of her and took the seat next to Cerise; the half-breed mentally cringed, trying to keep her temper in check for Cedar's sake. "I hear Blondie got an interview with the new kid. What was his name again?" she wondered.

"Ben Tennyson." Cerise growled, tearing off another hunk of meat to hide the low growl in her throat.

"Oh, right!" Cedar laughed. "I forgot." she said before she noticed the view on the Tv screen suddenly switch to Ben sitting comfortably on a plush sofa in the Mirrorlab's news set; her face turned a light red in color when she caught sight of his charming smile and bright, green eyes. If Cedar didn't know any better, she would have mistaken Ben for being related to Daring, who was currently trying not to throw his lunch out the window in anger. "Ooh, I can not tell a lie! He's so hot!" Cedar gushed excitedly.

"Yeah, hot as dragon fire." Cerise rolled her eyes.

"So, Ben. Lets get down to business, shall we?" Blondie suggested.

"Music to my ears." Ben sighed, shifting his body posture to lay his arms across the back of the couch and rest his left leg over his right. "What do you wanna know?"

"What exactly are you?" Blondie began. "I know you and I had a talk not so long ago, but I feel that the rest of the school would feel better and somewhat . . . safer . . . knowing what they were dealing with."

"I suppose that's fair. Can't really blame them for being paranoid," Ben shrugged. "Just to make things clear, I am _not_ an incubus. Just because girls find me attractive, doesn't mean I'm a sex demon. In fact, _why_ hasn't anyone accused _Daring_ of being an incubus, huh? Why's it gotta be the new guy with the watch that lets him turn into aliens!?" he wondered sarcastically, drawing a small smile out of Blondie.

"Speaking of your watch, I'm sure our audience is quite curious to know what it is. Care to explain?" the Daughter of Goldie Locks asked.

"Gladly," Ben nodded as he held his left wrist up to the camera. "This device is called the Omnitrix. It basically lets me turn into hundreds of alien heroes, each with their unique powers and abilities that I use to kick the bad guys' butt." he explained with a hint of mirth in his voice.

"Could we possibly see a demonstration? A form you haven't shown us before?" Blondie asked hopefully.

"Maybe later." Ben said, lowering his wrist. "Any other questions?"

"Well, I suppose there's no use in rereading the chapter," Blondie shrugged. "I'm sure everyone is curious to know . . . what story do you belong to? Your destiny . . . it's quite unlike anything I've ever seen." the blonde admitted.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a good idea at what's going to happen, but I can tell you who everyone is." Ben said; Blondie nodded and signaled Dexter to pull up the recording she had managed to capture on her Mirrorphone despite her shaky hands.

"What about these knights?" Blondie asked as she held up her Mirrorpad with the same recording paused and zoomed in on the image of a large, burly man clad in metal armor, two identical knights, a blood red golem, and a gigantic, ape-like creature that seemed more likely to go on a rampage than be dressed in royal robes.

"Those are the Forever Knights, enemies of mine from back home," Ben explained. "You can imagine the most racist person you know and then multiple that by ten, you have these guys; they will hunt down and kill _anything_ that they deem to be supernatural or alien in origin; monsters, giants, witches, talking animals, unicorns, fairies, griffins, possessed puppets, and especially aliens or dragons. Don't get me started on dragons . . ."

"They sound . . . horrible." Blondie gulped; she had been raised to believe that all knights were honorable, kind, and courageous guardians of the innocent that always fought for what was right and never stopped until every possible wrong had been righted for the greater good. To be told that such terrifying men existed . . . it frightened her, especially now that she would no longer be able to look at the enchanted suits of armor that patrolled the hallways of their school ever after again.

"And that's not the worst part," Ben grimaced. "They're here in Ever After."

The news was like a bomb going off in the Castleteria; the majority of the magic and animal born fairy tales, such as the Three Little Pigs,Tiny, and even Duchess Swan were shouting and talking in loud and panicked tones. Cerise herself had experienced the knight's first hand and knew full well that they would not take kindly to such a monstrosity as her, with her wild, wolf blood running through her veins and forcing her into hiding.

"What about this one?" Blondie asked, sliding the image to the side to focus on the image of the ugly looking man that had appeared beside ferocious looking gorilla monster; the man was dress in a dark purple suit with metal gauntlets and boots adorning his hands and feet, multiple black straps criss-crossing over his chest and waist and making it look like he was wearing a specialized straitjacket of sorts. The man's face was hideous and deformed, a dull gray in color with a few, greasy hairs left on his nearly bald head, wild and hungry eyes, and a few teeth missing from his mouth as he seemed to be looking at something with great lust.

"Him? I think is name is . . . Blacksun or something." Ben guessed. "I normally only remember the really bad villains."

"Alright . . ." Blondie hummed, taking the Mirrorpad and moving the picture around to focus on another one of the villains in the line up; the creature looked like a gigantic, bipedal turtle with a nicked shell, clawed feet, muscled flippers tipped with razor-sharp claws, and spikes around his flaming head that crackled with purple fire. He wore a blood red loincloth with a bull's skull acting as a belt buckle and red bands trimmed in gold on his upper arms, a dark and vile glare on his face.

"To be honest, I forgot." Ben admittedly sheepishly.

Blondie frowned and turned the Mirrorpad away from Ben, sliding through the images of the rest of the villain line up, hoping that Ben would be able to at least remember the names of his other adversaries; she finally settled on one that she hadn't noticed before and turned it towards Ben, noticing with slight glee that he flinched upon seeing the image of an almost human looking villain with long, black locks, four fleshy growths protruding out of his skull, and dark, sinister rings under his blood red eyes. He was bare chested and wore a large, brown coat with multiple pockets and a black sash across his bare chest, a pair of baggy, blue pants, and black boots with several straps and buckles while he held a long, spear-like weapon in his grip, a stern look on his face.

"Aggregor . . ." Ben practically whispered.

"You . . . know him?" Blondie blinked.

"Know him? He nearly succeeded in taking over the universe and recreating it in his own image before I stopped him; and it wasn't even me that stopped him." Ben shivered as dark, terrifying memories came haunting back to him; while the Osmosian didn't frighten him as much as Zs'Skayr did or anger him like Vilgax was fully capable of, Aggregor was dangerous and terrifying in his own right, almost effortlessly able to combat against anything the combined efforts of Ben, Gwen, and Kevin had thrown at him before hurling it right back twice as hard and without mercy.

"Uh . . ." Blondie hurriedly panned through the stilled video, trying to something, anything to continue the conversation with; having ones' guest star suddenly seize up in terror was not very good for ratings or image, prompting Blondie to thank the ancestors when she found something to move the interview along with.

"I don't know which is worse," Cedar gulped, nervously drumming her fingers against the table as multiple, scared conversations rustled across the Castleteria, fear instilled in nearly every voice the wooden puppet caught a hold. "Those Forever Knights or this Aggregor guy."

"Pfft. Probably all bark, no bite." Cerise scoffed as she stripped her mutton to the bone and began to work on her second leg, trying to hold back the scalding and hurtful remarks swirling around in the back of her head.

"I'm not so sure . . ." Cedar trailed off, her eyes flickering up to the screen to take note of the latest picture there. A boy that bared a striking resemblance to Ben was plastered on the screen, his hair a bone white and his eyes a startling red in color as they glared at the opposing enemy with a calculating, confident look; he wore a black shirt and red jacket with black stripes of which a backwards, number ten was placed over his right side, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. A red, wristwatch device was attached to his right palm, a sinister and dark smirk on his face.

"Albedo." Ben snarled. "One my many arch nemeses. He was originally a Galvan that created his own version of my Omnitrix, believing a human to be too stupid to wield it; ironic, once you consider that he synced his Omnitrix to mine, making my DNA the default and turning him into a duplicate of me." he chuckled slightly. "Long story short, he's been trying to get revenge on me for apparently doing to him when it was his own fault and making him like chilly fries so much." Ben rolled his eyes.

"So, he's not a dangerous threat?" Blondie cocked an eyebrow.

"Actually, he's very dangerous." Ben corrected. "That Omnitrix strapped to him is no ordinary Omnitrix; it lets him upgrade his aliens into their evolved versions, a sort of ultimate stage that makes them stronger and better than their original versions. Meaning I'm at a disadvantage whenever I face him." Ben frowned.

"Oh, ancestors . . ." Blondie gulped.

"Yep." Ben nodded. "Fortunately, only the Forever Knights have shown up so far, and they're actually kinda pathetic." Ben admitted with a slight chuckle. "I can't tell you how many times I've beaten them with my Omnitrix dialing arm behind my back."

"That's a relief." Blondie sighed happily.

"Yeah, don't worry your pretty, little head." Ben joked; Blondie laughed along, but couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment.

"Speaking of pretty, how things with you and Apple White?" Blondie asked; Cerise felt like she was going to gag and throw up every last hunk of mutton she had eaten if the interview continued down that road, but there didn't seem to be any sign of Blondie stopping. "Word has it that while things have been rather rough to start off, you two are a rather cute couple."

"Yeah, I love her," Ben nodded. "Raven, too."

Blondie blinked and paused, not expecting that answer in the slightest. "I'm sorry, but what did you say?" she asked. "I'm not sure I heard you just right."

"I said that I love both Apple and Raven." Ben repeated.

"You . . . like Raven . . . Queen?" Blondie blinked.

"Sure, why not? She's brave, smart, absolutely gorgeous to look at, and she isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in," Ben explained. "Plus, she plays a mean guitar, too."

"And . . . Apple is okay with this?" Blondie pressed.

Ben nodded. "She found out earlier today and explained the whole situation to her. Admittedly, it took some convincing, but she was okay with it in the end. She doesn't seem to mind the fact that I have seventeen other girlfriends back home either." Ben added; it was then that the camera angle suddenly shifted dramatically, turning the image of a stunned Blondie on its side, as if the cameraman had suddenly fainted. The Castleteria was deathly quiet as the troubled picture on the TV was fumbled for a bit and then straightened back up, the usual amount of sarcastic grumblings from Humphrey being heard in the background.

"I'm having a hard time getting my head around this." Blondie sighed, pinching her brow.

"What's so hard to understand?" Ben wondered. "I just come from another universe where humans, aliens, and monsters all live together and where I have seventeen monster girlfriends." he shrugged before realizing what he had said. "Actually, now that I say that out loud, it _does_ sound weird."

"Well, I'm glad we're all on the same page." Blondie mumbled. "We're almost out of time, so I'd like to ask you just one more question, please: which side of the Royal/Rebel conflict are you on?" the Daughter of Goldie Locks asked.

"Well, I haven't been here long enough to understand entirely what's going on," Ben explained. "But based on the few people I've talked to, I'd say I'm . . ." he hesitated; whether it was for dramatic effect or just because he was nervous, Cerise didn't care, though the entire Castleteria seemed to be waiting with baited breath.

"I'm more of a Rebel." Ben finished; a rousing cheer came from the large amount of Rebels in the Castleteria, their whoops of joy and rousing applause echoing off of the high ceiling and walls as the Royals either glared at Ben or shared nervous looks with each other. "I don't know," Ben continued. "Until it's been proven that not following your destiny is bad, I think it's cruel to force people into roles they don't wanna play. I mean seriously, take the story of Snow White for instance: Raven is technically Apple's aunt and her mom's half sister, and in order for Apple's mom to have followed her destiny, she would have had to _die_ or at least divorce her father in order for Raven to marry him, who is not only twice her age but also her brother in law. Then you have Daring, who would either be Apple's _brother_ or at the very least her cousin, in which Apple would then have to marry and produce a daughter with in order to continue the legacy while Raven would have to have a daughter with Apple's father. Apple would then have to die or divorce Daring so Raven's daughter could marry him and then repeat the whole story." Ben explained. "Seriously, it's worse than something Shakespeare could write, and this is coming from the smartest alien in my Omnitrix, Grey Matter."

"Well . . . I suppose that makes since . . ." Blondie admitted.

"And then you have all these other students who are somehow distantly related to each other!" Ben added. "Briar's related to the Daughter of Beauty and the Beast and Sparrow's somehow related to Cerise; personally, I don't see any similarities between _him_ and my friend, Cerise. They're _nothing_ alike." he huffed; Cerise felt a low roar come from her throat as he eyes flashed a frightening amber. He hadn't even noticed her crush on him? He still saw her a friend? He didn't know about all the pain and suffering and the two nights she had quietly cried herself to sleep? She suddenly wanted to charge right into the Mirrorlab and tackle Ben to the floor, not caring what the outcome would be as she took all her frustrations out on the one she hated.

Suddenly, Cerise couldn't take any more of it and got up from her seat, tossing her tray into the trashcan and stomping out into the hallway as Cedar flinched slightly at her roommate's temper; perhaps she should sleep with someone else that evening instead of sharing a dorm with the irritated Riding Hood. The wooden puppet then wished Cerise had stuck around to listen to the next bit of news that came from the TV, which sent the entire Castleteria into full panic mode.

"Well, that's all for now, everyone!" Blondie began to sign off. "Until next time, I'm-"

" _STOP!_ "

Blondie and Ben startled as Daring Charming slammed the door open to the Mirrorlab and marched angrily in front of the camera to face down Ben and ignoring the limp body of his younger brother on the floor for the time being; he an enraged and challenging look on his face, as if he were ready to take on anything the world of Ever After had to throw at him. " _YOU!_ " Daring growled, jamming a finger into Ben's face and nearly shoving it up his nose. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"A duel?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, a _duel_!" Daring repeated. "If I win, I regain my title and the rightful hand of Apple!"

"Dude, did you even _have_ a title in the first place?" Ben wondered.

"Never after mind!" Daring growled. "Today! At three! Bookball field! We duel!" he listed the conditions of the fight. "Last fairy tale standing, wins!"

"Uh . . ." Ben hummed.

"This just in, Ever After High! Today at three on the Bookball field, Ben Tennyson and Daring Charming duke it over who rules the school and who truly is Apple's True Love! I'll be there live to report and bring you all the news in the most dramatic battle this school has seen yet: Prince Charming vs. Shape-shifter! Until next time, I'm Blondie Locks! Spell ya later!" she signed off.

"What did I just get myself into?" Ben wondered in disbelief as Daring smirked triumphantly and marched out of the Mirrorlab to prepare for the fight of his life.

* * *

" _Dexter? Dexter!"_

That was all Dexter could make out for the time being as his vision swam before his eyes, only his ears seeming to work as a faint, melodious voice softly caressed his eardrums as a delicate touch slowly crept its way across his face and chest with great care. His vision was slowly starting to come back to him, his eyes working overtime to try and produce the image of the beautiful angel crouching over him with great concern; her face was twisted into one of worry, but that didn't make it any less beautiful to Dexter. Her skin was white as new fallen snow and her touch was as delicate and careful as fresh tulips in the spring. Her voice was more perfect than anything the birds of Ever After could ever hope to sing while her eyes like sparkling, violet diamonds, starring endlessly with such care and bravery.

"Dexter? Can you here me?" the angel asked him as she held his hand in front of her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding up three fingers; the digits were distorted to the Son of Prince Charming however as he attempted to sit up and try to touch the angel stand over him before a pair of firm, strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back down.

"Easy, dude. What until we're sure you don't have a concussion or something before you start walking." a second voice told him; it somehow sounded familiar to Dexter.

"Is he going to be okay?" a third voice asked with worry.

"Not sure, Apple." the second voice said. "Usually I have to hit the bad guys a couple times to get them to fall over; Dexter just suddenly dropped like a sack of potatoes right in the middle of the interview."

"Oh, I hope he's okay." a fourth voice mumbled nervously. "Humphrey, can you stay here and shut things down while I go get the nurse? Just in case?"

"Sure," a fifth voice that Dexter assumed belonged to Humphrey, scoffed. "Leave it to Humphrey Dumpty to put things back together again."

"That's the spirit!" the fourth voice smiled.

"Hey, I-I think he's coming to!" the third voice noted.

"Well, at least we know he's alive." the second voice grumbled.

"Ben, knock it off! He could be hurt!" the angel protested.

""Sorry. It's just . . . this hasn't happened before." the second voice that Dexter guessed belonged to Ben, said. :Like I said before, I've only ever dealt with this kind of thing when I've punched someone one too many times or someone's just passed out from exhaustion."

"Wha . . . where . . ." Dexter tried to say.

"He's talking!" the third voice remarked.

"Gee, thanks for the tip, Queen Obvious." Humphrey grumbled sarcastically.

"Dexter? Please, can you hear us? How many fingers am I holding up?" the angel asked a second time, tilting his head up so he could see her hand better; the Son of Prince Charming's vision was starting to clear up a bit.

"Three . . ?" he guessed.

The angel relaxed slightly, breathing a sigh of relief as a bright smile came upon her lips; Dexter swore he could hear other angels singing and the very air vibrate from her radiate smile, though he also took note it might be because of the excruciating pain in his head. With a loud hiss, he shot straight up with his hands clapped to his aching skull; the angel jolted backwards, startled, as Ben held Dexter up in case he suddenly fell back over.

"Hey, Dex? You okay?" Ben asked.

"I . . . I think so . . ." Dexter groaned; he blinked his eyes and saw that he was still in the Mirrorlab, only now Blondie was gone to go and retrieve the school's nurse, Humphrey was currently packing things in the studio up and occasionally getting shocked whenever he tripped over a stray wire, and both Apple and Raven was sitting on their knees in front of him, concern etched onto their faces; the former of the two reached into her apple-shaped purse and pulled out an ice pack for him, holding it to his head for a few seconds before she allowed him to take it for himself.

"Wha . . . what happened?" Dexter asked.

"Well, we were right in the middle of the interview," Ben explained. "Blondie asked how things were going between me and Apple when you just suddenly fainted onto the floor; your brother challenged me to a duel, too, by the way." Ben added.

"Ben, that's the least of our problems right now." Raven scolded him.

"Sorry, babe." Ben apologized; Dexter could have sworn he saw the witchling's pale cheeks turn a light, rosy pink in color upon hearing the nickname. "I'm not entirely sure, but were you two watching the Mirrorcast by any chance?"

"We caught the second half." Apple confirmed. "The camera angle fell over; I think that's when Dexter fainted."

"What were me and Blondie talking about?" Ben asked.

"Like you said, you were discussing your relationship with Apple," Raven explained. "Blondie asked if things were stable between you two and you that you loved both her and . . . me . . ." Raven trailed off, realization crossing her face as she bit her lip and nervously glanced at Dexter, whose eyes had widened to about the size of dinner plates (this may have been a bit of an exaggeration).

"What's wrong with me loving both you and Apple?" Ben wondered; Dexter suddenly went limp in his grasp and fell back against Ben, the ice pack in his fingers landing on the floor with a wet _slap!_ just as Humphrey accidentally electrocuted himself upon hearing those very words slip from Ben's lips.

"Aw, Sphinx!" Ben cried. "What'd I say!?"

"Dexter . . . kinda had a crush on me." Raven explained sheepishly. "I . . . never actually got around to telling him that . . . things wouldn't work out."

"So basically I did your dirty work for you?" Ben summarized.

"In a somewhat negative nutshell, yes." Raven sighed, rubbing her shoulder with discomfort. "I like Dexter a lot, but I never really liked him . . . _that_ way. I thought I did, but . . . it never sat well with me."

"Do think he'll be upset once he wakes up?" Apple worried.

"If we can keep him from fainting again." Ben muttered; Dexter groaned and stirred on the floor.

"He's waking up again!" Apple gulped nervously. "What do we do?"

"We explain it to him slow and steady." Raven said calmly.

"Raven? Apple? Ben?" Dexter moaned as he slowly sat up and took the ice pack Ben offered him to set against his pounding skull. "Ugh, I had the strangest dream . . ." he groaned before turning to Raven. "You . . . and Ben . . . you were a couple . . . and Ben was dating Apple at the same time . . ."

"Um, Dexter?" the young witchling gulped nervously. "That . . . that wasn't a dream." she winced; Dexter froze up on the spot and blinked for several seconds before giving a low chuckle that turned into short laughter before burst out into a fit of insane giggles.

"What's so funny?" Apple trembled; this wasn't like Dexter at all. The sweet, nerd prince was more akin to stuttering and fumbling over his words in the presence of a pretty girl, especially Raven, not cackling like a maniac.

"I thought I heard you say I wasn't dreaming . . ." Dexter chuckled.

"She did, Dex." Ben said grimly. "You aren't hearing things." Dexter processed those words for a few silent seconds that felt like centuries to the trio of concerned teenagers before the Son of Prince Charming suddenly screamed and looked like he was about to pass out again; Ben quickly stopped this by smacking Dexter over the head, knocking his glasses lose.

"Thanks. I needed that." Dexter grumbled under his breath as he set his glasses back on his face and quickly scrambled to his feet with the ice pack still pressed to his head; he picked up his knocked lose crown from the floor and hurriedly made his way towards the exit.

"Dexter, wait! You need to lie down!" Apple cried.

"No! Just . . . just leave me alone!" Dexter yelled over his shoulder before storming out of the Mirrorlab and slamming the door shut behind him, the sound echoing through the high ceiling and making Raven flinch a little.

"Nice job." Humphrey rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't you be getting shocked or something?" Ben growled with annoyance. The doors to the Mirrorlab creaked open again, and Ben hovered his hand above the Omnitrix in case Dexter was coming back to let his rage out on either him or Raven; in Ben's experience, royalty of any kind were highly unpredictable, a prime example being the time he, Gwen, and Kevin had acted as diplomats between the Pantophage and Lewodans and delivered the later's prince to the former, only to have Jarret, King of the Pantophage, swallow the Tiffin in one gulp. This had also been the time Ben had managed to unlock Rath, both a stroke of good and bad luck on Ben's part. Fortunately for Ben, it was not the Son of Prince Charming looking for vengeance, but rather a curious Cerise Hood.

"Oh. It's just _you._ " she snarled, narrowing her eyes and wrinkling her nose at Ben.

"Well, with my line of work, what did you expect?" Ben joked; Cerise didn't laugh in the slightest and merely marched into the Mirrorlab, ignoring Apple as she whimpered and hid behind Raven for cover as the Riding Hood stormed up to Ben and abruptly and suddenly slapped him across the face before leaving Ben in stunned silence.

"What was that for?" Ben wondered, holding his throbbing cheek. Before either Raven or Apple could take a guess at why the Daughter of Red Riding Hood had suddenly smacked their boyfriend, a pearly, white smile appeared right next to Ben before the rest of Kitty Cheshire soon flashed back into existence with an ever crafty and cheeky smile plastered to the Cheshire Cat's face.

"I know why the little pup is so upset," she purred. "And I could tell you . . . for a price."

"Kitty . . ." Raven said in a warning tone.

"What do you want?" Ben asked without hesitation; he felt that he and Cerise had bonded and become rather close in the short they had gotten to know each other during their participation in the Jack Be Nimble Race and then as partners and travel buddies of sorts when he had volunteered to give the Riding Hood a lift to all her classes until her broken leg had fully healed. It seemed the magical qualities surrounding the school shortened the time it would take to mend the broken bones, but apparently it wasn't enough to mend the broken relationship between Cerise and Ben.

"A favor . . ." Kitty purred as she danced her fingers along Ben's arm; Apple narrowed her eyes at the crafty cat but didn't say anything. "Nothing more, nothing less. Just a small, little favor."

"Ben, I wouldn't-" Raven started to warn.

"Deal." Ben interrupted. Kitty's grin broadened even further, if that even possible, as her tail flickered back and forth excitedly while she now rested her head on Ben's shoulder to speak and hold up her half of the deal.

"It would seem our little Cerise has developed a crush," Kitty began, whispering her words in a subtle, seductive manner in Ben's ear. "She found your wolf form-"

"Loboan, actually." Ben corrected, trying to ignore the way Kitty was now moving around him, resting her head on his other shoulder and tracing her fingers along his collarbone while her tail wrapped slowly around his waist; Raven and Apple watched with increasing disdain, not liking the way the feline was behaving around their boyfriend.

"The Bandersnatch doesn't care if it is dappled or spotted." Kitty replied in Riddlish before continuing. "The pup was quite crestfallen to discover that you were not what you seemed; her heart is shattered in two, her heart strings now playing a rather sorrow tune thanks to you. Lovely music, I might add." Kitty smirked slightly, now resting in Ben's lap with her hands folded behind her back and her back arched upwards with her tail wrapped securely around Ben's waist.

"She . . . had a crush on me?" Ben blinked.

"Not anymore." Kitty purred, playing with her periwinkle locks with a finger. "Now, she just wants to see your guts; a little bit over there, a little over here, a little bit of you everywhere." she shrugged without care; Apple paled even further than she already was at the sound of those rahter unsettling words.

"I have to go." Ben said abruptly, quickly climbing to his feet and throwing Kitty off of him as he ran towards the doors. "Raven, you know what to do!" he called over his shoulder.

"Where is he going?" Apple wondered as Kitty grumbled and picked herself up off the floor, grumbling in Riddle under her breath. "And what does he mean that you'll know what to do?"

"I . . . haven't the faintest idea." Raven lied; she knew very well what Ben was planning. All she could hope however is that both Apple and Ben survived what was to come.

* * *

Cerise growled lowly to herself as she stormed through the hallways and corridors, snarling at anyone that crossed her path or walked too close for comfort; even the normally cautious and gentle Tiny received a low roar that made him very nearly accidentally step on Blondie and the school's nurse as they raced back towards the Mirrorlab, the big troll nurse practically outrunning the Daughter of Goldie Locks with every step she took.

It never seemed to fail; every time Cerise ever felt some kind of emotion that was even _close_ to love, it would always be snatched away from her like a hawk swooping down to pounce upon a clueless field mouse. Her first crush had been on Daring Charming, a suitable choice considering he was what she considered to be the alpha of the student body of Ever After High, thus making him the strongest and most optimal for mating rights. But then there were the throngs of of over hexcited fairy tales cutting her off from the Son of Prince Charming and the only time she was actually able to get close to him was during Bookball practice, where they would be running left and right and become all tired and sweaty afterwards, hardly an appropriate look when she was trying to tell Daring how she felt. And the Ben had come along, shattering everything Daring had worked hard to create around himself and take his position as the alpha of the school; the fact that he had been disguised as a very handsome wolf did not help matters and only made her hurt inside even more when she had discovered the lie he had created.

It hurt that she hadn't been trusted enough to know his secret, but it mostly enraged her that she had been tricked; even though she and her mother were humans, she was not very fond of them in the first place. They were nosy, loud, and inconsiderate of other fairy tale's special needs, such as her inability to tolerate strong odors and loud sounds for long due to her heightened senses. But mostly, they were judgmental, forcing her to hide her true heritage, forcing Raven to throw away her destiny in favor of something more likable, forcing everyone in all of Ever After High to chose sides in their invisible war over the Storybook of Legends. Humans such as Ashlynn, Maddie, and Hunter to an extent were tolerable and even likable at times, but most humans she found to be severely annoying; Ben was no exception.

The half-breed snarled under her breath as she stopped at her locker, reaching for the lock to do the combination and grab her books when she noticed something; a disgusting, green substance was oozing out from the vents in her locker, slithering out from the crack between the door and the locker itself and down onto the floor in a slow, deliberate manner much to Cerise's disgust as the pile of green slime landed on the floor at her feet with a loud _splat!_ The half-breed shivered as the pile of ooze started to shift and bubble before a small, metal disk came buzzing down from the air to hover over the puddle of green slime and move upwards, pulling the substance up with it as if the two were magnets; the green slime began to morph and shift into a crude, humanoid figure with exaggerated feeler-like protrusions out of its shoulders, head, and arms.

"Cerise? Can we talk?" Goop asked in a high-pitch voice that would have normally made Cerise smile if she didn't know who the Polymorph really was. Without another word, the Riding Hood reached up and grabbed the Polymorph's Anti-Gravity Projector before throwing it like a Frisbee out the nearest window, smirking slightly when Goop followed after it with a surprised yelp; Cerise then quickly grabbed her books and papers and stuffed them into her book bag before making her way towards Crownculus, hoping she remembered to do today's assignment.

"Nice throw." a gruff voice complimented her. Cerise glanced up and bristled with annoyance when she saw a large, gorilla-like creature climb in through the window ahead of her; the creature was blocky in appearance, colored bright colors of red, blue, and yellow as multiple knobs and bolts sprouted along its flexible body and the Omnitrix sat on its chest. "Can you just hear me out, please?" Bloxx asked.

Cerise's response was to simply draw in a sharp breath and turn on her heel away from the Segmentasapien to head down a different hallway that would hopefully have less annoying, shape-shifting fairy tales; a loud clattering sound caught her attention and she looked up to see Bloxx stretching himself over her, morphing and shifting his durable body into a strong dome over her, sealing her inside. "I'll let you out once we talk." Bloxx promised as his head appeared next to her.

With a low growl of annoyance, Cerise drew back her fist and slugged Bloxx in the face, shattering his head into a couple dozen colorful brick-like pieces; before the Segmentasapien could rebuild himself, the half-breed had punched her way out of the dome and back out into the hallway, taking off at a surprising speed as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world, a calculating look on his face.

"Hmm. Looks like it's time for some real acceleration." he noted, turning to the device on his wrist and turning it on, cycling through the transformations until he found the one he needed and slammed a hand down on the waiting activation button, swallowing himself in a burst of green light. He felt his skin harden into a soft, metallic sheen as it turned the color of oil and tar while his skeleton crunched and compressed into a tough, inner shell just beneath his skin; his arms and legs were reduced to near toothpicks as his body shrunk down so that he was barely a foot tall. Ben's body shifted and molded with a loud snapping noise as his body became cylindrical in shape, his pointed legs sticking out of the bottom of his body and his pointed hands that included nothing more than a single finger and thumb out of the sides. A green lightning pattern etched itself down his front as two bolts appeared on either of his arms, a 'plus and 'minus' symbol appearing on his back as the Omnitrix appeared on his perfectly flat head, completing the transformation.

"What the- I asked for XLR8, Omnitrix! Not Buzzshock!" the Nosedeenian whined in a high-pitched voice similar to that of one after inhaling helium. The small, battery-like alien fumed for a few seconds at his mistransformation before an idea struck him. "Woo-hoo, woo-hoo, woo-hoo!" he laughed as he quickly converted himself in a static, electrical charge and raced down the hallway before diving into an open electrical socket and traveling through the school's power system, occasionally peeking out of light switches and other sockets to check his location before he finally managed to track down Cerise.

With a mischievous cackle, the Nosedeenian raised across the floor and jumped into the Riding Hood's pocket, careful not to accidentally shock her as he then moved himself inside the programming and circuitry of Cerise's Mirrorphone to then make some . . . modifications; Buzzshock quickly wrote off a hext to Raven before using the same number to write a message and then send it to Cerise's phone, making it seem as if the young witchling had sent the hext.

Cerise sighed when she felt her Mirrorphone buzz, signaling a message had been sent to her; with a slight grumble, she pulled the device out and turned it on, quickly reading over the hext that had been sent to her from Raven; she wasn't quite sure how she felt about her friend dating the one she despised, how her delicate, snow white skin now belonged to him, how her warm, purple lips that quirked up in the corners of her mouth in the funniest way whenever she laughed now belonged to him, how her delicate and coforting touch now belonged to him as well . . . she wasn't sure she could stand it. Unlike Ben however, Cerise trusted Raven completely and was willing to follow her anywhere . . . even if that anywhere was a dark, janitor's closet on the second floor.

Seconds after reading the hext, her Mirrorphone buzzed again and she picked up, only to very nearly drop it to the floor as the face of Buzzshock filled the entire screen with a wide, cheeky smile on his face. "Hiya, Cerise!" the Nosedeenian cackled.

Cerise promptly chucked her Mirrorphone out of the nearest window, smiling with slight amusement as the Nosedeenian wailed in terror.

* * *

Apple waited patiently in the darkness of the janitor's closet, occasionally pushing aside a mop bucket or crate of cleaning supplies to make more room for herself in the dank, cramped space; she had received a hext from Ben on Raven's Mirrorphone (Ben still owned an iCoffin and was still working on either trying to get connected to the school's wifi or scrounge up enough money to buy himself a Mirrorphone himself), telling her to meet him in the janitor's closet on the second floor of the school for a 'special surprise'. The princess felt such an odd mixture of curiosity, giddiness, and slight worry as she ran through the numerable, probable possibilities of what could possibly happen between her and Ben in the confinement of a janitor's closet.

There was the very big possibility that Ben simply wanted to tell her how much he loved her and hold her close to him, an idea that Apple was particularly fond of. Maybe he would even go so far as to say that he was going to cut all ties with everyone he had loved back home just to remain in Ever After with her and become her prince charming, awakening her from her slumber with a sweet kiss; the idea made Apple blush slightly.

Or . . . he could be coming to tell her that it was all over, that he never wanted to see her again in all his life, that he had somehow caught onto her little plan was severing all ties with her in favor of remaining with the hideous monsters he had back home that were no doubt just waiting for a chance to eat him when he wasn't looking. Maybe it was all a hoax and Ben wasn't coming after all, now probably somewhere in the school laughing his head off at how gullible she was with Duchess Swan or Kitty Cheshire for all Apple knew hanging off his arm and laughing along with him.

There was even the possibility that Ben wanted to kiss her and hug her in the safety of closet, hold her close and tell her how much he wanted to be with her for as long as he lived, how he wanted to marry her and be her prince charming as he softly pressed his lips to hers and filled her such warmth it was almost unbearable and yet pleasurable at the same time; Apple was so engrossed in her thoughts, she barely heard the janitor's closet door squeak open until a low growl caught her attention.

"Apple?" Cerise stood at the doorway, completely confused as her sharp eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness.

"C-Cerise? What-What are you d-doing here?" Apple trembled.

"I could ask you the same- WOAH!" Cerise cried as she was suddenly shoved from behind and stumbled into the closet, nearly crashing into Apple before she managed to regain her footing while the closet door creaked shut and locked with a loud _click!_ Cerise growled and launched herself full force at the door, throwing her entire body weight against it as Apple curled up into a ball on the floor the farthest away from the enraged half-breed, hoping she wouldn't become a second victim of Cerise's temper. "For the love of dragons, let us out!" Cerise howled.

"Cerise, calm down." Raven's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Raven?" Cerise blinked.

"Yes," the witchling said. "I'm sorry to have to do this to both of you, Cerise, but Apple is completely terrified of you; she won't go anywhere that doesn't have either me or Ben within two feet of her and to be honest it's starting to get old." Raven explained. "I'm not letting you out until you apologize to Apple."

"You underestimate my strength, Raven. I'll break this door down if I have to." Cerise growled.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Raven said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "I've placed a locking spell on the door. It's gonna take a fire-breathing dragon just to open the door."

Cerise banged her fist against the door one more time, barely noticing the slight, purple glow it gave off as she slid down to the floor of the closet, her claws digging deep into the door and leaving long marks in the wood. The half-breed turned around to glare at the frightened princess curled up on the floor behind her, her breathing deep and heavy with rage that softened marginally; as much as she hated Apple and her destiny pushing ways, she knew deep down that even she didn't deserve what Cerise had heartlessly thrown at her. With guilt eating away at her stomach like a parasite, Cerise sighed and reached for Apple with a hand, setting it on the princess's shoulder and withdrawing it at once when Apple cringed away from her; Cerise reached for her again and gently touched her fingertips to Apple's shoulder, not retreating even when Apple flinched away from her again. Before the princess could scoot away in tiem, the half-breed had wrapped both her arms around Apple and hugged her close to her body, holding her nice and tight no matter how much Apple fought and struggled, begging to be spared.

" _Shhhh_ ," Cerise cooed in Apple's ear. "I'm not going to hurt you." she promised; Apple continued to fight against the Riding Hood, but her movements had become less panic-stricken than before, coming to a full stop as Cerise cautiously touched one of the wounds Apple had hidden behind a layer of makeup. She wiped away one of such wounds and winced upon seeing the ugly, red bruise that had been hidden under a layer of powder on Apple's temple. Unsure of what to do next, Cerise leaned forward and gingerly kissed the wound better like her mom had done to her when she had gotten scrapes on her knees and cuts on her elbows; the princes squirmed slightly in Cerise's grip, but she held fast and calmly ran her fingers through Apple's blonde locks while rubbing her back with the other one.

"I'm . . . sorry, Apple." Cerise said after a while, pausing to let a soft moan of comfort escape Apple's lips; the half-breed never suspected her touch to be so soft or effective on people. She always figured she would only be able to show them brutal and unforgiving pain and not comfort of any kind, but apparently that was wrong. "I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I should have thought clearly about it and should have asked Blitzwolfer/Ben about it before taking matters into my own hands."

The two girls were silent for a few moments in the dark closet together, Apple just sitting there and enjoying Cerise's soft touch against the still painful wounds that marked her body; even after nearly two weeks of healing, they ached and throbbed when touched in the right manner. "I . . . forgive you . . ." Apple breathed with a somewhat sleepy tone when she realized how warm Cerise's hood and cloak was. It made her feel like a tiny baby again, loved and protected from the harm of the world. Even though she doubted Cerise would have any feelings for her, Apple wondered if she would be willing to at least let her borrow one of the many hoods Cerise wore, if only to just feel how soft and cozy it was for a few, precious seconds.

"Well, glad we're all friends again!" a tiny, metallic voice squeaked. The two girls startled as a tiny, glowing green orb floated out from the depths of Apple's pocket and fluttered and twirled around in the air for a few seconds before landing on the tip of Apple's nose, forcing the princess to cross her eyes just to get a good look at the tiny, alien insect.

"So I take it bygones are bygones?" Nanomech chirped.

"Ben? Is that you?" Apple wondered with a small smile; she thought the Nanochip sounded funny.

"Do you know anyone else who could shrink this small?" Nanomech joked lightly before he was suddenly crushed between Cerise's two palms as if they were a pair of cymbals; Apple yelped at the sudden movement and managed to catch Nanomech in her palms as he groaned and twitched.

"Hex, he's still moving." Cerise grumbled.

"Cerise, what is wrong with you? Why can't you just forgive Ben?" Apple pleaded. "He didn't mean to break you heart!"

The half-breed froze up upon hearing those words. "How . . . how did you know?" she bristled before turning to yell at the nearly microscopic Nanochip in Apple's hands. "Did Kitty tell you!?"

"And if she did . . ?" Nanomech groaned. "Ugh, I think I can taste my liver . . ."

"When I'm done with you, you won't be _able_ to taste anything!" Cerise snarled, making a lung to try and squash the metal insect again; fortunately for Nanomech, he zipped out of the way just in time, wincing when Cerise inadvertently crashed into Apple and spouted off several curses and apologies to Apple before moving to catch him again.

"This is gonna be a long Study Hall." Nanomech sighed as he slapped the Omnitrix disk between his eyes to enable a quick change as he was engulfed in a flash of green light. He felt himself grow taller and much more muscled as thick, shaggy gray colored fur sprouted all over his body as his back and chest swelled with tissue and muscle, his skeleton crunching and cracking as it was reinforced and changed to accommodate his new body. Ben's skull crunched and snapped in an almost painful manner as his face bulged forward into a pointed muzzle lined with sharp, canine teeth as a wet, black nose formed at the end; organs sloshed around inside of him as his bones crunched and ground heavily against each other while his muzzle split into four, flexible flaps. His fingers became longer and tipped with wicked claws that looked like they could easily slice through most objects as two, large talons ripped through his shoes while a third popped out from the back. A long, fluffy tail sprouted from the base of Ben's spine as a mane of dark, coarse fur rose from his shoulders and neck as spikes sprouted from his elbows and shoulders; a green and black body suit appeared on his shifting body with green wrist bands and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix at its center, completing the transformation.

"Blitzwolfer? Seriously? I was going for Bloxx!" the Loboan snarled with disappointment. "Man, I can't believe this thing still doesn't work." he grumbled under his breath; his annoyance was short lived however, when Cerise suddenly let out a loud, ferocious scream of fury that sounded more like it belonged to a gigantic beast ten times her size as the half-breed launched herself at Blitzwolfer and tackled him to the floor. Startled, Blitzwolfer could do little more than block Cerise's furious attacks and strikes with his arms as she howled and screamed in anger; Apple had curled up into the farthest corner of the closet, completely terrified and unsure of what to do without getting herself hurt.

"Raven! Raven! Let us out!" Apple screamed loudly. "Cerise . . . she's gone insane!"

Dark, crackling, purple flames hissed and roared around the edges of the door as it was torn off its hinges by a pair of large hands constructed of dark, violet energy and tossed farther down the hallway as the construct disappeared; Raven barely had time to duck before Blitzwolfer was thrown out into the hallway and landed roughly on his back, just barely managing to catch Cerise in his claws and hold her away from his face.

"You . . . _bastard!_ " Cerise roared; Apple whimpered at the choice of words as she peered out of the closet, biting her lip. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" the Riding Hood screamed, her voice deep and guttural, her teeth sharpened into spike-like fangs, her fingers lengthened into razor-sharp claws, and her eyes now flashing a bright, dangerous amber in color.

"For the love of gargoyles, _calm down_!" Blitzwolfer yelled, climbing to his feet and holding the struggling half-breed close to his chest in a tight bear hug. "I just want to talk! Nothing more!"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say, you _bastard!_ " Cerise spat in his face, managing to pull one of her arms free and slug the Loboan across the face before punching him in the throat to make him release her; unfortunately, her fist had struck the Omnitrix instead and engulfed Blitzwolfer in a burst of green light as his DNA was morphed and shifted into something new. Ben's arms swelled as his veins popped out, alien blood flowing through them as muscles piled themselves on top of each other; his legs became strong and lean as his frame stretched upwards, growing taller and taller until he was a good four feet taller than Raven or Cerise. Deep, orange fur began to sprout all over his body as his fingers split and cracked before bloating in size and strength; a razor-sharp claw ripped out of each wrist as his shoulders became massive and broad while patches of white fur smoothly appeared on his chest, gut, hands, and feet and dark, black stripes etched themselves across his back and shoulders; a handful of whiskers sprouted from his face as his skull crunched and his eyebrows grew longer and pointed. His jaw thrust outwards with a loud cracking noise while his teeth tore through his gums as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest, completing the transformation.

"What the- lemme tell ya somethin' new Omnitrix that still doesn't work right and keeps on turning Rath into the wrong thing! You still don't work right and keep on turning me into the wrong thing!" the Appoplexian roared angrily. "And lemme tell ya somethin' else, new Omnitrix that still doesn't work right and keeps on turning Rath into the wrong thing! You stopped giving Rath his awesome belt and making him speak Spanish!"

"Wait, you're . . . naked?" Raven blinked; Apple winced and covered her eyes at the apparently nude Appoplexian.

"As for you!" Rath growled, turning on Cerise and towering over her as he jammed a finger in her face. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood! You are going to let Rath apologize to you, and you are going to like it!"

"I'd rather be roasted over open dragon flame than talk to _you_." Cerise bristled.

"Grrrraaaaggh!" Rath clenched his teeth in anger. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood who refuses to let Rath apologize to her! You are lucky that Rath doesn't hit girls!"

Cerise suddenly got a very scary look (in Apple's opinion; she had peeked through her fingers) on her face, a mixture of cruel, savage hunger in her eyes and a twisted, feral smile of sharp fangs on her lips; with a ferocious roar, she launched herself at the Appoplexian, digging her claws deep into his skin and driving her boots into his chest as Rath stumbled backwards in surprise, grabbing her by the shoulders and trying to get her to let go.

"Ow, ow! Not the whiskers!" Rath yelped in pain as Cerise pulled on his face; the Appoplexian growled and finally managed to pull Cerise off him, holding her by the shoulders before throwing her down the hallway and snarling when she landed on her feet, as if defying him. "Lemme tell ya something', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood who refuses to let Rath apologize to her! Rath may not be able to hit you, but that doesn't mean he can't fight!" he yelled; with a heavy grunt, he grabbed the nearest locker in his meaty hands and effortlessly tore it away from the wall to heave it up onto his shoulders.

"Tetramand Boulder Shot!" Rath declared as he chucked the locker at Cerise; the Riding Hood simply ducked beneath the attack, only to suddenly be tackled by the Appoplexian.

"Ben! Cerise! Stop!" Raven yelled; neither of them heard her over their yells and curses as they rolled around on the floor together and managed to get back up on their feet to face each other.

"Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood! Rath is gonna apologize to you if it's the last thing he does!" Rath shouted, thrusting a claw right at her.

"That's offer I'll take you up on." Cerise grinned wickedly; Rath growled with annoyance and charged at Cerise with his fists above his head, fully prepared to grab her. The half-breed smirked and ducked under the swipe of Rath's hands and quickly punched him twice in the gut before delivering a swift uppercut to his jaw. The Appoplexian roared in anger and slammed his fists into the ground in frustration before making a move to tackle Cerise to the ground in a hold, an attempt that was quickly dodged by the clever half-breed as she dodged to the side and then swept Rath's legs out from under him.

"Naaagh! Hold still so Rath can get you!" the Appoplexian roared.

"Make me." Cerise hissed before she dropped down to her hands and feet and let out a long, low howl; Apple watched with interest and fear, worrying her friend had suddenly gone crazy as she raced across the floor on all fours and pounced on Rath, tackling him to the ground and punching him twice in the jaw before folding her fists together to sock him in the stomach and then rake her claws across his chest and neck in an attempt to choke him. When that didn't work, she attacked with her teeth, viciously biting his neck and then attacking one of his hands, biting three of his fingers in two places each before Rath was unable to get his legs underneath her and push the wild half-breed off of her.

"Tetramand Body Slam!" Rath roared as he climbed to his feet and rushed at the dazed Riding Hood and jumped into the air, fully prepared to slam his body down on him and hold her in place, as the name implied; Cerise however, was too quick and rolled to the side at the last second, watching with amusement as Rath crashed into and then _through_ the floor and to the level below, roaring and cursing all the way before he slammed into the floor below with a dull _thud!_

"Come down here and fight like a man! Or better yet, come down here and fight like Rath!" the Appoplexian demanded; Cerise happily obliged as she dove through the hole in the floor, hissing loudly with her claws and teeth bared as she landed on Rath's shoulders and attacked him without mercy, dodging the swipes of his hands and claws as he tried to get her off of him.

"What's happening!?" Apple whimpered, daring a small peek over the edge of the hole.

"If I had to guess, trouble." Raven sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea from the start."

"Who's winning?" Apple wondered; Rath finally managed to grab hold of one of Cerise's legs and yank him off of her before slamming her into the floor twice and then throwing her towards the farthest wall, racing after her all on all fours before jumping to then crash right into the wall, trapping the half-breed between him and the wall.

"At the moment, Ben." Raven noted.

"Lemme tell ya something', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood who refuses to let rath apologize to her! Rath may not be good at apologizing, but that doesn't mean he won't try!"

"Please. Stop trying." Cerise growled as she raised one of her legs and kicked the Appoplexian right in the nether regions, causing him to bend over in pain and allow her to swipe his legs out from underneath him for the second time; she then grabbed one of his legs and managed to haul him off of the ground with some effort and spin him around several times before she finally let go and sent him flying through the wall behind her, creating a sizable hole. Screams of surprise and fright came from the other side as the sounds of pots and pans clattered loudly to the floor rang through the halls as the class from the other room fled the scene.

"Scratch that. Cerise seems to be winning." Raven corrected herself.

"Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood! Rath will not let himself be beaten by the a girl, even if that girl is very pretty and impressive at the same time!" Rath shouted from the Kitchen Class-ic classroom on the other side before he grabbed Cerise and tossed her over his shoulder and into the kitchen beyond; the half-breed snarled as she landed in a pile of discarded pots and pans and emerged with one on her head like a helmet. An idea came to her head and she picked up two of the pans in her hands before throwing them at Rath, missing both times as the Appoplexian caught one of the pots in the air and fit it over his own head before grabbing the second one from the floor to then whack himself over the head (most likely to make sure it stayed in place. That, or Rath just thought it looked cool).

"Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood!" the now protected Appoplexian yelled as he then grabbed hold of a rolling pin and held it out like a weapon before him. "En guard!"

"I didn't know Ben could fence." Apple remarked as she caught a glimpse of Rath and Cerise attacking each other with the rolling pin and a freshly picked up spatula; both parties, regardless of intelligence level, seemed to be well suited for battle as their weapons clashed together. Cerise furiously swung her spatula in an attempt to smack the Appoplexian with her cooking utensil, only to just be barely blocked every time by Rath's powerful strikes and blows from his rolling pin. While the half-breed was more quick and her weapon allowed her to strike fast and accurately, the Appoplexian's strength and temper let him add more power behind each swing he took and let him easily defend himself and nearly deal brutal damage to Cerise in the process. The half-breed suddenly made swing of her spatula and smacked Rath over the head before swatting him across the face, just barely ducking back in time to avoid a wide swing of Rath's rolling pin, allowing her to get up under his guard and wiggle the floppy end of her spatula under his arms.

"Hee hee hee, hahahahaha! Stop! Stop it! Ahahahahaha!" Rath laughed, dropping his rolling pin; Cerise then took the opportunity to slap the unarmed Appoplexian across the face with her spatula and then discard her weapon entirely, returning to punching and kicking him. Rath roared in annoyance and made a sudden movement, throwing Cerise off of him and to the floor.

"Lewodan Anvil Drop!" Rath yelled, using the wall as a spring board to launch himself into the air to and land on Cerise with his elbow jutted out, a move that would have pinned the half-breed to the floor had she not rolled out of the way in time and let the Appoplexian slam into and then through the floor for a second time, crashing right into the Lifairy below; the Evil Step-Librarins shushed Rath loudly as he came hurtling through the floor and landed painfully on the floor. "Gosh, darn it!" Rath cursed. "Rath doesn't know which is worse, being tricked by a pretty lady again or crashing into a place full of books that rath can't read!"

"Too bad you won't be able to learn _how_ to read once I'm through with you!" Cerise snarled as she jumped through the hole with her feet slammed together and pointed downwards like a sharp arrow, landing painfully on Rath's stomach and knocking the window out of him before she flipped off of him and landed on her feet, a cunning and hungry grin on her face.

"Oh, what hit Rath . . ?" the Appoplexian groaned as he sat up and climbed to his feet, a hand over his stomach before a very big and heavy book was suddenly chucked at Rath's head and ended up sticking firmly between his jaws; Rath growled and quickly bit the book in two, earning another silence from the Evil Step-Librarians. Cerise chucked another book at Rath's head and rushed at him, fist raised and ready to slug him in the face when the Appoplexian suddenly and effortlessly caught her tiny hand in his massive fingers and held it back with ease.

"Lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red-" was as far as Rath got before Cerise suddenly twisted his arm around, this shifting his upper torso and allowing her to give him a swift kick in the behind that sent him flying a short distance into a bookshelf, destroying it into splinters.

"Ooh, karate!" the Appoplexian admired as he climbed to his feet with a slight grin on his face. "I'm gonna call you Karate Girl. Can I call you Karate Girl, Karate Girl?" he grinned, taking note of Cerise's expression as he confident grin turned into a furious frown at the nickname and how her fingers digging deep into her palms, actually drawing blood. "Tell you what, Karate Girl, I'll hold real still like a stack of boards, and you can meditate until you're ready to chop me in half, okay?" the Appoplexian taunted.

Cerise could no longer take it and and rushed right back at him blindly, drawing back her fist and getting ready to sock him in the jaw when her strike was expertly blocked by the giddy Appoplexian. "I lied," he smirked as he snapped out his other arm and grabbed Cerise carefully by the neck and easily lifted her off of the ground. "You know the difference between Rath and a pile of boards is? _Boards don't hit back!_ " Rath roared as he hurled Cerise across the Lifairy and directly through another wall, sending rock and plaster everywhere as he charged through the hole and after Cerise, picking her frail body off of the ground in one hand by the front of her shirt and holding her far enough that she couldn't do much else other than kick and scratch at his head.

"Now . . . _I'm mad._ " he growled in a low, sinister tone. Cerise didn't have any sarcastic or threatening comeback to the Appoplexian; her body ached all over, her wolf side thankfully granting her a much more durable body than a normal girl her age, thus allowing her to take body crippling hits like she just had with little more than just excruciating pain. " _NOW LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', CERISE HOOD, DAUGHTER OF RED RIDING HOOD! IF YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP RATH FROM APOLOGIZING, YOU CAN FORGET IT! NOBODY, AND I MEAN NOBODY, KEEPS RATH FROM SAYING HE'S SORRY TO A GIRL HE REALLY LIKES! EVEN IF IT'S THE GIRL RATH IS TRYING TO APOLOGIZE TO AND THAT HE REALLY LIKES!_ " Rath bellowed loudly at the top of his lungs in Cerise's face, blowing off her hood from the sheer force of his breath and exposing a pair of furry, pointed wolf ears on either side of the Riding Hood's head; this did little to stun Rath, as if mostly just confused him. "Now are you going to let Rath make it up to you, Cerise Hood, Daughter of Red Riding Hood who I just realized for some reason has really cute wolf ears, or am I going to have to get mean- uh, _meaner?_ " Rath corrected himself.

It was then that Cerise realized her hood was down, exposing her heritage for anyone lucky enough to stumble upon them in the empty classroom they were currently standing on a pile of rubble in; her anger and rage quickly gave way to panic and terror as she squirmed and tried to reach for her hood to hide in, but Rath merely tightened his grip, cutting off her air supply briefly until she stopped moving.

"What's your problem!?" he snarled.

"Please . . . l-let me hide my ears!" Cerise gasped. "N-no one can . . . s-see my ears!"

"So what!?" Rath shouted. "'Cause lemme tell ya somethin', Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood who for some reason has really cute wolf ears! Rath thinks they're better then that dumb hood!"

Cerise continued to plead. "I . . . I don't care! Just . . . l-let me go! No one c-can see my ears! No one!"

With a low grumble of defeat, Rath reached with his other hand and grabbed the limp hood between two of his fingers to pull it back up over Cerise's head, snugly fitting her wolfish ears inside and shadowing her face once more. "Whatever. Looks stupid anyways." he grumbled under his breath. "Now are you going to let Rath apologize, Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood who is strangely self-conscious about her appearance even though looks beautiful regardless!? Rath is getting tired of trying to say he's sorry! So you better let Rath it make it up to you, or Rath is going to _make_ you let Rath make it up to you!"

Cerise just starred at him in complete and utter befuddlement as the sound of fancy shoes slapping against marble flooring caught both of their attentions and they turned to see Headmaster Grimm come to a skidding halt right outside the hole that led into the Lifairy, even earning a shushing himself from the Evil Step-Librarians as he stared at gaped at the massive hole in the wall before him; his expression was somewhere between amazement and fury and equivalent to that of a goldfish that had foolish jumped out of its bowl and was now flopping helplessly on the floor below.

"Ms. Hood and Mr. Tennyson!" the Headmaster roared as soon as he was able to form words again. "What . . . what is the meaning of this!?"

"Uh . . . Rath doesn't understand the question!" Rath replied.

"Um, what he said." Cerise agreed, deciding playing dumb was worth a shot.

"That does not explain this inexcusable behavior!" Headmaster Grimm snapped furiously, stamping his foot in anger as he clenched his fists. "Destruction of school property, endangerment of fellow students, not to mention disturbing the peace . . . you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"Rath doesn't have shame!"

"Uh, what he said." Cerise repeated, still dangling from the Appoplexian's firm grip on her neck; she had managed to work herself free slightly and shift Rath's hold on her from her neck to around her waist, allowing her to rest her elbows on his fist and her chin on her hands as she waited for the Headmaster to blow his gasket and then deliver the punishment swift and quick.

"Ms. Hood, I realize that you are not as literate as the other students here at Ever After High, considering your rather odd disappearance during Nursery Rhyme School, but this does not mean you can get away with such things!" Grimm tried to say in a calm tone before he turned on Rath. "And as for you! I _knew_ you were trouble from the start, but did they listen? No!"

"Are you mad at Rath?" the Appoplexian wondered.

Headmaster Grimm sputtered. "Mad? You . . . no, of course I'm not mad. _I am furious!_ " he roared. "I am talking detention! I am talking suspension! I am talking _exportation!_ " he yelled. "I will have you _expelled!_ "

It was then that the Headmaster realized what he had just said, as if the lights had finally clicked on in his head. "I . . . I . . . I can . . . expel you . . ." he practically whispered giddily to himself. "I can . . . expel . . . _you._ I can expel you!" he cheered happily. "Ahahahahaha!"

"What is going on here!? My class can barely hear me teach!" a deep, gruff voice roared angrily; Cerise and Headmaster Grimm flinched slightly upon seeing Mr. Badwolf stalk through the Lifairy to the gaping hole in the wall, his lips curled back to showcase his rows of dagger sharp canines; he was, as his name implied, a tall, large wolf that walked on his hind legs and was covered in dark, gray fur from muzzle to tail with white patches on his chest, face, and palms. He wore a pair of torn, blue jeans and an old, hunting coat with a thick belt around the waist and faux fur at the cuffs and covering the inside. His expression softened slightly upon seeing Cerise, only to return to rage when he saw she was being held off the ground by Rath.

"I am sorry, Mr. Badwolf, but it would seem our newest student has already earned himself a one way ticket out of here." Headmaster Grimm apologized with a sinister grin.

"Stop smiling at me like that! It's creepy." Rath snarled.

"I don't care. You are going to be expelled for all the damages and out of my hair!" Headmaster Grimm grinned deviously.

Professor Badwolf narrowed his eyes at the scheming Headmaster. "You do realize that that is being completely unfair to Mr. Tennyson, correct? Cerise is just as to blame as he is for all the damages done to the school; I can smell her scent everywhere."

"Well, yes, but surely she is not responsible-" Grimm started to protest, shutting up and wincing under the wolf's glare.

"As I stated before, I can smell Ms. Hood's scent; it is quite tainted with anger and aggression." he explained in a threatening tone. "I may not be able to pinpoint _exactly_ what Cerise was feeling at the time, but she is just as to blame here as Mr. Tennyson is. Meaning if you expel hi, you would have to expel Ms. Hood as well, thus jeopardizing her entire story." he summarized. "You know that I am right, Headmaster Grimm."

The Headmaster tried to argue and find some way around the trap one of his employee's had walked him right into, but he couldn't find a loophole or backdoor of any kind that could keep Cerise still within the clutches of the Storybook of Legends and get Rath out of his hair and his life for good; with a dejected sigh of defeat, Headmaster Grimm surrendered. "Fine. Eight weeks detention. I am placing the both of them under _your_ watch, Mr. Badwolf." he added sternly.

"I will ensure they have been punished properly." Badwolf nodded. "But make no mistake, Mr. Grimm. I am not a lap dog to be taught tricks." he warned in a threatening tone; gulping, the Headmaster left, grumbling incoherent things under his breath. Once he was well out of earshot, the anthropomorphic wolf turned towards his daughter and her Appoplexian jailer. "Does he know?" he asked Cerise.

"In his current state? I highly doubt it." Cerise sighed. "When he changes back? Probably."

"Rath is really confused right now." the Appoplexian mumbled. "Can someone explain what's going on to Rath?"

"Sometime later, Tennyson. For now, you will let my daughter go." he growled in a low tone, throwing the Appoplexian a threatening look that said if he didn't comply, suffering eight weeks of detention with him would be the least of his problems; this did little to deter Rath in the first place.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Mr. Badwolf, apparent father of Cerise Hood, Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf who had pretty wolf ears that I like! Rath will let go of Cerise Hood when he's good and ready! And Rath is nowhere near ready to let go of Rath's girlfriend right now!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. With that being said, the Appoplexian marched off towards the opposite side of the classroom and kicked the door off its hinges before ducking through the door frame and storming out into the hallway with a stunned Cerise still in hand.

"Huh." Professor Badwolf scratched his head, a small smile coming to his face. "I like that kid already."

 **And there we go!**

 **Wow, this is one of the longest chapters I've written. And I only say that because it is about three more pages than I normally write and the fact that I had to rewrite this sucker about three times; the first few just didn't feel right or up to my usual standards. I'm glad I kept on going though, because this chapter was definitely worth it.**

 **Now for some bad news. I've been dedicating a lot of my time to this story and I absolutelty never get tired of writing it. But then again, I have been neglecting my other stories, namely my Ben 10/Monster one-series, _Cupid's Crystal Ball,_ my Total Drama story, _Pahkitew's Vengeance,_ and a Ben 10 collaboration story I'm writing between me and _Data Seeker_ entitled _A Charmed Childhood_ that has yet to be postedIf you haven't read either of them, I recommend reading at least one chapter! So anyways, this story won't be updated for a while, a couple weeks at the latest if life doesn't stop me from writing, that is. So until then, keep reading!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love hearing from you guys and your awesome ideas! I seriously don't know where I would be without you guys!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	12. One Fusion, Two Fusion

**I'm ALIVE! ALIVE! MUA-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **Okay, so it's a little early from Halloween to go all Dr. Frankenstein, but that's exactly how I feel: energized, electrified, and refreshed! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and love the previous chapter; without further ado, it's time to get down to business, crack my knuckles, stay up late for hours on end, and squeeze as much content into this chapter before I post it and then pass out from exhaustion only to wake up several hours later and become delighted upon seeing your wonderful comments again.**

 **Lets get started, shall we? XD**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Glad you like the chapter. And don't worry; Grimm will get what's going to him.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **I fully intend to,** ** _mi amigo_ ;)**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Eventually . . .**

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **That he is XD**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Ask, and ye shall receive! Enjoy the following beat down that Daring shall receive and that I have written! Trust me when I say I had to restrain myself from killing him in this one.**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **Thank you for the kind words. It's much appreciated. As a token of gratitude, enjoy the following chapter with my regards!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **I took a look at this 'Ridley', and I have to say that I am impressed with what I see. Unfortunately, I'm not impressed enough; besides, I already have a dragon-like transformation coming up later in the story. As for your Joker idea, I think I'll base his personality more off of the Batman villain (can't argue with the guy. He'll kill you before you can). As for the Valkrie idea . . . I think not. Don't worry, though. The girls will still become badass later on. As for HoodudexCedar, I'm sorry to say that while the idea is sweet, I, and a lot of other readers, like BenxCedar even better.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **This will most likely be a reality, as Clawdeen and cerise are both temperamental and rather possessive; this should be interesting XD**

 _ **Black Cat Angel –**_ **Indeed he is. Indeed he is.**

 _ **Gosick5233 –**_ **Now that you pop the idea, it does sound like a descent idea; throwing in someone related to the Snow Queen would be interesting, to say the least. I'm not saying this will be a reality, but it's something I'm willing to consider.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **You insult me, my good man (or woman)! I never do such a thing, to disown or give up on such a wonderful and fun story to write! I could never do that to you or my other loyal readers! As for Ben and Cerise . . . I'm sure they'll be able to work something out. I'm not sure. I'll have to ask them. Don't worry about Cedar. If her constant blushing and claiming that Ben was hot wasn't enough, she'll be in the harem. As for the wand, I like the idea; remind me to credit you for that when the time arises. And don't worry about Grimm and Daring. Right now, I'm just giving them their comeuppances, but they will definitely be portrayed much better later on in the story (once I'm satisfied that they've suffered enough.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **While I can assure you that your fusion partner wish will granted, I can't say that I will take your idea, as it interferes with my plans to incorporate** ** _Way to Wonderland,_ of which involves the Ever After cast retrieving the Storybook of Legends.**

 _ **Sallem Cortez 004 –**_ **The main reason I didn't include the O'Hair sisters, Ginger, or Blondie is because I wanted to people guessing at who would join the harem next; I don't know if that changes things or not, but I thought it might work (shrugs).**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **I'm not too good with writing countless soldier deaths, so this is why I mostly use mindless creatures or abominations for battles, like I did in my previous story. As for Darkstar, he'll most likely earn a Humungou-fist to the face if he gets his creepy, pasty fingers on Raven. Loved the different weapon ideas that you suggested; I fully intend to use them, with some modifications and tweaks. And sorry for postponing the fight between Ben and Daring, but hey, it got to come back and read this chapter, now didn't it? As for Cerise in heat . . . remind me to thank you for that later on. I just got a wicked idea that'll probably leave Ben and Cerise scarred for life or something.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **You're right. Considering Ben survived both the destruction** ** _and_ creation of the universe, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. _VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTABLE BABY!_ Again, loved the idea you PMed and I hope that I did it some justice in this chapter. As for the Charming family . . . wow, conceded and self-absorbed much? This is gonna make Daring a likable character all the more difficult. Oh, well. I've come this far, so I probably won't stop now!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Unless absolutely necessary to the story's plot, I try not to put an alien in a chapter directly after use, so Rath is unfortunately not an option; the main reason I do this is because, with the new aliens added in my sequel and will add through out this story in addition to the canon aliens, there are a** ** _lot_ of transformations to put in. Almost a hundred I think. The main reason Ben hardly considers the Forever Knights a threat now is because they've been little more than a nuisance; granted, if this happened directly after Ultimate Alien (which it does not), Ben would claim otherwise. And trust me, the knight's will get more respect as time goes on. As for Cerise, she has a good reason for being a hypocrite, as you claim (not saying this in a bad way); she's literally, by the laws of her parent's stories, to have never even _existed_ , thus meaning if anyone finds out, she could very well be killed (heck, Ben was almost _executed_ ). Ben however, could have revealed his secret from day one if he wanted to. Glad you liked the RavenxCerise moments. More to come on those.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Maybe not Jigsaw, but perhaps another alien based on a cartoon character just as looney . . . anyway, Ben** ** _will_ help Dexter get over Raven, but it's going to be a _long_ and rather _painful_ road.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Yes, I saw the latest episode; I love the winter episodes of Monster High and Ever After High. So warm and cozy, that you can bet there'll be some of those in this story when winter rolls around (in the story of course). As for Darkstar, the only reason Ben doesn't remember him as much as Aggregor is because he didn't appear as often and wasn't as much as a threat as Aggregor was (the dude nearly took over the entire universe; Darkstar just drained some girls of their energy so he could be handsome again). While I can't say what Kitty's favor will be (Sphinx, even** ** _I_ don't know. She's that unpredictable) I can assure you it won't be anything sexual. She's crafty and clever, but I don't think she'd go _that_ far; and the reason I gave Kitty a tail was because she's a _cat_ and the only time we ever see her have a tail is in _Way to Wonderland._ Meanwhile, Toralei is waltzing around Monster High wagging her own tail back and forth without a care. Glad you liked RavenxCerise; more of that to come XD And actually, Genie _does_ like Ben, he's just being his usual, crazy self. As for your ideas, I like all but the last one, mostly because I already used Rath and don't like using an alien right away unless absolutely necessary; this is mostly because I have so many transformations I have to squeeze in at least once. I mean, _Omniverse_ managed to only put in Ditto and Goop about two or three times while other aliens like XLR8 and Terraspin were featured more often. The other two, will most likely happen. Also, since you're offering, do you think you can tell me what the Sphinx Rath was saying in _Secret of Dos Santos?_ I've always wanted to know, but my Spanish isn't enough me to understand more than one sentence.**

 _ **Grimlock –**_ **I thought about using Diamondhead, but I have a lot of aliens to squeeze into this story between now and then, so it'll be a while before we see our favorite, crystaline alien again (not too long though).**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am writing it! Continue to enjoy it further as I post this chapter!**

 _ **Everything is Batman –**_ **Right now, I'm currently busy with my current stories, collaborations with other authors, and a sequel to my Total Drama story; as much as I enjoy Percy Jackson and what limited Harry Potter I've seen (never really had the time to watch them) I don't think I could write a Xover with them. Plus, if you look at my profile, I have other planned works that my priority when they come to fruition.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **To be fair, Adwaita and Darkstar are more of Gwen/Charmcaster's enemies than Ben's; he just gets dragged into the mess because he's related to Gwen and almost always near her whenever they try to strike her down. Plus, with Ben having a much bigger villain line up than Gwen, Kevin, Rook, or even Grandpa Max, he tends to forget the lesser of the villains (Billy Billions and Sublimino, etc.) and those he's barely encountered (such as Darkstar and The Road Crew). As for the Forever Knights, the only reason Ben doesn't see them as much as a threat now as they were before is because not only is their leader, Sir George, dead, but they nothing more than a small band of crazy guys in suits of armor with barely any money, weapons, or power in their current world.**

 _ **animefan –**_ **I hope it can be glued back together!**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Was there any doubt she would give up on writing her own destiny? It wouldn't be Ever After High if she did, now would it?**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **Don't worry. I plan to tie up all those loose ends as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Maddie seems to be plotting to take over my story any day now, so I'm not sure where things'll go then. All I can hope is that I ave enough tea to keep her passive long enough for me to write all these things before she knocks me out with her mallet and does it herself.**

 _ **Classic Lover –**_ **Yes, I am currently working on Jigsaw's artwork and will post it on my DeviantArt account as soon as possible.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **I am now thoroughly terrified of you and Red Riding Hood. But don't worry, those loose ends will be tied up once the events of this chapter are taken care of. As for Maddie, she is currently plotting to knock me out with her mallet and take over the story, so watch out! I may not be the one writing soon!**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **No one, I suppose. I was just pointing out the similarities between Vulpimancers and Xenomorphs. Not that I don't plan on using your Xenomorph idea.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Answers in the order you asked for them: I can not reveal that right now, as that is top secret information (or is it!?); true, but I thought naked Rath would be more hilarious; things can only go uphill from here, trust me on that one; Badwolf has already approved of Ben. It's Red Riding Hood you gotta worry about; that, I can not reveal. Shame on you! XD**

 **That seems to just about cover it!**

 **Also, I would like to thank _Menatron the Angel of Ideas_ for giving me the idea on how to start off this chapter; it was originally meant to happen in _We're All Monsters,_ but as you can figure out, that never happened. And big thanks to _Morantis_ for helping me figure out things that I can not say without spoiling what happens!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love hearing from you guys and gals and your creative ideas! Remember, no idea, suggestion, or request is too stupid or dumb to at least be thought over (no matter how brief).**

 **Onward!**

* * *

 _F.N: I . . . don't even know where to begin on this one._

 _M.N: For once, we can agree on something._

 _F.N: Doesn't mean I'm not ready to give it a shot. (Ahem). After much trail and tribulation, the fog of war had settled and Ben, er, Rath had emerged the victor. But with a ticked off Cerise Hood in his clutches, a fight with Daring Charming on the horizon, eight weeks of detention, and a suspicious absence of the Forever Knights, how long will these uneasy peace last?_

 _M.N: For once, I won't criticize your narrating. Only because I couldn't have said it any better._

 _M.H:_ _I could have!_

 _M.N: Ms. Hatter! What are you doing here **again**!?_

 _M.H: I was getting bored! Nothing hexciting happens until the fight with Daring when-_

 _F.N: Don't say anything!_

 _M.H: Alright, fine. You two are no fun. I just **really** wanna meet Ben! He sounds so hat-tastic and Wonderlandiful!_

 _F.N: You'll have to wait your turn, dear._

 _M.N: Yes, get in line with all the other girls Ben is to be paired with._

 _M.H: I have a hammer you know._

 _M.N: . . . I say we make her wait short. How about you?_

 _F.M: Agreed._

 _M.H: Hat-tastic!_

* * *

Rook sighed as he lazily watched the nearly blank monitor before him, taking a sip out of the Mr. Smoothie's cup in front of him; it just didn't taste the same without Ben there to try and drink his smoothy faster, only to receive a term called 'Brain Freeze'. It had been at least two weeks since Ben had once again disappeared, and his family was practically hysterical with fear; Sandra was almost beside herself with concern and worry, hardly doing anything other than to sustain herself and keep any and all lines and sources of information about her son open. The ghouls were no better, fights often breaking out between several of the more temperamental of them with some rather destructive results often coming out of it.

" _Hey, Rook._ "

The Revonnahgander sighed wearily as he placed his smoothy cup back down on the desk in front of him and set his feet that had previously been propped up out of boredom back down on the ground. He turned around to see Toralei Stripe coming strolling out of the Plumber Base elevator shaft with a proud smirk on her face; the werecat wore a red and black version of Rook's own Proto-Tech Armor, something Blukic and Driba had managed to craft after much (and by much, there was a lot of explosives and other disasters involved) trial and error. The fact that Toralei not only seemed to idolize him, but also had been placed under his command after graduating with flying colors from the Plumber Academy, something Rook was not fond of for one reason in particular.

Toralei was an incredible flirt.

"Yes? What is it Ms. Stripe?" Rook sighed, trying to sound as if he wasn't tired or already annoyed with her already. "Is there anything to report?"

"Nothing so far, _Magister_ ," Toralei purred, drawing out the word in a manner that sent shivers up Rook's spine and made his fur stand on end. "All prisoners are accounted for and Animo is currently in the medical ward getting treated for his broken arm; it seems we will have to get Avea some counseling of some kind."

"Yes. I imagine letting her anger out through her Tetramand form is not a very viable option." Rook tapped his chin in thought, oblivious for the moment to the fact that Toralei was now resting her chin on her arms on the back of hi chair. "Do you have any recommendations for Ms. Trotter to try? It would seem Ben's absence is taking a great toll on her."

Toralei was now resting one of her arms on Rook's shoulder, slowly and tentatively dancing her fingers along his collarbone as she spoke in what Rook perceived to be a seductive manner. "Maybe some therapy, perhaps? Or maybe she just needs to sit down and . . . _talk_ to someone." she purred in Rook's ear; the Revonnahgander shivered.

"Please, Ms. Stripe, we both know that our chosen love interests would not find this situation you have put us in to be very appealing in any manner." Rook grunted as he pushed Toralei away from him.

"Oh, you mean Rocco?" Toralei purred. "He won't mind at all."

"That may be, but Rayona-"

"She's on another planet, _Magister_ . . ." Toralei practically whispered in Rook's ear. "She'll never know. It'll be our . . . little secret." she smiled as she rested her hand on Rook's chest and cupped his cheek in a rather inappropriate manner.

"As your commanding officer, I order you to stand down and cease this childish behavior." Rook frowned, pushing Toralei off of him. The werecat didn't listen and continued to pursue her desires, sitting herself down on Rook's lap and pressing her body tightly against his, drawing in a sharp breath when she felt his strong, firm muscles underneath of his Proto-Tech Armor while she gently cupped his face in her hands, lightly stroking the fur that covered his cheeks as she leaned forward, lips parted slightly and puckered.

This was the last straw for Rook. With a slight grunt, he grabbed Toralei by the shoulders and pushed her off of him, spilling his smoothy all over the place in the process as he leaped out of his chair and made a run for it, his arms pumping.

"Come back!" Toralei pleaded before taking off after her fleeing commander.

"No! Please return to your station and leave me alone!" Rook called over his shoulder as he took a sharp left, nearly running over Jerry (from Inhuman Resources) in the process while he fled; Toralei was hot on his heels, front flipping over Jerry (once again, from Inhuman Resources) before continuing her mad chase after her one-sided love.

"Rook! Please, come back!" Toralei begged.

"I am sorry to have to do this to you, Ms. Stripe, but you leave me no other choice." Rook huffed as he swiftly grabbed his Proto-Tool off of his shoulder and fired off several shots, missing every time but coming dangerously close to hitting her as she effortlessly dodged and weaved through the blaster fire like the cat she was; Rook made a mental note to recommend her to teach a class at the Plumber's Academy on advanced dodging techniques, when she wasn't chasing after him that is.

"Nice try, Rook, but you'll have to do better than that!" Toralei laughed as she jumped over more blaster fire and dug her claws deep into the ceiling's paneling, allowing her to swing along with ease and catch up to Rook, kicking him between the shoulder blades and knocking him down to the ground; the Proto-Tech skidded just out reach.

"Now how about a kiss?" Toralei purred.

"Hold it right there, luv!"

The werecat turned her attention away from Rook long enough to see Robecca slap her metal fingers down on her Omnitrix's activation button, swallowing herself in a flash of golden light as her body was warped and changed into something new. The android could feel herself shift and move dramatically as her metal exterior was cut and sliced into thin ribbons with a loud shrieking noise, as if she were messily being cut by a pair of gigantic, invisible scissors. Her circulatory tubing system and artificial organs melted together into thin stripes of their own, stretching out to an incredible length before all of the thin strips that had become Robecca began to bundle themselves tightly together, wrapping around each other and forming themselves into a crude, feminine figure with long, exaggerated fingers and toes made of singular strips of the bandage-like material that Robecca was now made of. She could feel her face harden once more and quickly flatten itself while it rounded and turned a copper and deep black in color, leaving two small spaces for her slit-like, golden eyes to peek out of; the face plate sat itself on top of the bandaged shoulders as a gold and black headdress appeared on her head, a wide collar materialize on her neck and chest as two, thin tendrils sprouted from her back. Black and gold braces appeared on her arms and ankles as a golden belt with the Omnitrix on it appeared around her thin waist, finishing the transformation.

Toralei yelped as the Thep Khufan lashed out with her stretchable fingers, wrapping tightly around the werecat's waist and yanking off of Rook in a flurry of motion, spinning her much like a top. "And down goes Toralei!" Cleo-wrap-tra smirked.

"Thank you for the assistance, Ms. Steam." Rook sighed with relief as the Thep Khufan help him off of the floor.

"Please, Rook. It's just Robecca." Cleo-wrap-tra gave a mouth-less smile. "Now, might I suggest that we make a hasty retreat? Toralei's gonna be after both of us now, though for different reasons I suppose."

"Indeed." Rook agreed; Toralei gave a furious hiss and sliced through the bandages that Cleo-wrap-tra had wrapped her up in much like a Christmas present with her claws, arching her back and snarling before she chased after the Thep Khufan and Revonnahgander on all fours. The three of them raced down several hallways, narrowly dodging Plumbers and technicians alike in their mad chase throughout Plumber Headquarters; at one point, the three of them got separated in a long hallway that branched out into several smaller corridors, each one of them taking a different hallway in the hopes of either escaping one another or catching the other. This resulted in several rather odd and very cartoon-like chases between the tree of them as they raced down hallways after or away from each other.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous!" Toralei growled after a seemingly endless chase.

"Are you referring to the fact that you still do not seem to grasp the idea that I do not like you or the seemingly random and bizarre nature of ensuing chase?" Rook asked.

"Both!" Toralei frowned before grinning wickedly. "But now I have you, _Magister!_ "

"Not quite!" Cleo-wrap-tra smirked as she quickly stretched her bandages across the width of the hallway and erecting a thick and sturdy makeshift barrier between her and Toralei just as the werecat leaped and tried to tackle Rook to the ground; she slammed into the wall of bandages, bending it inwards slightly before bouncing right off, the bandages holding in place.

"That should keep her off of us for a few minutes. Maybe even seconds, depending on how sharp her claws are." the Thep Khufan gulped with exhaustion; she could already hear Toralei slicing through the bandages with her wicked claws.

"Your tactics are quite clever." Rook remarked. "Ben has taught you well."

"Yeah . . ." Cleo-wrap-tra sighed sadly.

Rook immediately regretted the compliment. "My apologies. I did not mean to bring him up."

"Don't worry about it." Cleo-wrap-tra reassured him. "We're all just worried. A lot."

"I can imagine." Rook nodded as he stooped down to pick up the Proto-Tool from the floor and hold it in his hands. "However, I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to." he pointed out as Toralei finally finished slicing through the bandages to lung at Cleo-wrap-tra and tackle her to the ground, grabbing her by the arm as they rolled along the ground, allowing the werecat to flip the Thep Khufan and throw her down the hall where she slammed into the wall at the end and slid down with a low groan.

"No one gets between me and my man." Toralei hissed venomously as Rook paled slightly; Toralei quickly turned on him, swiping his legs out from underneath him and kicking the Proto-Tool out of the Revonnahgander's grip, leaving him weaponless once more. This allowed the werecat to pounce on Rook, straddling his legs with her thighs as she expertly trapped his wrists together with her hand before she swiftly reached forward and grabbed a patch of skin between Rook's shoulder and neck, giving it a quick pinch and grinning with pleasure when the Revonnahgander's struggling movements halted on the spot, his limbs seizing up and lying limp and useless next to him.

"Wha . . ." Rook grunted with pain, unable to do anything but try to breath and slowly speak.

"Hephaestan neuro grip." Toralei licked her lips hungrily. "Perfect for subduing all manner of prey." she recited the infamous quote she had memorized upon learning about Khyber the Huntsman's exploits.

Rook gritted his teeth preparing himself for the ravaging that was no doubt coming his way when an ever so slight motion caught his eye from above Toralei, followed quickly by by a dull, red flash of light and energy, a welcoming sight for the Revonnahgander in the current situation. "But . . . what if . . . the hunter . . . becomes the hunted?" he grunted.

Confused by what her captive meant, she turned at the sound of a wet, squishing noise from behind and instantly froze up as a massive creature about the size of an elephant and looking very similar to a beached jellyfish oozed down from the ceiling and landed on the floor with a wet _plop!_ The creature was a deep blue in color with lighter colored blotches slathered over its slimy surface as dozens upon dozens of oozing tentacles writhed and squirmed about in search of food; a flexible protrusion like looked like some kind of shaggy cob of corn protruded from the top of the creature's gelatinous bell, more slime dripping from the many sharp growths as the creature flopped about. A familiar disk floated around inside of the creature, guarded by the dozens of cracking tentacles.

"A . . . Devorantis Bulla," Rook observed. "The natural predator . . . of the Appoplexian species and . . . common reason why they are not fond . . . of water."

"It looks hungry." Toralei shuddered.

"Indeed." Rook agreed, the pain from the neuro grip starting to ebb away and give him control of his limbs once more. "Seeing as how the creature is practically brainless, not particularly picky when it comes to prey, and the fact that you look very similar to an Appoplexian, I would highly advise that you make a hasty retreat."

Too frightened to question the sudden appearance of the beast, Toralei leaped off of Rook and took off at a rather impressive speed for a werecat, possibly breaking a world record in the process; the Devorantis Bulla made a low growling and hissing noise as it slowly oozed across the floor and wrapped a tentacle around Rook's wrist, careful to not sting him with the toxic venom in its tips as the creature helped him up.

"Thank you, Ms. Boolittle." Rook smiled slightly as the large, gelatinous predator was engulfed in a burst of red light as the Nemetrix timed out and returned Jane to the world, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"N-No problem, Rook." Jane nodded. "I figured Aquattack would be more than enough to stop Toralei from making her advances on you." she said before she quickly turned her attention away from her Revonnahgander superior and rushed down the hallway to crouch down by Cleo-wrap-tra's side.

"Are y-you okay, Robecca?" the shape-shifter asked nervously.

"Fine. Just sore." the Thep Khufan moaned before her Omnitrix timed out in a flash of golden light and returned Robecca to the world, the android instantly going limb as her systems shut down.

"I was afraid of that." Jane sighed as she slipped one of her barely shaking hands underneath Robecca's hair, feeling along for a small catch in the metal paneling before finding it and working her fingernails underneath it to open up a small hatch in the side of her ghoulfriend's head; Rook came up behind her, confused and rather startled as well.

"What are you doing?" he inquired.

"This sometimes h-happens," Jane explained. "From time to time, during battles, something will get knocked lose inside of her and she'll either malfunction or shut down." she told Rook as she expertly slipped her hands inside of Robecca's head, delicately feeling around the contents of her artificial brain and memory banks until she found a small hose that had been pushed out of place. Jane quickly reinserted it and closed the hatch before reaching behind Robecca's ear to press a small, hidden button; her ghoulfriend's systems had been upgraded slightly to make repairs faster and her occassional accidents during fights less likely to happen.

Robecca's eyes slowly blinked open, her optical censors pausing for a second to readjust to the light levels before she responded. "Thanks, luv. You're getting quite handy with those repairs."

Jane blushed furiously. "W-Well, y-you were the one that sh-showed me and Venus how t-to do them." she stammered with embarrassment; Robecca smiled and gave her girlfriend a small hug before the two of them climbed to their feet. "How about you, Magister? Are yo alright?"

Rook nodded. "You may refer to me as Ben would have, Ms. Ste- Robecca." he corrected himself. "Toralei's advancements are becoming more and more frequent, I am afraid."

"I still can't believe she's a Plumber." Jane gulped. "She's starting to scare me." she whimpered slightly.

Robecca was about to console and comfort her ghoulfriend when a loud, red alarm blared loudly through the hallways, bathing everything in an eerie, crimson color as Jane covered her ears.

"The Null Void Projector!" Rook realized.

* * *

"Are you gonna let me down now?" Cerise asked, impatiently drumming her fingers against Rath's large fist as the still irritated Appoplexian stalked down the hall with the Riding Hood held firmly in his grip.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Cerise Hood! Rath will let you go when Rath is good and ready! And Rath is nowhere good or ready to let you go!" Rath growled, snorting with annoyance.

"Ugh. I feel like I've been hanging here for weeks." Cerise sighed, resting her chin in her hand; she had lost track of time long after she and Rath had been a short, yet extremely damaging rampage through out the entire school, crashing through two floors, wrecking two classrooms, the Lifairy, and then ending up having to spend eight weeks in detention _together_ with Cerise's father. And the worst part, at least for Cerise, was that Rath knew her family's secret. Whether he actually understood what was going on was up to debate, but there was no doubt that he would be able to figure it out once the Omnitrix timed out. The Riding Hood found herself silently wishing for the strange device currently fused to the Appoplexian's chest to keep going for an eternity, but she knew it was fruitless; the Omnitrix would time out, Ben would return to her, and things would all go downhill from there.

" _Sit._ " Rath snarled as he released his hold on Cerise and let her drop onto a comfy cushion in front of one of the large bay windows that decorated a couple of the floors of Ever After High, allowing students to relax in the bright and warm rays of the sun while gazing down at the grounds below; a quick sniff of her sensitive nose told Cerise that this was a spot generally favored by Kitty, if the faint scent of Wonderland catnip wasn't enough to go by. She really hoped the Cheshire cat wouldn't show up to screw her over and make things worse like she normally did.

"Now are you gonna let Rath apologize to you, or am is Rath gonna have to _make_ you let Rath apologize to you!?" Rath roared.

"Do you _have_ to yell _every_ sentence ever after?" Cerise winced, covering her sensitive ears with her hands.

" _Yes!_ It makes Rath more impressive!"

"You don't look all that impressive to me." Cerise scoffed.

"Rath isn't about being impressive! Rath is about being angry! And Rath's angry _is_ impressive!" the Appoplexian yelled at the top of his lungs; Cerise visibly winced at the loud noise.

"That made no sense."

"I know!" Rath yelled even louder before a soft beeping caught both of their attentions just before the Appoplexian as engulfed in a flash of green light, the Omnitrix timing out and returning Ben to the world; Cerise was tempted to attack him right then and there in his vulnerable, human state, but her entire body was still throbbing with pain from the wall she had been thrown through. He was probably feeling right as rain compared to her.

"Okay, I'm not the only one that has some explaining to do," Ben said as he sat down on another cushion across from her. "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"You first," Cerise growled. "Not that it'll matter."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you'll kill me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm still one-hundred percent still alive and in one piece. No death for me, thank you very much."

"You're stalling." Cerise growled, her eyes flashing a bright amber before they returned to her dull, gray color.

Ben sighed, but began to talking. "Look, I'm sorry that I hurt you when I was Blitzwolfer; had I known you had such feelings for me, I wouldn't have lead you on." Ben apologized. "I'm use to having girls fall for me. Sphinx, I've got seventeen girlfriends back home. But I never thought you would fall for me, much less Blitzwolfer."

"I suppose that part _was_ my fault." Cerise sighed with defeat; due to the fact she had to hide her heritage, she was quite withdrawn from the majority of the student body of Ever After High, meaning often had little to no interactions with anyone outside of her fellow Rebels. Not that anyone other than Raven, and now Ben, knew her secret.

Ben had to silently agree with her on that one, but decided it was best not to say it out loud for fear of being punched in the jaw; even as Rath, when he so durable and tough that he managed to survive a fall from several thousand feet up and slam into bare rock beneath with little more than a headache, he suffered a fair amount of pain. The girl knew how to take it and then sling it back more than double when she wanted to, something Clawdeen and Avea would be proud of. "Either way, I really enjoyed our time together, even if it was just mostly me carrying you around," Ben joked slightly. "You were smart, brave, and not afraid to stand your ground no matter the situation; Sphinx, most people run at the sheer _sight_ of Rath." Ben added with a slight smile; Cerise couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth quirk up in the smallest smile imaginable.

"But enough about me. You can't seriously believe I'm not curious about those wolf ears of yours, right?" Ben said with a small smile.

Cerise wasn't quite sure what she was feeling right now; was that actually warmth in her face she was feeling? She shook her head slightly, and felt herself heat up again when she noticed that Ben had been starring at her. "Oh. Uh, I guess." she coughed uncomfortably. "As you may have guessed, my parents are Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf." she admitted, rubbing her awkwardly.

""So, your wolf ears come from your Dad, along with those teeth, claws, and temper of yours?" Ben guessed.

" _I don't have a temper!_ " Cerise snarled, her voice much deeper and guttural as her teeth and fingernails grew longer and sharper while her eyes flashed the furious, bright amber that Ben was all too familiar with; a quick look at Ben's smug yet tense look, and the wolfish features retreated back under the costume of shy, secluded Cerise Hood that everyone knew. "Okay, so I have some . . . issues." Cerise sighed. "What are you supposed to do when you can you do when you're technically never supposed to have existed?"

Ben didn't have an answer for that. Now that he thought about it, Cerise couldn't do anything a normal student of Ever After High, such as Apple, could do; Apple could go to any party or school gathering she wanted to and party the night away, while Cerise had to remain in the shadows and hide away from the world; Apple could get herself involved in any activity she wanted to, while Cerise was limited to something that wouldn't expose her dark secret; Apple could talk to and go home to her parents during schools breaks whenever she wanted, while Cerise had to remain with either her mother or at school for fear of someone discovering the secret the Hood family was hiding. In a way, Cerise was handicapped in such a way Ben couldn't have been able to comprehend. Because of her heritage, she could never live a happy life without the world being such a dangerous place for her. How did you live life knowing you weren't supposed to even _exist?_

"Do you love your parents?" Ben asked after a while.

"What's that got to do with my wolf ears?" Cerise sniffed, blinking back tears. She absolutely refused to cry in front of Ben, not after what the two of them had just been through; her body was still aching, her muscles burning like the dying embers in a fire pit after the roaring flames had died down.

"Do you love your parents?" Ben repeated, his expression telling her that he wasn't going to say anything else until he got an answered.

Cerise sighed with defeat. "I . . . I do. Even if they made my life a living nightmare just by having me, I still love them." she said, not sure where Ben was going with this.

"Do you love your friends?" Ben asked next.

"Love how?" Cerise wondered; Ben just gave her a look of disbelief. "Yes, I do. Cedar's really fun to be around, Raven is always supportive and the best friend ever after, and . . . _I guess_ you were okay, too. That time you got Professor Rumpelstiltskin glued to the ceiling was one of your better moments." she added with a hint of amusement.

"You think _that's_ funny, you should have seen Rumpelstiltskin and Headmaster Grimm up against Jigsaw," Ben smirked. "I swear, it was practically something out of a Saturday morning cartoon." he chuckled before getting serious once more. "But my point is, if your friends and your parents love you, you shouldn't care _what_ you look like. Just knowing that someone loves you and cares for you should be enough."

"That . . . actually makes sense. A lot more sense than what Rath was yelling." she added with a small smile. "He's actually kind of funny."

"As my friend Kevin once said, 'Rath is the only alien that makes me wanna get a box of popcorn, kick back, and just watch."

Cerise actually snickered at this. "If you think Rath's funny, you'll find me and Daring fighting each other at three on the Bookball field hilarious." Ben said sarcastically.

Cerise seemed to be greatly distressed by this. "Wait, you're fighting _Daring_? As in, the best sword fighter this school has ever seen?" she pressed. "The guy who can win a game of tug-o'-war with almost anyone and look good while doing it?"

"If I can turn into Rath and take a beating from _you,_ then I'm pretty sure I handle Daring." Ben scoffed slightly. Cerise couldn't help but smile at that, her face heating once more; she didn't know what the feeling was, and she wasn't sure she liked it. And whenever her smile got bigger or when she glanced at Ben, the feeling intensified to the point where Cerise felt like her face was on fire and that Ben could see it all happening. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with him seeing any of that, so she did the only thing she could of at that moment: the Riding Hood lunged forward and pulled Ben into a strong hug, resting her head on his chest and squeezing him tightly.

"What's all this about?" Ben asked awkwardly after a few seconds, unsure of what he should do.

"I just want to say that _I'm_ sorry." Cerise said quietly; she never realized how comfy Ben was, even in his human form. She thought it was impossible for any human other than her mom to be this comfortable, but Ben was like the world's softest and firmest pillow at the same time, like laying ones' head down on a rock made of silk. Cerise didn't know if that made sense, but it made sense to her at least. "I . . . overreacted a little."

"A little? You tried to kill me!" Ben joked slightly, gently wrapping his arms around Cerise and returning the hug; the Riding Hood felt herself unconsciously snuggling deeper into Ben's warm embrace, an almost tired feeling overtaking her. "But . . . I think I can let it slide." he added with a smile.

"Can I . . . ask you something?" Cerise wondered after a few seconds.

"What?"

"Remember when you were yelling at my Dad? About how you weren't going to let me go until you were ready to?" Cerise explained. "What did you mean by 'girlfriend'?"

Ben gulped nervously as his face turned a deep scarlet. "Uh, um, well, you know Rath . . . he's not too, uh, smart." he said sheepishly.

"But you control your transformations, right?" Cerise cocked an eyebrow over a calculating eye.

"To an extent . . ." Ben admitted, sweating anxiously at the look the Riding Hood was giving him.

"You like me, don't you?" Cerise smirked, her expression turning into one of triumph when he noticed his troubled demeanor; a quick sniff made her nearly recoil with the amount of nervousness that was rolling off of the Omnitrix wearer in waves.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Does a dragon breath fire?" Cerise responded right back with a question of her own, her smirk deepening when she caught sight of the dull, red blush creeping across Ben's face. The Riding Hood was now sure that the feeling that had been slithering throughout her being during the past few minutes was love, a feeling she thought had died long ago ever since her wolfly prince had turned out to be nothing more than a human; even during those nights when she had cried herself to sleep, staining her pillow and hood with tears as she lay in a tight ball underneath her covers, she still had felt affection for him. He was kind to her and had spent what little time he had hanging out with her, whether it had been just a simple walk in the woods, retrieving books for her in the Lifairy, or simply just curling up with her for a quick nap in the sun, and he had just recently commented on how skilled she was, not to mention how beautiful. After all, being able to go toe to toe with an Appoplexian _and_ looking good while doing it was a feat that nearly impossible unless you just happened to be Cerise Hood.

"Cerise? I'd love to talk some more, but I gotta get going; it's getting close to three and I'd like to drop off my homework and things in my dorm before I hammer Daring into the ground." Ben spoke up after a while; Cerise felt her face heat up with embarrassment after she realized how long she had been hugging Ben..

"Try not to beat him too badly; you want to make yourself look too villainous." the half-breed warned.

"As if I _want_ more bad attention on me." Ben rolled his eyes as he got up from the cushion seat and stretched slightly. "And don't worry. Your secrets safe with me."

"That's a relief." Cerise breathed. "So, uh, I'll see you in detention?"

"Probably." Ben shrugged with a smile. "I'll see you at the duel."

"I'll be rooting for you." Cerise smiled; the two of them bid the other farewell before departing, Ben to his locker to grab his things and Cerise to her father's office in the hopes of explaining things out and preventing her Mr. Badwolf from trying to slaughter Ben the moment he walked into the classroom.

* * *

"Remind me, what exactly is the Null Void?" Clawdeen asked as she leaned against the side of the elevator while she filed her nails; regarding the little incident that had combined both her and her boyfriend's universes together, no one but her, Ben, the other ghouls, and the mysterious Time Walker, Paradox, knew what actually had happened. Everyone else, from Rook and Grandpa Max to Vilgax and even minor villains such as Sublimino, believed that the monsters that now walked the planet known as Earth, had been there since the beginning of time, having evolved alongside humans with some rather disastrous results here and there.

"In short, Ms. Wolf, the Null Void is an alternate dimension discovered by the Galvans long ago," Rook explained. "Since its discovery, it has turned into an interdimensional prison where planets send intergalactic criminals far too dangerous to keep in the current dimension, a fine example being Vilgax."

"Yeah, fat good that did." Venus rolled her eyes; Jane was by her side, looking nervous and rather frightened as the elevator descended downwards towards the room the Null Void Projector was kept in, deep within the bowels of Plumber Headquarters to keep it out of prying eyes and grasping hands. Skelita stood next to Rook, absentmindedly fiddling with her Omnitrix in the slim chance of unlocking a new form; really though, she was just trying to distract herself from Ben's disappearance.

"There is a team currently holding the point, ready to fire when and should anything from the Null Void cross over." Rook explained. "The best option would be to try and reason with who or what ever may be on the other side and try to use violence only as a last result."

"Aw, but I was looking forward to cracking some skulls!" Venus pouted, Jane whimpering at the choice of words; Venus immediately regretted the decision and used whatever small amount of time they had left in the elevator to calm her down. The doors to the elevator dinged open, allowing Rook and the four ghouls to step out into the room, taking note of the small group of tense Plumbers with their various weapons and blasters aimed directly at the swirling, blood red portal a good couple dozen yards in front of them.

"Do we have _una idea_ what activated the projector?" Skelita asked.

"The limited reports I have received are rather short and incomprehensible." Rook regrettably said. "The only information that I know of is that it was activated from the other side."

"T-The R-Rooters?" Jane gulped fearfully; she had read the reports of the Plumbers black ops and was immediately terrified of them particularly Servantis with his calm, chilling voice that didn't seem able to express any emotion at all.

"A possibility, but it is only mere speculation," Rook scratched his chin in thought. "According to Azmuth's studies of the Null Void, the dimension as certain weak points that can be exploited to tear passageways from both dimensions, should enough force be used."

"So we're dealin' with some unknown force powerful enough to rip holes through dimensions?" Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, this one is gonna hurt."

"For the bad guy, that is." Venus smirked as she turned on her own Omnitrix and selected one of the two available transformations before slapping the activation button, swallowing herself in a burst of neon green light. Her skin turned a pale shade of gray and looked as if it would split and break at the slightest touch as her fingers cracked and crunched loudly, lengthening into long, wicked claws while her eyes widened and turned entirely pink in color. Her fangs became longer and more pointed, some of them not even fitting into her mouth anymore as her chest and ass swelled to a decent size; muscles piled themselves onto her arms and legs as she felt her lungs expand to a large size as her heart began to beat slower and slower. She felt slightly empty and sort of drowsy at the same time, drained of the ability to eat normal foods and forced to feed off of . . . other things. Her feet twisted into sharp claws, hidden beneath a pair of bright, neon pink boots as a tight, black and green costume that showed off her curves and slightly exposed chest cover her; a green mask with a pair of bat-wing horns and curved spikes appeared on her face while the Omnitrix appeared on her stomach in a sudden burst of neon green light, a thick membrane growing between her arms and hips to form wings and complete the transformation.

"This is going to be _fang_ -tastic." Whampira grinned toothily, cracking her knuckles.

"You're almost as bad as Ben." Clawdeen rolled her eyes.

"You still love it when he does that though." the Vladat smirked.

"Yeah." Clawdeen admitted before her sensitive nose caught hold of something. "Hold up. Something's comin' through." she glared at the portal, her hackles raised and her teeth bared in a deep, twisted snarl. The three ghouls, Vladat, and Revonnahgander tensed up and readied themselves for what was to come as the small army of Plumbers that stood between them and the swirling portals cocked and readied their weapons, their grips shaky and nervous.

A large, smooth, black hand reached out through the portal, groping the empty air for a few seconds before it grabbed onto the floor and dug its fingers into the paneling, as if it were struggling to pull something along. An arm soon followed, a poisonous white circuit pattern arching over the inky black skin as another hand emerged through the portal with another arm attached; the two hands continued to pull and strain as a lagre, bulbous head cover with white circuitry pattern and a single, white ring for an eye slipped out of the portal, followed quickly by the rest of the Galvanic Mechamorph's body. The criminal shakily climbed to its feet with great difficulty, wobbling and trembling on its unstable legs.

"W-W-What's wrong with him?" Jane gulped nervously as the Galvanic Mechamorph took a step and suddenly fell onto its hands and knees, struggling to hold itself up.

"Put down your weapons! Do not fire!" Rook commanded as Whampira flapped her arms and glided over the rows of Plumbers to come to the ailing techno-organic alien's aid and help him up just enough so he could breath more easily than he was.

""C-Close . . . th . . . the p-portal . . ." the Galvanic Mechamorph wheezed. "S-Send me back . . ."

"Not in your condition." Whampira shook her head.

"S-Send me back . . ." the alien criminal coughed again; the Vladat's eyes widened when she saw its circuit pattern covered swell with several, zit-like pods, the glowing bulbs growing larger and larger and forcing the Galvanic Mechamorph to lie on his stomach, too weak to support himself.

" _Que?_ What is happening?" Skelita asked worriedly.

"What's going on?" Whampira demanded.

"H-He's . . . coming . . ." was all the poor Galvanic Mechamorph managed to say before the horrid growths on its back suddenly burst and split open with a wet, tearing noise, killing the criminal in the process; Whampira shielded herself from the blast with her wings, recoiling in disgust as the equivalent of Galvanic Mechamorph organs and guts oozed and dripped down her arms. The Vladat's attention however, was quickly drawn away from the unfortunate, dead Galvanic Mechamorph and now towards a large, swirling red cloud of dust about the size of a large car buzzing above her.

"What . . . what are those?" Clawdeen wondered.

" _Problema._ Trouble." Skelita frowned as she turned on her Omnitrix and selected one of her two transformations before pressing down on the waiting activation button with a bony finger, swallowing herself in a bright, orange light; her bones cracked and ground heavily as they rotated in their sockets to position her arms above her head, her fingers stretching to a near impossible length while her rib cage grew bigger and bigger, her bones fusing together to become thicker as her vertebrae molded together into a long, spinal cord that outwards into a cup-shaped dome that quickly connected with her growing rib cage and encased the skeleton in a large shell. Flesh and tissue began to form over her arms and legs, connecting the bones to strengthen their mobility as internal organs started to form within the safety of her shell. A large heart appeared in the center of her chest with massive lungs appearing on either side of the beating organ as skin began to coat the fresh muscles, tissue, and fat that had formed over her skeleton; a sickening cracking filled the air as six massive holes opened up in the front of her carapace as it ground heavily and became more teardrop-shaped in the process. Her jaw bones snapped and crunched loudly as they hardened into a horny beak, her eyes moving father apart as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest, completing the transformation.

The Geochelone Aerio gave a small jump into the air as her flippers stiffened into a pair of firm blades while her legs swiftly morphed into a third blade, giving her the appearance of a helicopter rotor on its side; Tortuga started to slowly spine her blades in a wide circle, spinning faster and faster until they were nothing but a whirl of green as she started to vacuum away the air in the room, specifically around the strange, red cloud that had come out of the Null Void. The dust floated there for a few seconds before slowly being drawn towards the Geochelone Aerio, as if it were somehow resisting her pull. Tortuga narrowed her eyes at this and spun her flippers faster, focusing more on the cloud of red ash as it began to pull towards her with some resistance before it suddenly gave up and rushed right at her, slamming into her with such force that it knocked her onto her back.

The red cloud of ash swarmed around the fallen Geochelone Aerio like a cloud of wasps, buzzing angrily as it began to slip inside of her shell, diving through the holes in her chest and pouring into her mouth as she struggled and flopped around on the floor, helpless.

"She can't breath! She's choking!" Clawdeen exclaimed as Tortuga fought for her life on the floor of the room; the were wolf snarled and turned to her Omnitrix, cycling through her two available transformations before she decided that Cerebella would hopefully suffice in the current situation and slapped the waiting activation button, swallowing her in a flash of yellow light. The first and most noticeable part of the transformation began when the fur and skin around Clawdeen's head suddenly melted off, the bare muscle and tissue quickly solidifying and turning a hard, metallic sheen as Clawdeen's head suddenly separated from her body, a forked eyebrow-like crest forming above her yellow eyes. Her shoulders pinched upwards, forming large points and then an upside down arch with her head floating between them, held in place by some magnetic field; the werewolf's chest swelled slightly, more a noticeable bust. Her skin turned a durable, metallic black with bright, silver lines and spots as her claws crunched and snapped loudly to fuse together into a pair of large pincers, her frame shooting upwards until it was about ten feet tall. Her toes ripped out of her boots in two, large claws, a tingling sensation coursing through her entire body as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest.

"Oh, great. A new one." the Biosovortian cursed. "At least it's useful. I think."

"Hurry, Ms. Wolf! I don't know how much more Skelita can take!" Rook yelled as he sniped at the buzzing, red cloud with his Proto-Tool, the other Plumbers following his example, though it hardly seemed to be doing anything; Jane had morphed into a large eagle, trying to beat the buzzing, red swarm back with her wings with Whampira copying her movements.

"Give me a sec! I don't quite know this works!" the female Biosovortian yelled as she clicked her pincers experimentally before aiming them at the red cloud and concentrating as her arms began to tremble slightly, like a phone on vibrate; the angry, red cloud tried to resist and pull away from the magnetic alien's attempts to pull them away, but the Biosovortian's pull was too strong. Eventually, the cloud of red dust was pulled out and away from Tortuga at the last second, allowing the Geochelone Aerio to finally breath with relief as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Skelita to the world.

"Skelita, are you alright?" Rook inquired.

" _Si._ I am fine." the skeleton replied shakily as she was helped to her feet by the Revonnahgander. "Never before have I been glad to not have lungs."

"Yeah, well, you can thank Polarizer for that." the newly named Biosovortian gloated, despite the fact that her arms were coated in glowing, red fuzz. "What is this stuff anyway?"

"Considering you were able to magnetize it, I question its origin." Rook remarked with a calculating look. "The safest course of action would be to contain it. I believe Blukic and Driba may have something to help."

"Are you sure you want to trust those two?" Whampira asked.

"It is our safest option." Rook said firmly; the ghouls shrugged as the rest of the Plumbers relaxed slightly. "Hobble, please shut down the Null Void Projector."

The anxious, little insectoid scurried over to the controls, gulping nervously as the pulsing, red portal roared; just as he made a move for the complicated network of buttons, levers, and computers, the Omnitrix stuck to Polarizer's chest timed out in a burst of yellow light, instantaneously returning Clawdeen to the world and releasing the strange, red dust. The Plumbers all readied their weapons again, preparing to fire upon Rook's command as the red swarm of ash hovered about in the air for a few seconds before descending down to the floor, dividing and shifting itself as it began to form a roughly, humanoid figure with slim shoulders, a muscled, male body, and roughly skull-like head; by the time the swarm stopped moving and held its new body together, it resembled something like a deformed Pyronite with its bottom jaw missing, along with the instantly recognizable lava rocks that were usually found on the flaming aliens.

"W-What is th-that?" Jane gulped nervously.

"Something that's going to get his face smashed in, that's what!" Whampira growled, socking her fist into her hand in a threatening manner just before the Omnitrix timed out and returned Venus to the world in a flash of neon green light. "Oh, for the love of gargoyles." she pouted.

"Freeze!" Rook yelled at the mysterious figure. "Put your hands above your head or we will shoot!"

"Why do you show such needless aggression?" the constantly shifting figure asked in a chillingly calm tone despite the fact it had several blasters aimed right at it by a small army of trained Plumbers.

"W-Who are y-ou?" Jane asked anxiously.

"I, dear girl, am known as Alpha."

* * *

The halls were relatively empty, with most of the student populace heading towards and gathering on the Bookball field, waiting to see the fight that would ensue between Daring and the wearer of the Omnitrix; this meant that Ben had mostly free rein of the halls, able to traverse them without hindrance from the stares and whispers thrown his way. This also gave him the temporary ability to hear the tiniest of noises, the marble hallways acting as amplifiers to the slightest of sounds.

One such sound caught his attention.

Curious, Ben took what little time he had left to find the source of the noise, wandering down through several hallways and corridors before he found himself heading towards the wing of the castle that was Ever After High that made up the student dormitories, specifically the girls side (not that dorms divided by gender stopped Raven or Apple from visiting Ben in the night). After walking a short distance down the hall that ran the length of the girls dorms, Ben found himself stopping from the third door down the hallway, a room that smelled faintly of perfume, chocolate, and fresh honey.

Cupid's room.

"Cupid? It's me Ben," he knocked on the door with his wrist; he was greeted by a soft squeaking sound from the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"

"F-F-Fine, B-Ben." Cupid sniffed.

Ben frowned at this. "Are you sure? You don't sound okay."

"I-I'm f-f-fine, B-Ben." Cupid repeated.

Ben's frown increased; clearly, the young deity was lying through her teeth (though she was currently lying through a wooden door) to him, hoping he would buy it and leave her alone. Ben however, was not as gullible as some people first perceived upon meeting him, something that he quickly changed their minds about within a few hours or so of meeting said person. "Cupid, I know you're lying. Let me in, or I will turn into Humungousaur and bust this door down." Ben threatened.

There was an uneasy silence after those words were said for what seemed an eternity, and Ben was about to fulfill his warning to its full extent when the doorknob rotated slightly to the right and the door slowly creaked open on its hinges; Ben would have found it rather lurid had his attention not been drawn to the sole, current resident of the dorm.

Cupid looked as if she had seen far better days, her silky, cotton candy pink hair disheveled and unfastidious in appearance with her pale, nearly pink skin now a fiery red around her face and cheeks. Her soft, blue eyes were now a raw red in color, faint shadows trickling down from the corners of her blue pools and down her face in odd, uneven streaks. Her usual, pink dress was slightly unkempt and she was walking bare foot instead of in her usual, golden winged pumps; her own, white wings hung limp and useless from her back, a few snowy white feathers littering the floor behind her.

"Cupid!?" Ben blinked with surprise.

" . . . hey, Ben . . ." Cupid croaked hoarsely, her throat dry and raw like the shifting sands of the desert.

"Have you been . . . crying?" Ben wondered.

Cupid simply nodded her head in agreement.

"Can I come in? Please?" he added when he saw Cupid's doubting look. After a few moments hesitation, the young goddess of love eventually let Ben in, steeping aside to pull the door with her and let him through; Ben sat down on Cupid's bed and waited as she closed the door and sat next to him, taking note of the several tissues that lay here and there on the covers and floor around Cupid's side of the room.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked the young deity.

Cupid didn't say anything at first as she sniffed and wiped her eyes with a tissue, discarding it with the other dozen or so used tissues that littered the floor. "D-Dexter . . . he," she sniffed, grabbing another tissue to blow her nose with. "He yelled . . . at me!"

At that point, Cupid burst out into tears and lunged at Ben, wrapping her arms tightly around him and squeezed him tightly in a bone crushing hug; the Omnitrix wearer could now safely tell someone how it felt to be part of a boa constrictor's meal, if the way his bones cracked were anything to tell by. But he hardly cared, despite the way his spine was screaming in protest. With a little bit of struggling, he was able to slip his arms out from Cupid's death grip and wrap his comforting arms around as she sobbed into his neck, staining the hem of his shirt with tears while he rubbed her back soothingly.

"What did he say?" Ben grunted once Cupid's crushing grip on him loosened slightly, allowing him to breath much better than before.

"He said . . . he said that it was all my fault," Cupid hiccuped as she blew her nose a second time. "He said th-that I was the one th-that d-did this . . . that I w-was the one that t-took Raven away f-from him."

" _He what!?_ " Ben snarled.

"Dexter . . ." Cupid sniffed. "He said that I was . . . the worst best friend ever after . . . that I c-could just let him f-find happiness." she sobbed.

Ben felt his temper flare inside of his head while he remained calm and collective on the outside, running her fingers through her cotton candy locks and rubbing her back to comfort her; he could understand that Dexter was upset over the fact that his crush didn't return his feelings and that he would be stressed for days to come, but that gave him no right to yell at and blame someone for something they clearly weren't responsible for. He was about to say something to her when he noticed an odd change in color on Cupid's cheek, her faint pink skin suddenly contrasting into a sickening purple.

"Cupid? What's this?" he asked, gently touching the mark on her cheek,frowning when she cringed at his touch.

"I . . . I don't know." she gulped; Ben could tell she was clearly lying.

"Cupid. The truth." Ben said sternly.

Cupid sniffed and nodded weakly. "Dexter . . . hit me." she croaked.

Ben narrowed his eyes as he all but flung Cupid off of him and stormed over to the door, his heart racing as his breathing became quick and ragged; forget the fight with Daring in just a few minutes, Dexter was the one that needed to be taught a lesson, a lesson in that no one hurt one of the few friends he had in Ever After and get away with it. He was going to turn into Humungousaur and beat him into a bloody pulp, stuffing his own crown up his nose before tearing it painfully back and dislocating both his arms before breaking his legs in three different places before reattaching his arms in the correct spots only to break them again. Then he would tie Dexter's broken body into a knot and . . .

His angry thoughts were interrupted when he felt Cupid's light touch on his arm, his hand just an inch from grabbing the door knob in a tight grip; a quick, angered look back at Cupid, and Ben's expression softened slightly, his posture becoming less tense and likely to kill.

"Please don't," Cupid begged hoarsely. "I . . . I still love him . . ." she sniffed, wiping her puffy eyes with her hand. "I don't want anything . . . bad to happen to him. He's already hurt enough."

Ben was about to protest when he caught sight of those sad, ocean blue eyes starring up at him, saying that she was suffering along with Dexter's heartbreak as well, and not just because her best friend ever after had yelled at and hurt her; the young deity was in constant, dull pain whenever the feeling of heartbreak or loniless wafted through the air, the feeling being the equivalent to dulled, iron spikes driven roughly into her skin when she was particularly close. At the moment, Ben's strong love for Apple and Raven were the only things keeping Cupid from slipping into a coma-like state.

"Fine," Ben sighed with defeat. "I'll give him some time to recover, but I want a word with him afterwards."

"Okay . . ." Cupid croaked softly.

Ben nodded. "Now do you want to come watch the fight between me and Daring? Apparently, he's not taking no for an answer."

"I . . . suppose it couldn't hurt to get out again." Cupid sniffed. "Just don't hurt Daring too much, please?"

"I'll try. No promises."

* * *

Daring smiled handsomely, the sun glinting proudly off of his pearly, white teeth as he waved and appealed to the large crowd that had gathered in the Bookball stadium seats to cheer and root for him; the Son of Prince Charming stood tall and proud on the neatly mowed field, dressed in a suit of shining, metal armor of the highest quality with Ever After High's emblem, an open book with 'EAH' between the pages, stenciled proudly on his chest and a cape with an identical image hooked around his shoulders, flapping dramatically in the light breeze that swept across the lawn. In his left hand he carried a large shield with the same design plastered to the middle for all to see as it protected its owner while in his right hand he carried a large, long broadsword custom made for his use by his father's finest blacksmiths; tucked under his arm was his helmet with a royal red plume stabbed into the top.

"Welcome Ever After High to the fight of century!" Blondie announced eagerly from her spot up in the announcer's booth overlooking the stadium; roars and cheers of approval and excitement rolled through the crowd. "Up here, we have Ever After High's own Daring Charming!" the Daughter of Goldie Locks added, the crowd screaming a deafening rumble as Daring waved handsomely, occasionally blowing kisses to several females within the audience and making them faint when they believed they had caught the invisible signs of affection.

"And here we have the new comer, Ben Tennyson!" Blondie continued on; the crowd fell silent, though whether it was because they preferred Daring over the Omnitrix bearer or simply just the fact that he had yet to show up. Whatever the reason, Daring was currently standing alone on a Bookball field in a suit of armor in front of a silent audience.

"Ha, ha! The coward didn't even show!" Daring laughed (charmingly of course).

"Uh, it seems we are experiencing . . . technical difficulties?" Blondie sounded just as confused as the audience, wondering where the hex Ben was.

"The coward probably ran back to whatever dark abyss he crawled out of!" Daring smirked triumphantly. "I guess my dashing good looks and superior fighting techniques were too much for him!"

"Wow, and I thought Barney or Bobby or whatever his name was had a big ego." a whispery voice rasped. The audience watched with stunned silence as a faint, ghostly figure phased up through the ground across from Daring, caring a figure in its arms as it became solid once more to reveal a figure shaped like a classic ghost with faint, white exterior criss-crossed with black lines and wearing heavy, green chains. In the ghost's sharp talons was Cupid, looking a little worse for wear but otherwise alright as Ghostfreak set her down on the ground and gave her a small hug before she quickly jogged off the fields to climb into the stands and take one of the many empty seats surrounding Raven.

"Cupid? Are you alright? What happened?" Raven asked with concerned.

"Dexter was . . . upset . . " was all Cupid would say. "I'm fine though."

"Your hair, wings, eyes, and that large bruise on her cheek say otherwise."

Cupid sighed with defeat. "Okay, so he was . . . a little more than upset." she winced.

"More like devastated." Raven sighed glumly. "I never thought it would hurt him _this_ bad."

"He refuses to come out of his room. He won't even let poor Hunter in." Cupid added.

"Well . . . maybe just give him some time? Raven guessed, not quite sure on how to deal with such things. With that being said, the two girls returned their attention back to the upcoming fight just as Maddie, Briar, and Apple returned to fill in a few of the empty seats around Raven with snacks in hand, the Hatter carrying a particularly large bucket of popcorn and stick of cotton candy in both of her hands.

"Hiya, Cupid! How're you feeling?" Maddie asked the young deity. "The Narrators told me what happened." she added sympathetically.

"I'm . . . fine, Maddie." Cupid paused at the Wonderlandian's words before a delicious scent caught her attention. "Is that cotton candy?" she asked, pointing at the delicious, fluffy treat in Maddie's grasp.

"Does a Bandersnatch secretly tap dance?" Maddie smiled brightly, handing Cupid the stick of cotton candy without hesitation. "With the way the Narrators were describing your hair, I thought you might like it!"

" _Shhhh!_ " Briar hissed, nursing a small box of popcorn. "It's gonna start soon!"

"Is this a good idea?" Apple asked. "Can't they just talk this out?"

"Daring's the one who challenged Ben," Raven explained. "He's not taking no for an answer."

"Ben or Daring?" Briar smirked.

"Both!" Maddie giggled happily while Earl Grey slipped out from under her hat and cannonballed into the bucket of popcorn she was carrying.

Daring narrowed his eyes at the Ectonurite that levitated tauntingly before him, his expression relieving slightly when the Omnitrix timed out in a burst of green light and sucked the ghostly transformation back into the watch and returned Ben back out into the world; the Son of Prince Charming was not afraid of the boy before him in the slightest, just . . . out off by his transformations. Yes, that was it. It was just the bizarre, alien forms the boy took on that unsettled him. "So, you decided to show that hideous mask you calla face, knave?"

"Three." Ben said absentmindedly.

"You have met you end, peasant!" Daring declared loud and proudly. "Today, you will walk away in shame and defeat while I walk away in glory and victory!"

"Eighty-seven." Ben counted off.

"I will crush you where you stand right now and grind you into the dust, destroying every last shred of dignity you possess until there is nothing left but a hollow shell left!"

"Fourty-two."

"What's going on?" Apple whispered.

"I think they're yelling threats at each other." Briar guessed. "That, or just Daring."

"You are a weakling, and I a mighty king! By the time this short battle is over, you have no choice but to declare to me that I am the best and that you were foolish enough to challenge me!" Daring continued to rant.

"Twenty-nine." Ben looked at his fingernails in boredom. "And technically, _you_ were the one who challenged _me._ "

Daring paused his long and ranting speak to glare at Ben, at a loss for words that someone had the _gall_ to interrupt him when he telling them that he would defeat him with ease! Now that was just rude! "Oh, yeah? Well, you're . . .you're . . . you're a loser!" Daring shouted childishly.

"Ben smirked. "Haven't heard that one before." he chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, wait, I have. About six other times. Congratulations on making it seven."

" _I WILL DESTROY YOU!_ " Daring howled at the top of his lungs.

"Two-hundred and ninety-eight." Ben counted off nonchalantly. "Are you done wasting your breath or are we going to fight?" he wondered.

"Yes. Lets fight." Daring snarled angrily; the Son of Prince Charming paused long enough to smile warmly at the audience one last time before taking his crown off of his head and tossing it into the crowd, several fo the girls practically turning feral just to touch it, much less actually keep it as Daring then slipped his helmet over his head, encasing him fully in a metal suit of impressive armor as he struck a heroic pose for the audience.

"Is he seriously still doing that?" Cerise sighed as she pushed her way through the excited crowd to sit on the other side of Raven, a leg of mutton in her hand.

"The whole damsel-in-distress thing?" Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm glad Ben doesn't do that."

"I dunno, Raven." Apple shrugged innocently. "Daring does it quite well. Imagine Ben doing that." she said, her face turning a light crimson; Raven was sorry to say that the moment she pictured Ben in a suit of metal armor standing heroically in the setting sun with the wind rustling through his brown locks with his sword pointed triumphantly at the horizon, she too was blushing as well. Cerise however, both gagged and hid her own blush better than the other girls at the same time.

Ben rolled his eyes and tapped the Omnitrix, barely cycling through his roster before selecting the Talpaedan symbol on the green, holographic ring the Omnitrix produced, and slapped the activation button, swallowing himself in a burst of green light. His arms and legs ground and cracked as the bones shifted and realigned themselves, becoming shorter and more rounded like his fingers and thumbs. Ben's toes melted into three, flat claws that the small, webbed feet of an amphibian as a small tail sprouted from the base of his spine and curled at the end. Ben's face was squashed inwards as his nose disappeared and his mouth grew larger and wider to accommodate his crooked teeth; his tongue split into three, slimy tentacles with a wet ripping sound as the Omnitrix appeared on his pudgy stomach, completing the transformation.

"What manner of monstrosity be this?" Daring scoffed. "It would almost be insulting if it weren't so hilarious!" he chuckled; several of his hopeless followers in the audience laughed as well, pointing anf gawking at the small, chubby Gourmand.

"What is Ben doing?" Apple wondered as Cupid hungrily dug into her cotton candy like a starving animal.

"Kicking Daring's butt." Raven said a matter-of-factivly tone, a small smile on her lips.

Upchuck took the chance to strike while Daring was busy laughing his metal ass off; the Gourmand whipped out his three, adhesive tongues and plunged them deep into the ground, tearing out a sizable chunk of earth and grass before pulling it back into his mouth, quickly chewing it into a thick, gooey paste.

"This is gonna hurt." Cerise smirked slightly before taking out of her mutton.

With a loud belch, Upchuck spat out a hot, green ball of slime from his gullet, nailing Daring right in the chest and sending him flying a couple of yards before he hit the ground, bouncing a few times and then lying still; the crowd went nearly silent, with only Maddie daring to cheer loudly as Raven and Cerise smirked.

"Ooh! And it seems Ben has turned into . . . some sort of frog?" Blondie sounded confused.

"Upchuck!" the Gourmand corrected her loudly.

"Right. It seems Ben has turned into Upchuck! Daring's down for the moment, will he get up in time before Ben finishes him off?"

Daring groaned and climbed to his hands and knees, using his sword as a support to help himself climb to his feet and stand tall once more, much to the majority of the crowd's pleasure. With a loud roar of defiance that echoed deeply inside of his helmet, Daring grabbed his sword in both hands and charged at Upchuck, his metal foot pounding against the field as the Gourmand spat out several more balls of corrosive slime his way; a few of them missed, some just by inches, while others splattered loudly against the Son of Prince Charming's armor. Daring swung his sword at one such ball of digestive juices and hit like baseball, sending it flying back at Upchuck and hitting him in his large stomach, sending his skidding back a few feet. This gave Daring just enough time to catch up to him and swing his sword downwards, just missing Upchuck as he swiftly rolled to the side and out of harms way.

"Chew on this, Charming!" Upchuck burped slightly before threw himself at Daring with his mouth wide open and closed it around one of the prince's hand, digging his teeth into the armor and remaining stuck fast as Daring screamed and began to wildly wave his arm around while he ran around in circles with Upchuck clinging on for dear life.

Raven laughed at seeing this. "Looks like he bit off more than he could chew!" she joked.

"Rae, maybe you should leave the clever quips to Ben." Briar advised the witchling.

"Oh, and Ben doesn't say the same thing?" Raven raised an eyebrow; after what felt like eternity, Daring finally managed to shake the Gourmand off of his hand, throwing him a couple yards way with his metal glove still inside Upchuck's stomach.

"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew." Upchuck smirked.

"I rest my case." Raven smirked proudly.

"And it looks like Daring has been stripped of part of his armor!" Blondie announced loudly. "How will this affect the battle, princesses and princes?" she wondered as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in a flash of green light.

"Ha! Now you're defenseless!" Daring smirked.

"Wrong." Ben smirked as he quickly tapped the Omnitrix and selected the first alien he came across before slapping the activation button and swallowing himself in a burst of green light, his DNA scrambling and warping into something new. His skeleton ground and crunched loudly until he was only a third of his original height, his skull cracking as three fin-like split out from the bone; two pairs of fleshy whiskers sprouted on either side of his face as his eyes turned wide and fully green. Ben's arms only became slightly more muscled than before, widening into long claws as two, metallic knobs appeared on his arms. A green and black jumpsuit with black patches ob his ankles and under arms appeared on his body as a black belt with three knobs materialized around his waist. His skin turned a pale white as his toes were reduced to small, cat-like paws as the Omnitrix appeared on his forehead.

"It looks like Ben has ust turned into a . . . small, alien child?" Blondie guessed. "Clearly, he must be getting at some hidden angle."

"Uh, yeah. That's it." Ditto told himself.

Daring guffawed at the sight of the Splixson before him. "You think turning into a _child_ will stop me from regaining my honor and glory, Tennyson? Granted, I would never attack a helpless child, but I know it's you!" he corrected himself.

"Oh, well. You know what they say," Ditto smirked before he quickly divided himself into a dozen, identical clones, each and every last one of them sporting a cheeky grin that irritated the Son of Prince Charming to no end when he wasn't starring at the small army of Splixsons with wide eye. "Divide and conquer!"

"Dude, that has gotta be one of the lamest jokes I have ever heard." a second Ditto clone rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah? Well what would you have said?" a third clone accused.

"Time ta split?" the second Splixson tried.

"Dude, we use that one _way_ too often." a fifth clone shook his head.

"We gotta get some new material." a six Splixson agreed.

"Uh, guys? We got bigger problems than that now!" the original Ditto screamed; the rest of the Splixson clones looked to where their brother was pointing to see Daring charging at them like a rampaging bull, his breathing heavy and quick as he raised his sword above his head to strike the Splixsons down, not quite sure which one to hurt. With panicked yelps, the Ditto clones scattered in all directions, diving to the ground and furiously digging away just as Daring swung his sword and missed.

"Come out and face me, you cowards!" Daring demanded.

"Yoo-hoo!" a Splixson clone sang in an annoying tone as he popped up out from a hole in the ground; Daring grunted and rushed at the tiny alien, bringing his sword down like an ax a second too slow as the clone dove back into the ground and into safety.

"Too slow!" another Ditto clone taunted from behind Daring; the Son of Prince Charming whirled around and swung his sword again, missing the little Splixson for a second time.

"Over here, sucker!" a third clone teased him from afar; Daring didn't care how far he had to run as he dashed across the Bookball field and smashed his sword into the ground, missing the Splixson as another one appeared behind him and taunted him with a silly face.

"It would appear that Ben is pulling off some kind of tiring, taunting technique!" Blondie commented as Daring rushed in an almost panicked manner around the Bookball field in his hurried attempts to strike at least one of the irritating little aliens that teased and made fun of him just as easily as they escaped his every attempt to hit them. The Son of Prince Charming now stood in the middle of the field, panting heavily as his arms hung limp at his sides, his sword almost lying on the ground.

"Nyah, nyah!" almost three dozen Ditto clones taunted as they rose up from the ground; Daring took one look at the army of Splixsons that surrounded him and gave a loud roar of defiance as he found new strength and charged at a pair of Ditto clones with his sword raised above his head, ready to deliver a powerful strike.

"Oh, no ya don't!" a chorus of voices yelled; before Daring knew what was happening, he was slammed into the ground by at least a dozen small bodies before more clambered onto him, beating and pummeling him relentlessly. As well as seemingly pummeling themselves, too, if the way they yelled and screamed at each other while they punched him was anything to go by. One of the clones grabbed the edges of his helmet and pulled with all his might, eventually yanking it off as he tumbled backwards, exposing Daring's handsome and giving the Splixson clones something else to punch.

"No, not my gorgeous face! Anything but my handsome face!" Daring pleaded.

It was then that one of the Ditto clones realized something. " _HEY!_ " he hollered at the top of his lungs, catching the attention of his brothers, Daring, and the entire audience in the process as they fell silent. "I just remembered something!"

"And what, dare I ask, would that be?"Daring grunted from underneath the pile of little Splixsons.

"That zombie guy! The one whose name I couldn't remember? I remember now!" the clone yelled triumphantly. "His name is Darkstar, some egomaniac jerk-face that woos pretty girls before draining them of their life force just to stay handsome! And then he uses them as trophies!" the duplicate added. "Kinda like you, now that I think about it! You wouldn't happen to be related, would ya?"

"Of all the insults, you dare compare me to _that_ monstrosity!?" Daring growled.

"Hey, with your twisted family tree, it ain't impossible." a second clone smirked slightly.

"Seriously, dude, now is not the time for this." aof yo third clone sighed, pinching his brow.

"Low blow, man. Low blow." a fourth agreed.

"Oh, what do you know? You're just a copy of me!" the third clone rolled his eyes.

"No, you're a copy of me!" the fourth duplicate protested.

"If anything, _both_ of you are copies of _me_." a fifth clone argued; within seconds, the entire army of Ditto's was arguing amongst themselves, almost completely ignoring Daring underneath of them as he slowly reached for his sword, carefully inching nice and slow so none of the clones would notice his movements until his fingers curled around the hilt of blade, nice and secure. With a loud yell, the young prince sent all the Splixson clones flying in all directions in one swift movement as he climbed to his feet, earning a loud cheer of approval from the audience while all but one of the Ditto's vanished in bursts of green light before the Omnitrix itself timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"You're smart, I'll give you that." Ben nodded as he climbed to his feet.

"Spare me your compliments, you foul demon." Daring snarled.

"For the last time, I am not an incubus!" Ben yelled angrily as he activated the Omnitrix and slapped the waiting button without looking at whichever alien he had selected as the green light washed over his body and began to change him into something new. Muscles quickly piled themselves onto Ben's arms and chest as his skin began to blister horribly until short, brown feathers crawled up his arms and legs, turning a lighter shade of brown on his chest and stomach; his mouth and nose melted together like butter, hardening into a yellow, horny beak as teeth lined the inside. The feathers continued to cover his body, racing up over his back and stomach, growing on nearly every part of his body while Ben's wrists and ankles began to harden while thick scales coated them, his fingers crunching and grinding as they molded together into three digits. Ben's fingers grew longer and bigger, becoming curved, black talons as his toes all formed together into two, long, sharp claws as his bones ground against his foot and thrust out eh back in a third toe tipped with a sharp talon. A white plume appeared on Ben's head, looking something like a Mohawk of sorts as a pair of large, sharp blades thrust out of his elbows, glinting in the bright sunlight as green wrist and ankle guards materialized on his body; a pair of black briefs and green and white belt appeared on him as well as a green mask that covered his face while a green strap vest manifested on his chest, the Omnitrix appearing on the vest hooker.

"Time ta make the feathers fly!" Kickin' Hawk growled as he balled his claws into fists.

"The battle quips just get worse and worse!" Briar face palmed herself in exasperation.

"You . . . have to admit, though, he's got skill." Cerise noted in her usual, quiet manner; Daring yelled a battle cry as he swung his sword at Kickin' Hawk, forcing the alien to back flip out of harms way before dropping down to the ground to swipe Daring's legs out from underneath him. The prince went down hard, his teeth striking the ground and rattling his skull, dazing him for a second as Kickin' Hawk grabbed him by the foot and easily lifted him off of the ground, swinging him around and around before finally letting go. The Son of Prince Charming flew low across the ground, barely managing to dig his hands and feet into the earth to stop his motion before he surged forward again, grabbing his discarded shield and holding it up over his precious face to protect him from Kickin' Hawks talons. The prince rammed his shield into Kickin' Hawk's stomach, causing him to bend over in pain and allow Daring to deliver a swift uppercut to the alien's beak; with a grunt, Kickin' Hawk blocked another swing of Daring's fist and jumped into the air, landing on Daring's outstretched arm and stabbing his talons deep into the metal armor to hang on as he slugged Daring twice in the face before thrusting out with his talons and back flipping out of harms way.

"Careful, Cerise," Briar smiled jokingly. "You just might be the next one to fall for him!" she chuckled, unaware of the Riding Hood's blush underneath her crimson hood.

"Princesses and princes, I have never seen anything like this before!" Blondie exclaimed proudly as Kickin' Hawk delivered a roundhouse kick to Daring's stomach and knocked him back a good distance before he slapped the Omnitrix on his vest hooker and initiated a quick change, swallowing himself in a bright, green light. His body began to grow as millions of muscles piled onto every part of his body, his fingers and hands swelling as alien blood pumped through his veins. Stitches appeared on his body as the transformation teared through his shirt, ripping it to shreds as patchwork skin took the place of his old one; a pair of green gauntlets formed around his hands as metallic bolts burst of his body on his arms and back, twin gigantic conductors tearing out of his shoulders and crackling with electricity as a pair of black pants and large boots appeared on Ben. His jaw jutted outwards with a loud cracking noise, a few teeth sticking out as his hair turned jet black and became long and shaggy; the final piece of the transformation was the Omnitrix popping out of his right pectoral muscle, large scars etching themselves outwards from it as if the device had been ripped out of his body.

"I . . . I . . . I'm not even quite sure how to describe this . . ." Blondie sighed with exasperation.

"Frankenstrike!" the Transylian grinned as he crashed his large fists together with a green lightning show arching across his arms and skin. "I'll give you a chance to surrender, Daring. Trust me when I say getting struck by Frankenstrike inside of a tin can is not a pleasant experience." he smirked.

"I'll surrender when destiny dies." Daring snarled.

"So be it." the Transylian smirked cockily; the two foes stood starring at each for what seemed the longest time to the audience before one of them moved. In a last, desperate move, Daring flashed a blinding smile at the crowd before he rushed at Frankenstrike with as much power as he could muster, swooping down as he ran to pick up his sword and continue running just as the Transylian slammed his electrified fists smash into the ground, sending out a large tremor of energy that nearly threw the prince off of his feet as a dangerous amount of electricity coursed through the ground; Daring was fortunate enough to be too far away to suffer the full brunt of the blast, only earning a minor shock that made his blonde locks stand on end as he continued to run. With a furious yell, he thrust out with his sword, missing Frankenstrike's armpit by an inch before he spun around to try and slice him through the gut.

The Transylian saw this coming and caught the blade in his hand, using Daring's momentum to lift him off the ground by his sword and smash him into the ground behind him, just barely missing his sizzling conductors. Frankenstrike then cupped his hands together into a single fist and plunged it downwards, a move that would have smashed Daring's head in had he not swung his shield up over his hand to block the brunt of the blow, his arms burning from the force behind it as he quickly rolled out of the way when Frankenstrike drew back for another blow.

"Hold still!" Daring grunted as he thrust his sword outwards, only to have Frankenstrike bunch up his legs and launch himself high into the air, his arms spinning slightly as he flew before came crashing back down, just barely missing Daring as he reeled back in panic.

"Why do the bad guys always say that?" the Transylian grunted as he swung a meaty fist that would have knocked Daring's block clean off had the prince not duck in time and tired to get up under Frankenstrike's guard, only to have his blade blocked by the heavy, metal gauntlets on the Transylian's wrist.

"Since when am I the bad guy?' Daring snarled pushing up on Frankenstrike's arm and ramming his shield into him, causing the Transylian to lose his balance slightly; this allowed Daring lung at the Transylian and plunge his sword downward, missing his initial target of Frankenstrike's chest and instead stabbing the tip of his blade into the Omnitrix that resided on Frankenstrike's right pectoral.

"That's not good." Frankenstrike gulped nervously as the disk beeped a frightening bright green in color, nasty green sparks of energy coursing out from the device and around Frankenstrike and Daring, the both of them screaming in agony as Daring's metal suit, sword, and shield acting as an amplifier and sending more of the tremendous amount of energy outwards; the crowd started to panic, practically running over each other to leave the Bookball field while some of the more concerned members quickly jumped off the bleachers and rushed onto the field in the hopes of being able to do something, examples being Raven, Maddie, Briar, Cerise, Apple, Cupid, Hunter, Ashlynn, Cedar, and Blondie once she got down from the announcer's booth.

"What's happening!?" Apple cried over the roar of the massive amount of energy building up.

"I don't know!" Briar yelled back.

"We need to get them apart!" Hunter shouted over the din, glancing back and forth between Daring and Frankenstrike, unsure of which one he should attempt to save first; Ashlynn was watching with her hands over her mouth, trying to think of something to save both parties.

"The balloon is always bigger and the unsuspecting worm all the more dangerous!" Maddie declared in Riddlish.

"Everyone, get back!" Raven yelled in a commanding tone as she built a ball of swirling, purple energy and raw magic and power between her fingertips, barely holding the powerful blast in place as she waited for everyone to get out of range before she cast the ball of energy, a simple separation spell, at Frankenstrike and Daring in the hopes of pulling the two of them apart and out of harms way. Unfortunately, the blast seemed to have done more harm than good as the amount of energy the Omnitrix was outputting only increased to threatening levels, arches of crackling lighting dancing across the Bookball and field and getting dangerously close.

" _AAAAAAAHHH!_ " Raven screamed at the top of her lungs as she was suddenly struck by one of the lightning strikes, her entire body flashing; she had never felt such pain in all her life. Her muscles were on fire, her skin was burning, her brain unable to process and comprehend what was happening as the breath was squeezed from her lungs. It was almost as bad as-

" _AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ " Cerise howled in agony as she was struck next, her black and white locks standing on end as the smell of roasting hair (or fur) filled the air.

" _AAAAAGGH!_ " Hunter cried out as he became the next one to suffer an electrocution; the other fairy tales tried to find some form of safety in the sudden chaos that had befallen them, but one by one they were taken as well, struck by the massive amount of energy that threatened to fry their brains and internal organs to a crisp when it wasn't stopping and restarting their hearts, burning their hair, or melting their eyeballs. Thankfully, it all ended before anyone suffer long term injury, a brilliant flash of green light filling the air before everything became still once more.

"Ow . . ." Ben groaned as he rubbed his aching head; it was several seconds before his brain realized that he was human once again, and a quick look at the now smoking Omnitrix told him it wasn't going to be used for a while, or at least, not properly. Thankfully, the device was only smoldering slightly, as if it had overheated, and the dull, barely noticeable, green glow told him that it was still working. Barely.

"Is everyone okay?" Ben called out, coughing at the vast amount of dust that now hung in the air and obstructed his respiratory system. The surprising amount of dust and earth that filled the air obscured his vision, only allowing him to just barely make shapes out as he stumbled around for a bit, wishing he could turn into Wildmutt to find his way around; but with the Omnitrix now on the fritz, he wasn't sure it was a good, nor a safe idea. Eventually, his foot kicked against something soft and sturdy at the same time, similar to that of someone's arm. Glad he finally found someone, not even caring who it was, Ben bent down and felt around with his hands, his eyes squinted to keep the dust out of them as it finally began to settle, allowing him to open his eyes further and get a better look at who he had bumped into.

"Ben . . ?"

Ben breathed a sigh of relief, glad to hear Raven's albeit sore voice. He half-blindly reached down and patted around for Raven, quickly finding what he assume to be her shoulder and then her arm as he carefully ran his fingers across her skin; it somehow felt . . . different. Just as soft as he remembered, but it was cold and clammy to the touch, not warm like he remembered; the dust continued to settle, allowing him to get a closer look at the witchling. What he saw made him do a double take.

Raven slowly blinked her fully, purple eyes, instantly squinting them shut against the glare of the sun as she raised a hand to shield from herself from the blinding light; it was then that she noticed her gentle, probing fingers had been somehow turned into wicked claws. Panicking, she looked over the rest of her body to find that her teeth were now razor-sharp fangs and a black, bat-winged mask with lavender markings covered her face, her skin still as pale as it was before. Her feet still sported five toes, but they had now taken the shape of pointed claws perfect for gripping things; a sudden motion caught her attention, and she glanced behind her with a horrified expression to see a pair of large, bat-like wings sprouting from her back, fanning out to an impressive size.

"Wha . . . what happened?" Raven gulped as she looked at her new body.

"Oh, man, not this again!" Ben mumbled, face palming himself in exasperation. "Okay, Raven, _try_ to remain calm. In short, I think you might have been fused with some of my aliens. Namely Whampire in your case."

"Is . . . is that good or bad?" Raven asked, wincing slightly; her head was pounding and her body felt like it was on fire, her muscles aching and burning. In fact, now that she thought about it, something did smell like it was burning . . .

"In your case, bad." Ben said grimly.

"What's that smell?" Raven wondered, sniffing the air cautiously.

"That . . . would be you. Vladats don't do so well in the sun." Ben explained; Raven cringed as she took a cautious look at her skin to find wisps of smoke curling off of her pale, ivory skin, her purple and black locks sizzling loudly as the tips of her sharp, elf-like ears starting to burn away. With a yelp, Raven instinctively covered her head with her claws, flinching slightly when her new wings involuntarily folded themselves around and over her to attempt to shield her from the harmful effects of the sun, only adding to the pain the young witchling was experiencing as they slowly began to disintegrate.

"What about everyone else?" Raven asked.

"We can worry about them later; right now, we gotta get you into some shade." Ben fretted over her.

The witchling shook her head. "No. We check to make sure everyone else is okay before we get me out of the sun." she said firmly; Ben decided not to argue with her, figuring that the sooner they made sure everyone was okay, the sooner he could get Raven out of the harmful rays of the sun. With some effort, Raven climbed to her feet, heavily leaning against Ben as the sun ate away at her vulnerable skin and wings while she and Ben wandered around to try and find the others in the settling dust.

A sudden movement caught their attention, and they looked just in time to see a large figure low to the ground come racing at them, snarling and bellowing loudly before screeching to a halt, regarding the two of them; Ben took note of the creature's blind face and small, almost human-like mouth with feminine lips, save for the pointed canines that curved from the bottom jaw in a snarl. Shaggy, brown fur coated the creature's semi-muscled arms as it wore the several fur bands and feathers around its arms and wrists and the remains of what looked like hunt boots on its feet, razor-sharp claws now tearing through the toes and turning the boots into sandles; a familiar, crimson red hood covered the creature's head and back, a single white stripe down the middle of the beast's face.

"C-Cerise?" Raven gawked, not quite believing this monster was her friend.

"Grraaa-aaaawwwaaaggh." the beast growled, sitting down on its haunches and scratching itself while it drooled, as if it were pouting somehow.

"Wildmutt. Had to be Wildmutt." Ben muttered under his breath; the Vulpimancer hybrid rattled off a loud roar that was followed by soft whimpers as it climbed back to its feet and worryingly nudged Raven's hand with concern. "At least Cerise isn't slowly disintegrating in the sun." Ben sighed.

This remark only made Cerise whine more as it reached with one hand to tear off the comforting, crimson red hood that had protected her for so long and then hand it to Raven, not caring for the moment that she had exposed a pair of sharp, pointed ears that resided just above what looked like a row of gill-like slits in her thick neck; Raven hesitated in taking the cloak from Cerise, knowing how much it meant to her, before the Vulpimancer hybrid gave a low growl of assurance.

"Thanks, Cerise." Raven smiled as she quickly slipped the hood over her, noting that not only was it soft and very comfortable, but it was perfect for her size, save for the fact that her wings were pressed tightly against her back so they wouldn't burn in the sun.

"That's two down, nine to go." Ben sighed with worry.

"Hunter? Apple? Raven? Ben?"

"Scratch that. Three down." Ben brightened slightly at hearing Ashlynn's voice. "Stay where you are, Ashlynn! We're coming to you!"

"Hurry! I . . . think something might be wrong . . ."

"That's understatement," Ben muttered under his breath as he bent down so he was level with Cerise's face. "You've got Wildmutt's powers; you should be able to find Ashlynn by her scent." he told her. The hybrid snarled and nodded before sniffing the ground eagerly, circling around Ben and Raven before giving a victorious growl and bounding off in a direction; Raven and Ben were barely able to keep up with Cerise until she came to a halt, cocking her head curiously at what she saw (smelled, heard).

Ashlynn towered a good four feet over Ben, Raven, and Cerise, mostly due to the fact that her stiff, human legs had been replaced by four, stretchy, vines that held the rest of her body off of the ground; the princess's skin was a light green in color with leaves and shoots sprouting all along her arms and through her dress, with small tendrils and roots mixed in together with her strawberry blonde locks. Two, large flaps like that of a Venus Flytrap framed her head as she starred wordlessly at what she had become with a single, blue eye.

"Ashlynn, don't freak out!" Ben said.

"What's happened to me? What's happened to _you?_ " she added upon seeing Cerise and Raven, her eyes wide with horror.

"The Omnitrix malfunctioned," Raven sighed wearily, her delicate skin smoking a little less than before. "We're fused with alien DNA."

"Wildvine specifically, in your case." Ben jumped in.

"What the- _what did you do to me, Tennyson!?_ " Hunter's voice interrupted Ashlynn as she was about to speak; the small group of altered fairy tales looked around for the source of the noise before a slight cough of annoyance caught their attention and they looked down to see what had become of the irritated huntsman. He now stood just over a foot tall and had crimson red skin, a long, spaded tail, a hilariously long nose above a set of sharp teeth, and wore what looked to be like an aviator's suit under his already too big hunting jacket; his brown, sweeping hair remained in place and he didn't sport the spikes, claws, and sharp ears Jury Rigg's species was known for, despite the fact that he looked like he very much wanted to hurt and/or wreck someone or something.

"You got fused with one of my aliens." Ben sighed, already tired of relaying the same information. "Looks like you're Jury Rigg. Sorta."

"Remind me ta beat the ever livin' fairy dust outta ya!" Hunter snarled, rushing at Ben and fruitlessly pummeling his leg; Cerise tried to hold by a small growl that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Before the altered huntsman could turn on the Vulpimancer hybrid, he suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree as a massive amount of electricity coursed through his body before finally stopping.

"Sorry, Hunter! _Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!_ " Maddie cackled as she finally came to a stop next to Ashlynn and assumed what everyone now hoped to be a solid form; the Hatter's skin now shone a metallic black in color, multiple bots and screws running up her arms and legs as she grinned cheekily at everyone with a mischievous and crazy smile on her lips. Her wild, blue and purple locks had disappeared, now only a flat, circular top with a small knob in the middle; she was lacking any clothes of any kind, with nothing but a jagged, green lightning stripe down her front and back to cover her.

"Uh, oh." Ben gulped nervously.

"What? What now!?" Hunter growled, angry that he was still the shortest person out of the group.

"She's fused with Buzzshock. A _very_ hyperactive Megawhatt." Ben explained fearfully.

"So . . . if Maddie was crazy before . . ." Ashlynn trailed off, her single eye widening in horror.

"She's gonna be _completely insane._ " Raven finished.

"Yep! You guessed it! _Yee-haw!_ " Maddie laughed happily as she vanished in a flash of electricity and buzzed around excitedly in the air, barely able to contain herself as Hunter got dizzy just by looking at her, promptly falling over as a result; Ashlynn felt like she was gonna be sick just by watching the hyperactive Nosedeenian hybrid whiz around while Cerise whimpered slightly and hid behind Raven, unsure of how to handle Maddie in her current state.

"Hey, watch it- Maddie?" a new voice that Ben recognized to be Briar's said; a quick glance upwards revealed that the princess now had light, blue skin with pink markings dotting her arms and face, in addition to the large pair of insect-like wings that sprouted out from her back and kept her aloft with their constant movement. Her feet had split into two, small claws with her brown locks pulled back into a slight, backwards lick while two pairs of periwinkle antennae grew from her eyebrows and flickered about.

"Oh, come on! Briar, too?" Hunter huffed. "Am I the only one here who's still small!?"

"Pretty much." Ben smirked slightly. "Especially considering Briar's been fused with Pesky Dust, one of my smaller aliens."

"Now you're just rubbin' it in." Hunter grumbled, his anger only increasing as his tail swished back and forth in response to his fury; a sudden blast of energy and light caught their attention as a small hole was torn into the fabric of space/time and a figure came hurling out, landing painfully on the ground with a groan. Ben vaguely recognized the figure as Blondie, if not with a few . . . changes. Yellow fur now grew around her cheeks and chin, melting perfectly into her golden locks as more tufts covered the back of her hands, elbows, and ankles. Black, finger-less gloves sat on her hands, her ears more rounded and looking they belonged on a lower primate like a monkey than her; Blondie's feet had grown larger and more primitive in appearance, looking more like hands than actual feet as a twin pair of tails snaked out from the base of her spine and dragged limply on the ground.

"What just happened?" Blondie asked, holding her aching temples.

"We all got fused with aliens, apparently." Briar grumbled.

"And from the look of things, you got fused with Teleportail." Ben noted. "Lets see, that's Raven, Cerise, Maddie, hunter, Ashlynn, Briar, and you, so that leaves us with . . . four more people to find." Ben counted off on his fingers.

" _AAAAAAHHHHH!_ " a feminine voice screamed through the thick dust in the air.

"Well, we found one of them." Briar noted as Cerise sniffed the air and bounded off in a direction, leaving the others behind to just barely keep with her; Hunter grumbled in protest as Ashlynn bent her new legs down to scoop him up in her grasp and carry him along as the small band of fairy tales and Ben gave chase after the Vulpimancer hybrid just as the high-pitched scream they heard earlier was suddenly silenced with a pained yelp.

"Looks like Cerise got her." Raven remarked as they quickly approached the hunched figure of Cerise.

"I think you mean 'him'! Hee-hee, hee-hee!" Maddie cackled as Daring hung from Cerise's teeth like a recently shot duck in the jaws of a hunting dog; the prince was holding a small mirror in what used to be his hands, now nothing more than shovel-like claws as three, green, ridges rose from his head and black markings traced down from his eyes and covered part of his face. Small, fleshy whiskers grew from his cheeks as metallic, sensory knobs dotted his arms and wrist, forming a belt around his waist. All in all, the prince hadn't suffer a dramatic change as some of the other fairy tales, despite what he was blubbering about between Cerise's teeth.

"You can put him down, Cerise." Ben said; the Vulpimancer hybrid bellowed slightly before doing as she was told, spitting out Daring and trotting back over to Ben's side to nuzzle his hand affectionately.

"What did you do to me, you . . . you . . . _demon!?_ " Daring demanded.

Ben frowned as he folded his arms over his chest. "Call me that one more time, and I won't cure you." he threatened; Daring immediately clammed up upon hearing that.

"We've been fused with alien DNA, Daring." Blondie explained carefully.

"Don't you dare take a picture of me in this horrendous state!" Daring shouted, pointing his mirror at the Vong Linducher hybrid in an accusing tone.

Blondie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Relax, Daring. I wouldn't want to be seen like this either." she sighed. "What alien did you get fused with anyway?"

"That cute little guy from before, if I'm not mistaken. Ditto, right?" Raven guessed.

Cerise snarled at the thought and made a series of grunts and growls before producing a hand gesture that Ben had never seen before but was sure to be quite inappropriate and immature at the same time; clearly, the Vulpimancer hybrid was not happy about something. Daring however, seemed to immediately realize what was bugging her as multiple flashes of green light appeared on either side of him, revealing to be about half a dozen identical clones to the original, each one just as handsome and charming as the last.

"One Daring is enough . . ." Briar bit her lip.

"But _seven_ is just torture." Ben mumbled under his breath.

"I must admit," Daring smiled. "Despite the unwanted change in appearance, this is actually quite welcome. Finally, someone just as handsome and charming as me!"

"Right back at you, beautiful." a second clone smirked.

"Make it stop!" Hunter whined, covering his eyes.

" _ACH-OO!_ " someone sneezed; a blast of cold, icy vapor swept over Daring and his clones, encasing them in jagged blocks of ice and freezing them on the spot, much to everyone's relief. "Excuse me." a dull, emotionless sniffed. Ben turned to see a roughly human-sized figure hunched over a few feet away, its back bent over in a menacing manner as it's snow white skin seemed to glow in the limited light, the blue blotches and spots that dotted the figure's arms and legs seeming to give off their own luminescence. Just starting to fold back over the figure's hunched figure, forming what looked like a blue and black cloak, were two pairs of leathery wings and antennae as a pair of large, blue, bug-like eyes peered out from under the hood amongst blonde curls and a pair of blood red lips; a pair of sharp claws had taken the place of the feet as an icy vapor curled out of the figure's lips whenever it breathed.

"Apple?" Ashlynn blinked her eye in surprise.

"Ashlynn?" the altered princess rasped.

"Looks like Apple got hit with some Big Chill." Ben noted.

"What about Daring?" Blondie wondered, pointing towards the small collection of ice sculptures that stood before the small band of fairy tales.

" . . . he'll thaw out eventually." Ben shrugged. "I could use some peace and quiet."

"If you say so," Raven sighed. "Alright, who's left?"

"Cupid and Cedar, I think." Apple breathed, wincing slightly at her no longer melodic voice.

"Someone call our names?" a voice coughed; everyone turned to see two figures come walking through the settling dust, one of them thin and nearly skeletal while the other was large and barrel-like; the first one turned out to be Cupid, now with a pair of insect-like legs that bent backwards, had a sort of webbing between the joints, and were tipped with five, short claws in place of her usual toes. Sharp, green spines grew from her arms and back of her legs, her eyebrows having hardened into a pair of curved horns that bent back slightly, framing her cotton candy locks and a large amount of needle-like teeth that now lined her jaws; her wings had been modified to become large gossamer, like that of a large fly's.

The other figure seemed to be Cedar, somehow. The puppet had head of earthy brown and purple hair and her hazel, brown eyes, but this seemed to be all that remained of her before the transformation; she was now more than twice her original build and size, her wooden skin and feminine figure traded in for hard, bronze exterior and a large, upside down bell-shaped body. Black tubing ringed with bronze connected her stout body to her bulky feet and forearms, her metal fingers still retaining a delicate figure despite their composition. Her head was still round and vaguely human-like, but her expression was firm and unmoving, nothing more than two brown eyes and a small line for a mouth plastered on a black marking on her face; her purple, lederhosen-like dress had stretched to cover her new figure, a large, circular glass pane cutting through the fabric to show glowing green gears inside of her.

"Looks like somebody got fused with Crashhopper and Clockwork." Ben addressed the two girls.

"Is that what happened?" Cedar wondered with a thick, German accent. "That would explain why I suddenly know what time it is right down to the nanosecond. I think."

"This is . . . weird." Cupid paused to give her wings an experimental flap.

"That pretty much sums up my entire life." Ben half-joked before he tried to calm himself down. "Okay, so we've got eleven mixed up fairy tales, the Omnitrix is busted, and I am gonna be in so much trouble for this." he listed off. "Could things possibly get worse?" he wondered aloud.

His question was soon answered when a loud tremor shook the around, turning his legs into jelly as he flailed his arms to try and keep his balance while the rest of the fairy tales tried to do the same; the ice holding Daring and his clones prisoner cracked and groaned under the intense shaking it finally shattered, freeing the seven princes that promptly panicked and fused back into one as he threw himself on the ground with his hands over his head, screaming.

"What's happening!?" Raven cried over the roar as she tried to keep Cerise' hood in place.

"I don't know!" Apple hissed.

" _Why_ did I even _ask_ that question!?" Ben yelped as he fell to his knees. "The moment I ever say it, the universe makes me pay for it!"

"Not important right now, Ben!" Hunter yelled as he fell from Ashlynn's grasp and fell into the back of Ben's head, causing him to strike the Omnitrix against the ground, hard; the device beeped and blinked twice before it seemingly activated on its own, swallowing Ben in a flash of green light. Hard, metal plating raced up his back and front, melting together into a single shield as his shoulder crunched and cracked loudly, broadening while they became rounded and massive; flexible, black tubing covered the skin between his elbow and shoulder. Ben's arms began to swell, metal plating taking the place of his skin as his bones and muscles fused together before sending out thousands upon thousands of sensitive nerve endings that connected them to the armor that now encased Ben in a tight, yellow shell. His hands trembled and splintered loudly as they suddenly changed into sharp, gray claws while a large piston formed on the back of each of his elbows, merging with his arms underneath of the armor. Metal plating enveloped his head and formed something that resembled a Greek Corinthian helmet as two, small, pointed ears slipped out from beneath the armor just as his feet turned into hard, metallic claws. The Omnitrix appeared on his broad chest as a short tail popped out from the base of his spine, completing the transformation.

"What the- Armodrillo?" the Talpaedan starred in disbelief at his new form. "Since when does the Omnitrix actually give me something useful?" he wondered sarcastically as he quickly fused his metal fingers together into hardened, metal drills that he quickly drove into the ground beneath his feet; the pistons on the back of his elbows began to pump furiously as the tremors and earthquakes only seemed to increase even more before finally stopping after a few more, intense seconds.

"Wha-What d-di-id y-o-ou d-o?" Ashlynn asked, her vine-like legs still wobbly and unable to support her weight for the moment.

"Easy. Just created a counter tremor to stop the current one in its tracks." Armodrillo explained proudly. "And my seismic direction power-ability-thingy says it came from that way." he added, pointing off towards the Enchanted Forest.

"Seismic direction power-ability-thingy?" Blondie raised an eyebrow while Cerise starred in the Talpaedan's general direction with what he could only assume to be a look of disbelief .

"Well, I don't know what to call it." Armodrillo admitted. "But right now, we need to check out what caused that earthquake."

"What about us?" Cupid asked. "No offense, but I'd rather not be stuck with this legs." she said, holding up one of her spring-like legs for emphasis.

"That's the least of our problems right now." Armodrillo said. "Trust me, it'll be weird, but you'll be fine for now. At the moment though, for all we know, that earthquake could have unleashed some kind of ancient evil incarnate or whatever it is you guys have here; I may have magic back in my dimension, but aliens are more of my thing, if you haven't guessed that already."

"No, it completely slipped my mind." Hunter grumbled.

"You're just mad that you're the short one." Cedar smirked slightly.

" _I am not!_ "

* * *

Raven involuntarily hissed as a small spot of sunlight struck her delicate, pale skin, a trail of smoke curling up out from the corner of her eye before the welcoming shadow of the shade enveloped her once more; despite her protests and arguments, Cerise had pulled the fused witchling up onto her back, knowing full well that she was too weak from sun exposure to walk on her own. Raven appreciated the kind gesture, even if she was against the whole thing.

The small band of mutated fairy tales quietly trudged through the Enchanted Forest, following Ball Weevil as he rolled a large, gooey, ball of plasma along the ground to travel on; Hunter had fallen over in laughter at finally being taller than someone in the group, even if that person was the one who made him short in the first place. The altered huntsman now rode on Ashlynn's shoulder, grumbling obscenities under his breath as his girlfriend carefully walked on her delicate legs, twisting her head to marvel and gaze at the Enchanted Forest with a new perspective.

"Are we . . . almost there . . . yet?" Cedar panted heavily, her new, bronze body working against her.

"Armodrillo's earthquake sensor-thingy said the source of the tremor was this way." Ball Weevil replied as he continued to roll his sizable plasma ball along. "Shouldn't be long now."

"The way your calling it is not exactly giving me confidence, bub." Hunter quipped.

"You know, I could leave you like this." Ball Weevil threatened.

"Call it whatever you want!"

Ball Weevil would have smirked had he had lips. "How're things lookin' up there, Briar, Apple? You see anything yet?" he called up through the canopy of the Enchanted Forest.

"Nothing so far!" Briar reported as she rapidly pumped her new wings to keep her aloft; upon being told what the Nemuina part of her could do, she had received multiple ironic looks sent her. The irony had not been lost on her, though she wished the looks and stares sent her way would.

"I'm just trying to get use to flying!" Apple yelped, covering her eyes as she frantically flapped her leathery wings.

"It might help if you could actually see, Apple." Briar suggested.

"Oh. Right." Apple blushed sheepishly as she removed her hands from her face and let them drop to her sides; now that she could actually see, she was far more stable and maneuverable. With the wind rushing through her hair, she laughed with joy and flew herself further down to the tree tops, reaching down with a hand to run it through the canopy, laughing louder when butterflies and flower petals were sent flying just at her touch; that, and her huge wings created quite a gust of wind.

"Enjoying yourself?" Blondie smiled as she launched out from the tree tops, sailing through the air for a couple of yards before falling back through the branches, quickly hooking her flexible hands around tree limbs to brachiate quickly through the trees before she threw herself into the air again, the breeze rustling through her fur and golden locks.

"You're one to talk!" Apple laughed.

"Hey, I think I see something!" Briar announced loudly, pointing off towards the distance; Apple and Blondie paused their play to look where the princess was pointing at a large, whitewash building peeking out through the trees. Without a moments, hesitation, Briar dive bombed through the canopy of the Enchanted Forest with Apple and Blondie right behind her.

"I think we found what we're looking for!" Briar told everyone excitedly as she came in for a smooth landing; Apple was less fortunate in her landing and came crashing down through the branches of the trees, leaves and twigs caught in her hair as she landed on the ground with a _thump!_ with Blondie landing on the branch above her, her twin tails wrapping tightly around the limb for support.

"Which way?" Ball Weevil asked.

"Over there! Not too far!" Briar pointed off into a large and particularly nasty looking thicket of brambles and brush.

"Uh, no thank you." Daring stiffened at the thought of getting all bruised and cut up.

"Let me put it to ya this way," Ball Weevil frowned, narrowing his beady eyes at the prince. "Would you rather stay like this, forever fused with a living copy machine, and never be swarmed by your begging fans?"

The little, yellow insect let that thought sink in, fighting back the stream of plasma that was building up in the back of his throat; it took approximately five seconds for Daring to process this idea before he gasped in terror and pushed past everyone to dash into the thicket without a moments thought, screaming at the top of his lungs at how he was going to be there first and no one could say anything otherwise.

"Should I tell him that my fan girls back home think Ditto is my cutest alien?" Ball Weevil wondered.

"Nah. Let him be." Ashlynn smiled slightly as she drew herself up to her full height and stepped over Ball Weevil, Cerise, and Raven to enter the brush next, with Hunter hanging on tightly to her shoulder until a stray branch whacked him in the face and nearly threw him off; Cerise followed afterwards, pushing herself up as high as she go to keep Raven out of the reach of the sharp thorns while the witchling hung onto the thick, shaggy fur that covered her. Cedar went next, acting something like a snowplow of sorts to crush and push aside the hazardous plants and create a large swath through the brush that the others could follow behind without fear of getting pricked.

"So, uh, Ben?" Cupid spoke up. "Just out of curiosity, what can I do? You said I was fused with someone called 'Crashhopper'?"

"To put it simply, you'll never find a better jumper than Crashhopper," Ball Weevil explained. "He jump as tall as a castle and has a head stronger than concrete."

"Really?" Cupid liked the sound of that. "Hang on, I want to try something . . ." she smiled as she bunched up her new legs and sprang high into the air, bursting through the tree tops and soaring high through the air as she cheered loudly; she had flown before with her wings, but there was just something about rushing through the air at high speeds thanks to a hextacular jump that she couldn't resist. That is, until she realized she was coming back down. With nothing else to see but the sea of leafy green tree tops, she had no idea where or how to land and thus came crashing through the canopy in the most painful manner imaginable.

"Ow . . ." she groaned from the ground, thorns embedded deep within her pinkish skin.

"Yeah, it takes some practice." Ball Weevil winced as he came rolling through the brush on his ball of plasma.

"Now you tell me . . ." Cupid moaned as she sat up and climbed to her feet, rubbing her aching skull. "I don't think my head's hard enough for this kind of thing."

"Considering you're only half of you, I wouldn't be surprised." Ball Weevil nodded sympathetically.

" _I FOUND IT!_ " Daring's voice yelled triumphantly threw the woods. "And on a _completely_ unrelated note, _ow!_ " the prince added as he tripped over a tree root and tried to preserve what little shred of dignity he still had. With a quick nod, both Ball Weevil and Cupid ran off to catch up with the group of fused fairy tales, bursting out through the brush and into a clearing where the rest of the group stood, awestruck.

Standing before them was a massive, whitewash building of an impressive design and stature. It stood tall and proud in the clearing on a block of solid marble from which the building rose up; a grand staircase of golden stairs framed on either side by a pair of flickering torchlights ran up to the entrance of the structure with four, tall, massive pillars standing and supporting the grand roof.

"The Heritage Hall?" Apple breathed. "What's it doing out here? It isn't Thronecoming, is it?"

"No, the Well of Wonder is calm for the time being!" Maddie reported happily as she suddenly came whizzing through the trees at a high speed that made everyone's head spin as she bounced and buzzed around with energy; it made Hunter sick just by watching her.

"Maddie, where were you?" Raven wondered; Cerise was kind enough to remain in the shadows of the trees for the young witchling's comfort.

"And what does this strange building that's apparently not supposed to be here have to do with a well?" Ball Weevil wondered before he was suddenly swallowed in a flash of green light. His skin started to blister and crack horribly like mud drying in the hot, blazing sun; a loud crunching noise filled the air as his bones compressed tightly against each other while they were liquidated on the spot, melting into thick, molten magma along with his muscles, tissue, and organs. Parts of his skin start to melt as well while the small islands that had formed across his body started to swell and mold together, hardening into tough, crusty, lava rocks that the hot lava seeped and poured around and through. Ben's head started to smoke huntil it suddenly burst into flame, startling Apple as his jaw crunched loudly, his jaw bones and face turning into durable rock as his feet twisted into a pair of sharp claws just as the Omnitrix appeared on his chest and completed the transformation.

"I'm beginning to think this thing is busted." Heatblast rasped with annoyance, flames crackling across his body as the grass beneath his feet instantly caught fire and burned to ash and dust. "That, or stuck in Radomizer Mode."

" _Why_ does that thing even _have_ a Randomizer Mode?" Hunter wondered.

"Remind me to ask Azmuth." Heatblast grumbled. "Now if someone would so kind as to answer my questions . . ?"

"Well, the Heritage Hall only ever appears during Thronecoming, silly!" Maddie giggled. "It's so the generation of fairy tales before us, our parents, can pass down gifts to us! And we'll in turn do the same!"

"Okay, so it's some kind of tradition." Heatblast tapped his rocky chin in thought. "That still doesn't explain why it's here now, though. Like you said, it's not Thronecoming."

"Well, sometimes the Well of Wonder overflows," Cedar explained. "A sort of backsplash, if you will; when that happens, anything can happen; the seasons are switched around, fish inexplicably grow wings, holidays happen sooner, books and desks start talking, school supplies suddenly have minds of their own. The list goes on and on."

"So, I take it all those things have happened before?" the Pyronite cocked an eyebrow *if he had any, that is).

"It doesn't happen often, but it's not uncommon." Raven shrugged; Cerise grunted in agreement.

"I nearly lost one of my little fingers during Princessology when my desk got the munchies!" Apple shuddered slightly; not only had the desk tried to turn her into a snack, but it constantly kept on eating her homework, pencils, and cracking jokes about her underwear and mother, much to her embarrassment and the class' enjoyment (the desk was apparently a very good stand up comedian).

"So somethin's obviously up with the Heritage Hall." Hunter summed up.

"The question is what, exactly?" Ashlynn wondered.

"Only one way to find out." Heatblast rasped as he headed towards the hall, leaving smoldering footprints in his wake as he strolled across the clearing and jogged up the stairs; the fused fairy tales all shared a look before quickly following after him, Cerise moving faster than the others to minimize the exposure from the sun Raven would have to suffer through.

The interior of the Heritage Hall was wide and spacious, with high ceilings that could have easily let Tiny the giant stand up at his full height if he could get through the entrance; decorating the walls were stained glass pictures of various fairy tales, locked boxes sitting empty and abandoned in front of each one of them. One window was colored a stained orange and crimson hue in color, the image of a ferocious wolf and a woman enveloped in a hood decorating the pane while another one showed the image of beautiful ballerina dancing delicately on a lake under the broad, elegant wings of a swan.

"Whoa." Heatblast breathed.

"This place never ceases to amaze me." Cupid agreed.

"If only my own charming face were so gorgeous to look at. Not that it isn't something worthwhile." he added with a handsome smile, earning eye rolls from several members of the group.

Apple looked around in awe, her claws scrapping softly against the marble floor as the colorful windows rose up high and proud around them, the sunlight shining through them enveloping them all in a rainbow of color. She somehow felt like she was trespassing in a place that was only open during a certain time of year, as if she were breaking into a museum to steal a priceless jewel or piece of art; it felt odd and alien to her, but then again she was now an alien herself. Or at least, part alien.

"Does something feel . . . odd to anyone?" Apple wondered aloud.

"Now that you mention it, something _does_ seem to be out place." Briar hummed, hovering a good couple of feet above the ground through the use of her wings. Cerise snarled and immediately began sniffing around, the gill-like slits on her neck fluttering open and shut as she moved around with her nose pointed towards the ground and Raven being dragged along through the whole ride; Heatblast ignored the Vulpimancer hybrid and her half Vladat rider to simple marvel and admire the intricate and beautiful images before him, wondering how anyone could create such powerful yet delicate looking craft.

A sudden noise caught his attention, and the Pyronite turned to see Cerise back off of a small pressure pad at the base of the box that would have held the Evil Queen's gift had it not been empty; Raven had cast a scornful look at the box with the memories it brought back to her before the trap had been triggered. The sound of rotating gears and machinery moving filled the Heritage Hall as the massive Storybook of Legends statue at the end of the hall started to rumble and tremble slightly before it began to sink into the floor, lowered away and out of sight into the bowels of the Heritage Hall as something else took the statue's place: a box.

"I don't remember this." Daring hummed with curiosity.

"The crafty weasel is often most confused." Maddie smirked; the Son of Prince Charming just gave her an odd look like Raven snickered.

"Uh, is it just me, or does something seem familiar about this?" Hunter wondered.

"What do you mean?" Heatblast asked.

"Oh, maybe the fact that your Omnitrix symbol or whatever is plastered right in the window behind the mysterious box that just rose from the floor?"

The Pyronite did a double take and looked at the window above the box that had been triggered by the pressure plate, the stained glass window having been hidden by the massive, stone statue before it had been removed; the window was stained entirely in vibrant hues of green, white, and black, the Omnitrix symbol centered in the middle of the pain with the silhouette's of what Heatblast quickly deduced to be his aliens radiating outwards from it, a clenched fist attached to the device and holding up triumphantly for everyone to see.

"Okay, officially weirded out just now." Heatblast rasped an amazement.

"Wait, if you have a destiny of your own, and the Heritage Hall includes a picture of your story . . . then whatever is in the box must be yours!" Apple quickly concluded.

"As much sense as that makes, it only opens up more questions." Cupid sighed. "Such as, who the hex put whatever is in that box there? In fact, if Ben's from a parallel universe, how is he even in the Storybook of Legends and Heritage Hall in the first place?" she wondered.

"Maybe we should look in the box?" Cedar suggested shyly. "Maybe whatever is in there has some answers."

"Worth a shot/" Heatblast shrugged as he cautiously approached the box; the Pyronite had to admit, despite knowing it only ever seemed to happen in movies, he was certain that he was about to trigger some booby trap or other that would fire poisoned arrows at him or drop him into a pit of snakes or send some gigantic boulder rolling at him if he so much as touched the box. Silencing his panicked mind and the movie references it was making, Heatblast curled his fingers around the edge of the box and lifted the lid up to be greeted by what seemed to be a solid block of ice.

"Ice." he rasped as he pulled the block of permafrost out for everyone to see. "I got a freakin' block of ice."

Hunter suddenly fell off of Ashlynn's shoulder, rolling around on the floor in laughter as he gasped for breath and beat his fists against the floor.

"Why would _you_ get a block of ice?" Apple wondered.

"Snow cones?" Maddie asked hopefully.

"Hang on!" Cedar suddenly cried out. "I can't believe I didn't use these sooner!" she scolded herself as she reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a pair of blue glasses that she carefully fit over her face, earning an odd look from Heatblast as the lenses lit up and focused on the block of ice in his hands, as if it were looking right through it for any sort of impurities.

"Ah, HA! There;s something frozen inside!" Cedar exclaimed excitedly.

"How do you know that?" Heatblast wondered.

"My Dad gave me these glasses that let me see the truth in practically anything," Cedar explained. "They can't tell a lie, and neither can I. Something is frozen and inside your block of ice."

"When did it suddenly become _my_ block of ice?" the Pyronite wondered.

"Ever since you opened the block and picked it up." Daring suspected. "That, and when it was actually placed there."

"Fair point." Heatblast shrugged as flames and fire enveloped his hands, sweeping over the block of ice and melting it within seconds into a cloud of steam and a puddle of icy water before everyone's eyes; something small fell out of the block of ice, bouncing off of the open lid of the box and to the floor.

"What is it?" Ashlynn wondered, bending her legs down to lower herself further down for a closer inspection; the object was small, about the size of dollar bill and resembled something of a squid-like blob with bulbous eyes and small, green antennae or feelers poking out of the top of the head. Small pseudopods sprouted from the bottom of the small item, lying limp against its slimy, green exterior.

"Wait . . . is that who I think it is?" Heatblast whispered as he bent over and scooped up the small item in his hand, slowly heating it up in his palm as the rest of the fairy tales crowded around him in curiosity. The small object groaned slightly, nearly making everyone startle with surprise as the item, now a small creature, began to move around slightly, its little pseudopods wriggling and slither slightly as it sat up and rubbed its beady little eyes.

"Where am I?" the creature spoke in a classy tone. "And who, dare I say are you?" he asked Heatblast.

"Snot Pocket, don't you remember? Maltruant? The Contemelia?" the Pryonite whispered.

The little, slimy creature raised an eyebrow before it took a cautious sniff of the air, its antennae going rigid as its eyes widened in surprise. "Is that, perhaps, DNA that I smell? Delicious, sweet, DNA from none other than the Omnitrix, that sweet food of the gods?" he wondered; if he had a mouth, he would have been drooling.

"So you do remember?" Heatblast asked.

"Dear boy, I always have." Skurd seemed to smile as he bowed his head slightly. "Now then, if you would be so kind as to direct me to the nearest source of DNA? I am quite famished."

"All yours, buddy." Heatblast smiled as he lifted Skurd up to his chest and set him down on the waiting Omnitrix; the Slimebiote shuddered with anticipation as the familiar Omnitrix symbol appeared on his head while he eagerly hugged the watch close to him.

"Ah, it feels good to be back." he sighed happily.

 **And there we go!**

 **Ah, feels good to be back, doesn't? Wait, why am I asking you? You're no the ones writing this story!**

 **Well, I guess technically, you are. What with all the ideas, suggestions, requests, and questions that get me thinking, I seriously consider this to be a community effort of sorts. So give yourself a round of applause! You deserve it as much as I do!**

 **Now for those of you impatiently waiting for _Spring Unsprung_ and _Way to Wonderland,_ they _will_ happen. Just not for a while. Not only do I have the chapter following this to fill up, but it's coming around that time of year again when I must obey the laws of the holidays and writing a spooky, Halloween chapter as well! After that though, things should be clear and wide open!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love hearing from you guys!**

 **Now if you;ll excuse me, I have some League of Legends to play. Pwn you later, n00bs!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	13. Riding High and Riding Hood

**Here and I am once more, ladies and gentlemen, monsters and fairy tales of all ages and species!**

 **Consequently, I have figuratively died and gone to heaven (I'm already dead and am currently working in Hades' palace to produce this story. Other than his constant gambling, the dude's actually a pretty cool guy). You guys are amazing and have responded so quickly to the latest update; seriously, I got like thirty reviews or so in just the first three hours or so (that I was awake anyway). So, thank you all from the bottom of my undead Tetramand hearts.**

 **To show some gratitude to one of my fellow readers, the always awesome _Menatron the Angel of Ideas,_ I will once again shamelessly advertise one of his story ideas/ requests: a Winx Club/Avengers Xover! I myself have _NO_ interest or time to do this, so he has asked me to spread this out to all you lovely peoples in the hopes that one of you will pick up on the idea! If you are interested, PM _Menatron the Angel of Ideas_.**

 **Now onto the review answers that you may or may not have been waiting for!**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise anymore, now would it?**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I fully intend to,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **Da999 –**_ **THAT"S RIGHT, BABY! SKURD'S BACK IN THE GAME!**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **It will be a dark day indeed, when the two crafty kitties meet.**

 _ **n1ght4ury20 –**_ **Hey, don't worry about it. Glad you liked the chapter.**

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **Bigger explosions, eh? Enter Bada-boom!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Don't worry. All will be made right with Dexter and Cupid; Ben won't take this one lying down!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Some references, yes. Not a lot, but some. As for the fight between Ben and Hoodude . . . I'll think about it. As for Snakepit, that would actually be pretty hilarious. And yes, I did read your comment about Phantux, but that's not what I'm going for. Thinking Dr. Facilie, only more sadistic and manipulative. For your antlion/lacewing idea, I like it, but it's not what I'm looking for. I'd be more than happy to draw it though, once time permits.**

 _ **Justaquestion12 –**_ **Actually, no. I just thought it would be funny. XD**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Once again, there's a reason that Dexter's acting like a jerk, and it's not because he lost Raven (that's a small reason, but it's not the main one). As for the Halloween chapter . . . I have something more . . . spooky . . . in mind. And multiple Darings? This can't ever amount to** ** _anything_ good. Run for the hills, everyone!**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Wow, I honestly didn't think bringing Skurd back into this mess would be so well received. As for Alpha, I never really intended him to be taken as seriously as the other villains that were mentioned; he was and is mostly just someone for the ghouls to fight and overcome to keep my readers updated on how the ghouls are doing back home before they are eventually dragged into the mess as well (no doubt with disastrous results).**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Why is it that whenever something strange happens, they always blame it on Paradox!? I'm not saying you're wrong of course, however, nor am I saying you're right. You'll just have to wait and see! As for Cerise, if I fused her with Blitzwolfer, everyone would just assume it was part of the transformation, plus I've been using everyone's favorite alien werewolf a lot recently and wanted to give him a break to bring in other aliens that hadn't been introduced yet.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST ME, HUH!? WHY DO YOU** ** _WANT_ ME TO SUFFER A CONCUSSION!? Fortunately for me right now, Maddie is drinking herself silly with tea, thankfully keeping her blissfully busy while I hurriedly try to get this done and hook her with Ben soon before she takes matters into her own hands. And knowing Ben, any job he gets won't last for long (except maybe a job at Maddie's tea shop).**

 _ **Classic Lover –**_ **Don't worry. If I don't get to it this chapter, Maddie will take care of it the next.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **Ben and Cerise are not an official couple yet, but that should change rather quickly. As for Cupid, she still will end up with Dexter, but I have my ways of making things right as rain; there is, after all, a reason why Dexter hit her (if it was just because of Raven, he would have just yelled).**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Every now and then, when things are at peace for the time being, she'll return to that dream. Or someplace similar. That doesn't mean the nightmares won't come back though.**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **True, Ben isn't fully acquainted with Maddie yet, but she is plotting to knock me out with her mallet and take over the story at some point, so watch out! Currently however, she's drinking herself silly with tea, so thank goodness for that!**

 _ **Mechazard01 –**_ **I actually thought about this, but I quickly thought against it; I already have enough characters as it is, and I do not need anymore to complicate things otherwise this story will never be finished; and before you say anything, Genie from my previous story was** ** _not_ the one from Disney's Aladdin. Just because they have a similar personality and lines doesn't mean they are related.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Alpha is the main villain of the Ben 10/Generator Rex: Heroes united Xover (this is actually canon. Believe it or not, this is actually where Shocksquatch debuted, not in Omniverse, though he's considering an Omniverse alien because he never appeared in any other series and he got a complete redesign after the Xover special). You'll have to watch the Xover to get the whole story (highly recommend it).**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Don't worry. Skurd's here to stay, whether Ben likes it or not. As for Maltruant, the little event may be mentioned, but it won't happen again. That ain't my style.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the fusions and Skurd's return. As for Dexter and Cupid, there's more to this little mishap than anyone either knows ;)**

 _ **Fantasy Knight –**_ **Jigsaw is basically the Ben 10 version of any of the Looney Tunes characters, if this helps clear that up.**

 _ **Lord Humungus –**_ **Now that I look back at what I've written, I realize it was perhaps a bit extreme. But there is a perfectly reason for why Dexter is behaving this way, and it's not because of Raven (if it was just that, Dexter would have just yelled). And I assure you that Ben will get more than a few punches out of Dexter before this whole thing is resolved; and I'm to disappoint/anger you, but I am pairing Dexter and Cupid together. It won't happen for a while, and it will be slow, but they will end up together after a while.**

 _ **Grimlock –**_ **Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to see. As for Snakepit, I'll consider it.**

 _ **Gosick5233 –**_ **I think I'll leave the idea of a Ben 10/Ever After High Xover where Ben never went to Monster High open to someone else to write; as for Thronecoming, it already happened before this chapter, though not before** ** _Spring Unsprung_ and _Way to Wonderland._**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **Rex will not be appearing in this story (there are enough characters to fit in as there are). And once again, thank you for helping me come up with the fusions. As for Alpha, he was created during the original nanite project to work as the nanite's boss, for lack of a better word, to tell them what to do; unfortunately, whatever machine it built for a body quickly burned out, and when it started to try and take over biological bodies, Caesar sent it into an empty pocket dimension, which actually turned out to be the Null Void. I would highly recommend seeing the special because, as canon crossovers go, it's actually descent and awesome as hex.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **All in due time, my fair reader, all in due time. Now down to business; I have been getting a lot of bad reception towards Dexter, and I can't honestly blame you. But I have a reason why Dexter is behaving like an asshole to what is probably one of, if not the sweetest girl in Ever After High (apple doesn't count because she's still trying to push the destiny thing). As for the battle, I had to take into a account that while Daring is clearly no match for Ben in the long run, he's had enough experience to at least go toe to toe with several of them (not Four Arms or Way Big though, he's toast when it comes to them).**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **Hmm. An interesting idea indeed. I'll put it under my list of things to consider for that time period. As for Maddie . . . you have no idea what you have just sentenced me to.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Don't worry. You have offended me in anyway. As for your idea, I have no plans to bring Rex into this (makes it less confusing that way). This is strictly a ghoul (and possibly Ben) problem, nothing more. Glad you're enjoying Skurd's return as much as everyone else it though :)**

 _ **DracoAngel7 –**_ **I plan to,** ** _mi amigo!_ And to make up for the lack of Skurd, you'll get to see our favorite Slimebiote in action. Don't worry about Dexter, though. He'll get what's coming to him.**

 _ **Maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Glad you like Alpha. And I had my reasoning behind the chosen fusions: Blondie got Teleportail (it was originally going to be ChamAlien) because she has a knack for unlocking doors and getting into places she's supposed to be in, which is made all the more easier when one can just telport there; Ashlynn got Wildvine because she loves nature, and as far as we've seen with Wildvine and Pax, most Florauna's are just as connected; Hunter got Jury Rigg because it be hilarious and because he has a knack for 'jury rigging' things together with whatever's lying around; Cedar, I mainly picked Clockwork for her since they're automatons; Cupid received Crashhopper because . . . well, really I just thought it would be funny to take her horrible skill with a bow and arrow and apply that to jumping with disastrous results. And believe me, I've had the video game thing happen to me; don't worry about Dexter, he'll get what's coming to him.**

 _ **luciaryshadow –**_ **Thank you for the translation; now that I look it over, I could totally see Rath yelling that in English XD And I originally wanted to do Thronecoming, but with me accidentally placing Giles in before, I can no longer do that, so that's out; thankfully, I still have** ** _Spring Unsprung_ and _Way to Wonderland._ So I'm a god, now, eh? BOW DOWN TO ME, MORTAL! Now onto your ideas and requests: I love the Appoplexian idea for Skelita and fully intend to utilize it the next chance I get; Tetrax, I could probably work in with the misadventures the ghouls are having without Ben around, but Myaxx and Euince will be harder to work in, especially since I don't really have an intention of bringing them into the big mess of things.**

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **Glad you liked it. Welcome aboard!**

 _ **Natsu –**_ **While I would love to do this, I think I'll leave it open for another writer to attack should they so chose; I'll probably write a one-shot series like I am for my Ben 10/Monster High Xover, pairing Ben with ghouls he wasn't canonically paired with in my story, but that's about it.**

 **Alright, I think I've covered everything that needs to be taken care of.**

 **Oh, wait! I just remembered! Okay, so I had this wonderful idea popped to me by _maverickmoxery2000,_ that I definitely want to use, but there are two ways I could go with it; one that could be acceptable and one that could pretty much destroy this story to the core if I'm not careful. So I'm ask you all, my loyal fans and readers, or an answer. I have set up a poll on my profile explaining the idea in full detail and what I would like to do with it; whichever option receives the most votes will be used. SO PLEASE VOTE!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onward!**

"Okay, can someone kindly explain to me what the hex is going on here?" Briar sighed as she gave her wings a rest and alighted down on the ground. "And on a related note, introduce us to this . . . slime ball, too."

" _Slime Ball!?_ " Skurd narrowed his beady eyes incredulously.

"Easy, Skurd. She's a friend." Heatblast rasped. I suppose introductions and explanations are in order, though, so I'll try to make this as short and simple as I can; this is my friend, Skurd."

"I prefer Skurd the Slimebiote, the Greatest and Single Most Important Organism in the Universe, but do feel free to paraphrase if it's too much for your tiny minds to remember." the Slimebiote proclaimed proudly.

"Looks like being frozen in a block of ice did nothing to shrink your ego, Booger Bag." Heatblast smirked as Skurd deflated at the remark.

"Uh, Ben? Not that I don't doubt your friends with all sorts of weird and crazy monsters and aliens back home, but why is he sitting on your Omnitrix?" Raven asked from Cerise's back; the Vulpimancer had taken a sitting position near the base of Snow White's box, excessive amounts of drool dripping from her huge teeth while she occasionally scratched herself with her hind leg. Apparently she had taken to her new form far easier than the others had, though Daring didn't seem to mind admiring his own, handsome look. "With a device that powerful, I wouldn't want anyone getting near it."

"What a silly thought," Skurd scoffed. "Without me, the lad would be dead a hundred times over!"

The Pyronite rolled his eyes. "Maybe not that many times, but I'll admit that he has gotten me out of some tight spots. To put it simply, Skurd makes my aliens more powerful. Sort of like an upgrade of sorts."

"I don't get it." Hunter scratched his head with his claws as he sat on Ashlynn's shoulder, starring at Skurd with suspicion.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order, hmm?" Skurd cocked an eyebrow at Heatblast.

"You're the one sitting on the watch." the Pyronite hissed; with a satisfied nod, Skurd quickly blorped and oozed his gelatinous body over Heatblast's right arm, encasing it entirely in green slime before it was suddenly consumed in the familiar green flash of the Omnitrix going off, the Pyronite's flaming arm vanishing as it was replaced by the shimmering, crystalline arm of a Petrosapien, a large sword forming in his grip and lengthening outwards until it just barely touched the tip of Hunter's nose, forcing him to cross his eyes just to see it. The huntsman eventually fell over and off of Ashlynn's shoulder.

"Hat-tastic!" Maddie cackled madly.

"Finally, someone with some taste!" Skurd nodded with satisfaction. "Now then, if you would kindly introduce me to this rather odd and familiar looking folks before me? I would very much like to know their names before I insult them. And while you're at it, kindly tell me where in the name of Methanosian tubers we are!"

"It's a long story," Heatblast sighed. "But before I say anything, can you kindly fix this thing?" he asked, pointing towards the Omnitrix. "It keeps on turning me into random aliens and it fused my friends with my aliens in the process."

"Honestly, can't you go anywhere without damaging this thing?" Skurd starred at the Pyronite in disbelief.

"Hey, blame Ditto-Boy over there. He's the one that stabbed it with his sword and busted it." Heatblast threw a glare at Daring as he pointed his Petrosapien sword in the prince's direction; with a reluctant sigh, Skurd oozed his body back over Heatblast's shifted arm and returned it to its original form before he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix, his beady eyes quirking up and down and widening every couple of seconds as he worked. The fairy tale fusions all watched with anticipation, hoping it could be done and they would be turned back to their original forms. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Skurd finally popped back up before pressing himself back down again briefly, engulfing Heatblast in a flash of green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"Aw, man! Good to be me again." Ben sighed with relief as he flexed his fingers experimentally.

"Yes, but what about us?" Apple rasped as she unfolded her wings to prove her point further. "We're still . . . monsters!"

"I can only do so much, dear girl! The only one who can truly fix the Omnitrix is Azmuth and, as much as it pains me to admit this, his intellect is _far_ superior to that of mine." Skurd huffed.

"So what did you do?" Blondie asked, wincing slightly as her twin tails swished slightly back and forth on the floor in anticipation.

"I managed to fix the main transformation feature that the glorious device is known for," Skurd explained. "But as I said before, there is only so much I can do. Without Azmuth or someone of similar intellect to properly fix the Omnitrix, I am limited to making rather crude and cobbled repairs."

"So . . . you're saying we're stuck like this?" Cedar gulped nervously.

"No, no you're not." Ben said firmly as turned to the Omnitrix that now resided on his wrist and tapped, sighing with relief when the familiar green hologram popped back up into view. "I'll turn into Grey Matter to fix the Omnitrix."

"A brilliant idea, dear boy, except for the fact that your Galvan form places the Omnitrix on your _back_." Skurd pointed out.

Ben deflated slightly upon remembering that before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, Hunter's part Jury Rigg."

"Are you gonna insult my height again!?" Hunter growled defensively.

Ben shook his head. "No, but he's able to build weapons and fix things in a matter of seconds; if I turn into Grey Matter, I can direct you through the repairs of the Omnitrix until we've managed to fix it and return you all back to normal." Hunter was about to protest at the seemingly ridiculous idea, but everyone else quickly agreed to the solution, hoping that it would result in the fastest way of returning themselves to normal.

"Alright, alright." Hunter grumbled as Ashlynn lowered herself to the ground and set him down. "Lets get this done and over with." he muttered impatiently; Ben nodded as he turned to the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster, finding the Galvan symbol and raising his hand to press down on the waiting activation button. Before he could do so however, a loud explosion rocked the ground, a fiery mushroom cloud soaring into the air all the way from Ever After High.

"What was that!?" Raven wondered.

"No idea. But we better check it out." Ben frowned.

"No, no! You're gonna turn into your Grey Matter whatever and change us back!" Hunter demanded.

"It'll have to wait." Ben shook his head as he raised his hand above his head again to slap it down on the waiting activation button. "It's Hero Time!" he quipped, slamming a hand down on the activation button and swallowing himself in a flash of green light, his DNA scrambled and rearranging itself into something new. His arms became more furry as hundreds upon thousands of yellow colored hairs sprouted all across his body, racing down his legs and over his chest, up his neck to cover his face as his pinky finger was sucked back into his hand, deemed useless for whatever alien he was becoming. His ears became large and fleshy, similar to that of a rodent's as they rotated up towards the top of his head, his face bulging outwards slightly as his nose became flat and primitive looking. His canines became longer and sharper as his teeth became slightly crooked, his skeleton cracking and groaning as it was compressed and shrunken down to a height of roughly four feet tall. Two, long, furry, prehensile tails snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking and whipping themselves around as if they had minds of their own as his feet became bigger and perfect for gripping, his big toe moving into a 45 degree angle that allowed them to be used like extra hands. Black, gauntlet-like coverings materialized on his wrists, allowing his fingers free movement as a suit that greatly exposed his furry chest appeared on his body with green rings on the knees and elbows; the Omnitrix and Skurd reappeared on a green and white belt around the alien's waist, completing the transformation.

"Ook! Ook! Teleportail? Good enough, I suppose!" the Vong Linducher chattered excitedly as his twin tails began to spin wildly behind him.

"Is _that_ what I've been fused with?" Blondie wondered.

"Yep! Now get close to me unless you wanna walk back! Ook! Ook!" Teleportail grinned cheekily while his tails spun faster and faster, creating a small wind behind him; Cerise lumbered over to him without hesitation with Raven hanging onto her back, casting a knowing look at the rest of the fused fairy tales. Cedar and Cupid quickly joined the group, followed closely by Briar, Blonde, and Apple. The remaining three all shared a quick look before scampering over to join the group just as a blinding light engulfed Teleportail and the small band of fairy tales, tearing a hole in the fabric of space/time before they vanished from existence altogether.

* * *

Hopper Croakington II, despite his Heroics 101 training, was not as quick or fast as people perceived him to be; granted his amphibian form gave more agile and faster abilities, but he wanted to be known for his human form and not for his unfortunate habit of turning into a slimy, green frog whenever he got nervous or agitated. The only problem was that he spent most of his time as an amphibian and not as a human, mostly because very few girls were actually willing to kiss a frog, even if it was Hopper, Cupid being the one exception along with Briar on rare occasions when she was in a good mood.

This was beside the point however, as the amphibious prince was currently being chased by a fire-breathing dragon.

Somehow, the fire-breathing dragons Ever after High kept beneath the school for use in Beast Training and Care and the occasional practice in Heroics 101 had been let lose, unmuzzled, and somehow intoxicated with Fairy Wine; the alluring drink had many effects across a variety of species, most of them completely harmless, but when it came to dragons, Fairy Wine was the last thing one wanted to give to the monstrous, fire-breathing reptiles. The savory drink heightened the beast's senses, made their already hot tempers reach a blazing inferno, and made them incredibly aggressive and hungry, fueling them like massive amounts of sugar to little kids and making them all the more powerful. Even the greatest magic users were wary about the intoxicated beasts.

"Hopper! Over here!"

The Son of the Frog Prince turned his head towards the voice and saw Lizzie Hearts anxiously waving for him to run over to her; Hopper took a quick glance back the gigantic dragon chasing after him, the beast's massive claws raking into the marble floor as its wings blocked off any escape and its teeth dripped with a horrendous amount of saliva. That, and the dragon had actually set itself on fire, making any attempt to try and escape over or under it utterly fruitless. With little other choice, Hopper made a mad dash across the hallway, diving down to the floor and sliding across the smooth marble and into the janitor's closet the Princess of Hearts had stashed herself into for the time being.

"Thanks, Lizzie." Hopper sighed with relief as he wiped his brow. "Guess you always got an ace up your sleeve." he chuckled nervously under Lizzie's suspicious glare. "'Cause, ya know, you're the Queen of-" was as far as Hopper got before he was swiftly enveloped in a puff of pink and yellow smoke, his human form vanishing to be replaced by a small, green frog wearing a red bow tie and a small, golden crown on his head.

"Blast it! Curse my amphibious form." Hopper sighed unhappily as Lizzie scooped him up in a hand and held him up to eye level.

"I know this is not very becoming of a future Queen of Hearts, but not even a slimey frog like you deserves to be roasted over those voracious monsters." she whispered quietly in the hopes the dragon would not hear them as it roared and thrashed about outside.

"I shall try not to take that last comment offensively, dear Lizzie, but I will have you know that I am not covered in slime but a secretion of mucus that keeps my skin moist when I am far from a viable source of water." Hopper defended himself.

"That is not exactly any better." Lizzie sighed. "But I suppose since we are currently stuck here, we can't afford to have arguments."

"Very true, dear Lizzie." Hopper agreed. "I hexpected you to be far more despicable, no offense."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lizzie narrowed her eyes.

"You have a habit of threatening to slice ones head off whenever you do not get your way; I realize that this is a part of your future as the next Queen of Hearts and Ruler of Wonderland, but is not something people find rather . . . attractive, for lack of a better word." Hopper explained.

Lizzie blinked. "I . . . suppose that's true." she sighed. "I'm still getting use to the fact that I may never actually return home to my wonderful Wonderland, what with the Evil Queen's curse forcing the Headmaster's block off all entrances and exits to it."

"You miss Alistair and Bunny, do you not?" Hopper guessed.

Lizzie sadly nodded; she did not often talk about the two missing fairy tales, but she dearly missed them. They were almost like an unofficial brother and sister to her, with the rest of her Wonderland friends acting in a similar manner. When they had been forced to evacuate and leave Wonderland for fear of the Evil Queen's curse, they had banded together into a sort of family unit, each one of them supporting the other in some manner to keep them from getting the Rainy-Days, the Wonderland equivalent of depression. The only difference was that a small storm cloud often formed over the victims head and poured an endless amount of rain down on them until cured.

"Do you suppose the beast is gone?" Hopper asked. "I'm quite sure the staff is worried sick about our separation during the mass evacuation of the school."

Lizzie was about to answer when a loud roar shook the hall and hot fire leaked underneath of the doorway. "I . . . don't believe so." Lizzie shook her head.

"A sorrowful understatement, I am afraid. We are going to be here for a while." Hopper sighed.

"It would seem that way." Lizzie nodded as she moved to set Hopper in one of her hands and pull out a deck of playing cards from the same sleeve. "A game of cards to pass the time?"

"You won't cut off my head if I win, will you?"

"I . . . shall try not to." Lizzie promised. "I am trying to be a . . . nicer queen than my mother."

"You are doing quite a fine job, too, I might add." Hopper smiled. "However, I must request that we play Go Fish. It is sadly the only card game I know how to play."

Lizzie sighed; she would have normally threatened to cut off someone's head for saying such things, but she managed to keep her temper in check. "Very well. I can teach you to play other games later on, if you wish."

Before Hopper could reply, a blinding light and dull roar filled the janitor's closet, forcing the two trapped fairy tales to shield their eyes before they found themselves on the bottom of a pile of odd and rather frightening fairy tales.

"Ow! Cerise, watch the claws! Watch the claws!" Daring yelped as the Vulpimancer hybrid bellowed snarled as she tried to find herself some elbow room and climb to her feet, accidentally clawing and injuring her fellow travels in the process.

"Raven, could you please move your . . . wing?" Ashlynn winced. "It's pinning my arm against the wall, and it kinda hurts."

"Sorry." Raven apologized as she awkwardly moved the new limb just enough to allow Ashlynn to move her arm and then shift her form upwards, pressing her back against the ceiling as she hunched over on stretched legs in an attempt to give the others as much space as possible.

"Brilliant work, Ben. Ya got us all stuck in a closet." Hunter grumbled.

"Hey, if you think _this_ is bad, I once teleported in on one of my ghoulfriends while she was taking a shower! Ook! Ook!" Teleportail shot back as he leaped off of Cedar's back, allowing the Chronosapien hybrid to climb to her feet with some effort and some help from Ashlynn; the princess winced slightly as her fingers grew long and more vine-like as it curled around Cedar's arm to haul her to her feet before shrinking back to their original length.

"I say, what is going on here?" Hopper wondered as he jumped and landed on Cupid's shoulder, doing a double take he realized that she was far different than he remembered.

"Off with your heads! All of you!" Lizzie shouted threateningly as Cupid attempted to try and get off of the Princess of Heart's back and let her climb to her feet, accidentally nailing Daring in his nether regions with one of her spring-loaded feet; the Son of Prince Charming promptly crumbled to the floor, whimpering in pain as Hunter scampered over the group to take his usual place on Ashlynn's shoulder.

"Is that everyone?" Blondie asked, wincing as Lizzie accidentally stepped on one of her tails in the process of standing up.

"Yeppers! Everyone's here, accounted for, and ready for tea!" Maddie giggled happily, her black, shiny body crackling with electricity.

"Ms. Hatter, please do not accidentally electrocute us." Hopper asked kindly. "I would rather not like to have my skin fried off."

"That can happen?" Apple whimpered.

"If you are an amphibian like me, dear Apple. Seeing as how you are not, you having nothing to fear. I think." Hopper added, unsure of whether or not Necrofriggians were amphibians or not.

"Why are we in a janitor's closet anyway, completely disregarding the fact that Ben's teleporting skills are not one-hundred percent accurate." Briar wondered; a loud roar rattled the hallway, followed by a sudden bright light from the edges of the doorway, smoke curling up underneath the door itself.

"Dragons." Lizzie simply replied.

"It _had_ to be dragons." Teleportail sighed.

"Not just dragons, I'm afraid." Hopper sighed from Cupid's shoulder; most could swear the little amphibian was salivating with hunger when he caught sight of the massive, insect-like legs and wings that had replaced Cupid's own limbs. "Dragons somehow intoxicated with Fairy Wine, a mixture that makes them _far_ more dangerous than they normally are."

"So it was sabotage." Raven concluded. "That could only mean that whoever drugged the dragons is either trying to just cause chaos or is trying to create a distraction of some kind."

"The Forever Knights, maybe?" Apple suggested worriedly.

"Maybe. Don't know how they'd get their grubby mits on Fairy Wine though, much less know about it." Teleportail suspected.

"Actually, Fairy Wine isn't that hard to come by. We have a massive stock of it here at Ever After High for the teachers and students," Lizzie explained. "It's really no different than drinking water." she added when she caught sight of the Vong Linducher's stunned expression. "At least, when it's not consumed by dragons."

Teleportail sighed. "Okay, lets get this over with."

"Right. You go out and deal with the dragons while we stay in here and play cards." said Hunter; Cerise snarled and bared her large teeth at the huntsman.

"Cerise is right. We can't just sit here and be useless." Ashlynn agreed.

"You understood that?" Skurd cocked one of his beady eyes.

"Of course," Ashlynn smiled kindly. "I can talk to animals. Apparently that extends to . . . whatever it is Cerise is."

"Well, now that the matter is settled, would you be so kind as to leave me and Ms. Hearts to our card game?" Hopper asked kindly. "Unlike the lot of you, we do not possess the necessary means of defeating those monstrous beasts."

"What Hopper said." Lizzie agreed as she ducked under one of Raven's wings.

"If you say so . . ." Apple sighed; this went against _everything_ her Princess Training and Damsel-in-Distress class taught her. Princesses and other pretty girls were supposed to look beautiful and sit on the side lines while the men and princes handled the fighting and slaying of villains and enemies. To be granted unworldly powers and then forced into a position she was not comfortable with nor accustom to did not sit well with the Daughter of Snow White, but she had little choice than to agree without everyone else currently packed into the janitor's closet like sardines. And, as an added bonus, if she somehow managed to prove to Ben that she was a suitable girlfriend and future wife, he may just severe all ties he had just to be with her; granted, it was a long shot, but a princess could dream.

"Well, what're we waiting for!?" Maddie giggled happily, her sharp black claws crackling with electricity. "Lets do this!" she cackled, sending a dangerous amount of power and energy from her fingertips to blast the door off of its hinges and shoot out into the hall in an electric fury; Cerise soon followed, bellowing and roaring loudly as her claws scrabbled against the floor while Raven hung on for dear life.

"C'mon, Blondie! I can give ya a few pointers! Ook! Ook!" Teleportail chattered excitedly; Blondie felt herself turning red slightly underneath her light layer of fur and followed the Vong Linducher out of the closet, running quickly on her knuckles as her tails cracked back and forth eagerly.

Cedar and Cupid shared a short look before pushing Lizzie and Daring aside to rush out of the closet after Teleportail. "Wait for us!" Cedar called out; Ashlynn followed close behind as she delicately shifted and moved her flexible tendrils through the doorway before drawing up to her full height and skittering after the small band of eager fairy tales with hunter clinging tightly to her shoulder. Biting her bottom lip, Apple left the closet behind and unfurled her wings, flapping them lightly to take to the air with Briar at her side, a hungry and excited expression plaster to her face.

"Should you not be joining them, Daring?" Hopper quirked an eyebrow; the little amphibian slipped off his crown and gave a small puff to polish it as Lizzie climbed to her feet and rearranged her crown just so on her head.

"And risk upsetting my handsome and rugged looks? Unlikely." Daring grinned charmingly as he admired his expression in his small hand mirror; when that wasn't enough, the Son of Prince Charming quickly split himself in two, the pair of Darings now flexing and posing for the other while admiring their own physic and charming features.

Hopper shivered with disgust. "Once again, you let Ben steal the spotlight, Daring. Sooner or later, no one will remember you." he added with a small smirk; this little remark made both of the clones pause in their posing and flexing before they both gasped with fright and swiftly left the closet to try and prove themselves better than Ben (while still admiring each other).

"I do hope this little skirmish is fixed soon." Lizzie shuddered. "One Daring is enough, thank you very much."

Hopper nodded. "Agreed, dear Lizzie. Now then, I believe we were about to play a game of cards?"

"As soon as we find a safer place."

* * *

Faybelle glanced frantically behind her, nearly letting out a terrified scream when she noticed that a dragon was right behind her, its cold, reptilian eyes starring hungrily at her as it snapped its jaws; of course, it had to be the school's biggest dragon, with at least six large horns, dozens of fleshy barbels and whiskers, hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, and massive wings tipped with pointed claws that the great beast used as a pair of front legs to lung and chase after the frightened fairy.

Faybelle normally was not bothered by dragons, considering her story would have her changing into one of the gigantic, fire-spewing beasts through use of the complicated and stalwart fae magic fairies were renown and feared for. This time however, she was _very_ bothered by the dragon, especially considering the fact that it was currently trying to turn her into a barbecued snack.

"Stop! Heel! Sit! Go away!" Faybelle yelled over her shoulder as she frantically flapped her delicate fairy wings to just narrowly dodge a savage snap of the dragon's jaws. Her heart in her throat, Faybelle dove to the floor before shooting upwards in the hopes of confusing the dragon long enough to give her a heads start and an edge; unfortunately, the dragon was too quick and managed to grab the foot of her boot in its teeth, yanking her back and out of the air as the beast shook its head like a dog before slamming her into the floor, dazing her as it pinned her beneath its claws and reared back its head, an omnibus glow forming in the back of its throat.

"Good-bye, cruel world." Faybelle whimpered as she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her arms in the hopes of blocking the upcoming wave of fire and somehow managing to survive. Just when the giant, voracious reptile was about to burn her to a crisp, a sudden noise like that of a battle cry caught her attention and she cracked her eye open long enough to watch as Teleportail slammed into the back of the dragon's head, cutting off the upcoming flame and distracting the beast long enough for Faybelle to get loose.

"Run for it, Faybelle! We'll hold it off!" the Vong Linducher yelled as it clung tightly to the dragon's horns as it roared and thrashed its head about to shake off its pesky passenger; Faybelle need to be told twice as she pried herself loose from the dragon's claws and took to their air, nervously biting her lip as she watched Teleportail go flying from the dragon's head to grab onto a chandelier overhead and quickly spin his tails to disappear in a blinding light and reappear clinging to the side of the dragon's head where he quick poked the beast in the eye before disappearing again in a flash of light and energy to pop back into existence underneath of the belly before vanishing once more to dodge a quick bite.

"And that's how it's done! Ook! Ook!" Teleportail grinned cheekily. "Ook! Ook! Lets see you give it a try, Blondie! "

"Are you _sure_ that's a good idea?" a small, green blob that was currently attached to a white belt around Teleportail's asked with apprehension.

"We got multiple dragons running wild all over the school, Skurd; I can't be everywhere at once, and with the girls being fused with my aliens, they'll be able to help keep things in check until I can deal the finishing blow."

"Hmmm. Actually smart. Risky and dangerous, but rather smart." Skurd admitted; Faybelle watched with a baffled expression as a second flash of light exploded next to Teleportail and vanished to reveal a girl with golden locks and large amounts of fur of almost the same color sprouting all over her face, arms, and ankles while she wore a dress that Blondie was normally known for wearing. The fairy quickly realized that this rather primitive, primate-like creature was actually the Daughter of Goldie Locks.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Blondie gulped as the dragon hesitated for a brief amount of time to study its latest opponent.

"If it isn't, me an' Skurd'll save ya from being toast!" Teleportail grinned reassuring the fused fairy tale. "Follow my lead!"

With a loud screech of excitement, Teleportail sprang right at the startled dragon, grinning even more when Skurd quickly oozed and shifted himself over the Vong Linducher's arms and encased them in green slime before they were suddenly swallowed in a burst of green light and changed into those of a Florauna. With a cry of triumph, the alien primate lashed out with his new limbs, sprouting thick tendrils and wrapping them tightly around the jaws of the ferocious dragon, trapping them shut as the Vong Linducher landed on the dragon's snout and taunted it by blowing a raspberry.

With the most dangerous end of the beast trapped, Blondie quickly spun her tails and vanished in a flash of bright light, reappearing above the dragon's head to drop down out of the air and deal a swift punch to the beast's skull with her fist, cracking her tails along the dragon's jaw before fearlessly poking it in the eye. The dragon gave a muffled bellow and thrashed about mightily, its tail smashing into the walls and windows and tearing great chucks of the smooth marble and shattering the glass while it flapped its wings in a fruitless attempt to shake off its unwanted passengers. This did not mean however, that it was not successful in throwing Teleportail off of it and into the air where he crashed into Faybelle and sent the two of the sprawling across the floor as the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light.

"Ow . . ." Ben groaned as he sat up and rubbed his skull; Blondie could nothing else but hold on tightly to one of the dragon's horns as it tried to shake her loose and bite her at the same time, smoke drifting from its nostrils. "You okay?" he asked, wincing when he noticed that one of Faybelle's wings had been bent at a horrible angle, grounding her.

"Fine. But I'm now stuck on the ground." Faybelle pouted.

"Our sincerest apologies, dear." Skurd apologized with a sweeping bow.

Faybelle quirked an eye up at this. "Uh, Ben? I know we haven't interacted all that much, but mind explaining why your booger is talking?"

" _BOOGER!?_ " Skurd trembled with anger.

"Uh, Ben? Skurd? A little help please!" Blondie cried as the dragon roared and fired off a hot stream of fire; Ben just barely managed to throw himself at Faybelle and pin her low to the ground a second time to avoid getting roasted as the flame finally dissipated and allowed the two of them to climb to their feet again.

"Thanks." Faybelle sighed with relief.

"Don't thank me yet," Ben grimaced. "We still got Ugly here to take care of." he jerked a thumb at the dragon as he furiously tried to snap Blondie up in its jaws, digging its claws deep into the walls as it scaled them to try and grab her, missing every time as the Daughter of Goldie Locks leaped and dodged and swung her way out of reach with some effort; Ben quickly tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before he selected the Polar Manzardill icon and slamming a hand down on the activation, swallowing himself in a blast of green light. His bones cracked and groaned loudly as they grew larger and thicker, hundreds upon thousands of small support beams forming inside of his bones to strengthen them as his arms swelled and bloated in size; his skeleton crunched loudly as it grew bigger and bigger, increasing Ben's frame until he was more than twice his original size. Thick nails covered the tips of his fingers as his toes shrank back into his foot, becoming more elephant-like in appearance and structure as a powerful, reptilian tail sprouted from the base of his spine. His neck grew slightly longer relative to his body size, his skull cracking loudly as it was reconfigured and his lower jaw was thrust out slightly as thick, brown, armored skin covered his body, lighter plating covering his strong chest and stomach. A pair of black briefs and a green sash with the Omnitrix on it materialized on his body, completing the transformation.

"Humungousaur? Now we're talkin'!" the Vaxasaurian grinned confidently as he socked his fist into his massive hand; Faybelle was completely dwarfed by him, only just barely reaching his waist as Humungousaur let out a powerful roar that shattered any remaining windows. The dragon turned its attention away from the succulent little snack currently hanging just out of reach on a chandelier overhead and glowered hungrily at the Vaxasaurian before it, ignoring the fact that the alien dinosaur was almost identical to itself in size and weight.

"I'm gonna make you extinct!" Humungousaur growled.

"Hmmm. I remember your quips being more clever." Skurd hummed with disappointment.

"You try saying something clever when-" Humungousaur defended himself just before the dragon bellowed and lunged forward, snapping its jaws shut around one of Humungousaur's arms and swinging him into a wall, nearly sending the Vaxasaurian tumbling out one of the windows and down about three stories before he baled his meaty fingers into a fist and cracked the dragon over the head, releasing his arm and just managing to pull himself back inside.

The dragon shook its head and blasted forth a jet of flame, aiming for Humungousaur's face; the Vaxasaurian quickly shielded himself with one of his armored arms before the dragon suddenly rushed forward and rammed its head into Humungousaur's gut, catching him off guard briefly before he managed to grab hold of the beast's horns and shove it off of him long enough for him to then flip the dragon over his shoulder and slam it into the floor.

"I'm not getting anywhere with this." Humungousaur grunted as the dragon scrambled to its feet and blasted another jet of fire at him, forcing him to defend himself once more.

"Might _I_ be of some assistance?" Skurd suggested; after receiving a nod from his currently Vaxasaurian partner, Skurd oozed himself over Humungousaur's right arm and tapped into the Omnitrix's immense DNA data base, engulfing the limb in a flash of green light and shifting it into that of a Segmentasapien's that quickly morphed into a gun-like weapon that attached to the Vaxasaurian's broad back.

"The Bloxx-lobber? Nice!" Humungousaur grinned.

"I try." Skurd bowed.

With a curious look, Blondie and Faybelle watched as Humungousaur aimed his new weapon at the fire-breathing dragon and fired off several colorful blocks at the beast, smirking when they exploded and forced the massive reptile to take several steps back and fold its wings defensively over its face as it reared up onto its hind legs; Blondie took this as a chance to quickly teleport into the air above the dragon's head and land right on its snout, socking it right between the eyes, stabbing it in the eyes themselves with her fingers before clapping her hands painfully on either side of the beast's head, thus boxing whatever ears it may have had.

" _AAAAAHHHHH!_ Incoming!"

Humungousaur paused in his firing to watch as Cupid came shooting low over the dragon's head, just barely missing the tip of the beast's horns and crash landing right into the Vaxasaurian, knocking him to the floor with a pained grunt.

"Cupid? What are you doing here?" Humungousaur wondered as he hauled himself to his feet and pulled the dazed goddess off of his chest with his large hand.

"I . . . was trying to help," Cupid winced at her throbbing skull. "I was trying to hit the dragon in the head, but . . . I can't seem to get this jumping thing down!"

"It does take some practice." Humungousaur admitted; truth be told, he had managed to utilize and master Crashhopper fairly easily upon first locking him inside of the skyscraper sized anthill Dr. Animo had made his monstrous, mutant ants construct for a home and headquarters, but Cupid didn't need to know that. If lying to her about his skill with his alien forms made her feel better, so be it.

"Yeah, well, I-"

"Look out!" Faybelle interrupted Cupid, diving to the ground with Humungousaur and Cupid following closely behind as the irritated dragon blasted another jet of flame their way before whirling around to try and snap up Blondie.

"I got an idea." Humungousaur grunted while he climbed into a kneeling position as Skurd returned his arm to its original shape and form. "But you're gonna have to trust me."

"A-Alright." Cupid agreed, not quite sure she liked where this was going; she quickly made up her mind as Humungousaur wrapped his large fingers around her waist and lifted her off of the ground before running around in a tight circle to build up momentum as he held his arm, and consequently Cupid away from his body.

"Hey, Ugly!" the Vaxasaurian yelled.

The dragon perked up upon hearing the nickname and snarled deeply, ignoring Blondie as she teleported back onto its head and began to punch it once more before being taken out by a quick flick of the dragon's tail.

"Heads up!" Humungousaur shouted as he finally let go of Cupid and hurled her head first at the dragon, screaming all the way; the fire-breathing reptile was so caught off guard it didn't have any time to react as the screaming deity slammed head first into its jaw and sent it flying down the hallway, crashing into the opposite wall before slumping down to the floor, unconscious.

"Yeah! He shoots, he scores!" Humungousaur grinned triumphantly, pumping a large fist as Blondie swung down from the ceiling and excitedly high-fived the Vaxasaurian.

"That . . . that was spelltacular!" Blondie smiled broadly. "I-I-It was so much fun! I've never felt so alive! It . . . it . . . it was _just right!_ " she shrugged for lack of a better word.

"Speak for yourself," Cupid whimpered as she staggered to her feet while clutching her aching head. "You're not the one he used as ammunition."

"Sorry." the Vaxasaurian apologized as the Omnitrix timed out and swiftly returned Ben to the world with a flash of green light that briefly blinded Faybelle. "Your skull is a lot thicker than any of ours and it was kinda last minute."

"I'd still like an ice pack, if that's not too much to ask." Cupid asked politely.

"Okay, _clearly_ I'm missing something here." Faybelle sighed with exasperation while she pinched her brow. "if I promise to take Cupid to the kitchen and get her some ice for her head, will you explain to me what the hex happened to you two?"

"Sounds fairy enough." Blondie agreed.

"Well, you can take care of that. I've got more dragons to fight." Ben said as he quickly tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before he selected the desired alien and slapped the activation button, engulfing himself in a burst of green light. Ben's fingers hardened into sharpened blades as his spine cracked and bent, sprouting a long, whip-like tail from its base while black and blue stripes wrapped themselves around the cracking appendage. His toes ripped out of his shoes and melted into four claws, two in the front and two more in the back, much like a parrot's; the ball of his heel crunched forward, moving his foot bones and becoming perfectly round and smooth, suddenly separating itself from his foot and held there by his curved toes. Ben felt his skin stretched back into a sharp point and his legs bent backwards into a new joint. A pointy, black helmet with a slide-down visor materialized over his head and skull, followed quickly by a black and green body suit that wrapped around his body with the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest and completing the transformation.

"Gotta run!" XLR8 grinned cockily before he sped off to parts unknown in a blur of black and blue.

" _Oi_. His quips get worse every time." Faybelle shook her head sadly.

"I dunno." Blondie smiled slightly with barely noticeable crimson cheeks. "I think it's kinda cute. In a sort of pathetic comedian kind of way."

"I . . . don't believe I've heard of that one." Cupid raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Raven could currently do nothing else but hold on for dear life as Cerise charged right at the dragon without hesitation, bellowing and snarling loudly as she swiftly dodged a swipe of the dragon's claws before leaping into the air to dig her own claws into the dragon's neck, growling savagely as she bit down on the tough skin and shook her head like a dog; the dragon roared in pain and thrashed it head about to try and shake her off as her sharp claws dug deep, red lines into the fire-breathing reptile's flesh.

"Cerise! Watch out for the-" Cedar warned before the Vulpimancer hybrid and her Vladat passenger were sent flying by a crack of the dragon's tail, Cerise's claws digging deeply into the marble floor to try and slow her fall while she skidded backwards.

"How're we supposed to fight this thing?" Raven wondered as the dragon bellowed loudly and flapped its wings, sending Castleteria tables flying. "Cerise it the only one doing anything!"

"Can't you, I don't know, bite it or something?" Cedar wondered worrying, pointing a finger at Raven's sharp fangs.

"Only as a last resort . . ." Raven winced. Cerise roared and dove to the side to avoid getting caught in the dragon's jaws as they snapped shut on the spot she and Raven had been moments before; this unfortunately left Cedar exposed and helpless, and no matter how durable she looked, she knew full well that she wouldn't be able to withstand the voracious, destructive habit of the dragon currently trashing the Castleteria in search of food.

" _EEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_ "

Cedar spun her head just in time to see XLR8 come blasting through the Castleteria doors and slam full force into the dragon's belly, sending it flying and crashing against the far wall as the Kineceleran came to a sudden and abrupt halt in front of altered puppet; the visor on the front of his helmet slid up as he grinned cockily and quirked an eyebrows in a similar manner, electing a slight blush from Cedar as the visor slid back down and XLR8 sped off again, slamming into the dragon again and racing up its belly to deliver several dozen sharp kicks to the fire-breathing reptile's jaw in a time span of mere seconds before lashing out his tail to crack it across the dragon's face. The beast however, was fast enough to just catch the tip of the Kineceleran's tail in its teeth, allowing it to slam XLR8 into the floor with wide twists of its head and neck before throwing him clear across the Castleteria to fly over the serving counter and crash into the kitchen in a small explosion of pots and pans.

"That could have gone better." XLR8 groaned as he staggered out of the kitchen with a pot on his head and two more stuck to his feet; the Omnitrix timed out mere seconds later, jamming Ben's feet into the pots firmly.

"Ben! Thank the ancestors you're here!" Raven sighed with relief. "We've been trying to take care of this dragon but . . . well, to be honest, we have no idea what we're doing." the witchling admitted.

"Right. Give me a second." Ben nodded as he removed the pot from his head and tapped the Omnitrix before slapping the waiting activation button without looking at which alien he had dialed in as he was encompassed in a flash of green light that warped and twisted his DNA into something new. He felt every last shred of his physical being vanish and become somewhat free, becoming pure energy as the Omnitrix focused his bouncing molecules back into a more stable shape. Ben watched as simply hands and single-toed feet formed on the end of his limbs. Black braces appeared on his hot, red arms and legs, a belt and pair of shorts attached to black straps materializing on his body. The transformation was only half complete however, as black pieces of metal began to wrap themselves around him, tightening and groaning as they formed movable pieces for his arms and legs, forming a jar-like containment suit that bent over his head and attached to the front with a lock of sorts. Bolts popped out of the shoulders and hands, metal supports appearing on the lock and a large handle appearing on the tightly sealed lid. Three slits in the grill plate allowed limited vision as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on the lock.

"Huh. NRG it is then." the Prypiatosian-B shrugged, creating a slight, metal shriek from his shoulders. "Now then, time to turn up the heat."

"Would someone be so kind as to put me out of my misery?" Skurd wondered aloud; NRG and the small band of fused fairy tales ignored the Slimebiote's comment.

"So, Ben? Mind giving us a few pointers?" Cedar asked.

"You, I will get to in a moment; you're powers are more complex." NRG explained before turning to Raven. "As for you, my sweet little Raven . . . trying spitting at the beast." the Prypiatosian-B suggested.

"Excuse me?" Raven quirked an eyebrow with suspicion, her cheeks a light pink at the nice nickname.

"Trust me on this one." NRG replied with a heavy, Russian accent. "If my hunch is correct . . ."

"If you say so." Raven shrugged with a slight sigh. Feeling rather awkward and silly at the same time, especially considering she had never spat or hocked a loogie in her entire life, Raven started to cough and gag slightly in the hopes of building up a decent amount of ammunition, feeling quite silly sitting on top of Cerise's back as she attempted to spit out ancestors knew what. After what felt like the longest seven seconds in her entire life, the young witchling realized that she was indeed feeling something in the back of her throat, a feeling she mostly accustomed to the act of vomiting whenever she was feeling incredibly ill and sick; before she knew it, she was violently coughing and hacking as if she were choking, Cerise whimpering with concern as the witch clutched her throat tightly while gasping for air before something finally shot out past her lips and fangs and landed on the floor with a wet _splat!_

"What . . . what is that . . ?" Raven gasped, her voice hoarse for the moment.

"A Corruptura." NRG replied, bending over with a low creaking noise to pick up the inert parasite between two metal fingers.

"I . . . made _that?_ " Raven shuddered.

"Yes. If it were to land on someone's head, you would be able to control them like puppets. Uh, no offense, Cedar." the Prypiatosian-B added as an added afterthought to the warm, bubbly puppet that was now currently fused with the DNA of a Chronosapien.

"We've got bigger problems than that now, Ben!" Cedar yelped as the dragon roared and succeeded in blasting her with hot flame, sending her skidding back across the Castleteria before she promptly fell over with a groan of pain and dull ringing noise like that of the toll of a large, bronze bell. NRG returned fire, blasting hot, radioactive energy through the slits in his grill and missing several times before succeeding in striking the dragon in the jaw and wings, tearing holes through the leathery skin.

"Raven! Use your wings!" NRG yelled as he rushed at the dragon as fast as he could and slugged in the underbelly with a metal fist before the dragon reached down with its neck and picked him up in its jaws, shaking him like a dog would to a chew toy before chucking him across the Castleteria and into a wall.

"My, my! What a fiery temper!" Skurd chuckled at his own joke.

"And you say my quips are terrible."

Raven gulped nervously, glancing over her shoulder as her wings shifted themselves out from under Cerise's crimson hood, spreading out to their full span of almost twelve feet, each wing being bigger than the witchling and colored dark shades of purple; Raven gave them an experimental flap and felt herself lift off of Cerise's back slightly before falling back down gently. Now feeling more confident, Raven pumped her wings and shot up into the air, drawing in a sharp breath as she she fell slightly before her wings caught her and let her hover in place, safely out of whatever melee attacks the dragon could offer.

Cerise let out a loud bellow as she shook her head back and forth, sending slobber and drool flying in all directions before she charged at the dragon once more, skillfully dodging hot blasts of fire sent its way as she then quickly dropped onto her back and slid across the smooth marble floor and under the dragon's belly; the Vulpimancer hybrid reached up with a half-formed hand and raked her claws across the vulnerable underbelly as she slid before rolling back up onto her feet and skidding to a halt while the dragon roared in fury.

Raven took the opportunity of distraction to spit out two more Corrupturas at the dragon's head in the hopes of hitting it; the beast merely glowered with fury and blasted forth another jet of fire at the small, winged parasites, incinerating them as it then went after Raven, chasing her with hot fire before it suddenly felt a small prick of pain on its tail. With a low growl, the dragon lifted its tail up to its face to see Cerise dangling there by her drool stained fangs, snarling and growling viciously before she suddenly threw herself at the dragon's head, distracting and blinding it.

"Now, Cedar! Before Cerise is barbecued!" NRG yelled.

"I don't know what to do!" Cedar cried worrying as Cerise hung on for dear life, bellowing and roaring in defiance as the dragon thrashed about, knocking over and destroying tables like they were dominoes.

"Just focus!" NRG shouted as he turned his attention to the dragon, sniping it with potshots of hot radiation while Raven dive bombed every couple of seconds, raking her sharp claws against the thick skin of the beast.

Unsure of what to do, Cedar nodded and closed her eyes, reaching out with what little senses she had as she searched for something; what she was searching for, she wasn't sure, but she hoped whatever it was she would find it soon and quickly. She suddenly gasped as she finally felt something, her mental and seemingly nonexistent fingers finally brushing up against something. It was a delicate, yet incredibly powerful feeling she had brushed past, and the more that she explored, the more she realized that there was more of what she had felt, seemingly hundreds upon thousands upon millions of them just floating all around her, intertwining with one another as much as they separated from the other.

Cedar suddenly knew what to do.

"Time to send you back to the stone age!" Cedar yelled as she clenched her bronze fists while a the glass pane in her stomach and gut region glowed an ominous lavender in color before a bright beam of energy shot out and slammed into the dragon's chest; the beast bellowed and roared in agony, finally managing to throw Cerise off its face and send her tumbling into a pair of lunch tables that had miraculously survived the dragon's attack. NRG watched as the dragon began to shrink in size, its loud and deep roar becoming more of a high and shrill squeak; it continued to shrink and degenerate, becoming smaller and smaller until it was now about the size of an elephant. Cedar clenched her fists tighter and increased the intensity of her firepower, watching with a stoic expression as the fire-breathing reptile now shrank to the size of a large dog, becoming smaller and smaller until it was now about the size of a house cat curled up into a tight ball with its tail and wings wrapped protectively around it. A sort of casing began to surround the now tiny dragon, encompassing in a thick, black shell as the bright beam of energy finally died down with a the final bong of a grand bell.

"Cedar? What did you do?" Raven wondered as she alighted down next to the dragon egg, carefully picking it up in her claws and studying it.

"I . . . I'm not quite sure." Cedar admitted. "I just . . . did it." she shrugged.

"You turned it into an egg." NRG explained. "You turned back its clock so far that it now nothing more than an egg."

"I . . . I have time powers?" Cedar marveled, looking at her hands in disbelief.

"There was a reason I called it 'Clockwork'." NRG seemed to smile as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world. "And that's only scratching the surface of what you can do."

"Really?" Raven blinked incredulously.

"Yep." Ben smirked.

"Fascinating," Skurd drawled with boredom. "Are you going to ask the girl to stop time ong enough for you to find the next dragon or are you going to discuss the mechanics of the universe itself, dear boy? Desist, you adult adolescent! Onward!" he demanded dramatically.

"I was going to ask more nicely, but if you wouldn't mind?" Ben grinned sheepishly.

Cedar nodded with a slight blush; she closed her eyes again and grasped and groped around for what she had felt earlier, some sort of instinct that her new body hopefully somehow knew what to do. Her eyes snapped open again upon finding it and focusing upon it as she raised her hands above her head and felt her inner workings whir and buzz loudly, shifting and moving around inside her as a loud bong filled the air as a violet wave of power swept outwards from, washing over everything within range; everything that was hit, from the birds flying outside of the windows and debris moving and shifting along the ground to Raven and Cerise's breathing and slight movements, all of them began to grow slower and slower until they stopped altogether.

Cedar blinked and looked around, starring with amazement at the lavender stained world around her, every last movement that could possibly be made now frozen in time; a quick rotation of her head to her left and she saw Ben standing there as still as a statue, just as stuck in time as everything else was. The mutant puppet took the moment to look over him, knowing that she would not get another descent chance for some time. She gazed at his features, marveling how well sculpted they were like that of a statue or puppet like herself; she knew humans could be rather impressive and beautiful to look at, but Ben . . . words could not describe what Cedar felt for him. She felt herself deflate slightly with a slight creaking noise, knowing that someone as amazing as him would never love someone like her. He was alive, able to live and breath and experience the world like she never could. He would never love someone who, no matter lifelike they appeared, was nothing more than a cheap imitation of the real deal. With a sigh, she rest a hand on Ben's hand, watching as he joined her in the timeless space she had created with a short flash of light.

"Nice work, Cedar." Ben smiled. "Not bad for a first try."

"Oh, as if you could better." Skurd scoffed.

"I probably could; I've had more experience." Ben argued. "But that doesn't mean it's difficult. Time is a fickle thing." he shrugged.

"Never would I have thought to ever hear you sue the word 'fickle'." Skurd sniffed. "Now cease your senseless chattering and find that big brute! Before the time stream collapses!"

"Good point." Ben nodded earnestly. "Give me five minutes before you return things to normal!" he called over his shoulder as he dashed down a hall.

"I shall wait to the very second." Cedar bowed slightly; once Ben was out of sight, she sighed sadly and took a seat at one of the few lunch tables still standing, counting down the seconds until she had to release her hold on the time stream while she pondered what to do.

* * *

"Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Can't catch me! Woo-hoo!"

"Maddie, stopping taunting that thing and hit already!" Hunter yelled angrily as he managed to roll out of the way to avoid a crushing blow from the dragon's foot that would have squished him into paste had he not rolled out of the way in time. Gritting his teeth, the huntsman jumped over the dragon's sweeping tail and scampered on all fours up its foreleg, dodging bone-crushing snaps of the beast's jaws as he ran up the side of its neck and to its head where he fruitlessly beat his puny fists on top of the dragon's skull. "C'mon! Fall! Down! Already!" he yelled with every punch.

"Hunter, I-" Ashlynn started before she gave a sudden yelp and quickly bent her elastic body to the side to avoid a blast of hot fire from the back of the dragon's throat. "I don't think that's how Ben uses that form!"

"And! How! Would! You! Know!?" Hunter yelled, now jumping and down furiously in any attempt to try and at least get the dragon to acknowledge that he was throwing a beat down on its head.

"Think about it, Hunter. Does your current body look like its meant to be a heavy hitter?" Ashlynn asked him as she danced backwards on her vine-like legs to avoids the dragon's jaws. Gulping nervously and hoping that she was right, Ashlynn whipped her arm downwards and watched with surprise as it stretched out to an impossible length and cracked itself across the dragon's face, accidentally sending Hunter flying across the Mirror Lab.

" _Woo-hoo!_ This is fun!" Maddie howled happily as she emerged from a computer screen and blasted a short burst of electricity at the dragon's face, forcing it to shield itself with its armored wings. The Nosedeenian Hatter cackled madly and retreated back inside of the computer, blasting through several more consoles before reappearing back out of the Mirror Lab's main screen and firing off a far more powerful blast of energy at the dragon, eliciting a roar of pain from the beast.

"Yeah, fun for you! I can't do anything!" Hunter cried, ducking to avoid another swipe of the dragon's tail.

"If you couldn't do anything, why would I even use Jury Rigg?" Ben asked him as he closed the door to the Mirror Lab behind him.

"Ben!" Maddie smiled happily, giving him a friendly wave.

"Okay, wise guy, what do you suggest I do!?" Hunter snarled angrily before giving a frightened yelp as the dragon leveled its head to the floor and blasted another jet of flame from the back of its throat, roasting everything in its path as the huntsman dove to the ground to avoid getting hit; when the blast stopped, Hunter noticed that the tip of his tail had managed to catch fire and began to run around in panicked circles trying to put his flaming posterior out.

"See those parts over there?" Ben pointed towards a pile of trashed computers. "Use that and turn into something useful. There's a reason I call him 'Jury Rigg', you know."

"And what about you?" Hunter growled once he had managed to extinguished his butt.

Ben smirked as he turned on the Omnitrix and slapped the waiting activation button, swallowing himself in a flash of green light. He felt his bones liquefy and his muscles turn into soup. His fingers and hands melted together into long, elastic tentacles. Ben felt every fiber of his being pulled apart as his face hardened and his organs moved up behind it. A hard casing formed around his organs and face, turning into a hard face plate with black designs on it. He felt the Omnitrix slip inside him as his entire body suddenly turned into a large puddle of water, the face plate floating around in the water.

"I'll be chillaxing and rockin' the waves, dude!" Overflow gave a mouthless smile as he formed a 'hang loose' sign with a watery tentacle; Hunter grimaced, but agreed to the plan as he rushed over to the pile of computer parts while Overflow surged forward like a tidal wave. The dragon bellowed and blasted a stream of fire at the Aguadite, the equivalent of a worried expression crossing the beast's face as Overflow simply absorbed the attack in a cloud of steam that curled off of his body.

"Dude! Check this out!" Overflow seemed to smirk. The small skirmish took pause for a second as a loud cracking noise filled the air, ice crystals materializing over the Aguadite's body, forming crude arms and legs made of frozen permafrost as icy spikes sprouted from his liquid shoulders and back; Overflow now stood about even with the dragon, standing a couple feet taller than the feet as massive, icy hands appeared on the end of his watery arms. "Who's ready for some surfin'?"

"Just shut up an' hit him already!" Hunter yelled as he frantically dug through the pile of computer parts; Overflow nodded and lumbered forward, the entire room shaking as he approached the dragon and swung an icy fist, slugging the beast in the jaw and snapping its head upwards before he punched it again a second time. The Aguadite failed to notice however, the dragon's tail come swinging at him and swipe his newly formed legs out from underneath him and sent him falling to the ground.

"Ashlynn, brah! Ya gotta, like, pin it down!" Overflow yelled as he just barely managed to catch the dragon's wide stretched jaws in his icy claws and hold it away from his face. "And, like, hurry, too!

"How!? I don't know what to do!" Ashlynn yelled.

"Might I suggest trying those peculiar pods growing out of your back?" Skurd suggested with what seemed to be a tired voice; Ashlynn paused and glanced over her shoulder, wincing at several black pods growing out of her back and shoulders that she had noticed before, despite everything that happened. With a grunt and slight hiss of pain as the princess tore two of the pods from her back, Ashlynn chucked the two seed pods at the dragon and watched as they exploded, instantaneously sprouting into thick creepers and vines that embedded their roots deep into the marble floor of the Mirror Lab and curled securely around the dragon's back legs, rooting it in place; two more seed pods later, and the dragon's wings were incapacitated, too.

"Nice one, Ashlynn!" Maddie smiled, emerging from another computer.

"Don't thank me yet!" Ashlynn gulped nervously; the dragon ripped its jaws free of Overflow's permafrost hands and blasted short jets of flame at the vines holding its wings in place before using the claws that functioned as hands and feet on its wings, depending on their use, to slice through the vines trapping its feet. Overflow yelped as the dragon lashed out with its tail and sliced it through his thick neck, knocking his face mask off and sending it flying across the room; instantaneously, the massive, golem-like body Overflow had built himself dissolved into a large puddle of water, leaving Ashlynn helpless as the dragon lunged its head forward and snapped its jaws shut around her head, tearing it off with a quick movement of its head.

" _ASHLYNN! NOOOOOOOO!_ " Hunter wailed as his girlfriend's headless body slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, dear boy, just wait for it!" Skurd scolded the huntsman as the Omnitrix timed out and returned the majority of the puddle that was Overflow back into Ben, thankfully with his head still attached to his shoulders. Hunter ignored the time out and watched in amazement as Ashlynn's corpse shifted and moved slightly, bubbling and rolling around with a loud squishing noise as a fresh, new head sprouted from Ashlynn's neck and blinked its single eye.

"I do not want to do that again." Ashlynn shivered, climbing to her four feet before she was suddenly slammed into by a relieved Hunter.

"Thank the ancestors you're alright!" Hunter sighed with relief.

"Well, I'm part plant. What did you expect?" Ashlynn smiled slightly before she gave her boyfriend a slight hug. "And don't worry; I am not going to attempt that again.

"Like hex you aren't!"

"Um, guys? If we could focus on the dragon?" Ben suggested as he tapped the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the activation button, encompassing himself in a burst of green light. A short layer of gray colored fur sprouted all over his body, leaving only his hands and feet bare as his ears rotated to the top of his head, becoming long and rodent-like in appearance. A loud cracking sound filled the air as Ben's bones ground and shifted, a long, rat-like tail sprouting out from the base of his spine as sparse hairs sprouted out at random points on the new appendage. His toes melted into three claws, his heel pushing out behind his new feet to form a fourth toe; Ben's face bulged outwards slightly into a rodent-like snout, a few stray hairs forming a small goatee of some kind his arms swelled and his chest bulked up with muscle. A thick mane of razor sharp quills grew from the back of his thick neck as a pair of black pants, black tank top with a green stripe down the front, green cuffs, and black, finger-less gloves materialized on his body. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a green belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd on it around Ben's waist.

"Rollin' out the new guys, eh, Omnitrix?" PorcuPain grinned toothily.

"Will you stop talking to the watch and get on the offensive already?" Skurd demanded.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh, Boogerface." the Espigilagisapien grumbled under his breath as he rolled up tightly into a ball and rushed right at the fire-breathing dragon, swerving left and right to avoid the dragon's teeth and claws, swiftly rolling under the dragon's belly and firing off several quills that mostly bounced off of the armored belly, save for one that managed to find a chink between the plating; the beast roared with surprise and moved its head underneath of itself to follow PorcuPain as he rolled along, the dragon failing to notice Maddie quickly taking the rest of the computers in the Mirror Lab while Hunter worked to finish his weapon.

"Ben! Heads up!" Ashlynn yelled as she tore a pod from her back and tossed it at PorcuPain. The ball of sharp quills uncurled to catch the seed pod in his claws before he leaped up into the air and chucked the pod at the dragon's head, watching with satisfaction as vines exploded and wrapped themselves tightly around the dragon's jaws and pinning them shut, negating any probability of being roasted for the time being.

"How is that weapon coming, dear boy?" Skurd yelled as the dragon gave a muffled roar and slammed its head into the floor in an attempt to loosen the vines before given up and chasing after PorcuPain and Ashlynn, swatting at them with its razor-sharp claws.

"Almost done . . . there!" Hunter exclaimed excitedly as he finished the weapon, something that looked like a combination of a rocket launcher and bazooka all rolled in to one, with a massive, human-sized compartment towards the back; it was a wonder how Hunter was even able to lift the heavy device, though no one bothered to argue otherwise. "Maddie! Get in!"

"I've always wanted to do this!" the mutant Hatter laughed madly as she buzzed over to the weapon and set herself down in the launching device.

"Since when?" PorcuPain wondered, ducking to avoid a swipe of the dragon's tail.

"Ever since the wonderful author, Creaturemaster thought of it!" Maddie giggled.

Hunter face palmed himself. "First you're talking about narrators that explain and tell about everything we say and do, now you're claiming there's some omnipotent writer that's making us do all these things for his sick, twisted pleasure!? You've completely fallen off the dragon now!"

"Well, that's not very nice! The author can't help it if he's got fans to please." Maddie huffed.

Hunter sighed and pinched his brow. "I am going to launch you right now at this dragon so I can get back in my real body so I can then go to bed and pretend this whole nightmare was a dream, okay?"

"Okay! Fire when ready, Captain Hunter!"

"I am not going to dignify that with a response." Hunter grumbled as he pulled the trigger on the weapon he had constructed from various computer tech and plating and felt the containment unit towards the back close shut with Maddie inside, a faint giggling reaching his ears as he quickly aimed the weapon at the dragon's moving skull, taking careful positioning before he squeezed the trigger a second time and fired, falling flat on his back from the recoil as Maddie was launched through the air straight at the dragon's head, screaming; whether it was with joy or fear (most likely joy) nobody knew. With a mad smile on her face, Maddie began to flash ominously before she connected with the dragon's face and released every last amount of energy and electricity she had absorbed through the now lifeless computer consoles into the dragon. Ashlynn and PorcuPain swore they saw the dragon's very skeleton appear between flashes before the beast gave a pitiful roar of pain and slumped to the floor, unconscious as smoke curled off of its charred body.

"Now that's what I call a _shocking_ defeat!" Maddie giggled as she landed back on the ground.

"I take back everything I ever said about your quips and jokes." Skurd apologized to PorcuPain.

* * *

Briar sighed and pinched her brow with exasperation as she watched from above the raging, one-sided battle below in the middle of the Charmitorium; Apple and Daring were currently running around like what she considered to be two of the three blind mice as the two fairy tales were all but helpless in dodging and avoiding in getting blasted by the irritated and hungry fire-breathing dragon currently tearing through the many, cushioned seats as if they were butter. While Daring was slightly more adept in avoiding getting cooked alike by the dragon's fiery blasts, Apple was all but helpless as she barely managed to avoid getting barbecued, seemingly forgetting about her new wings altogether.

"Something wrong, beautiful?"

Briar shivered slightly upon hearing that deep, seductive voice caress her ears as she turned around to see Bullfrag come strolling out onto one of the nearby balconies with Skurd sitting casually on the Omnitrix as the Incursean leaned on the railing of the balcony and observed the battle from below. "Not very adaptable, are they?" he remarked.

"That's putting it simply." Briar agreed. "I mean, I love Apple, but . . ."

"She's about as useful in a fight as a wet cat against a runaway train?" Bullfrag supplemented.

"That's . . . a rather weird way of putting it, but then again everything got weird ever since you showed up." Briar shrugged.

"My entire _life_ became weird since I got this thing." Bullfrag smirked, pointing to the Omnitrix.

"Are you two quite done with your tea party, or are you ready to actually do something useful?" Skurd interrupted with his usual attitude.

"The Snot Rocket's gotta a point." Bullfrag agreed, ignoring the annoyed expression his Slimebiote partner was throwing him as he cracked his knuckles with a grin. "You ready, beautiful?"

"Whenever you are." Briar blushed slightly as Bullfrag climbed onto the balcony railing and bunched up his legs to launch himself into the air, rolling himself up into a tight ball as he fell; while the two of them fell, Skurd quickly oozed and shifted himself over Bullfrag's arms and hands, reaching deep within the depths of the Omnitrix to pull out a certain DNA pattern and shift the two limbs into that of a Petrosapien just before his Incursean partner unfolded himself and slugged the dragon across the face as he flew by and landed on the Charmitorium's stage, a deep smirk of triumph on his face.

"AO! Big an' Ugly!" Bullfrag taunted. "Yer mother was a salamander!"

The fire-breathing dragon apparently took this insult to heart, smoke curling angrily from its nostrils as it bellowed and lunged its head forward with its jaws wide open; Bullfrag smirked and drew back a fist, socking the winged reptile in the jaw before taking a huge leap to avoid another swift movement of the dragon's jaws. The Incursean grinned cockily as he landed on the dragon's head and hung tightly onto the beast's head, hanging on tightly as the now furious dragon thrashed about, smashing clean through theater seats like they were butter as it smashed and bashed its head into the floor to try and shake its unwanted passenger off.

"If'n anyone's gonna be doin' somethin, now would be appreciated and what not!" Bullfrag yelled over the dragon's furious roaring.

"You heard the lad! Do something, you insufferable royalty!" Skurd added, turning to shout at Daring, Apple, and Briar.

"For once in my handsome and charming life, I have no idea what to do!" Daring scoffed. "I have no weapon, my precious armor is all but worthless, and there are none of my lovely admirers watching!" the Son of Prince Charming huffed, turning around on his heel to ignore the ensuing battle and coming face to face with what Daring first thought was an angry harpy; upon a second look, he realized that was in fact Briar, looking like she wanted to tear something in half with her bare hands.

"Get your sorry excuse for an ass in there, or I will spend every waking moment of my life making _your_ life miserable." Briar hissed.

"Fair enough." Daring gulped nervously, flinching under the princess's glare before he retreated back into battle, deciding that facing a fire-breathing dragon would be far easier and less painful than facing Briar Beauty when she was angry; Daring quickly divided himself into half a dozen clones.

"Excuse me, but what are we doing here?" the first clone frowned.

"Yes, why aren't we in a hall of mirrors where we can admire all of our beautiful physic?" a second clone wondered.

"Because," Daring explained. "We have a slight dragon problem."

"So? I can't go anywhere near dragons! It'll ruin my handsome, charming face!" a third clone protested.

"Yes, well, would you rather face a dragon or Briar?" the original Daring gulped nervously, jerking a shaking thumb over his shoulder at the fuming princess.

"You . . . make a good point." a fourth clone agreed; the rest were quick to reply, especially when Briar made a rather threatening gesture and snarl.

"I got one thing and one thing to says to you, Ugly!" Bullfrag yelled as he cupped his Petrosapien fists together. "Play dead!" he shouted, bring them down on the dragon's skull and forcing its head down to the ground, crushing a couple of theater seats in the process. After a few moments, the dragon shook its head and lifted it off of the ground, giving it a good shake and sending Bullfrag flying across the theater and into a wall where he slid back down to the floor with a groan.

"I said play dead!" the Incursean whined.

"You actually excepted the dumb beast to listen?" Skurd cocked a beady eye.

"Not really."

" _AAAAAAHHHHH!_ " Apple screamed; Bullfrag shook his head to clear his vision as the princess barely managed to roll and duck beneath the dragon's fiery jaws, taking note that the irritated beast had set itself on fire and was currently barbecuing anything within reach just by touching it. Fortunately, at the moment, this did not include Apple, but would be subject to change if the helpless Necrofriggian hybrid didn't get off of the ground and out of range soon.

"Apple! Hang on, babe!" Bullfrag exclaimed as Daring and his clones all rushed the dragon, only to be swept aside by a careless flick of the fiery beast's tail; with a low croak, the Incursean fired off his long, elastic tongue and felt it connect high above the Charmitorium floor, somewhere in the balcony across the way. Once he was sure the line was secure enough, he stopped resisting its strong pull and let his tongue pull himself along like a grappling hook, sailing through the air as he quickly reached down and wrapped a protective arm around Apple's waist, lifting her off of the ground while simultaneously slugging the dragon across the face with his free Petrosapien hand as he soared off the ground and landed safely in the balcony on the other side of the Charmitorium.

"Oh, thank you!" Apple sighed happily, hugging Bullfrag tightly. "That was so brave and . . . actually kind of weird."

"Hey, if you think this is weird, you should of seen the time I gave birth to a buncha of Necrofriggian babies." Bullfrag ribbited.

Apple blinked and did a double take. " _WHAT!?_ "

"To put it simply, dear girl, Necrofriggians, you current form I might add, reproduce asexually every eighty years or so; a couple of years ago, my host's Necrofriggian form took temporary control and gave birth to fourteen, bouncing babies." Skurd explained.

"And how, exactly, do ya know all this?" Bullfrag raised an eyebrow.

"Rook and I occasionally read over you're file."

"Seriously, is that all Rook ever does?" the Incursean croaked.

"Okay, hold up. You're saying I could just go into this instinctual reproduction stage at any time and give birth to hex knows how many baby Big Chills?" Apple raised an eyebrow.

"It _does_ only happen every eighty years or so." Skurd shrugged his tentacles. "It would be highly unlikely for you to do such a thing, even in your current state."

"Can we stop talkin' 'bout the babies and the weird reproduction cycles and awkward flashbacks and what not? Because in case none of yous has noticed, wes still gots us a fire-breathing dragon still on the rampage!" Bullfrag yelled, grabbing Apple's shoulder and pulling her down with him to dodge a stray jet of flame aimed their way. "You need to turn that overgrown lizard into an ice sculpture!" he turned to Apple.

"I don't know how!"

"You did it before! You turned Daring and his annoying clones into snow cones!" Bullfrag shouted over the dragon's furious roars as the Son of Prince Charming quickly divided himself into approximately fifty identical copies of himself; the small army of Splixson hybrids grabbed whatever debris and remains were leftover of the Charmitorium seats and brandished like weapons, rushing at the dragon and clambering up and all over the beast's sides, beating it with their hastily gathered weapons as Briar skillfully dodged and weaved around the dragon's head, keeping it distracted.

"I sneezed!" Apple protested.

"Well, ya better either start sneezin', or starting figurin' out how to do it by yourself! Ugly here's getting' nasty!" Bullfrag shouted over the dragon's roar; with a grunt, the Incursean climbed up onto the railing of the balcony and leaped off, drawing by a crystalline fist and punching the dragon in the side of the head as he flew by before whirling around and shooting out his tongue around, wrapping it around one of the dragon's horns and stopping his descent before he was pulled back towards the dragon's head again, slugging it in the jaw as he swung him up onto the top of its skull.

"Come on, you overgrown lizard! Fall down already!" Bullfrag grunted as he relentlessly hammered the dragon's skull with little effect.

"Eat my fist, Ugly!" Briar yelled as she pumped her wings furiously and delivered a swift uppercut to the dragon's jaw, eliciting a wince of pain from the Nemuina hybrid as she held her throbbing fist; the pain was intense, and she could have sworn that her hand was broken as she dodged a quick movement of the dragon's jaws in an attempt to eat her.

"Stand aside, fair maiden! We shall take protect you!" a pair of Daring clones declared.

"Uh, guys? Do you even know whose you're talkin' to?" Bullfrag wondered; before either of the Splixson hybrids could answer, Briar dive bombed them from above, tackling them to the ground and relentlessly began to punch them repeatedly in the face, ignoring the cries and pleading of mercy coming from the two Darings as dozens of similar screams of pain came from around the Charmitorium.

"Briar, baby! Ya gotta stop!" Bullfrag yelled. "Yer hurtin' the other Darings, too! And since when I'm concerned about that?" he added to himself.

"Oh. Right." Briar felt her face heat up as she slowly lifted herself off of the two, crippled clones beneath her and took the air to return her attention back to the dragon, hoping no one had seen her reaction to the Incursean's nickname for her. "How's that ice breath coming, Apple!?"

"Working on it!" Apple replied, clutching a handful of melting ice cubes in her claws.

"Well work on it faster, dear girl! The old boy's getting antsy!" Skurd yelled as he shifted his gelatinous and slimy body over Bullfrag's Petrosapien arms and morphed into those of a Florauna with long, vine-like whips clutched tightly in the grip of the newly formed limbs. With a croak, Bullfrag flipped off of the dragon's head and landed in a crouching stance on the Charmitorium floor before lashing out with his Florauna arms and wrapped the green tendrils around the dragon's hind legs, pulling his arms tight to pin the two limbs together and the dragon tumbling to the floor, crushing more of the theater underneath of its bulk; with a united yell, the Daring clones quickly rushed the downed dragon and swarmed it like ants around a spilled Fairy Berry Soda.

"I think I got it!" Apple announced.

"Nice! Now hurry!" Bullfrag yelled as he struggled to keep the dragon from climbing back onto its feet. Gulping nervously as she unfolded her wings and took to the air, still finding the sensation of flying just as amazing as it was terrifying, Apple inhaled a deep breath and filled her lungs with air before she swooped low over the fallen dragon and expelled what air she had captured back out into a thick, icy vapor that froze on the dragon's skin upon making contact; ice crystals rapidly formed over the dragon's body, forming a thick glacial layer over the ailing dragon and Daring clones until everything was frozen in a several layers of solid ice.

"I . . . I did it!" Apple cheered.

"Yeah. Nice job, princess." Bullfrag smiled as Skurd returned his limbs to their original form. "Nows all we gots ta do is-"

The Incursean was interrupted as small cracks began to form at the base of the frozen dragon, radiating outwards and becoming larger and thicker as they traveled through the ice, the small glacier trembling and quaking as the dragon bellowed and broke free of the ice layer, roaring and spewing out an excessive amount of fire and flame as it fanned its wings out and sent several dozen Darings flying.

"Oh, applesauce." Apple whimpered.

"Don't worry, I gots an idea." Bullfrag reassured her before turning to Briar. "Make 'im sleep with the fishes."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Briar cocked an eyebrow at him while resting her fists on her hips in a defying manner.

"Just point yer finger at it." Bullfrag sighed.

Confused, but not unwilling to try something new, Briar did as she was told and pointed a blue finger at the infuriated dragon; the princess watched with surprise as a trail of sparkling, sand-like substance came floating out from her fingertip, arching and spinning through the air as it encircled the dragon's head in a wide loop; Briar noted with amusement that the dragon seemed to be getting weaker by the second as it inhaled a good portion of the strange substance and gave a wide, cavernous yawn, giving her an excellent view of the dragon's massive teeth. Before long, the dragon had folded its wings up against its back and slumped to the ground, wrapping its tail over its head as it drifted off to sleep.

"What did I just do?" Briar asked.

"You put 'im ta sleep, obviously." Bullfrag shrugged as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in a flash of green light. "That's what Pesky Dust does; puts people to sleep and lets him view and control their dreams. It's actually kinda fun . . . and a bit disturbing, too." Ben added as an afterthought, remembering a particularly uncomfortable instant involving Toralei Stripe and an interrogation gone wrong.

"This is fascinating and all, but if someone could be so kind as to pull us out?" a Daring clone grunted from underneath of the sleeping dragon's massive bulk.

"Dude, just call back all your clones." Ben sighed; several of the Daring clones blanked for a few seconds before a good portion of them were engulfed in flashes of green light, reducing the number of fifty clones to about three that quickly engaged in admiring each others handsome figure and charming face. Before the trio of princes could admire themselves even more, the doors to the Charmitorium banged open as the rest of the fused fairy tales came running in to the theater, with a flustered and enraged Headmaster Grimm on their heals.

" _MR. TENNYSON!_ " Headmaster Grimm roared.

"Dude, I'm right here. I'd like to keep my hearing, thank you very much." Ben winced.

"What is the meaning of . . . _this!?_ " the Headmaster gestured wildly at Raven sitting with her new wings pinned tightly against her back as she sat on Cerise's shoulders; the later sat on her haunches, drooling slightly and occasionally scratching herself with her hind leg while Briar fluttered her wings to keep aloft.

"Long story short, some of the students got fused with alien DNA when . . . uh, I fell down a flight a stairs and landed on the Omnitrix." Ben lied, trying to ignore the ticking noise that Cedar was unconsciously making.

"Ben, that's not-" Apple started before being silenced with a quick look from Raven.

"You . . .you caused this!?" Headmaster Grimm snarled.

"Just the fusions. The dragons, I don't have a clue." Ben said.

"It's true, Headmaster." Cedar spoke up, her newly acquired German accent startling the portly and well dressed man. "We were with Ben the whole time when we went to investigate the Heritage Hall."

Headmaster Grimm paused his fury to pop a look of dumbfounded confusion. "The Heritage Hall? But . . . it's not Throncoming." he mused, utterly baffled.

"That was our first reaction, too." Ashlynn nodded. "We're still not entirely sure what caused the Hall to rise, but it apparently has to do with Ben, as we found further evidence that he is somehow linked to our world and the Storybook of Legends, despite not being from our universe."

"And what could have _possibly_ been so important that the Heritage Hall had to give Mr. Tennyson?" Headmaster Grimm frowned, glaring at Ben with a cold look.

"Ahem. That would be me." Skurd spoke up from Ben's wrist, startling the Headmaster. "Skurd's the name, scrambling delicious DNA is my game. I am the Dollop with a Wallop!" he announced with a slight bow.

"And why is a talking . . . _booger_ . . . so important?" Headmaster Grimm wondered, hesitating on using the somewhat childish word.

"Oh, hex. Now you've done." Raven shook her head disapprovingly.

"Booger? _Booger!?_ " Skurd cried angrily, oozing and shifting his slimy body over Ben's arm while he accessed a DNA sample from the Omnitrix before engulfing Ben's limb in a flash of green light, turning it into the ever familiar, razor edged hand and sword of a Petrosapien, the very tip of the weapon just barely touching Grimm's throat.

"He doesn't like to be called a booger." Ben said simply.

"Fine! Fine! Just put that monstrosity away!" Headmaster Grimm barked; satisfied that the potbellied man before him was thoroughly frightened, Skurd returned the DNA back to the Omnitrix and returned Ben's arm back to its original form. With a deep breath, Headmaster Grimm calmed and recomposed himself, stilling his frayed nerves to speak in a low and more dignified manner. "Now then, if you could please fix this, Mr. Tennyson?"

"I was getting right to that." Ben nodded as he quickly tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting the Galvan icon and slamming a hand down on the waiting activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light. The first noticeable change was his size; he quickly shrank down from his good, six-foot frame to somewhere just a little under five inches. His skin darkened and turned a gray color as it became smooth and slimy to the touch while his bones ground and crunched, becoming more flexible and soft. He felt his feet each lose toes and become webbed as his hands each lost a single finger. Ben's eyes grew wide and light green in color as they bulged out from his skull. The most dramatic change that Ben felt was he felt his brain split in two, right down the middle as one of them halves shrank and became slightly smaller than the other; he suddenly understood the world around him and its inner workings, complex equations and hundreds of plans formulating in his head as a black and green jumpsuit appeared on him with the Omnitrix and Skurd fastened themselves to his back.

"Now, Hunter, if you would be so kind as to preform the necessary repairs while I direct you through the process?" Grey Matter asked kindly; the huntsman all by threw himself off of Ashlynn's shoulder and scampered over to the Galvan, excitedly tapping the Omnitrix disk on his back and watching with joyful eyes as the familiar, black and green hourglass symbol divided into four pieces and opened up to show the advanced and incredibly complicated wiring and machinery within.

"Now then, do you see an acute, green circuit running at about a thirty-two degree angle?" Grey Matter asked, recalling the inner workings of the Omnitrix from the time he and his Dimension 23 counterpart used his current form to fix their respective Omnitrixes from blowing up and taking them with it; he had no idea if that little incident occurred as he remembered it or if his combining of two universes managed to rewrite the time line in such a manner that everything he remembered either never occurred in the first place or it did, but not as he remembered it. For all he knew, his Dimension 23 counterpart was dating a kick-ass Cleo De Nile, a very frightening thought when one considered how well her older sister was at wielding a pair of katana blades.

"Uh, I think so." Hunter nodded.

"Good. Now you need to bypass that and correct the deoxyribonucleic acid analyzer to initiate a proper DNA correction wave." Grey Matter explained.

"Was that even English?" Blondie wondered, the movement of her twin tails not bothering her as much as it did before.

"My head hurts." Apple whined.

"Don't fret, dear Apple. My usage of my extensive vocabulary and other complicated words is almost at an end." Grey Matter assured her. "Provided Hunter can properly fix the Omnitrix."

"Don't rush me!" Hunter snapped. "I honestly have no idea what I'm doing, and yet I feel like I've been doing this since the day I was born."

"Yes, that would be Jury Rigg's instincts and DNA taking over." the Galvan replied.

"FIX! FIX! FIX!" hunter cried eagerly. "Wait, what am I sayin'!?"

"Once again, that would be Jury Rigg's DNA." Grey Matter repeated. "Make sure you rewire the transformation coupling as well; this will hopefully fix that small error considering the attire of my Appoplexian form."

"Whatever. FIX! FIX! FIX!" Hunter cackled; Ashlynn merely looked at her boyfriend as if he had lost his mind and sanity (if ever had them in the first place since the unfortunate transformation).

"This is all . . . very weird, to say the least." Headmaster Grimm sighed, massaging his aching temples. "And I haven't even considered how much this will cost to repair all the damage done by the dragons." he added with disdain and a tired look, turning to gaze enviously at the slumbering dragon currently using a majority of the Charmitorium as a mattress.

"If you are worried about financial trouble, I could turn into Clockwork and-" Grey Matter started to offer.

"No, please. I believe you have helped quite enough." Headmaster Grimm sighed, pinching his brow.

"Are you sure? I could always turn back into Grey Matter and-"

"Yes, I am sure." Headmaster huffed tiredly; he was going to be up all night trying to balance the school's budget to cover the repairs and would no doubt either be passed out at his desk in the morning with a horrible crick in his neck and stabbing pain in his back or would end up drinking himself silly just to stay awake and end up making things worse. The Headmaster made himself a mental note to make sure he had enough Sandman dust and Fairy Wine to keep him up and awake all night if need be, along with a side note to then take several days off afterwards to recover. In the end however, Grimm knew he would probably come crawling back on his knees to Ben for some assistance of some kind just to make sure the school didn't go broke over the extensive and expensive repairs needed. "Just please fix my students and report to your first day of detention. You as well, Ms. Hood . . . wherever you may be." he added, not quite sure which of the the mutated fairy tales before him was the Daughter of Red Riding Hood.

"Done!" Hunter declared happily, closing the Omnitrix.

"About time," Skurd grumbled. "I was getting hungry."

"Please, Skurd. We have more pressing matters to attend to." Grey Matter lightly scolded the Slimebiote as he reached over his shoulder and hit the Omnitrix disk fixed to his back, triggering a deactivation from the powerful device and engulfing the Galvan in a flash of green light; in addition to the light returning Ben back to the world, it lashed out and struck every last one of the fused fairy tales, swallowing Raven Cerise, Ashlynn, Hunter, Briar, Maddie, Blondie, Daring, Apple, Cedar, and Cupid, all of them were encompassed in a powerful blast of green light, morphing and changing and shifting their bodies into something new as the Omnitrix repaired their damaged genetic codes with ease.

"Whoa!" Briar yelled as she dropped to the ground, no longer having wings to keep her aloft.

"Mmmm. So nice to warm again." Apple commented happily, hugging herself tightly when she realized she no longer could see her breath every time she spoke. It was then that she actually remembered Headmaster Grimm's request and glanced nervously between Ben and Cerise as the Riding Hood frantically tugged her precious crimson hood over her head at the last second, both she and Raven casting worried glances among the small group.

"Yes, well, I believe we've had a long day." Headmaster Grimm cleared his throat. "I will have the armory come by to collect the beast and return it the stables; in the mean time, I would advise that you all return to your dorms to freshen up and relax before at least two of you are required to attend detention for earlier damages."

"Whatever you say, Grimm." Ben shrugged.

"That's Mr. Grimm to you." the Headmaster sniffed before turning on his heel to walk out of the Charmitorium as regal as he could muster, knowing the long hours of calculating and balancing the school's budget that awaited him; he made a third mental note to ask Giles to bring him dinner, assuming that he would be too busy to even think of eating.

"Ben? If I may ask you something?" Daring asked once he was sure Headmaster Grimm was out of earshot.

"Make it quick, Charming. I'd like a short nap before I go to detention." Ben yawned.

"I suppose that's fair, considering what we've been through; a shame I shall never be able to admire myself as much as I did before." he added, stealing a quick glance in the mirror he always somehow managed to carry on his person and admire his regal complexion. "Anyways, why did you lie to Grimm about what happened? You could have easily told him about the fight between us and nailed my royal person with a detention or punishment of some degree as well."

Ben shrugged. "I was just being the better man. Trust me, I would have loved to land you in detention with Cerise and me, but I'm more mature than that . . . most of the time." he added upon getting a look from Raven. "Also, I don't think Cerise could stand to be stuck with both us for eight weeks."

"

Eight weeks!?" Apple squeaked, her voice barely audible as she dug her fingers into her palms and bit her lip so hard she could swear she was bleeding.

"Yeah. Grimm nailed us hard." Ben chuckled. "Guess that's what I get for turning into Rath."

"A rather . . . impressive form." Cerise commented; Apple could have sworn she saw the makings of a blush underneath of the Riding Hood's crimson cloak. A quick shake of her head, and the red tone was gone, but this didn't make the princess any less worried. Her boyfriend managing to land himself in detention, she could handle, but her boyfriend managing to land himself in detention with another girl was a different story entirely. They, Ben and Cerise would be alone . . . together . . . for eight weeks . . . without any supervision of any kind. The thought made her face burn and clench her fists a little tighter at the thought; what was this strange feeling she was getting?

"You think that's impressive, I once survived a drop from the stratosphere into bare rock as Rath." Ben chuckled. "When they say Rath is thickheaded, they have no idea."

"I'm just glad you didn't get expelled." Raven smiled, giving Ben a small hug that he returned without hesitation; Apple could found herself next to Ben and giving him a similar hug as well, her fingers just barely brushing up against Raven's arm as she cast a suspicious glance at Cerise while the Riding Hood watched the trio embrace. "Now if you'll excuse me, I plan to take a hot shower and lie down for a while before dinner." the witchling added, giving Ben a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the Charmitorium with Cerise, Cupid, Blondie, Ashlynn, Briar, and Cedar following afterwards; Apple hesitated for a second before giving Ben a small kiss on the lips and following after the group of girls.

"Dude, you are so lucky." Hunter gave Ben a small smirk.

"Indeed, Ben. You show great prowess with the ladies." Daring agreed with a pearly white smile. "Almost as great as me."

"I have almost twenty other girlfriends back home." Ben said with a wide grin as he headed out of the Charmitorium and left both Daring and Hunter to stare at his back with eyes as wide as saucers. "Good luck trying to catch up." he joked over his shoulder, knowing full well that if Raven, any of his other ghouls back home, or even Apple for that matter heard him that he would have his butt handed to him on a silver platter, no matter what alien he turned into to save himself (okay, maybe Apple was a stretch. Maybe).

* * *

"I still don't see why I can't just go as myself."

"Because I said so." Professor Badwolf growled.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn into Four Arms and tie you into a knot."

"Because you are currently carrying my daughter, Mr. Tennyson. And if you wish to avoid another week of detention and the wrath of my wife, I highly suggest you do not drop her."

"Sure. Because the guy with the all powerful watch gets to be treated like a pack mule." Blitzwolfer grumbled under his breath as he stalked down the main road of the Village of Book End with Professor Badwolf leading the way and Cerise Hood sitting comfortably between his powerful shoulder blades, sinking her fingers into the deep, mane of fur that sprouted from the Loboan's neck.

"Stop complaining, Ben. You're not the one suddenly dragged into this." Raven commented with a yawn as she walked next to her boyfriend and best friend forever after. "And here I was thinking I could relax a little after everything I've been through."

"Sorry about this, Raven. But my wife wanted to speak with you and this was the only safe way to do so." Badwolf apologized. The group of five, an anthropomorphic, professor wolf, a girl in a crimson hood that shield her face in shadows, a future Evil Queen that could make you run away screaming whether she intend to or not, a Loboan from a parallel world and beyond the stars, and a small, slime creature that could manipulate the very blocks of life to his whim, drew odd looks and stares from the inhabitants of the village of Book End; most of them were looks of confusion or extreme fear, though whether it was because there were three particularly nasty looking villains walking down the main road or the fact that a seemingly innocent and helpless little girl was being paraded around as a hostage as if they were daring anyone to try and rescue her.

Needless to say, Blitzwolfer figured that he would probably be hearing about this again.

"Would anyone care to inform the poor, ruggedly handsome Slimebiote as to where he is being taken?" Skurd asked kindly as he slicked the back of his slimy head as if it were hair; Blitzwolfer rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"We're meeting my wife at the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe," Mr. Badwolf replied before catching the worried glances thrown between his daughter, Raven, and Blitzwolfer. "Don't worry. Charlie's an old friend who can keep a secret 'tighter than a catfish's lips', as he says."

"Do you even know what that means?" Cerise asked.

"Not in the slightest. But then again, Charlie's mad as a hatter; if he somehow exposed our . . . little secret . . . no one would believe him otherwise. Same for dear Madeline." Bad Wolf explained.

"Wait, Maddie knows?" Raven sounded surprised.

"Apparently." Mr. Badwolf nodded. "She and her father were saying something about the Narrator's spoiling everything last time me and Simone went for some tea."

"Okay, can I just say that there actually might be something to this whole Narrator thing?" Blitzwolfer spoke up. "I mean, if Maddie won't stop claiming they exist, then there's gotta be some kinda reason behind it, right? Not that she's just crazy, right?"

"Maybe. But there'd be no way to prove it." Cerise shook her head. Before Blitzwolfer could say anything else, the small group arrived at their location, a rather odd looking building with a massive teapot and cups acting as the roof, outside seating with upside down teacups acting as shades and awnings, and a gigantic, over-sized top hat acting as a chimney of sorts, if the descent amount of smoke billowing out of the top in the shape of wild and dancing animals was anything to go by.

Extravagant and wild colors and patterns decorated the inside, everything from checkerboards and insanity inducing dots to vomit-inducing swirls and crazy mishmashes of colors the Blitzwolfer never thought even possible to exist. Oddly shaped doors decorated the walls and ceilings, a few of them opening and closing occasionally to reveal rooms and places that made Blitzwolfer dizzy just by looking at them. Hats with wings, butterflies with gigantic heads, and floating teapots all flew through the air as a school of fish skipped about around a table on their tail fins while what looked like a dodo bird played a little ditty on a clarinet; clocks of varying styles and sizes kept numerous amounts of time while staircases that led to nowhere and a few tables on the ceiling ran up a couple of the oddly constructed walls.

"Hiya, guys!" Maddie smiled happily, waving wildly to them from behind the cash register before flipping over the counter and cartwheeling through the air to land right in front of Blitzwolfer, eliciting a startled scream from Skurd.

"I say, the girl seems a few sandwiches shy of a picnic." the Slimebiote shuddered once he had calmed his nerves.

"I see Ben's manly charm has worked its ways once more!" Maddie giggled.

"Manly charm?" Mr. Badwolf cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know Ben! He's such a lady killer back home, what with having seventeen ghoulfriends!" Maddie smiled.

"Okay, now I'm convinced there is something to this whole Narrator thing." Blitzwolfer grumbled under his breath as he pinched his brow, not noticing the suspicious glare he was getting from Cerise's father. "Seriously, how would Maddie, of all fairy tales know that? I've barely even talked to her!"

"You didn't have to, silly!" Maddie giggled, playfully tapping his nose with a finger. "The Narrators talk about you a lot! Sometimes I just can't help but tune in and listen! I swear, one of these I'm just gonna pop right out of the pages!" she laughed.

"So it is true? You are dating more than one mate, including Ms. White and Raven?" Mr. Badwolf snarled, barring his sharp teeth in anger; Maddie merely smiled widely as Blitzwolfer let a low growl slip back his fangs, his eyes narrowing as he glared back at the wolf that currently towered over him with his hackles raised and his claws bared, ready for a fight if necessary. Raven and Cerise were looking nervously between the two wolves, wondering whether blows would come into play or not.

"Yeah, what of it?" Blitzwolfer snarled.

After what seemed chapters of glaring at each other, Badwolf's deep growl split into a wide smile. "Well done, boy. I'm impressed."

"Whowiththewhatnow?" Blitzwolfer blinked, surprised.

"Ben, it's not uncommon in my father's family to have more than one husband or wife," Cerise whispered into the Loboan's ear. "My dad's one of the few exceptions with that. He loves my mom too much to fall for another woman."

"Are you calling me a womanizer?" Blitzwolfer raised an eyebrow.

Badwolf merely chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure you love all your girls as much as I love my wife, Tennyson. And who knows?" he added with a twinkle in his sharp, golden eyes. "My daughter may join them someday."

" _Dad!_ " Cerise whined, flushing a deep red underneath of her hood.

Fortunately for Cerise, a large, circular spot on the floor slid aside like a trapdoor and let a tall, slim man rise up out of the floor, a wild and goofy grin on his face; in addition to the toned, dark and light, curly auburn hair that could be seen under the man's large, black top hat, he wore a satin pink suit complete with an over-sized toned, purple collar, a white a shirt, and several green buttons. He had dark pants and shoes along with gloves of the same collar, white cuffs, a light blue bow tie, and what looked like two earrings in his left ear.

"No room!" the man announced loudly. "You need to have a reservation."

"Uh, dude? There's no one here." Blitzwolfer pointed out to the empty tea shop.

Maddie giggled. "Exactly! They didn't have a reservation!"

Maddie and the man cackled, bending over and holding their aching stomachs as they laughed like hyenas before high-fiving each other and giving each other a quick Eskimo kiss. "Oh, daddy! That never gets old!" Maddie sighed happily, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.

"If we're done with madness, Charlie, could you please direct us to my wife?" Badwolf sighed with a smile.

"Does a Jabberowcky secretly tap dance?" the Mad Hatter beamed before he pulled his hat off of his head and reach inside up to his elbow before he pulled out a dusty, old book and cracked it open to pan over the worn pages. "Ah, ha! You do have a reservation!" he declared, clapping the book shut and stuffing it back inisde of his hat before reaching into the folds of his jacket and producing a large pocket watch attached to a long, golden chain; a quick press of a hidden button, and the watch face sprang open, spitting gears and springs everywhere much to Maddie's delight as the Mad Hatter then produced a key from the depths of the watch and cartwheeled over to a wicker door to slip the key into the lock and give it a good twist.

"Well, I have some tea I must be brewing! Call if you need anything!" the Mad Hatter smiled, waving good-bye as he walked up a wall and proceeded to vanish through a wooden door painted an exotic orange and green in color that was established in the ceiling.

"I take it this kinda thing happens a lot?" Skurd wondered, Blitzwolfer too stunned to even address the elephant in the room (ignoring the fact that there actually _was_ an elephant in the room currently blowing bubbles into its large mug of tea with its trunk).

"At least, whenever you're with Maddie." Raven agreed. With that being said, Badwolf wrapped his clawed fingers around the knob of the wicker door and pulled it open, a warm smile on his face that quickly turn into a nervous frown; with a whine in his throat and his ears pinned back against his head, the Big Bad Wolf was swiftly pulled through the wicker door before he could attempt to run away, the door slamming shut firmly behind him and leaving the three girls, Loboan, and Slimebiote outside to wonder what the hex was going on.

"I think mom's mad." Cerise stated simply.

"Is your mother usually the angry type?" Raven wondered, having only met the woman a couple times.

"Not usually. She's fair, but not really one to get angry over something unless she has a good reason." Cerise replied. "Take the time when I chew up the couch when I was just starting to get my wolf teeth in; I swear, I never thought I would have seen more angry than then. That is, until I . . . um . . ."

"Do I wanna know?" Blitzwolfer sighed.

"Lets just say I wasn't . . . housebroken yet."

" _Why_ did you even _ask_ that question." Skurd sighed as Maddie giggled happily, as if she were blissfully unaware if the conversation and matter at hand; what worried the Loboan even more was that the Hatter seemed to have pulled a frighteningly large mallet out of the tiny hat she usually wore on her hand was patting it threateningly into her open palm.

The wicker door slowly opened a few seconds later, beckoning them inside as the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light; Ben promptly fell on his stomach, banging his chin painfully against the floor underneath Cerise;s weight. "Ow!"

"I'm not that heavy." Cerise frowned.

"I never said you were," Ben grunted as he managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees with Cerise still sitting on his back. "I was just caught off guard."

"You keep telling yourself that." Skurd drawled.

"Well, you guys have fun! I've got a tea shop to run!" Maddie smiled. "Hey that rhymed! Hahahahahaha!" she cackled madly before a large red spot in the floor opened up beneath her feet and let her drop down through a hidden tube before closing back up again, as if the Hatter had never been there.

"I'm really starting to question her sanity." Skurd shook his head sadly as Cerise finally got off of Ben's back and let him climb to his feet before she, Ben, and Raven cautiously peeked through the wicker door to find themselves in a private tea room off of the main store with a rounded, domed ceiling that a large chandelier decorated with multiple teacups holding candle sticks hung from. Sitting the middle of the room was a rounded table with several chairs seated around it with a rather frightened and stressed Badwolf sitting at one and a woman sitting next to him, a bright smile on her face; she had chestnut brown hair hidden beneath a familiar, red hood and had the same stormy, gray eyes that belonged to Cerise.

"Cerise!" the woman's smile broadened as she got up from her seat and eagerly rushed over to the Riding Hood to hug her lovingly. "It's been so long! Oh, how you've grown!" she cooed.

"Mom, I haven't gone that long." Cerise smiled back, returning the hug. "Still, it's nice to see you again."

"I'll bet it is." Red Riding Hood smiled before she caught sight of Ben standing off to the side, looking rather awkward and out of place (and not just because his usual attire stood out in the world of fancy dresses, hoods, hunting boots, and bottomless hats).

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Cerise asked as her mother approached Ben and studied, occasionally poking him or running her fingers through his hair; the Omnitrix wearer decided staying still anjd not moving a muscle was probably the best option, especially when Red Riding Hood glanced between him and Badwolf with slight disdain.

"What is it, sweety?"

"Why did you beat dad up?" Cerise wondered.

"What ever makes you think I did such a thing?" Red Riding Hood asked sweetly as she returned to her seat at the table and gestured for everyone else to take a seat as well.

"You mean other than the fact that I saw you drag him in here and the fact that Dad looks like he just saw the evil Queen?" Cerise rolled her eyes, just barely catching the way Raven cringed at her mother's name out of the corner of her eye. "That, and I can see your favorite ax behinds your back."

Red Riding Hood actually laughed at this. "Oh, nothing escapes you, does it, sweety?" she smiled. "Alright, I suppose an explanation is in order. It would seem your father can't keep his hormones under control." she forced the words out through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.

"Dear, I-"

"Be quiet before I neuter you with a rusty spoon!" Red Riding Hood snapped threateningly, clearly tickied off at her husband; Badwolf decided to keep his mouth shut and his ears pinned back against his head ina submissive posture in the hopes that his wife would calm and forgive him soon.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Cerise sighed, rubbing her temples.

"To put it simply, Cerise, you're little boyfriend would seem to actually be your half-brother." Red Riding Hood explained. "Imagine my surprise when I got word that a new student had been enrolled in Ever After High under the same title as my husband; at first, I thought your secret had been exposed, but then word soon got out that it was entirely different student, a full-grown wolf powerful enough to subdue a dragon with a single blow. Given our family tree, I couldn't just march right into your father's class and start questioning him, so . . . here we are now."

At that moment, Cerise could do nothing else but suddenly split into a fit of giggles, startling and surprising her mother as well as pretty much everyone else in the room. "Mom, Ben's not related to me in any way." Cerise laughed. "He's not even a wolf!"

"Whowiththewhatnow?" Red Riding Hood cocked a confused eyebrow.

"Oh, wonderful. She doesn't even know you, and you've somehow managed to rub off on her." Skurd sighed, eliciting a surprised yelp from Red Riding Hood when she heard the Slimebiote speak.

"Clearly, I'm missing something here." she sighed, massaging her aching temples.

"I tried to tell you, dear. But you kept threatening me with your ax. And that rusty spoon." Badwolf added.

"I suppose I was a bit hasty." Red Riding Hood admitted. "If someone would be so kind as to explain what in the name of Hood Hollow is going on here?"

"I guess this is where I take over." Ben shrugged with a slight grin before he reached across the table with an open hand. "Name's Ben. Ben Tennyson." he introduced him, shaking Red Riding Hood's hand and giving a light kiss to the back of her fingers, earning a slight blush from Red Riding Hood and a low, warning growl from Badwolf.

"My, what a gentleman." Cerise's mother giggled. "Reminds me of you back in the day." she added, turning to Badwolf.

"Now that I would have loved to see." Raven smiled slightly.

"Anyway, I come from a parallel universe where fairy tales are nothing more than words and pictures on paper; instead, my universe is populated by humans, monsters, and aliens." Ben explained as he held up his wrist for Red Riding Hood to see; Skurd gave a friendly wave to Cerise's mother in the hopes of easing relationships and not getting called a booger again. "This device, the Omnitrix, lets me turn into a variety of alien species, one of which just happens to look like a wolf. That's probably the reason why you're so angry at your husband."

"You lied about your heritage?" Red Riding Hood marveled.

"Well, if I just came storming into Ever After High claiming I was from another universe and could turn into freaky alien creatures, people would have I thought I was crazier than Maddie. That, or get killed." Ben explained. "Did I mention I was nearly executed in little under two weeks?"

"Talk about a tough neighborhood." Skurd remarked.

"Before I say anything else, could you kindly introduce me to the talking booger on your wrist?" Red Riding Hood asked kindly.

"Are you talking to me?" Skurd narrowed his beady eyes at Red Riding Hood.

"Uh, oh, she called him a booger." Ben groaned.

"Are you talking to me?" Skurd asked a little louder.

"Shouldn't have done that." Ben sighed.

" _Are you talking to me!?_ " Skurd roared angrily; Red Riding Hood flinched as the Slimebiote stretched out from Ben's wrist to yell in her face.

"Now she's in for it!" Ben moaned.

"They call me, _Mr. Booger!_ " Skurd screamed at the top of his lungs, forming two little tentacles that clenched tightly into fists that he raised about his head and pounded against his chest like a mighty gorilla.

"Skurd! Dude, chill!" Ben calmed the Slimebiote down. "Sorry about that, he hates to be called a booger. Skurd, this is Red Riding Hood. Red Riding Hood, this is Skurd; he can access any of my alien's DNA and then let me use it to my advantage, such as morphing one of my arms into a better weapon in the middle of a fight to give me an edge."

"Sometimes literally." Raven added with the hint of a smile on her lips. "Now if I may interrupt the friendly introductions, but why am I here? Not that I don't mind, it just seems a little . . . random."

"I suppose a second explanation would be in order as well." Red Riding Hood shrugged.

"Please, Simone. I'm pretty sure you're the only one here who knows what's going on." Badwolf agreed.

"Very well." the Riding Hood nodded as she turned to face Raven. "Now as I've come to understatement, Raven, your mother's . . . unfortunate incident and imprisonment has left you with no family to call your own; nobody outside of your family even knows who your father is."

"This somehow seems ironic, coming from you." Ben noted with a small smile. "Is it irony or something else?"

Red Riding Hood ignored Ben's comment. "This option is entirely up to you, Raven, but . . . I would like to adopt you. As my daughter."

The silence that followed was thick and heavy, the room quiet from any sort of sound save for the sharp breaths everyone was taking in as they all turned to look at Raven, wondering how she would react and what her decision would possibly be. The Daughter of the Evil Queen herself was just as stunned as everyone else was to hear the proposition, and coming from the mother of her best friend forever after as well; the thought was tempting, to say the least. Would she finally what the touch of a gentle, loving hand on her would feel like? Or how it felt to come home at the start of a school break to be hugged tightly with an endless amount of love? Or what it might feel like to wake up on Christmas day to find a present from someone that truly cared for her in the student lounge, waiting for her to open it up? The thought was tempting, Raven would admit that much. For so long, she had wanted to be able to feel loved and wanted in the world by someone that wasn't her age . . . but would it be the same? To be cared for and loved by some woman that would act like her mom and yet at the same time wasn't?

Somehow, no matter how wonderful the thought might be, it just wouldn't feel the same, even if it was from the woman that had practically been the only loving mother figure she had ever known in her life. Plus, she wasn't sure how her father would react to her excepting without at least hearing about it.

"The idea . . . it's tempting, I'll say that much." Raven began. "But . . . I'll have to decline. I dunno, it just doesn't feel right, somehow."

Red Riding Hood looked like she was about to protest before Badwolf set a hand on his wife's shoulder and gave her a look to let the witchling's decision go; Cerise felt herself relax slightly. Despite loving Raven to pieces as any best friend forever after would, she wasn't sure she was ready to love Raven like a sister just yet.

"So, we're good?" Ben spoke up.

Red Riding Hood chuckled. "Yes, Ben, I suppose everything's good."

"That's a relief." Badwolf wiped his brow as he sat back in his chair. "Not bad for a first day of an eight week detention, huh?"

"Eight week detention?" Red Riding Hood cocked an eyebrow and looked to Ben and Cerise for an answer.

"Aw, man." Ben groaned.

* * *

Joseph Chadwick impatiently on the throne he had what few followers left construct for him; despite the rather demeaning materials the thrown was composed of, mostly rotting driftwood, old carriage wheels, and a torn cushion to add some degree of fanciness to his dingy and disgusting surroundings. With an excessive amount of sewage and other unidentifiable liquids oozing down the walls and dripping from the ceilings and something lurking in the large pool of rancid water in the corner of the room, the Forever King could no longer stand staying in such a revolting place and hefted himself up from his throne, ignoring the splash his feet made as they landed on the floor and how his large knuckles sloshed the bacteria infested water when he walked on them in a fashion similar to a gorilla's; it was demeaning to say the least, but was the most comfortable way for his new body to move about.

Chadwick made a mental note, as he trudged out of the makeshift throne room and down the walkway on the side of a particularly large canal filled to the brim with rancid water that bubbled threatening and occasionally stirred and wavered as if something were moving beneath the surface, to move his headquarters to some place more . . . appropriate for his stature as a Forever King; not to mention, some place less likely to give him several life threatening diseases. He needed a castle of some kind, with grand halls and towering spires and turrets that reached the sky, a grand throne fit for a king and an underground cavern big enough to construct a proper working laboratory from where he would be able to purge and cleanse this world of all its impurities.

"Me Lord!" Sir Morton bowed quickly as the Forever King entered the small, abandoned chamber that functioned as a makeshift laboratory; Chadwick quickly dismissed the sign of respect and drew himself up to his full height to instill fear.

"What have you found, Sir Morton?" he demanded.

"Quite a lot, it would seem, yer majesty." Sir Morton bowed slightly. "We have managed to capture and imprison several smaller specimens of the magical variety and have procured several volumes of extensive magical knowledge from what the Twins have deduced to be something of a high school or educational system in this scum-infested world."

"I do not care about magic, Morton!" Chadwick snarled, his voice echoing loudly and bouncing off the walls, making his thundering roar even louder than it actually was.

"M-Me Lord, forgive me for correcting you, but it would seem utilizing arts of the magical variety are of great importance in this world. More so than the use of technology or science." Morton quickly explained. "If we ever truly wish to conquer and cleanse this world of its impurities, we will have to fight on the same level as the alien scum."

Chadwick pursed his lips in thought, grinding his razor-sharp fangs together in anger when he realized that Morton was right; true, using alien technology to purge the world of alien scum had briefly worked before Tennyson and his team had gotten in the way, but it failed in the end as it usually did. Now, he had a chance to start all over and make himself more powerful than he could have possibly dream of. He obviously had the body and strength for it, all he needed was the proper power and his dream would soon be realized.

"Very well." he sighed. "Is there anything else to report."

"One last thing, me Lord." Morton nodded before turning on his metal heel. "Bring it in!" he called into the darkness. Chadwick heard the family sound of the Forever Ninja's feet scrapping against the slimy, cobblestone floor of the sewer and watched with interest as the blood red android hauled something out of the shadows and through it on the floor in front of him.

"Morton, this is a suit of armor." Chadwick stated angrily.

"I-it's more than that, yer majesty! I swears by it!" the burly knight said quickly. "Theres was a whole bunch of this monstrosities wanderin' around at that high school I mentioned before, armed to the teeth as they patrolled and guarded the halls while the scum walked about oblivious!"

"What are you saying, Morton?"

"I'm sayin', these things can be recreated, armed, and given simple commands." Sir Morton explained proudly with a grin that would have been most dentists cringe. "Such as, 'attack' and 'kill'. And what's better, is that they're easy to make, too."

Chadwick was now grinned toothily too. "Very well, Sir Morton. You have indeed impressed me." he nodded. "Have the Twins drop your limited collection spell books in my chambers within the hour; I wish to do some . . . experimenting."

"Yes, me Lord."

"Bring the suit of armor as well," Joseph added as he turned around to lumber out of the chamber. "Oh, and Sir Morton? Continue to study, pilfer, and find out any necessary information you can about our current location, no matter the cost. I have a feeling we will need it, should our paths ever cross with the alien scum.

"As you wish, me Lord."

 **And there we go!**

 **Wow. Yet another long chapter. I gotta start pacing myself! Whew!**

 **So . . . yeah. I really got nothing else to say. PLEASE do not forget to vote on the poll on my profile; if you can't vote, tell me your choice in the reviews. The future of this story depends on it!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! I love hearing from you guys, and no idea I read is ever stupid (though I can't guarantee it will be used), no matter what others think!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	14. Mending Relationships and Breaking Bones

**Greetings everyone! Tis I, _Creaturemaster_ once more, the undead Tetramand from the depths of the Underworld currently being threatened by a crazed Hatter and now just suddenly learning that I have somehow developed a set of Celestialsapien personalities in my head!**

 **On a _completely_ unrelated note, I have reached a grand total of over _400 REVIEWS!_ You guys are amazing, I could kiss each and every last one of you right now I am so happy! Thank you for making this story the wonderful success it is! Without you, I would be nothing but a worthless loser wondering where my life went wrong, so thank goodness I don't have to do that!**

 **Onto the review answers!**

 _ **StrongGuy159 – Gracias, mi amigo**_

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the chapter. And if you thought Maddie was breaking the fourth wall** ** _then_ , you have no idea what's in store.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **My mind . . . she is a blown! Future crossover!**

 _ **Lord Humungus –**_ **Don't worry. There'll be a good explanation for things next chapter.**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **Do you mean someone getting redeemed?**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **I really only made the dragons resemble Monstrous Nightmares because I love making references to other media in my stories (if you look back at my previous story, there's a** ** _Frozen_ and _Minecraft_ reference in there somewhere), so I'm not sure if other dragons from _How to train your Dragon_ will appear or not. As for your idea, I had a similar idea to this, but it involves the Omnitrix more than it involves Raven's spells taking a mishap.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **No, I'm usually grounded where I am for the holidays.**

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **Thank you.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **It would have to be a Xover for someone else to write, sadly.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **I thought you might like that XD**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Don't worry,** ** _mi amigo._ Your wish shall be granted.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **I could freaking kiss you right now. The idea . . . I am at a loss for words. Copy, paste, print, it's going in! I don't know what I would do without you!**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Okay, now you are really starting to scare me XD While I don't think Red Riding Hood could pick up a building, I have no doubt she'll have other ways of scaring the living daylights out of Ben should he ever hurt her daughter in anyway. As for Maddie, I'll ask her.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Okay, you make a fair point about Paradox; I was getting to that. Yes, the knights did cause the dragon rampage, but that will be revealed for later.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **Don't worry about the rant. But about the reason why Dexter hit Cupid, there is actually a particularly good reason why he hit her; as to what it is, you'll just have to read and see**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **The nightmares will return occasionally, especially during times of strife, though whether they involve her future kids or not will be up to debate (I'm thinking a definite yes). Don't worry though, everyone's favorite witchling will have good dreams, too.**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **All in due time,** ** _mi amigo._ All in due time.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I have to give credit to you though, since you came up with what is to be this chapter. So without further ado, I hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Is it really that obvious? The whole 'Beauty and the Beast' thing? Have I stooped so low that my future chapters are that predictable!? XD**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Once again, Genie actually really likes Ben; he just gives him a friendly warning every now and again to not mess with his daughters. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter (and when I say "unexpected results", it will most likely blow your mind and this story if I'm not careful). As for your requests, I think Swift getting a redemption could work its way into this mess eventually, but I'm afraid Big Chill's offspring probably won't; it's not that I don't like the idea, I actually really like it, but its one of those ideas that just adds a whole lot of unneeded weight and exhaustion to the story. Too much of that, and I won't want to write it anymore.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **I think I could arrange Cupid to have some sort of fiery aspect to her when the big battle finally rolls around, but in the mean time she'll remain the love goddess we all love and want to comfort right now; and if you have any ideas for CedarxBen, I would love to hear them. As for Ben getting a 'badass moment', I see what I can do. If you have any idea on how to work that in sooner without involving a really huge, story changing battle, I would love to hear it. As for Cupid's Crystal Ball, it's not as big as a focus as this or my Total Drama story, but that doesn't mean I'm dropping it anytime soon.**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **if you must see something happen to Dexter (and it seems that you must), please wait until the next chapter for this; if you're looking for an explanation as to Dexter's behavior, this is also included in the current chapter you are reading (I sound like one of those automated recording machines, don't I?).**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Answers in the order of reviews you asked them: your fight idea will most likely happen with Hopper Croakington II over Briar (though whether he wins or not, we'll have to see); we shall see. We shall see; I'm contemplating on whether to make Ben's life more miserable than it already is with an angry mob of some sort trying to kill him or not. As for the narrators, they seem to be blissfully unaware; I have not read Mecha Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Force. Could you give me the author to who it is by so I can check it out and debate amongst my Celestialsapien personalities about it? As for the latest chapter of my one-shot series, it will only get a follow up when people vote for it; while I already have enough OC aliens for this story, what I look for an OC alien is if they have an original concept, design, or power that Ben does not currently have. If a form already has a similar power, I look into whether it does it differently or has other powers to capitalize on (a good example being Swampfire and Wildvine); no, I do not watch anime; no, I have not heard of the song "Fairy Tale gone Bad".**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **HOW COULD YOU TELL!? XD**

 **Now then, if there are no more interruptions, I would like to continue. It would seem that the worlds of Monster High and Ever After High are linked (somehow) through everyone's favorite comet alien, Astranova; believe me when I say I wish I would have seen _Boo York Boo York_ sooner, since this just makes things all the more complicated for me. But hey, I love a challenge!**

 _ **You bet your teacups you do!**_

 **Maddie!? What are you doing here!? In my room!? _Outside_ of my story!?**

 _ **Oh, you silly, you're taking too long! I wanna meet Ben already! He's so cute! And don't even get me started on that Jigsaw form of his! So fairy tale!**_

 **Did you just come all this way to tell me about your secret crush or are you plotting something?**

 _ **Silly! Don't you remember? You told the readers that I was plotting to knock you out with my mallet and take over the story if you didn't pair me with Ben soon! And that I was drinking myself silly with tea to the point where it was practically alcohol!**_

 **I was joking!**

 _ **Awwww, I was really hoping to use this.**_

 **Put that mallet away!**

 _ **Hmmmm . . . nope! I'm takin' over this story for the chapter! I'll try to mimic your writing style, so you won't have anything to worry about!**_

 **Maddie! No, wait! Please don't-**

 _ **WHACK!**_

 _ **And he's down for the count, ladies and gentlemen! So due to . . . technical difficulties, I will be taking over as your lovely host and author! YAY! I'll try not to spoil everything, so stayed tuned for Maddie's take over!**_

 _ **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! If not for Creaturemaster, then will you review for little ol' me? I know you guys and gals love me and I love you all, too! But not as much as I love tea! Also, thanks to Codecrash for the wonderland-ful idea for this chapter! Thanks!**_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _ **Creaturemaster does not own anything by Rascal Flatts, so don't sue him! If you do, I'll smash you with my hammer and won't invite you to my tea party! Also,the model of the newest alien to join Ben's growing family of Omnitrix aliens belongs to Master-of-Dreams on DeviantArt. Go check him out! His art his hat-tastic!**_

 _ **Oh, and Royal Rebel? Stop by the tea shop if you're ever in the mood for some tea or . . . something else ;) I'm always there and waiting with a fresh pot of tea!**_

 _ **Saddle up the donkey and put soap in the bath!**_

* * *

 _M.N: Ever After High is full of unusual and strange characters, both strange and frightening, sometimes both._

 _F.N: Take Cerise Hood for example: being the Daughter of the Big Bad Wolf gives her some rather impressive and frightening capabilities that only her true friends will look past. Then there is Ben Tennyson himself, wielder of a device that lets him change his genetic code at will in creatures the likes of which Ever After has never seen. Even Raven Queen has something to hide-_

 _M.H: But it doesn't matter right now!_

 _M.H: Ms. Hatter!? What you doing here_ _ **yet again?**_

 _M.H: I'm taking over this story! The author was being too slow, so I sat him down at a tea party and asked him how many lumps he wanted!_

 _F.N: I'm afraid to ask what followed . . ._

 _M.H: He asked for two lumps, so I gave him two lumps!_

M.H: Of sugar, hopefully?

 _M.H: Of my mallet, silly! Why would I ask anyone how many lumps of sugar they wanted?_

 _F.N: You're right, I don't know why_ _ **anyone**_ _would ask how lumps of_ _ **sugar**_ _someone wanted . . ._

 _M.H: Are you being sarcastic?"_

F.N: No . . .

 _M.H: Hat-tastic! Now if you'll excuse me, you are fired for the chapter._

 _M.N: Excuse me!?_

 _F.N: You can't possibly be serious!_

M.H: I am! And there's nothing you can do about it! Hahahaha!

 _M.N: MS. HATTER!_

 _M.H: I still have my mallet you know . . ._

 _M.N: . . . I say it's time we took a break, don't you?_

 _F.N: I couldn't agree more._

 _M.H: Hat-tastic!_

* * *

Ben felt himself start to slowly stir, his eyes starting to flicker about and move underneath of his eyelids. He tried to force his eyes to stop moving so he could go back to sleep, but his body seemed against the idea; his muscles felt uncomfortably stiff and heavy, his brain was starting to take in information better, and his skin started to feel a tad hotter than last night after he collapsed into bed from exhaustion, barely even questioning _why_ Hunter Huntsman was waiting outside of his room with a pillow, blanket, backpack, a set of carpenter tools and a stack of wood.

Apparently, upon entering the dorm the huntsman shared with the Son of Prince Charming he had been promptly thrown out with Dexter screaming at the top of his lungs to leave him in the hex alone to wallow in his misery; the poor prince looked as if he hadn't had a good nights sleep in days, much less eaten anything healthy, save for a few bottles of Fairy Wine and what little food had been slipped under the door way from the few that pitied him. His face had been covered in uneven stubble and his eyes were bloodshot and full of depression, his temper flared to a hurricane level. Long story short, Hunter had opted to bunk with the one room available in the entire boys dorm: Ben's room.

As the Master of the Omnitrix started to slowly wake up, he became vaguely aware of another presence in the room; at first he thought it was just Hunter sleeping the bed he had hastily constructed out of the lumber and construction supplies he had brought with him, but as his senses began to sharpen some more as he gained consciousness he became aware of the fact that the extra presence in the room was actually right next to him.

Ben slowly blinked open his eyes and drew in a sharp breath, waking himself just enough for him to comprehend that there was a ceiling above his head and a bed beneath his back; a few moments of lying still to wake himself up, and he was conscious enough to notice that he was not alone in his bed. Curled next to him with her head resting on his chest like a pillow and her breaths slow and shallow, was none other than Apple, fast asleep and dozing like a baby without a care in the world. Normally, Ben would have questioned why Apple had snuck back into his room again, especially considering the princess had been cured of her temporary phobia of Cerise attacking her in the night and dragging her off to mutilate and maul before devouring her, but it was still morning and he was still too tired to complain.

The princess was dressed in a red nightgown that let one see her crimson undergarments underneath if the light was just right or, in Ben's case, one happened to be very close; he wouldn't deny that Apple was _very_ attractive, no boy of any species in all of Ever After High would deny that, but he had gotten together with Apple for another reason. The princess was perhaps the most compassionate person he had ever met, right up there with Frankie even, when it came to helping others or putting her friend's needs before her own. He had been quite surprised when he had found out, according to several fuzzy pictures and shaky video feed that would seem more suitable to a sighting from Lorna and her father, Apple behaved something like a vigilante in her spare time, rescuing fairy tales and performing good deeds no matter how bizarre they might have been; from picking a monstrous thorn out of Tiny's foot and heridng Lilly Bo Peep's sheep out of the Glass Slipper, to creating a safe crosswalk for Book End's duck population and breaking up arguments over trivial things such as coffee, it seemed Apple somehow managed to do it all. In a way, Apple was her own hero and Ben admired that about her.

"Morning, Ben." Apple smiled sweetly.

"I was wondering when my sleeping beauty would wake up." Ben grinned. "You have a good sleep?"

"Fairest of them all!" the princess beamed. "How was detention with Cerise?"

Ben paused for a second; he, the Hood family, and Raven had spent a couple hours simply talking and chatting the afternoon away over tea, biscuits, cookies, and bacon (upon Mr. Badwolf's request), which actually made detention all the more enjoyable. At least for him. He couldn't count how many times Cerise's parents had embarrassed her, turning her lovely face a deep crimson in color; thus, Ben got to know about Cerise than he ever cared to know. It were as though Badwolf and Red Riding Hood were preparing him for something that he didn't know about.

"It went well," Ben lied. "Badwolf had us sit on opposite ends of his classroom for the first hour before he made us clap the erasers, wash the windows, wipe down the desks, and mop the floor."

Apple seemed to relax after hearing that and snuggled up closer to Ben, resting her head in the crook of his neck; Ben didn't exactly how to respond to that, confused as to whether Apple was jealous or not. Was she even _capable_ of being jealous?

His thoughts were broken when Apple tilted her head up slightly and gently kissed him on his lower jaw, tentatively leaving a trail of kisses as Ben groaned slightly, his grip around Apple tightening a little more securely around her shoulders while he pulled her closer to him; the princess, thanks to the Princessology classes that taught one how to properly return your prince charming's kiss, knew that she was in control of the situation for the moment, knowing how to read Ben's body language to tell how to proceed. This did not mean however, that she was prepared for what came next as Ben swiftly took her plump lips in his and kissed her deeply and with such passion it made her nearly faint from overexposure. She practically melted in his grasp as he gently rimmed her lips with his tongue, striking strong yet cautious against her, never taking an action until he was sure she was okay with before stroking fast and fierce.

Apple moaned slightly as Ben gently ran his fingers through her fluid, golden curls, groaning slightly louder as she dug her own fingers into his scalp and dark, earthy brown hair, returning the kiss as best as she could and wondering why Ben wasn't currently teaching her Princessology class on how to properly kiss someone (then again, she couldn't imagine any class that didn't directly link to aliens, fighting, or how to trash talk someone, though this was beside the point). She was suddenly caught off guard when Ben swiftly dipped his tongue past her lips, hugging her close enough to him for her to feel his strong heartbeat pounding in his chest, somehow syncing with her own in mere seconds; she moaned louder as Ben passionately kissed her, whipping her tongue into submission while being as gentle as he possibly could. It seemed impossible, and yet here Apple was getting the best kiss she had ever experienced; perhaps the _only_ kiss she had experienced, too. The two of them were practically glowing a bright white in the early light of the waking dawn, their luminescence almost outshining the rising sun. Before long though, it was over and Apple was left gasping for breath, her face tinted a deep pink in color as she rested her head on Ben's chest again and resting her ear against his heart, absentmindedly entangling her legs with his own as they rested.

"Where . . . did you get so good at kissing?" Apple breathed.

"When you have nearly twenty girlfriends back home, you get a _lot_ of practice in. Especially with some of the more frisky ones." he added with a slight chuckle.

Apple felt a pain of what she now realized and admitted to be jealousy upon hearing Ben speak of his loved ones back home, along with perhaps . . . _guilt?_ Was she really feeling guilty of her selfish plan to tear Ben from all that he loved and held dear to his heart? The princess unconsciously slid her hand down to rest on her stomach, flickering her gaze down to her midriff and remembering what she had been told yesterday, back when she had been fused with the DNA of a asexually producing Necrofriggian; had she actually been pregnant, had a child growing inside of her, would that have made any difference? Was Ben just playing her, using her like a tool for whatever nefarious scheme he had in the gears in his head.

"Ugh. I never knew Dexter could throw so hard," Hunter groaned as he sat up in his hastily constructed bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes; he yawned and froze in mid-stretch when he caught sight of Ben and Apple in the same bed together with the princess in nothing more than her underwear and her nightgown. "I must have been hit by that book he threw harder than I thought."

"You aren't seeing things, Hunter." Ben snickered slightly.

"I am seriously starting to feel degraded around you." the huntsman grumbled.

"It's not your fault the lad is so dashing and heroic." Skurd seemed to smirk from Ben's wrist; Apple yelped and fell out of the bed, landing upside down on her back with her legs still on the bed and giving Hunter a full view of her crimson panties when her nightgown slipped down. The huntsman quickly covered his eyes as Ben helped Apple back up into the bed and tried not to snicker when she drew the covers up around her.

"Can someone explain to me why one of the hottest girls in the school is currently sleeping in our dorm?" Hunter asked, peeking through his fingers.

"I'm just as confused as you are," Ben shrugged as he turned to Apple. "I thought you were cured of your fear of Cerise?"

"I am," Apple nodded. "I just . . . couldn't sleep last night. So I tried here."

"Am I really that comfortable?"

Apple blushed and smiled. "You make a nice pillow."

"This is great and all, but if you want your relationship to stay intact I highly suggest that Apple gets back to her room and quickly." Hunter yawned, tasting his morning breath and scratching himself. "Grimm's pretty strict when it comes to this kind of thing."

"Yeah, what's got his pathetic mustache tied in a knot?" Ben wondered.

"Why is his mustache pathetic?" Apple wondered.

"Have you _seen_ Mole-stache's upper lip?"

Apple laughed at this and gave Ben one last kiss on his cheek before crawling out from under the covers, stretching a little, and then merrily skipping her way to the door. "I'll see you later, Ben. Meet me and Raven for dinner?"

"Count on it, babe." Ben nodded; Apple blushed and waved good-bye to Ben and Hunter before she left, running as fast as her legs could carry her to avoid getting caught by any teachers and early risers of the opposite gender.

"Tell me how you did that." Hunter asked after Apple had left, starring at the spot she had been moments ago.

"Did what?"

"Why is it so easy for you just get girls?" Hunter wondered. "I swear, all you have to do is just _breath_ and they fall all over you! It took me months to even ask Ashlynn out on a date! And Daring, the most handsome, popular, and charming guy in school doesn't even have a girlfriend!"

Ben shrugged. "I dunno. I just be myself and treat them like they're actual people and can do something themselves; a girl doesn't like to be told that they're defenseless."

"True. Ashlynn's probably the toughest girl I know. Well, other than Briar or Raven." Hunter nodded. "I can still feel her punching me over and over again."

Ben snickered slightly before becoming serious. "So . . . are we cool?"

"What do you mean?"

"You remember the talent show when the Omnitrix timed out and everyone found out my secret?" Ben recalled. "I swear, you wanted to kill me and Ashlynn looked like I had just made her life a living hell."

Hunter cringed slightly upon hearing that; personally, he had been absolutely furious to find out that not only had his suspicions been correct about the mysterious wolf that had shown up in the Enchanted Forest with his girlfriend of all people, but that he had somehow managed to garner and gain control over two of the biggest influences of Ever After High in mere days. Granted, he too believed Ben was an incubus too back then, and it was in his nature and blood to save and protect helpless damsels in distress (even though Raven was anything but helpless). Now he obviously knew better.

"Well . . . yeah. You can't really blame us for hating you back then; we didn't know what to make of you! Especially when you just suddenly got what's probably the scariest and most thrilling destiny of all time the next day!" Hunter protested.

"True, I suppose." Ben sighed.

"Was there something that I missed?" Skurd wondered; the two boys ignored the Slimebiote and left him to feed off of the Omnitrix's DNA samples.

"What can I do to get you two to forgive me? I'm not lying when I say I really miss talking to you guys at lunch." Ben wondered.

Hunter shrugged. "I've kinda already forgiven you. I guess after being around you for so long, hating you just seemed . . . pointless." he explained. "Ashlynn though . . . she's gonna be tougher. She was really hurt back then, and she still is now."

"I hurt her that bad?" Ben winced as he swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood up to stretch his arms and legs.

"She really liked talking to you. She thought you had a nice sense of humor." Hunter replied as he climbed out of his own bed. "I don't know how, but she just gets these feelings about certain things or people; for instance, she's been secretly keeping his litter of orphaned microdragons under her bed and in return, they help her with Crownculus homework."

"She has dragons that teach her math?" Ben wondered in near disbelief.

Hunter nodded. "I thought it sounded weird too, but apparently they're _really_ good at it. Ashlynn went from being one of the few princesses in the bottom of the class, to being right up there in the top five."

Ben whistled. "Impressive. Chemistry was always hard for me."

"You mean Che-myth-stry." Hunter corrected.

"Whatever," Ben rolled his eyes. "What can I do to get her to forgive me? And if you give me a straight answer in the next ten seconds, you can have the first shower." he added. Hunter tapped his chin in thought, trying to think of an idea that would let him get the first of the hot water and not get him creamed by whatever alien Ben might dial in if he gave him an answer that upset him or his slimy friend; Skurd made the huntsman slightly uncomfortable, but when one shares a room with a talking booger, things tended to get rather strange.

"How about you take her out to breakfast? Try and talk things out?" he suggested.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Skurd wondered. "After all, you said so yourself that the lad's a lady killer; what if he manages to steal your girlfriend?"

"You're not helping, Snot Rocket." Ben frowned, flicking the Slimebiote upside the head.

"Boogerface does have a good point though," Hunter hummed, oblivious to the enraged look Skurd was currently giving him; if Slimebiote's had fingers, Ben was sure Skurd would have been sending several rude gestures Hunter's way. "How do I know you won't try and take Ashlynn away from me?"

"You mean other than the fact that I already have too many girls hanging on my arm for my own good?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "Plus, come on, dude, you and Ashlynn were practically _made_ for each other. You're like soul mates or something; you make her happy, and she keeps you in line."

"I guess you're right." Hunter chuckled. "What am I being worried about?"

"Only one problem with your plan," Ben coughed uncomfortably. "I'm flat broke; I use to work at the Coffin Bean back home before I then moved on to being a _very_ expensive bodyguard for hire."

"Why so expensive?" Hunter wondered.

"Keeps me from being hired by some crazy fangirl or lunatic and gets me hired by the people that really need it, thus letting me keep up on my hero and Plumber work and duties."

"Rather ingenuous, coming from you. Are you sure you thought of it yourself?" Skurd wondered suspciously.

"Hey, it may not look like it, but I use my brain more than people give me credit for." Ben defended himself while he pointed at his head. "But that still doesn't solve my money issue."

"I could lend you some," Hunter offered. "You'd have to pay me back though."

"Which means I need a job of some sort." Ben concluded. "Does Book End have any businesses?"

"Loads." Hunter nodded. "Ashlynn actually runs a shoe shop there, The Glass Slipper. Maybe if you make amends, she might be willing to hire you. And if not, there are tons of other businesses you can try, too."

"Might be difficult, considering the lad's limited work experience." Skurd piped up. "Not many jobs require someone to be skilled in hand-to-hand combat, now do they?"

"The Booger makes a point." Hunter nodded.

Once again, Ben had to restrain Skurd from hurting someone upon hearing the accursed nickname.

* * *

The halls of Ever After High had seen many things in its many centuries of sheltering, protecting, and educating countless generations of future fairy tales and myths, everything from claustrophobic giants and clumsy swan princesses to a boring Mad Hatter and even Ben Tennyson himself, who was perhaps by far the strangest thing the ancient, marble hallways and corridors had seen in all their days.

Apple White dressed from head to toe in black was a _very_ close second.

The princess drew many odd stares and several slack jaws as she strutted down the halls with her pretty face screwed up into one of frozen anger, her crimson lips turned down into a serious frown as she glared ahead of her for all she was worth; her hips swaggered back and forth in a commanding and loose manner as she ignored the dropped jaws and wide eyes thrown her way, scoffing and rolling her eyes when a couple wolf whistles cut through the air like knives. The outfit she wore, 'borrowed' from Raven's closet, was mostly composed of a black dress with a dark, purple stripe down the middle that attached to a black, silk skirt that left little to the imagination if one were to look long enough at her lavender leggings and sharp, black heels. A black, leather jacket with spiked shoulder pads wrapped around her, and finger-less gloves of the same color covered her hands; a fair amount of black eye shadow made her soft , blue eyes now sharp and piercing and a faint scar now ran vertically over her left eye, giving her a rather frightening look, if the clanking, chain belt around her waist and spiked dog collar around her neck weren't anything to go by.

"Uh, Apple? What the hex are you wearing?" Raven asked as she walked up to her in a far more casual and simple outfit of a deep, purple sweatshirt with a silver raven stenciled on the front, black jeans, and silver sneakers that made her feet far more comfortable than the heels she normally wore on a school day; among most of the student body of Ever After High, weekends and holidays where classes were not in session were mostly used to catch up on homework, relax and hangout with friends, play, and wear far more comfortable clothes that didn't require one to look their very best. "And . . . did you get that from my closet?"

"Out of my way, you . . . very bad person!" Apple tried to sound threatening.

"Apple . . ." Raven said in that too familiar tone that Apple knew, that voice that Raven used whenever she the princess was up to something and wanted to know the full story without any detail skipped over; it was the same tone of voice her nannies had used on Apple the few times as a little girl when she had been naughty and was sent to sit in the corner for what seemed an eternity (which was really little more than five or ten minutes; by then, Apple's naturally sweet personality and adorable face often made the servants and teachers cut the punishment short).

"Okay, yes, I borrowed it from you, but I need it!" Apple whispered desperately.

"Uh, huh. And the gloves, chains, and collar?" Raven pointed at the aforementioned accessories.

"I borrowed those, too. I figured you wouldn't be using them anytime soon, so . . ." Apple trailed off, flinching under Raven's stern stare.

"Is there anything on you that isn't something of mine?"

"The shoes are mine." Apple replied, earning another glare from Raven. "Okay, okay, I borrowed them, too!"

"Uh, huh. And what's with the scar?" Raven asked, reaching forward to run a finger over the mark; she wasn't the least bit surprised when it easily came off on her fingers in a faded, red stain. "Face paint?" Raven sounded confused. "Apple, what are you _doing?_ "

Apple glanced over her shoulder nervously, anxiously looking up and down the hall before she leaned into whisper in Ravne's ear. "I'm trying to get detention."

"And may I ask, _why?_ " Raven sighed, knowing full well that this wasn't going to end well.

"Because Ben got detention!" Apple hissed.

"And this is a problem _because_ . . ?"

Apple sighed with exasperation. "Because Cerise got detention, too!"

Raven still held a blank and unwavering stare. "Yeah, because crashing through half a dozen wall, destroying the LiFairy, endangering other students, and disrupting classes does get you in trouble. She said sarcastically. "Why is this so important to you?"

"Because!" Apple practically yelled, drawing a few utterly confused fairy tale's attention. "They'll alone _together_ in a classroom with _no one_ to watch them for _eight weeks!_ "

"What, you're worried that Cerise is gonna still Ben from us?" Raven cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Apple exclaimed, this time actually yelling now that her point was finally being made; images of Mr. Badwolf leaving the two of them alone in his classroom to take of something ran through her head, quickly followed by Cerise giving a seductive smirk and making her way across the room, slipping off her mother's famous, red hood to reveal a slim, black dress with a white ribbon around her thin waist, a pair of fake glasses, and a ruler. Ben was instantly entranced by her, and no matter what Skurd did or said, Ben ignored him and watched as Cerise playfully scolded him before sitting down on his lap, pressing her lips to his and giving him a short, passionate kiss that she ended with a quick strike of her ruler across Ben's hand; she playfully scolded Ben for trying to seduce her before kissing him again, digging her fingers into his thick, brown hair and allowing him to slip his arms around her waist and hug her close, his fingers dancing along her spine and the very edges of her ass. The two of them stayed like that for the longest time, completely ignoring Skurd before Cerise finally broke the kiss and leaned back slightly, a seductive smile on her lips as she slipped off her glasses and set them and the ruler down before reaching for the edges of her top and-

"Apple? _Apple!_ "

"Wha- what!?" Apple startled, shaken from her thoughts.

"Did you just hear a word I said?" Raven frowned, cocking an eyebrow; despite her casual wear, she still wore the spiky, silver tiara she was known for, giving her an air of authority over anyone she was speaking to, even other fairy tales of a higher stature. Basically, Raven had a glare that could turn someone to stone or freeze them like ice.

"No." the Daughter of Snow White admitted.

Raven sighed before repeating herself. "Apple, you have to trust Ben that he still cares about and loves you, even if Ben manages to catch the eye and affections of other girls. I mean, he's gotta have seventeen girlfriends for a reason, right? If Ben was that untrustworthy or manipulative, do you really think they would have stayed?"

"They're _monsters,_ Raven! The only monsters could _possibly_ want out of Ben is to eat him!" Apple argued.

"Apple, you have to remember this is Ben we're talking about here." Raven reminded her. "Do you really think Ben would still be dating _seventeen_ monsters if he wasn't suspicious that they were just fattening him up?"

"I . . . suppose you're right," Apple sighed. "But I'm still getting detention! I have to protect Ben!"

Raven was about to remind her roommate that this was Ben they were taking about here, the guy who wielded a watch that let him turn into millions alien heroes, the guy who single-handedly shattered Daring's record, the guy who had taken on a conquerer of worlds, the guy who had battled and beaten a _god,_ and the guy who had saved his universe multiple times from utter annihilation, but she knew the longer she argued and talked with Apple, the more time she wasted; once Apple's mind was set on something, it was hard to get her to change it. She could only hope that the princess would soon come to her senses.

Besides, this was Apple she was talking about here, the nicest, sweetest girl in the entire school. Out of everyone, she was the one person that was guaranteed to never receive a detention, even if she tried.

"Alright, fine." Raven surrendered. Just how are you going to get detention?"

"By acting like you!" Apple smiled. "If I channel my 'Inner Raven', I'll get in trouble in no time!"

"I'll try not to take that as an insult." Raven frowned, deadpanned.

Apple smiled brightly. "That's the spirit!" she said before she realized that she was acting out of character. "Uh, I mean, _that's what I thought._ " she corrected herself in what she assumed was a tough and scary voice; Raven merely rolled her eyes and backed off, making a mental note to ask Maddie to brew some tea for later, having a feeling that the princess would need someway of calming down (secretly though, she knew she was just making it for herself, knowing full well that this was going to result in a headache).

Satisfied that was behaving accordingly, Apple strutted down the hall with a scowl on her face and swing in her hips, giving off an aura of danger and authority. She soon found herself walking into the Castleteria, tapping her lips in thought as she looked around for some way of causing trouble; the idea came to her when she noticed Lizzie Hearts with a tray of food walking over to a table. With a devious smirk, she grabbed a pancake off of a passing fairy tale's plate and threw it like a disk at Lizzie's face, hoping to start a food fight.

Unfortunately, Apple was horrible at throwing and instead struck Lizzie's tray, sending the food falling to the floor in a mess of golden omelet, orange juice, breakfast potatoes, and more fluffy pancakes; while not what she was going for, it was just enough to set things off. The Princess of Hearts was one of the most temperamental fairy tales in the school, meaning at any moment she would strike back and initiate the food fight of the century, if Lizzie's reddening face was anything to go by.

"If I may ask my future ruler a question before she explodes," a pair of lavender lips spoke up before Kitty Cheshire materialized out of thin air next to Lizzie. "But aren't you allergic tomatoes?"

"Why do you ask?" Lizzie frowned.

"Because unless I'm mistaken, those are tomatoes," the Cheshire cat smirked broadly, pointing at the remains of the ruined omelet. "Looks like the apple blossom saved you from looking like a beach ball."

" . . . yes, I suppose that is true." Lizzie mumbled before turning to a dumbfounded Apple. "I don't normally say this, even to other Royals, but thank you, Apple."

"You're welcome." Apple sighed, deflating slightly.

Lizzie nodded. "Now that that's done," she said before turning on her heel to march right back towards the kitchen. "Off with your head!" she yelled at the lunch lady. Kitty smiled cheekily and followed after her future ruler, curious as always to see how things worked out; Apple merely sighed and walked out of the Castleteria, wondering how that little plan could have gone wrong as she went out looking for her next victim.

She soon found them in the form of Cedar Wood sitting out on the front steps of the school with a glum look on her wooden features.

"What's wrong with you?" Apple asked in a harsh tone as she sat down next to the puppet.

"Oh, hi, Apple." Cedar sighed, not noticing the princess's attempts to be mean. "I'm just . . . sad."

"About what?"

"Ben, I guess." Cedar replied, resting her chin in her hands. "I like him, I really, really, _really_ like him, but I don't know how to tell him. Plus, how could he ever love someone like me?" she wondered, gesturing to herself. "Why would he ever fall for a cheap imitation of a girl when he could have the real deal?"

Apple was practically squealing inside; while she felt bad for Cedar, this was all but guaranteed to get her detention for being so cruel to someone in the Daughter of Pinocchio's position. And as an added bonus, she would be preventing another girl from stealing Ben's precious affection away from her! "Well, of course Ben would never want to go out with you!" she grinned darkly. "How would someone as handsome, charming, and heroic as _him_ ever fall for someone as pathetic, weak, and cowardly as _you?_ "

Cedar rolled her gaze up to face the princess with the start of teary eyes; time to go in for the scolding slap.

"I mean, compared to me, you've got nothing!" Apple scoffed. "Why would Ben ever possible want to hang out with you when he's got all this?" she gestured to herself with a sickeningly sweet, dark smile. Cedar was now on the brink of tears, and Apple was just waiting for her to start crying and going running off to tell someone, thus getting her in trouble and scoring herself a nice stay in detention with ben and Cerise. The princess was quickly shaken from her thoughts when Cedar threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly, a broad smile on her face.

"Thanks, Apple!" Cedar beamed.

"For what?" the princess wondered, utterly befuddled.

"For giving me the courage to tell Ben how I feel!" Cedar replied. "You're right, I can't just sit back and let this slide; I have to tell him! It's now or never!" she exclaimed with determination, standing up and marching right back into the school in search of Ben.

"Oh, applesauce!" Apple pouted.

Being mean was tougher than she thought.

* * *

Ashlynn sat at one of the open tables in the Beanstalk Bakery, resting her hand on her chin and waiting for Hunter to arrive; she had received a note from her that had been slipped under her door to meet him for breakfast, on him. Naturally, the princess was never one to turn down a chance to have a date with her boyfriend, as long as it didn't involve too much skateboarding or playing of video games, but she had been waiting for what felt like _hours_ for him to show. Granted, it had actually been twenty minutes, but Hunter was never late for these kind of things if he could help it.

"Maybe . . . he found a bird with a broken wing or something." Ashlynn told herself quietly; contrary to her boyfriend's story, Hunter loved animals as much as she loved them, becoming a Rebel in the first place because his destiny actually required him to hurt and hunt animals for the sport, hence his name. Hunter wanted no part of this, and helped out the local wildlife around Ever After High and Book End whenever he could, even volunteering at the village's Beast Shelter to take care of the baby dragons, unicorns, and other beasts that ended up there one way or another.

"Or maybe Hunter didn't send you that letter at all."

Ashlynn glanced upwards and gagged, quickly covering her nose as a horrible stench pierced her senses; hovering a couple feet in the air above her was a massive, insect-like creature that had four, jointed legs and two, skinny arms tipped with three, sharp digits that were wrapped in black, finger-less gloves. The creature was divided into three segments, with a ball shaped head upon which four stalk-eyes sprouted from above a massive underbite filled with crude looking teeth, a strong looking thorax and chest colored a deep green, and a thin, tail-like abdomen tipped with a gigantic stinger that looked like it could tear clear through steel; an ever familiar symbol sat on the creature's forehead with a certain parasite attached while it descended down from the to land on the opposite side of the table from Ashlynn.

"Ben? What are you doing here?" Ashlynn gasped for fresh air. "And what is that awful smell!?"

"Sorry," the Lepidopterran apologized. There was a reason I called this one 'Stinkfly'."

"You mean other than the fact that I feel like I'm gonna hurl?" the Daughter of Cinderella gagged.

"Exactly! Hunter wasn't kidding when he said you were sharp as a tack." Stinkfly grinned toothily as the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and returned Ben to the world.

"It was kinda hard not to notice." Ashlynn grumbled sarcastically. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"The lad wanted to treat you, my fair lady, to some breakfast on him. With your boyfriend's money." Skurd piped up, earning another flick upside his gelatinous head from Ben.

"Excuse me?" Ashlynn frowned, expecting an answer.

"Look, I just wanna talk." Ben said, putting his hands up defensively. "And since Hunter's my roommate-"

"Since when is my boyfriend _your_ roommate?"

"Since Dexter threw a book at his head," Ben replied. "Anyways, Hunter suggested that I take you out to breakfast; I'm flat broke, so he offered to pay as long as I pay him back."

"So you came to me to ask for a job at The Glass Slipper." Ashlynn concluded with a slightly irked tone.

"No, no! That's not it at all!" he said quickly. "Unless, of course, you're offering?"

"Smooth move." Skurd rolled his beady eyes sarcastically.

Ben sighed. "Look, can we order first before we start insulting each other?"

"Fine." Ashlynn sighed.

"And are the two love birds enjoying themselves?"

Ben froze upon hearing that all too familiar voice and slowly turned his head to see none other than Kitty Cheshire standing right before him, a black apron tied securely around her waist, a pen and notepad in hand, and what was perhaps the biggest smile Ben had ever seen on her to date; Ashlynn was just as confused as Ben was, her face turning a bright red at the 'innocent' nickname the Cheshire cat had given them.

"Kitty, what are you doing here?" Ashlynn asked tightly; Kitty lived to play tricks and cause chaos, and any place that she didn't belong in or appeared in too quickly without word or warning was a definite sign of her usual hijinks and pranks. Ben, to a degree, knew this too, though he was more experienced in keeping a certain werecat in line and away from Rook when the Revonnahgander was having a bad day and was not ready nor willing to put up with Toralei.

"Why, I work here!" Kitty replied innocently. "I just started today, too."

"How convenient," Ben mumbled before sighing and pushing some of his hair out of his face. "Look, can you just get me some toast and eggs, please?"

"With or with jelly?" Kitty asked, scribbling down the order.

"With." Ben replied. "As for a drink, you wouldn't happen to have any smoothies, would you?"

"Nope! We got coffee, orange juice, water, root beer-"

"Just get me some orange juice, then." Ben sighed, hoping there would have been something that would have reminded him of home; Ashlynn took notice of this and made a mental note to ask him about it later. "What'll you have, Ashlynn?"

"Just a salad and orange juice, please." Ashlynn replied.

Kitty quickly scribbled down the order before pocketing her notepad and letting a wide grin split across her face once more. "You're order will be out momentarily . . . provided you'll be able to stop kissing each other when it comes out."

"Dear girl, you are treading on thin ice! Cease and desist. You adult adolescence!" Skurd demanded as Ben and Ashlynn both turned red, though whether it was from fury and a single-minded agreement to strangle Kitty or out of embarrassment was up to debate.

"Deny it all you want, you two, but considering that Maddie's taken over as author, Hunter will be looking for a new girlfriend soon." Kitty purred, winking at Ben before she vanished from existence and left nothing behind by her shining, pearly whites before they too disappeared.

"She's starting to grind my nerves." Ben grumbled.

"Join the club." Ashlynn sighed before she rested her arms on the table and leaned forward, a serious expression on her face. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ben shifted himself in his chair slightly before speaking. "I want you to forgive me."

Ashlynn blinked before frowning. "And why should I do that?"

"Are you still mad?" Ben winced.

"Mad?" Ashlynn sighed, touching her forehead with a tired hand. "I'm not mad, Ben. Just . . . hurt. I thought I could trust you, or at least the you I thought was you with all my thoughts and secrets, and then I found out that you've been hiding the secret of the century from me and didn't have the guts to tell me."

"To be honest, I thought you would have thought I was crazy." Ben admitted. He was about to say more when something caught his eye; a large figure was pushing his way through the crowd of students and early morning shoppers, drawing a few curious stares here and there as he moved about. The being bared resemblance to a gigantic, bipedal turtle with a sharp, jagged shell and segmented carapace, razor-sharp claws sprouting from the ends of his flipper-like arms and acting as short, stubby toes on his feet. Dark, green markings covered his arms and the back of his weathered legs while bright, purple flames crackled and cooked around his blackened skull, held in place by a neck of what looked like sharp fangs and horns; red armbands with yellow cuffs wrapped around his arms and a red belt of a similar design sat around his waist with a bull skull in the middle and a crimson loincloth attached.

"Quick question," Ben narrowed his eyes at the figure, suspicious. "Do you normally get strange people in Book End?"

"Strange how?" Ashlynn wondered.

"Strange as in their head is on fire and they look like they want to start a fight." Ben frowned, placing his hands on the table and standing up to get a better look at the creature that was seemingly oblivious to him for the time being. Ben was running through his mental list of villains and other caitiffs he had encountered over the years, delving into the more obscure of them that he vaguely remembered, wondering if there were any of them that looked like a giant turtle. Actually, now that he studied the odd looking character, he noticed more an more traits to his Geochelone Aerio form, Terraspin; it was then that he suddenly realized he _did_ know who this strange figure was, though his actual name was on the tip of Ben's tongue.

"Hey, you!" Ben yelled, pointing a finger right at the bipedal turtle.

The creature turned to face Ben out of pure instinct before narrowing its eyes at him and pushing his way through the crowd of fairy tales, not caring who he pushed aside or knocked to the ground; as he got closer and closer, Ben started to remember more and more about the figure until he was but a few feet away.

"So, it would seem that my escape did not go unnoticed." the dark character growled.

"I don't even know you escaped, Adwaita." Ben glared back at the altered Geochelone Aerio.

"Pity." Adwaita growled in a low, threatening tone. "You almost amuse me with your imbecility." he said with what Ben could only guess to be an amused tone of voice for someone of the Master Magician's caliber; before he could react or retort with an insult of his own, the altered Geochelone Aerio blasted him with twin jets of raw power and magic from his eyes, striking Ben square in the chest and sending him flying for almost a dozen yards where he crashed through the glass window of a small, clothing store. The following response was immediate as villagers and fairy tales exploded into panic, running around like panicked, flightless geese as they screamed and cried for help.

"You're pathetic screams amuse me!" Adwaita grinned darkly as he blasted a group of tables with another set of magical eye blasts before summoning twin orbs of raw energy into his claws and chucked them at the Beanstalk Bakery's counter, destroying it in a fiery explosion of power. "Such power." he marveled at his hands with a cruel smile. "The magic is strong here, though it pales in comparison to the realm of Ledgerdomain; perhaps I can gather enough power to regain my true title." he mulled to himself as he casually moved his claws into a series of intricate and fluid motions; the air between his claws wavered and trembled slightly before making a loud sucking sound as everything within range, debris, air, leaves, dust was pulled into the singularity and compacted into a growing ball. Helpless customers were being slowly drawn in as well, but they had little fear until Adwaita cast his hands outward and the singularity exploded, shattering the very around it.

Ashlynn was thrown away like a rag doll, slamming into the trunk of a tree and sliding down to the ground with a groan; when she lazily opened her eyes, she was greeted with a scene of destruction before her. The cobblestone road and paths had been torn up and peeled away like roof shingles, with the very earth blasted out into a large crater that encompassed the entire bakery and only slightly affected the surrounding buildings. Remains of tables and chairs littered the crater, and the smoldering roots of the village's beanstalk stood in the center, surrounded small, purple fires like those that consumed Adwaita's head.

"Yes, a fine start." Adwaita smirked. "I sense great powers in this world, but none shall defeat me. All will fall to me as I take their power for my own until I am the most powerful magician in the entire multiverse!" he cackled.

Ben groaned and sat up, rubbing his aching skull and wondering how the Sphinx he was still alive; a direct hit from something that powerful in his human form would have killed him or at the very least brutally injured him; he soon got his answer when he noticed that his chest was covered in a familiar, dark purple, rock-like substance with deep, dark grooves and spots etching their way through that allowed a few, small magenta crystals to poke out.

"Chromastone chestplate, huh? That's a new one." Ben remarked as the silicon armor was covered in a coating of green slime that retreated back along his body, shoulder, and then arm all the way back to the Omnitrix where Skurd resided.

"I try," the Slimebiote bowed slightly. "Now shall we show this heathen who he's dealing with?"

"Lets." Ben grinned as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the available before selecting a suitable transformation and slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing him in a flash of green light. His frame cracked and groaned as he grew upwards by a couple of feet, his skin becoming tough and more resilient as it covered his entire face; he could no longer see anything but light shining through the skin that obscured his eyes before they withered away altogether. His ears moved to the top of his head and grew to a large size, becoming more likes flaps on his head rather than small, fleshy disks. Sharp teeth forced their way out of his gums as sharp claws overtook his fingers while his toes burst out of his shoes. And then, miraculously, he could see again; at first, he could only see the floor in front of him and his shifting feet. Then he could see a shower of shattered glass behind him. Then he could see up, down, left, right, forward, backwards, and everything in between until he could see in every possible direction imaginable all at once as a pair of black and green pants appeared beneath a green belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd at its center, completing the transformation.

"Good enough, I suppose." Eye Guy shrugged as he climbed to his feet and rushed out through the broken window and out into the open air, raising his hands up to fire off twin beams of green, plasma energy from the eyes on his palms, successfully striking Adwaita three times in the chest before the Geochelone Aerio thrust his hand forward and formed a glowing, purple shield in front of him.

"Hmm. Impressive. You actually managed to hurt me," Adwaita purred in a deep, dark tone that sent shivers down Ashlynn's spine. "Not bad, for a weakling."

"Yeah, well, this weakling's got an _eye_ opening experience for ya!" Eye Guy grinned toothily before he fired off twin beams of hot energy from the eyes on his wrists and arms, following up quickly by firing off several more from the ones of his palms; Adwaita merely narrowed his eyes and spread the shield wider in front of him with a small movement of his hands. The construct easily absorbed the blasts before it was compacted into a tight, glowing sphere of energy that Adwaita sent flying right at the Opticoid with a flick of his claw, striking him in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Before Eye Guy could scramble to his feet and run away, the Master Magician raised a hand and fired off a concentrated beam of power and energy, hitting the Opticoid in the chest and forming a purple, crystalline prison around him, trapping him to the spot.

"And there you shall remain for all eternity while I conquer this retched world." the Geochelone Aerio growled threateningly. "A testament to all those that may oppose me."

"Ben!" Ashlynn cried.

The princess's scream unfortunately caught Adwaita's attention, drawing his focus to her as he raised another hand and aimed it at her. "You'll serve as another excellent example." he glowered; Ashlynn froze on the spot, too frightened and shocked to move out of the way in time as a large, glowing sphere of magic and energy formed between the altered Geochelone Aerio's claws. She just hoped that her inevitable death would be swift and quick and that Hunter would be able to go on without her.

"Not . . . if _eye . . ._ have anything to . . . say about it!" Eye Guy grunted as Skurd pressed his gelatinous body against the Opticoid's skin and oozed along and through whatever space was available between his host's skin and their crystal prison to the Omnitrix where he applied just enough force to activate it and engulf Eye Guy in a blast of green light. Ben's fingers hardened into sharpened blades as his spine cracked and bent, sprouting a long, whip-like tail from its base while black and blue stripes wrapped themselves around the cracking appendage. His toes ripped out of his shoes and melted into four claws, two in the front and two more in the back, much like a parrot's; the ball of his heel crunched forward, moving his foot bones and becoming perfectly round and smooth, suddenly separating itself from his foot and held there by his curved toes. Ben felt his skin stretched back into a sharp point and his legs bent backwards into a new joint. A pointy, black helmet with a slide-down visor materialized over his head and skull, followed quickly by a black and green body suit that wrapped around his body with the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest and completing the transformation.

"You will die painfully, you insolent brat." Adwaita hissed, clenching his black claws into a fist.

"Gotta catch me first!" XLR8 grinned cockily.

"Famous last words." Adwaita glowered; the altered Geochelone Aerio summoned twin balls of energy into his claws, letting them build up before he hurled them at the Kineceleran, growling with annoyance when XLR8 effortlessly zipped to the side to avoid them. He then quickly rushed at Adwaita as he floated in the air, buzzing around in a tight circle and creating a large vacuum of sorts that would have sucked the very air out of most foe's lungs; Adwaita however, flicked his claws and summoned a shimmering orb of protection around him, locking in any air that was around him and allowing him to survive the brunt of the cyclone before it finally died down and allowed him to tear the shield apart, morph into a small ball of power and send it hurtling at XLR8, succeeding in knocking him straight in the gut.

"Oh, this guy's not going down easy." XLR8 frowned.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, if anyone cares to listen I may have a solution." Skurd piped up with an exasperated tone.

"You couldn't have said something sooner!?" the Kineceleran shouted angrily; the Slimebiote residing on his chest promptly ignored him and slithered his gooey self over XLR8's upper chest and arms, coating them with his gelatinous fibers and tapping into the DNA samples of the Omnitrix before a flash of green light engulfed them and shifted them into that of the arms of a Bombardian's.

"Ooh, Badaboom!" XLR8 grinned. "If Maddie _is_ taking over for some author or whatever, she's doing a nice job."

"Enough with your incessant babbling! Onward!" Skurd declared, jamming a slimy tentacle at Adwaita. XLR8 nodded and rushed at the altered Geochelone Aerio, running around in a tight circle once more as he fired off a pair of small Minibooms from his barrel-like arms; Adwaita raised up a hand and just barely managed to erect a a protective shield in front of him to block the income firepower as the Kineceleran whizzed around him in a tight circle, firing off Miniboom after Miniboom at the Master Magician, forcing him to focus all of his attention on him.

Ashlynn watched with increasing worry as XLR8 ran faster and faster, firing off more ammunition and forcing Adwaita to react faster and faster; sooner or later, one of them would slip up, spelling the end for them. For the Kineceleran, a very painful death awaited if he made a mistake. For the altered Geochelone Aerio, whatever life he had left in his centuries old body would be spent rotting in prison. The princess was indeed still hurt that she had been lied to and not trusted with what she considered to be one of her best friend forever after, but if she didn't interfere in some way or turn the tides, XLR8 wouldn't get another chance to try and apologize to her.

Glancing around frantically for something, anything that could aid her, her eyes fell on an iron bar that may have at one point belonged to a chair or table before Adwaita blasted it apart; XLR8 was now nothing more than a blue and black blur around Adwaita, a small streak of green appearing every now and again when Skurd appeared. The Slimebiote didn't seem to be enjoying the ride, if the shrill screams he was giving off were anything to go by.

Ashlynn quickly grabbed the iron bar and looked for an opening of some kind, a sort of weak point that would allow Ben to gain an advantage and finish off Adwaita; normally, a princess didn't know how to wield a weapon any kind, as that was mostly reserved for the princes, knights, and other heroic boys at Ever After High; this did not mean that Ashlynn was in any way helpless. After a small amount of begging and a good amount of threatening on Briar's part, Ashlynn had managed to convince Hunter to teach some degree of self defense, mostly martial arts and how to wield simple weaponry, including on how to throw a javelin.

Granted, the iron bar in her grip was no javelin, but it was close.

"Maddie, if whatever you're raving on about it true, _please_ let this work." she whispered under her breath.

She raised her arm and set the iron bar behind her head, taking careful aim at the distracted Geochelone Aerio for just the right moment when he was distracted, raising up a shield to protect himself from another pair of Minibooms fired off at him; seeing no other chance than this, Ashlynn threw the iron bar like a javelin, watching it slice through the air like a knife and slam painfully into the back of Adwaita's flaming head, succeeding in striking him down and sending him falling to the earth. XLR8 jumped on the chance and rushed at the Master Magician , running up onto his chest and swiftly kicking him in the jaw several dozen times in a matter of mere seconds before cracking his tail across his face; the altered Geochelone Aerio however, managed to get a chance to fire off twin beams of raw power and magic from his eyes once more, hitting the Kineceleran right in the face and sending him flying across the crater where he landed with a painful _thwack!_ as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"You . . ." Adwaita hissed as he climbed to his feet and lifted himself off the ground into the air; with a quick motion of his hand, he thrust his claws outwards right at Ashlynn, his dark, twisted expression never wavering as the princess was swallowed in a shimmer, purple light and was lifted off of the ground. Ashlynn's eyes went wide with fear as she started to fight and struggle against Adwaita's hold, wanting to scream in anger and terror only to find that her neck was slowly being squeezed, as if an invisible hand were wrapped around her throat.

"You have interfered with the first and final time, _girl._ " Adwaita snarled with a severely annoyed tone; Ashlynn was gasped for breath, her throat being ever so slowly crushed as she instinctively clasped her hands around her neck in an attempt to pry whatever was strangling her off of her and return her breathing to normal.

"As soon as I have ended your pathetic and meaningless life, Tennyson dies next." Adwaita hissed as he clenched his claws tighter, increasing the hold on Ashlynn's neck and turning her face a bright red from lack of the oxygen that she desperately needed. "Now," the Master Magician purred in a dark, sinister tone. "Lets see if we can't make your suffering all the more painful."

Ben hissed as he held his aching skull once more, his eyes widening with horror when he saw the position Ashlynn was in, her face contorted into one of pure agony as Adwaita moved his other hand, the one not keeping Ashlynn aloft and choking her simultaneously remaining stiff and still; whenever the altered Geochelone Aerio pinched his claws together, one of the fingers on her left hand would snap and bend at an unnatural angle. A clenched fist snapped her her left forearm, a second one crushing her bicep with a slicing motion severing and breaking her collar bone in two places; the princess was screaming silently, her face now an icy blue in color as her eyes rolled up into her skull. A few more seconds, and she would be nothing but a lifeless corpse, the first of many to follow if Ben didn't do something.

"Skurd. Get ready to rock." Ben growled as he picked himself up and dust himself off.

"I am at your beck and call." the Slimebiote saluted, slithering aside to allow Ben to turn on the Omnitrix and cycle through his aliens before selecting a suitable transformation and slamming down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a blast of green light as his genetic code was shifted and warped into something new. His skin started to lose its firmness as his bones began to liquidate and fade away into a thick, slushy soup before disappearing altogether while his skin turned a faded lavender in color; with no skeleton of any kind to support him, Ben quickly fell to the ground in a pile, his fingers and feet stretching and morphing out to form the very tips of what he soon quickly realized to be tentacles of some kind. He felt his body compress and fold in on itself, his chest and gut fusing together as his head and neck were absorbed as well, forming a ball of squishy flesh with four, squirming tentacles attached. His head suddenly pulled upwards, as if by an invisible hand, forming a rough oval in shape as lose skin began to fold and harden slightly into an arrow-shaped fin that ringed what Ben could only guess to be a mantel. His eyes quickly divided into a second pair, the two new eyes then molding together to form a single, green orb between his original pair as his organs sloshed and squished around inside of him, pushing up into the mantel that had become his body while his brain began to enlarge and swell in size; the final touch was the addition of the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing in the form of a band around his body below his eyes, where a mouth might be if it were not in the form of a beak at the center of his tentacles.

"Oh, I remember this fellow." Skurd remarked brightly at the roughly squid-like creature that he now resided on. "What did you name this transformation?"

The Cephplobellum didn't respond, merely blinking all three of his green eyes and wiggling his tentacles in what Skurd could only guess to be a distressed manner; now that he was starting to remember things, he distinctly remembered a slight run in with Ben's future self and the (in)famous Professor Paradox regarding a slight issue with a rampaging Time Beast that resulted in several do overs and restarts before the little issue was resolved. And to think, it all started simply because of a blown out tire and his host's inability to transform into the alien he desired, instead getting several rather unusual aliens in the process, even a few he wasn't even aware he had.

Now that things were starting to come back to him, he suddenly remembered that Cephplobellums were absent of any ability to speak to anyone outside of their own species, mostly just a mixture of seemingly wild screeches, warbles, and clicks of their beaks, and required a host of some kind to perform more complex actions that did not involve swimming through their planet's home waters.

"Never fear, Skurd is here!" the Slimebiote announced while he shifted and oozed his slimy, green body over the Cephplobellum's four tentacles and tapped into the extensive database of the Omnitrix to produce and change the four, elastic tentacles into four, burly Tetramand arms.

With his new limbs, the Cephplobellum picked himself up and hurriedly skittered along the ground on his strong fingers and palms, quietly approaching Adwaita from behind and stalking closer; Ashlynn was lying limp in the air now, her face a light shade of purple. With a loud, warbled screech, the Cephplobellum launched himself into the air at the altered Geochelone Aerio and landed on his back, cutting off his control over Ashlynn and letting her drop to the ground while he hung on for dear life as Skurd returned the Tetramand DNA back to the Omnitrix, allowing the four, sucker covered tentacles to come out.

"Get off of me, you insufferable parasite!" Adwaita demanded loudly, clenching his claws tightly as his body began to glow a violent purple in color; before he could complete the spell, sending the small, squid-like parasite flying, and finish off Aslynn, the Cephplobellum forcefully latched one of his four tentacles onto Adwaita's back. The Master Magician could feel a slight drop in his power, watching curiously as his left arm twitched involuntarily before striking him across the face with a solid punch. With the altered Geochelone Aerio distracted for the moment, the Cephplobellum attached another tentacle to the back of his host's neck, assuming control of his right arm and punching himself in the gut; another tentacle and the Master Magician lost control of his legs, floating gently back down to the ground as he cried out in pain from his involuntary movements between curses and yells of anger. The Cephplobellum applied his final tentacle to the back of Adwaita's neck, and was momentarily surprised to find that his screaming had finally stopped.

"Testing . . . testing . . . one, two. Is this thing on?" Adwaita growled, tapping his flaming head with a claw. "Wait, I'm controlling Adwaita? Cool!"

"I thought we discussed this last time?" Skurd raised a beady eye.

"Hey, I haven't used this one in a while, alright? So cut me some slack." Adwaita's voice grumbled as the Cephplobellum's eyes narrowed slightly. "No wonder I decided to call this guy Ventrilosquid."

"Yes, fascinating." Skurd drawled. "Now, aren't you going to put the big brute down and make sure the girl's alright?"

"Oh, Right. Sorry." Ventrilosquid apologized through Adwaita's mouth. "Kinda got caught up in the moment."

"Clearly."

Now with his considerable mind focused on the task at hand, Ventrilosquid decked his host across the face with his own fist, a loud crack echoing through the air as his jaw snapped and broke; the Cephplobellum watched with awe and amusement as he opened his host's claws to watch a ball of swirling, pulsing purple energy and power form between them. With a twinkle of amusement, he force fed Adwaita the shimmering orb before releasing two of his tentacles to firmly grab Adwaita's head, pull back, and slingshot himself through the air and to Ashlynn's aid as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to his human form while Adwaita gave a frightening belch and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach horribly.

"You may have . . . won for the time being . . . Tennyson, but I . . . will be back." Adwaita growled before suddenly crying out in pain and clutching the area over his gut with extreme pain, closing his eyes and focusing his attention long enough for him to suddenly disappear in a flash of dark purple light, teleporting his way to safety. For the moment.

"Ashlynn! C'mon, don't do this to me now!" Ben begged, ignoring the fleeing villain for the time being; he would have normally given immediate chase, but with what could very possibly be the end of Ashlynn's life on his hands, he was willing to let Adwaita run away like the coward he was.

Frantically, he pressed his ear to her chest, nearly collapsing with relief when he heard a faint heart beat. Now desperate to save her, he cupped her face in his hands, grimacing for a split second about how much trouble he was going to be in if Hunter ever found out, and pressed his lips to hers, sucking in a deep breath through his nose and pushing the air into Ashlynn's lungs, repeating the process several times before he stopped and started pumping up and down on her chest furiously. After a few quick movements, he pressed his ear to her chest and felt a stronger beating beneath her chest.

"Come on, dear boy! She's fine! Stop kissing her before people get the wrong idea!" Skurd urged Ben. He nodded and quickly slipped his hands under Ashlynn's back and legs, lifting her off the ground bridal style and running down the street back towards Ever After High as fast as his legs could carry him, heart thumping loudly in his chest.

"Oh, for the love of Methanosian Tubers! If you're so desperate to get back, let me handle it!" Skurd interrupted what little, panicked thoughts had managed to form in Ben's head as the Slimebiote quickly slithered and oozed his body over Ben's legs, tapping into the Omnitrix on Ben's wrist and shifting them into that of a Citrakayah's in a flash of green light, a long, feline-like tail sprouting from the base of his spine as well; Ben smiled slightly as he put his new legs to good use, zipping along faster than he would have normally while his new tail kept him balanced through the tight twists and turns he made through the crowds of curious and panicked people, becoming little more than a blur that was only visible for a few seconds before disappearing.

" . . . Ben?" Ashlynn groaned, his voice soar and hoarse.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alive!" Ben sighed with relief, pausing momentarily to hug her tightly and wincing when the princess cried out in pain at her left arm being pressed against Ben's chest. "Sorry!"

"It's alright . . . just hurts like . . . something I'm not allowed to say." Ashlynn hissed, holding her shoulder.

"That's a relief." Ben smiled, resuming his running.

"Why?"

"It means you're alive." Ben smirked before turning into a slight frown. "I can only hope Hunter doesn't kill me."

"Why?" Ashlynn repeated.

"You mean other than the fact that I managed to get your entire arm?" Ben rolled his eyes. "Other than that, I kinda had to . . . uh . . ."

"Had to what?" Ashlynn asked.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, he had to kiss you, dear girl! Mouth to mouth!" Skurd yelled impatiently.

"Uh, yeah. What Snot Rocket said." Ben smiled sheepishly, earning himself an irritated look from his Slimebiote partner; the Omnitrix wearer hoped the Slimebiote wouldn't morph his legs back to normal in mid-stride just to spite him, though he supposed that was highly unlikely considering their precious cargo. Not even Skurd would be that cynical. He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt an arm around around his neck and looked down to see Ashlynn hugging him with her one, good arm, her bad arm lying limb across her stomach as she tilted her head up and rewarded Ben with a small kiss on the cheek, a small peck and nothing more.

"I forgive you." Ashlynn smiled.

"That's all I wanted to hear." Ben grinned with relief. He could only hope that Hunter wouldn't kill him on the spot or that he would be traced to the damages at the Beanstalk Bakery; after all, even with the Omnitrix, Ben could only work off so much compensation.

* * *

Apple peeked around a corner of the main hallway of Ever After High, the corridor that stretched all the way from the main entrance doors to the main stair wells that led to the second and third stories before branching off to the dormitories and different classrooms with the Headmaster's office near the very top to give him a wide view of the school ground and world of Ever After.

The princess's focus however, was not on the locker lined hallway nor its grand marble walls, but more so fixed on the small, almost unnoticeable red box on the wall next to the first row of lockers; one of the school's many fire alarms. Should it be activated and pulled, Book End's fire department would rush to the scene to put the fire out and access the damage and situation if the school's sprinkle system was not activated or did not turn on for some reason; Apple intended to pull the alarm and force an evacuation, taking credit for the little prank and landing herself in detention right between Ben and Cerise, hopefully before the crafty Riding Hood could steal her prince charming.

Apple cackled evilly, a sound that was more like the horrible gargling of a troll and the screech of an eagle rather than a sinister, shrill cackle a proper villianess would be known for; glancing around to make sure she was not being watched, she sneaked out into the empty hall on the tips of her heels, making loud clacking sounds on the marble floor. The main hallway normally would not have been so empty, but with the weekend in full swing, there was little reason to remain in the school building. Within seconds, she was over to the fire alarm and reached with her fingers to grab it, hesitating for a second and wondering if this whole 'channeling her inner-Raven' thing was a good idea. An image of a bare chested Ben and scantily clad Cerise making out in an empty classroom flashed through her mind and all guilt or doubt was erased as she pulled the fire alarm and was greeted by a loud, ringing sound.

"Apple!"

Before the princess knew what was happening, Raven's pale arm slithered past Apple's ecstatic face and grabbed hold of the fire alarm lever to push it back up and turn the loud ringing stop; Apple gulped nervously as she turned to face the furious witchling, cringing under her stern gaze as if she were boring into Apple's very soul with those deep, purple eyes of her.

"What are you trying to do!?" Raven yelled.

"G-Get detention." Apple flinched.

"Well, stop!" Raven snapped. "You're not getting anywhere with this, you're only humiliating yourself, and its pointless!"

"N-No, it's not!"

Raven sighed and pinched her brow, her hand still on the fire alarm as she tried to calm her nerves down. "Thank ancestors that I put that tracking spell on you at the last second," she murmured before returning her attention to Apple. "Look, can't you just except the fact that Ben's a girl magnet? You've seen how well he's been to us, always to comfort and make us laugh; he's probably managed to do the same thing to _seventeen_ other girls back home, Apple. So what if he picks up a few more girls here and there? Your own family has been doing it for generations without care or concern, a lot of royalty has. That doesn't mean Ben will ever stop loving you or-"

" _Ms. Queen!_ "

Raven face palmed herself out of sheer annoyance; almost afraid to turn around, she found herself facing the stern face of Headmaster Grimm, his arms folded across his chest as he glared down at her with a sorrow expression. "Yes, Headmaster Grimm?"

"What are you doing?" Grimm raised an eyebrow.

Raven didn't flinch under the Headmaster's angry expression; she was far more ticked off at Apple to be bothered by the portly man. "Well, you see, Headmaster Grimm, Apple-"

"Just stopped you from turning on the school's fire alarm, I presume?" Headmaster Grimm cut her off, glancing at the incriminating evidence of Raven's hand on the fire alarm and Apple bent down in what he could quickly assume to be an intimidated posture. Indeed, the situation did not look good for Raven.

"No, that's not what happened! I-" Raven protested.

"It's nice to finally see you embrace your dark, villainous nature." Grimm interrupted her once more, a proud smile on his face.

"But that's not-"

"However, I can not allow such behavior to go unpunished." Headmaster Grimm returned the stern expression he often wore when dealing with annoying Rebels or students in need of disciplining. "Report to Madame Yaga's office after lunch; I believe she requires help organizing her spells, potions and motions, and other witchcraft books."

"But . . . yes, Headmaster Grimm." Raven sighed with defeat.

"Good girl." Grimm nodded approvingly. "And who knows? You may pick up a few pointers." he added with what Raven could only assume to be his interpretation of a bright smile but was more akin to that of a hungry doberman. "Now, run along, Ms. White. And I would suggest returning to your usual attire; a future princess must look the part after all." he said to Apple before turning on his heel to calmly walk the flights of stairs back up to his office where a large stack of financial papers awaited him.

"Thanks a lot, Apple." Raven grumbled under her breath. "Go ahead and try to get detention for all I care. I just can't seem to catch a break like you can." she frowned before turning to walk off from Apple, fuming with annoyance; the princess watched her roommate leave before slumping back against the wall and sliding down to the ground in defeat, resting her face in her hands. Once again, her plan to get in trouble had utterly failed, leaving her stumped and defeated and with Raven, one of her closest friends, in trouble for something she didn't do, taking the fault and punishment that Apple deserved.

"What am I doing?" she practically whispered; she gingerly ran her fingers along the collar around her neck, wincing when she accidentally pricked her finger on one of the cold spikes. Looking down at the dress she had 'borrowed' from Raven, she couldn't help but feel an odd mixture of shame and guilt. She hadn't even asked Raven if she could borrow the dress for her little scheme, much less anything else that was currently on her person.

With a sigh, she picked herself off of the floor and slowly wandered down the hall, blocking all outside thoughts and interruptions while she quietly thought to herself; what was she doing, trying to be something she wasn't? She was the Daughter of Snow White, the most fairest of the fairy tale princesses, the most kindhearted person to ever walk the halls of Ever After High, the one with what was undoubtedly the best destiny of all time, not some bad girl that did naughty things to impress a boy! Granted, the boy was Ben and he was irresistible, but still! With a horrifying recognition, Apple realized that what she was doing . . . she was acting like a _Rebel_.

"Not anymore." Apple said to herself, slipping off her finger-less gloves and taking the dog collar off from around her neck to toss them in a nearby trash can; a princess never littered and Raven never wore the dark, sinister clothes adorned with spikes and claws and other evil things that Apple had filled her closet with. Apple was a princess, for ancestor's sake, not some villain! She was going to set things right if it was the last thing she did.

Now that the matter was settled, Apple looked at her surroundings and found that she had walked herself into the school's LiFairy, having walked past the Evil Step-Librarians without saying a word to alert them of her presence as they stamped overdue books; a gaping hole in the ceiling overhead that had been created by Rath and Cerise during their little skirmish had been hastily covered with wooden planks and surrounded by warning tape. In fact, much of the LiFairy lay cobbled fixes and construction, with the books that had been salvaged during the destruction stacked neatly into boxes while bands of enchanted suits of armor worked together to resurrect the fallen bookshelves into their proper places; oddly enough, the Evil Step-Librarians actually tried to silence and shush them, giving up after several minutes of the small creatures ignoring them.

Being taught to help out whenever she could, and having some experience with helping the servants around her castle home to prepare for her fairy tale, Apple quickly delved into the poorly stacked towers of boos and manuscripts, organizing them into their proper groups of call number and bar code to make the job of shelving them once more all the more easier; Ben would have normally been subjected to do the task as punishment instead of sitting still for eight weeks, but the Headmaster felt that the less his latest and most unwanted student did, the less damages to the school there would be for him to tear his already receding hairline out over.

As Apple began to sort and organize the books into neat piles, she noticed that one of the towering shelves that had been recently set up was somehow lopsided, it seemed; her face screwed up into one of curiosity as she paused in her work and moved over to the bookcase for a closer look to find that a thick book had been wedged almost carelessly beneath it. Figuring that someone had accidentally dropped the book while filling boxes, Apple bent down and managed to slip her fingers underneath the edge of the old, leather book and gave a quick jerk to try and pull it out, only to find that the book was stuck fast beneath the shelf. Determined, Apple slipped off her heels and placed her feet on the edge of the bookshelf to give herself some leverage before giving an almighty tug and managing to pull the book out after a few harrowing seconds, tumbling back slightly with the old manuscript in hand.

"Oh, applesauce." Apple whispered under her breath when she caught sight of the teetering bookshelf, flinching when it leaned dangerously close to her before tipping over the over way; Apple watched with horror as the bookcase fell into another, sending that one crashing into another bookshelf and another one after that . . . and another . . . and another . . . and another. A massive domino effect took place in the massive LiFairy with towering bookshelves crashing and slamming into each other like child toys and sending books and papers flying everywhere while Apple winced every time a bookshelf connected with another until everything finally stopped, leaving the LiFairy deathly quiet and with a thick atmosphere of ancient dust that had been shaken free during the fall.

" _Ssssshhhhhhhh!_ "

"Double applesauce." Apple whimpered when she heard the sinister hisses of the Evil Step-Librarians; the princess cringed as the two hideously old woman stormed out from behind their desk, waving their hands in front of their faces to keep the majority of the dust out of their lungs as they narrowed their eyes at Apple with the book in hand.

"Detention!" one of the step-sisters screeched in a manner very much like a harpy.

"But-" Apple started.

"Double detention!" the other of the two evil step-librarians hissed.

"The book it-" Apple tried to say.

" _Triple_ detention!"

"Triple detention?" Apple gulped.

"Quadruple detention!"

"Infinite applesauce." Apple pouted, letting the book drop to the book with a loud _smack!_ Unsurprisingly, the Evil Step-Librarians shushed her, narrowing their eyes to near total slits if that was even possible; the thick tension in the air was quickly disturbed as Headmaster Grimm himself came stumbling into the LiFairy, coughing at the large amount of dust in the air as he pushed and picked his way through piles of fallen books and a few enchanted suits of armor that had been accidentally caught in the accident.

"What happened here!?" he cried, clutching his already receding hairline with his clenched fingers; he caught sight of Apple standing amongst the carnage with the Evil Step-Librarians preparing to silence the Headmaster with the evil step-mother of all shushes. With nothing else around to claim otherwise, Headmaster Grimm sighed and rubbed his aching temples for what seemed the hundredth time since Ben had shown up. Not only was the shape-shifter putting the student's destinies in jeopardy, but he was running up the fairy godmother of all bills damage wise, even when he somehow wasn't involved; whether the destruction of the LiFairy was directly linked to Ben or not was up to debate, but the Headmaster could already feel an idea forming in the back of his head.

"I can assume that Ms. White is at fault here?" he asked the Evil Step-Librarians, earning a stern shushing that he assumed to be a 'yes'.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster Grimm." Apple apologized, shuffling her feet uncomfortably like a child that had just been scolded.

""You should be, Ms. White. This behavior us inexcusable of a future queen of your status." Headmaster Grimm frowned. "As punishment for destruction of the LiFairy, you will fulfill whatever the Step-Librarians have already decided on as well as dust and reorganize the books and manuscripts," he instructed before he came in with the final blow. "And I will be having a word with your parents about your reprehensible behavior, not to mention your . . . relationship with Mr. Tennyson; I'm sure your parents would be quite interested to hear about this." he added before turning on his heel to leave the LiFairy and return to the growing pile of papers on his desk.

"Wait, what? My mom and dad?" Apple gulped nervously.

" _Sssssssshhhhhhhh!_ "

If Apple wasn't a princess she would be making several rude and immature gestures at the two librarians right now.

* * *

 _M.N: Are you sure this is a good idea?_

 _M.H: Nope! But that's never me before! Heeheeheehee!_

 _M.F: This goes against everything-_

 _M.H: I don't care! You two have been taking this **way** to slow, to the point where the readers hardly even remember me! It's my turn to get paired with Ben, and that's that!_

F.N: But you can't do this! It goes everything we abide to and by as narrators!

 _M.H: Well, 'that's just the way the teapot boils', as Daddy always says. So, tough Wonderland tarts!_

 _M.N: I could actually go for some tarts right now . . ._

 _F.N: I give up._

* * *

Ben sighed with exhaustion, running his fingers through his dark brown hair as he came to a stop in front of his dorm's door and quickly typed in the needed code (Diamondhead, Ball Weevil, Goop, Clockwork, Brawn) without barely even looking, too tired to pay much attention; Ashlynn had been dropped off at the Nurse's office, the experienced, old crone already weaving spells of healing to ease the pain the princess was suffering through while her arm was bandaged and her bones reset. Even with the magic to help speed things up, it would be several long weeks before Ashlynn could use her other arm again. Needless to say, Hunter had been worried sick and absolutely furious with Ben when he had been alerted of what had transpired and very nearly throttled Ben before Skurd managed to give Ben the shaggy arm of a Gimlinopithecus to knock some sense into the worried huntsman. In the end, Hunter had clamed down long enough for him to thank Ben for him to give Ashlynn the ever changing code to the dorm he shared with Hunter should she ever need access or want to spend quality time with her boyfriend.

Right now however, Ben wanted nothing more than to collapse onto his bed and catch up on some sleep before dinner would be served and he would join both Raven and Apple in the Castleteria to eat; now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be unlike the large dinners he often had with his ghouls back home, with a large buffet being summoned by the Grant sisters when no one really felt like putting their new found cooking skills to use. Sure, the wonderful meals were often interrupted with Ben and a couple of the ghouls having to take leave to stop a crime in progress or something of bigger scale, resulting in cold leftovers and falling asleep in the most unusual and seemingly uncomfortable of places, but that was just how things worked in the Tennyson household.

Upon entering his dorm, the wielder of the Omnitrix fell back onto his bed, folding his arms behind his head as he got comfy and let out a content sigh of relaxation as his tense muscles started to relax and unwind.

Ben cracked an eye open, the hairs on the back of his neck raising up a little; he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt that something was off. And not in 'the fate of the whole universe is at stake' kind of way, but more in the 'way does the universe hate me so much?' kind of way where he was often dragged into some wild and crazy adventure that resulted in him losing desperately needed sleep and more destruction than was needed in the process. Glancing around his room and finding nothing, Ben snuggled back down to rest, ignoring the tiny snores of Skurd as the Slimebiote quickly drifted off while he started to lightly dream about his ghouls back home, missing them terribly.

"Hiya, Ben!"

Ben startled slightly, looking around for the source of the loud and cheery voice that had disturbed him so; Skurd was apparently still asleep and thusly oblivious to whatever was transpiring around him.

"Up here, silly!" the voice giggled cheerily.

Ben craned his head upwards to see none other than Madeline Hatter dangling from the ceiling out of a pitch black hole on the upper surface, her wild, curly, dark turquoise, mint green, and dark magenta locks hanging upsides down with her small, teacup-like hat somehow remaining firmly on her head; Ben briefly wondered if she actually glued her hat to her head.

"Maddie, what are you doing up there?" Ben yawned. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

Maddie giggled again. "I see that. Too bad you're missing your shirt!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not-" Ben started before Maddie promptly fell out of the black hole on the ceiling and landed painfully on his gut, knocking the wind out of him and allowing the Hatter to slip off his only black T-shirt with little struggle before leaning forward to kiss him full on the lips and then run away as fast as she could, cackling all the way.

"Aaaand, once again, the universe hates me." Ben sighed before he scrambled off of his bed and raced after Maddie, bare chested. "Come back here! That's my only shirt!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Maddie sang tauntingly from farther down the hallway, pausing to hold Ben's shirt out in a teasing manner and waving it around like a red cape before a bull. Ben smirked and saw his chance, turning to the Omnitrix to push a still sleeping Skurd aside to turn on the device and cycle through the roster before selecting XLR8; the Hatter wouldn't know what hit her as he slammed down on the activation button and felt the Omnitrix work its magic, scrambling and rearranging his DNA. Ben's arms swelled as his veins popped out, alien blood flowing through them as muscles piled themselves on top of each other; his legs became strong and lean as his frame stretched upwards, growing taller and taller until he was a good five feet taller than the Hatter currently taunting him with his stolen shirt. Deep, orange fur began to sprout all over his body as his fingers split and cracked before bloating in size and strength, a razor-sharp claw ripping out of each wrist. His shoulders broadened as patches of white fur smoothly appeared on his chest, gut, hands, and feet while black stripes etched themselves across his back and shoulders; a handful of whiskers sprouted from his face as his eyebrows grew longer and pointed. His jaw thrust outwards with a sickening crunching noise as his teeth tore through his gums and curved into sharp fangs. The final transformation was the appearance of a green and black luchador outfit and large belt around his waist with the Omnitrix and Skurd at its center.

"What the- lemme tell ya somethin' Omnitrix that still keeps on turning Rath into the wrong thing! You still keep on turning me into the wrong thing, even though you gave Rath back his awesome wrestling outfit!" the Appoplexian roared angrily.

"Will you cease that insufferable bellowing!? Can't a Slimebiote get some sleep around here!?" Skurd cried incredulously, clenching a slimy tentacle into a fist.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Skurd the Slimebiote, annoying parasite partner of mine that gives me body parts of all of Rath's aliens who I never really liked in the first place began to begrudgingly like in spite of myself! Rath will yell all he wants, even if someone tells him to stop no matter how politely they may ask!" Rath yelled in the general direction of his waist line before he turned back towards Maddie. "And as for you Madeline 'Maddie' Hatter, Daughter of the Mad Hatter and thief of Rath's shirt! Give Rath his shirt back!"

"You want it? Come and get it, silly!" Maddie laughed.

"Don't do it, dear boy! It's a trap!" Skurd hissed, slithering up onto the Appoplexian's shoulder.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Madeline Hatter! Despite Rath believing this to be a trap of some kind, he will take back his one and only shirt by force if he has to! In fact, Rath _will_ take his shirt back by force because using force is Rath's way of being diplomatic and stuff and it is the only way Rath will get his shirt back!" Rath snarled.

"You do realize that made absolutely no sense, right?" Skurd quirked a beady eye.

" _I KNOW!_ "

"I'm getting bored over here!" Maddie called. "And you wouldn't want me getting bored, now would we!"

"OH, NOW IT'S ON!" Rath roared, dropping down to all fours despite Skurd's protests and pawing the ground while snorting in a fashion very similar to that of a massive and seriously ticked off bull; Maddie merely let her wide smile broaden even further as she waved the shirt back and forth until Rath's temper had peaked (which didn't take very long) and he let out a primal roar to surge forward on all fours, his eyes locked right on the black and green T-shirt right in front of him.

Unfortunately, Maddie yanked the desired item out of the way at the last second and let Rath smash face first into the solid, oak door beyond, actually punching his head clean through it as Maddie giggled with delight.

"Agh! LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' STUPID WOODEN DOOR THAT IS CURRENTLY HOLDING RATH PRISONER! YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP RATH FROM GETTING HIS ONLY SHIRT BACK!? NOT BY A LONG SHOT!" the Appoplexian roared with fury as he struggled for a few seconds to pull his head free before he managed to get lose enough, tearing out an even bigger hole in the door in the process.

"Quick, dear boy! She's making her escape!" Skurd announced just as Maddie used Rath's shoulders as a spring board to launch herself through the recently made hole in the door, cackling all the way while she waved her prize tauntingly. "Come on, lad, use your head!"

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Skurd the Slimebiote! Using Rath's head is a really good idea so I have no idea why I am yelling at you in spite of the fact that Rath is furious with his current situation!" Rath yelled as he climbed to his feet and promptly slammed his head into the door, breaking the ring of wood stuck firmly around his neck before the Appoplexian took a few steps back and charged at the other wooden door that took up the hallway (the one without a hole in it), creating a Rath-shized hole in the wooden barrier in his mad chase after Maddie.

"Not what I had in mind, but this works just as well." Skurd sighed.

His breaths ragged and quick, Rath chased Maddie through the halls of Ever After High, smashing clear through any door that got in his way (leaving Rath-sized holes wherever he went and racking up quite a bill in the process), frightening startled students and teachers, and nearly plowing over Cedar Wood while he was at it too. Their wild and merry chase led them all through the massive castle that was the school, everywhere from the dungeons that were Madame Yaga's classroom (surprising Raven in the process as she dusted off stacks of old spell books), the school's pool, courtyard, the girl's locker room (which was thankfully empty), and even Headmaster Grimm's office; upon seeing the destructive Appoplexian crash through one of the very sturdy, marble walls of his office and smash right through the opposite side chasing after Maddie, the old man all but started to cry at the growing damage to his school.

After what seemed hours of mad dashing, hijinks, and a whole lot of tomfoolery, Maddie came to a screeching halt at a dead end decorated with nothing but a marble bust of Headmaster Grimm himself looking stern and proud at the same time; that is, until Maddie puled off her hat for a second to reach inside and pull out a pair of Groucho Marx glasses to set upon the statue, giggling all the while.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' crazy Hatter girl that's been makin' Rath run all around and through walls like he's in some kinda Saturday morning cartoon! Rath is sick of running around like he's in a Saturday morning cartoon!" the Appoplexian panted.

"That's telling her." Skurd drawled.

"I dunno. I thought it was fun!" Maddie laughed as she pulled off her hat and rolled it along the brim across her arms and shoulders before catching it in her fingers. "You wanna see a magic trick?"

"Don't fall for it, dear boy! It's a trap!" Skurd warned Rath for a second time.

"Oh, stop worrying, you cute little Snot Pocket! He'll fall for it anyway because I'm the one who's writing this chapter! Anything I say, goes!" Maddie cackled; without further interruption, the Hatter set her teeny-tiny hat down on the floor and reached inside to pull out the top of a long, metal fireman's pole that reached into the deep depths of the hat. With a cheery smile, Maddie wrapped her arms and legs around the pole before sliding down and disappearing into the depths of her hat, laughing all the way as Rath and Skurd just starred at the spot she had been moments before.

"All in favor of turning around and forgetting this ever happened?" Skurd suggested, raising a tentacle in vote.

Rath ignored the Slimebiote as he stomped over to the small hat on the ground and picked it up between two large fingers to bring it up to eye level. "LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN' TINY MAGICAL HAT THAT CURIOUSLY DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS AND REALITY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ANNOYING RATH TO NO END BY SHELTERING YOUR OWNER MADELINE HATTER! RATH WILL DO WHATEVER HE HAS TO DO TO GET HIS ONE AND ONLY SHIRT BACK, EVEN IF IT MEANS HE HAS TO JUMP DOWN YOUR WEIRD INTER-DIMENSIONAL THROAT TO DO IT!"

And so, without further ado or pause, the Appoplexian dropped the hat back on the floor before diving head first inside, miraculously fitting through without stretching the brim or destroying the little hat in the first place; after a couple of minutes of sitting along in the hallway with nothing but a Groucho Marx glasses wearing bust to keep it company, the little hat disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

* * *

After much falling and tumbling and hurtling through a void that suspiciously looked like the walls or a recently dug rabbit hole, Rath finally plummeted down and crashed into pile of fluffy pillows and other assorted junk that may or may not have included everything but a kitchen sink; this was quickly proven wrong when the Appoplexian sat up to rub his skull to find that he had somehow actually managed to land his head in a metal sink with a faucet. The unwanted accessory was quickly discarded as Rath scrambled to his feet and tried to gather his surroundings, muttering mild curses under his breath as he looked around to himself in a large garden of sorts.

High, stone walls rose up all around him in a near perfect circle, with the old stone bricks painted wild and bright colors with crazy patterns mixed in for good measure. Soft pink grass carpeted the floor of the garden, occasionally interrupted by neatly groomed patches of wild flowers that were watching and looking at Rath with suspicion (literally, the flowers actually had eyes that made Skurd uncomfortable to no end). Several tall trees with yellow trunks decorated with red and black diamonds, spades, aces, and hearts rose up from the earth, providing some sense of shade over the garden's small pond where a family of living rubber ducks swam about to a small fish band that played a peppy tune on the rocks. Overhead, magenta cotton candy clouds rolled overhead in the blue sky, shadowing over a stone table and chairs in the center of the garden, of which a recently placed tea set sat waiting; Maddie was nowhere to be found.

"Something tells me we're on the wrong side of the looking glass." Skurd mused as the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and allowed Ben to return to his human form to wince and crack his aching back and neck, wondering if Appoplexian's ever felt the same after taking several beatings or crashing through sturdy objects.

"Where are we?" Ben marveled.

"Off hand, I'd say some sort of pocket dimension," Skurd deduced. "To be more specific, somewhere within the bowels of Ms. Hatter's hat."

"You did _not_ just say 'bowels'."

"I did, dear boy! Deal with it!" Skurd shot back.

"Look, we're not gonna get the only shirt I own at the moment back if we continue to argue like this," Ben sighed. "Any ideas?"

Skurd tapped his gelatinous chin in thought with the tip of a tentacle, compressing himself slightly as he fed off of the Galvan DNA within the depths of the Omnitrix in the hopes that it would somehow give him an idea of sorts; after a while, he had something of an answer. "I have an idea. It's bit of a stretch, but it very well could work." he hummed.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"Seeing as how our quarry is mad as a Hatter, we need someone just as loony and crazy." Skurd explained, quirking an eyebrow up upon seeing a wide grin make its way across Ben's face. "Why are you smiling?"

"I've got just the guy." Ben said, ignoring the cool breeze that tickled his bare back as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through his roster before selecting the desired alien and pressing down on the waiting activation button, guaranteeing a proper transformation. His skin cracked and split loudly as his frame stretched upwards a couple of feet, making Ben thinner and more skeletal as his bones started to hollow out with a loud crunching noise; his hair darkened and turned a deep black in color, growing longer and shaggier as his muscles shrank and disappeared in places, accenting his bony features while his remaining muscles tightened and expanded slightly, making him thin and lean in appearance as his skin gained a slight sheen to it, as if her were covered in sort of coating of slime or mucus, depending on ones preference. His hands trembled and twitched slightly before exploding out into sharp, wicked claws while his toes ripped through his shoes in the form of three talons; a hard casing began to form over Ben's face, a white mask of some kind that obscured and covered his entire face. Small spikes formed at his shoulders and elbows, growing to a size of a few inches as a pure black tuxedo materialized on his body with a top hat wrapped in a green brim and cane tipped with s studded emerald following shortly after. The Omnitrix and Skurd resided on Ben's left pectoral as green puzzle piece patterns flashed into existence all over his tuxedo, completing the transformation.

"Skurd, meet Jigsaw." the Dodgjierian grinned, leaning on his cane and tipping off his top hat.

"Hat-tastic! He's my favorite!" Maddie's voice giggled with a slight echo from somewhere in the garden. "He's just like me!"

"Oh, joy." Skurd mumbled.

"Aw, shucks. You flatter me." Jigsaw seemed to smile behind his mask. "Now can I have my shirt back?"

"Nope!"

Jigsaw's eyes narrowed at the giddy answer as Maddie's insane laughter rang loud and true throughout the garden, pounding heavily into his head and making his eye twitch involuntarily as he pulled his top hat off of his head to dust off the brim. "Of course, you realize that this means war."

"Ooh, fun!" Maddie grinned broadly as she popped up out of a flower bed, causing slight distress amongst the flowers as she flipped out of the blinking flowers with Ben's shirt gripped tightly in her hands; a tiny, teacup-like hat sat on her head, making Skurd wonder just where they were now while Jigsaw seemed unphased. The Dodgjierian watched as the Hatter tucked his shirt under her arm and pulled her hat off of her head to reach in up to her elbow and rummaging around inside for a few seconds, a slight clattering noise coming from the pile of seemingly random junk behind Jigsaw before Maddie finally pulled out a large scimitar with a blade the color of a neon candy cane.

"En guard!" she grinned happily.

"Oh, well, when in Rome . . ." Jigsaw shrugged.

"Yes, but I hardly think this place classifies as Rome." Skurd drawled; Jigsaw ignored him and grabbed his cane by the emerald tip, holding it out like a sword as Maddie laughed and rushed at him, arm pulled back and ready to give a wild swing that was easily parried and blocked by the Dodgjierian. The Hatter didn't seem phased in the slightest and thrust her sword outwards, forcing Jigsaw to bend over backwards to avoid getting run through before he lashed out with his leg and swept Maddie's feet out from under her. While she was down, Jigsaw popped back up to his feet and felt the pores in his skin give off an invisible pheromone or hormone of some kind while Maddie climbed back up to her feet.

"I hate to tell you this now, but that stuff won't work on little ol' me." Maddie giggled sweetly as she charged right at Jigsaw and managed to kick him in the chest, sending him skidding back a couple feet and beyond an old tree with fluffy, purple leaves. As Maddie came in for another swipe of her blade, Jigsaw grabbed one of the branches overhead and bent it back before releasing it; the idea was that Maddie would be struck in the face and either be thrown back a couple feet, far enough for Jigsaw to hopefully gain the upper hand, or stun her long enough for him to get an edge. Unfortunately for him, Maddie's short stature worked in her favor and the branch swung harmlessly over her head as she chased the Dodgjierian around the thick trunk of the tree.

"That won't work, silly Mother Goose!" Maddie giggled when she noticed that Jigsaw was attempting to pull the same trick once more; the Dodgjierian merely smirked as he miraculously managed to slid the base of the limba nd consequently its branches farther down the trunk so that it was level with the Hatter's chest, allowing him to let the branch snap back and send her flying.

"Um, what just happened?" Skurd wondered.

"Long story short, Jigsaw can manipulate the world around him like a cartoon." the Dodgjierian replied. Maddie was instantly on her feet again, still smiling happily as she gleefully rushed at the Dodgjierian and (wisely) avoided the tree branch altogether to slash her sword, only to have Jigsaw once again block it with ease and parry the attack effortlessly with his cane before he kicked Maddie hard in the gut and sent her skidding back to land forcefully against the trunk of the tree; Maddie laughed in response, even when a beehive was shaken loose from a higher branch and fell on her head, firmly attaching it to her with honey.

"I always wanted to try my hair in a beehive, but this is ridiculous!" she cackled madly; the bees surprisingly did not sting her, though this was most likely due to the fact that they were ignoring the Hatter altogether and were having tea in the branches above.

"Nice. Now can I please have my shirt back?" Jigsaw pleaded.

" _Maybe . . ._ " Maddie purred with a small smile, lowering her sword slightly.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." Skurd seemed to frown.

"But-"

"I knew it! Let be known that I, Skurd the Slimebiote, called it!" Skurd declared loudly before being flicked upside the head by Jigsaw.

" _But,_ " Maddie smiled. "You have to join me for a tea party!"

" . . . that doesn't sound so bad." Jigsaw admitted, resting on his cane once more. Maddie clapped her hands happily and took off her hat once again to toss her sword inside; a noticeable clatter came from behind the Dodgjierian as Maddie set her hat back on her head and grabbed Jigsaw's hand to eagerly pull him towards the stone table in the middle of the colorful garden as the fish band that was playing in the garden's pond switched a more peppy, upbeat tune to one that was more commonly found in the romance movies that Cupid loved to watch at the Multi-Hex. Jigsaw didn't seem to be aware of this small detail as Maddie enthusiastically sat him down in the seat across from her before taking her hat off her head once more to allow Earl Grey to hop out with a stack of four teacups in his paws that he set down in front of Maddie, Jigsaw, Skurd, and then himself.

"What kind of tea would you like?" Maddie asked.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to have ginger tea, would you?" Jigsaw asked. "Or maybe a smoothy instead?"

Maddie shook her head. "Sorry, Ben. I know how much you love Mr. Smoothy's, but I just can't bring that in the story right now. It would ruin what Creaturemaster has to come!" she smiled. "I do have some ginger tea, though. Recently brewed, too!"

Jigsaw and Skurd shared an odd and rather uncomfortable look with each other, very scared and curious as to how Maddie knew the name of their favorite after-and-during-work establishment to kill time while drinking frozen beverages until some sort of threat reared its ugly head once more. "Once again, there's gotta be something to this whole narrator thing she keeps going on about." Jigsaw mused.

"Oh, you have no idea!" Maddie laughed as she poured them all steam cups of ginger tea from the waiting tea kettle in the center of the table, which turned out to function as something like a stove corner of sorts when the teapot was placed back properly, allowing a seemingly endless supply of tea to flow forth, something that wouldn't have surprised Jigsaw in the slightest.

"Well, I suppose you can't chase a cat and expect it to catch mice!" Maddie declared suddenly, setting the teapot back down in the center of the stone table. "One lump or two?"

"Are you going to hit him with a hammer?"

" _Maybe . . ._ " Maddie smiled once more.

"In that case, I'll just have my tea unsweetened, thank you very much." Jigsaw said firmly; Skurd quickly agreed and Maddie deflated slightly, letting a particularly large mallet that she may or not have recently used fall to the ground before a bright smile returned to her face as she proceeded to sweeten her tea with three lumps of sugar. "So, what exactly is this place?" Jigsaw asked, taking a sip of his tea and relishing the taste. It reminded him strongly of the nights when he came back after a rather exhausting chase to find Robecca was still functioning and boiling a pot of tea on the stove. The two of them often shared many a evening together just relaxing in the living room with some random movie on while sipping their tea and cuddled up together under a warm blanket, occasionally being joined by Jane or Venus, too.

"You miss your ghouls, don't you?" Maddie asked, startling Jigsaw.

"Okay, you are _really_ starting to scare me." the Dodgjierian blinked. "But, yes, I do miss them."

"I'd love to meet them. Robecca sounds particularly nice." Maddie smiled. "As for your previous question, silly, this is my own personal Wonderland! After me, daddy, and my friends escaped Wonderland after the Evil Queen put a horrible curse on it, I created this place so I always had a little bit of home to keep myself sane!"

"Since when are you _ever_ sane?" Skurd cocked a beady eye as he took a sip of his own tea through a straw. "Delicious, by the way. Almost as scrumptious as good ol' DNA."

"I meant sane by Wonderland standards, silly!" Maddie giggled.

"Nice place. A few curtains, some shag carpeting, and it'll clean up real nice." Jigsaw joked, taking a sip of his own tea. "You must really miss Wonderland."

Maddie sighed and rested her elbows on the table as she absentmindedly stirred her tea and drew the concerned attention of Earl Grey as he hesitated in his chewing of a biscuit. "I suppose so. I mean, I love Ever After and everything . . . I met Raven here after all, and she's been my Best Friend Forever After, among other things, but there's just something about Wonderland that can't be filled with what's here in Ever After."

"What do you miss about Wonderland?" Jigsaw wondered.

"Oh, you would have loved it." Maddie smiled. "The checkerboard grass, the bright yellow and pink sky all rolled into one color, the playing card groves, the massive and crazy tea parties. And we only had to attend one day of school, too!"

" _One day!?_ " Jigsaw nearly dropped his tea. "Where can I sign up for this school!?"

Maddie laughed hysterically. "Oh, silly, as great as Wonderland High is, it's not all it's cracked up to be. The one day of a year that we have to attend school is the toughest day yet! We aren't allowed to have tea parties in the hallways or classrooms, the furniture talks back and makes horrible jokes, and the teachers are all talking fish! Okay, maybe that ones a bit of an exaggeration, but still!"

"So, you're saying you still miss it?" Jigsaw quirked an eye.

"Yeah." Maddie admitted with a sad smile; the Omnitrix timed out seconds later in a flash of green light, returning a still bare chested Ben to the world; Maddie sighed and tossed him back his shirt. "I suppose I've wasted enough of your time anyhow. You can go if you want; exit's right back the way you came." she said, pointing over Ben's shoulder.

Ben frowned at the sudden change in behavior; normally, the wild and eccentric girl before him would be literally running up the walls and ceilings of the school while splashing insane amounts of tea everywhere as she simultaneously brightened up everyone's day no matter how terrible they were feeling. To see her suddenly down trodden and depressed just felt . . . wrong. As if to further emphasis Ben's point, a small stormy weather cloud slowly formed over Maddie's head, flashing with lighting and thunder briefly before letting a small down pour relentlessly pelt Maddie's head; the Hatter didn't seem to notice.

"What else do you miss about Wonderland?" Ben asked, determined to fix Maddie.

"Well . . . before Wonderland fell . . . I remember, when we were still small and only learning how to be mad, me and Kitty would play all sorts of pranks and jokes on Lizzie, just waiting to hear her scream 'off with your heads' before we all burst into giggles. Of course, that usually caused the local giggle plants to burst into fits of laughter and keep the Caterpillars up at night, but it was so worth it." Maddie recalled happily.

"Well, nothing's stopping you from still doing that here in Ever After," Ben pointed out. "Plus, you still have Wonderland Grove and this place; all you need to do is grab some of your friends and just . . . let lose." Ben shrugged, reaching across the table to place his hand on Maddie's and give her a comforting squeezing, almost dwarfing her fingers in the process. "And, hey, if you ever need some extra madness, just find me. You can have mine." he joked. "Sphinx knows I already have too much."

Before Ben could comprehend what happened next, Maddie had leaped clear across the stone table in a single bound and promptly tackled him to the ground, her arms wrapped almost painfully around Ben's neck and chest, squeezing him very much like that of a hungry boa constrictor as she fully pressed her lips to Ben's in a full kiss; the Hatter ignored his startled and muffled cries in favor of hugging him tighter and peppering him with sweet kisses until Ben finally surrendered and went along with it in the hoeps that he would survive the incident with nothing more than a pained crick in his neck. He in turn slithered his arms around Maddie's thin waist and hugged her close to him as she eagerly dipped her tongue past his lips and easily subdued his tongue without breaking a sweat before Ben lashed back with as much ferocity as the Hatter herself, if not more. Maddie found herself pressing herself closer to Ben's bare chest and moaning slightly as her hat fell off her head while she felt her legs instinctively wrap around Ben's waist, straddling him tightly as she kissed him.

"I feel your pain, dear friend. Lucky for you, you're not in the thick of things." Skurd sighed upon seeing Earl Grey covering his eyes with his paws.

"Oh, stop it, Earl Grey! You're just jelly!" Maddie giggled as she finally allowed Ben to breath while she cuddled up to him. "Mmm. You smell like tea."

"That may be because you practically spilled the entire teapot over us when you jumped over the table." Ben winced slightly at the hot liquid on his skin.

"That can be easily fixed." Maddie smiled seductively, licking her lips hungrily.

"Aw, man." Ben cursed with a slight smirk.

* * *

" _What hurts the most, is being so close._ "

" _And having so much to say, and watching you walk away._ "

Dexter sighed sighed dishearteningly as he lay on his bed, the dorm around him cold and quiet; the doors to the balcony and bathroom with shut and the main door itself was locked tight with the dresser shoved in front to keep even the strongest of men from coming in. The state of the room itself was not a pretty one, with dried food stains splattered all over the walls and floors with eating utensils and bowls scattered about among a mess of stray papers and worksheets that were either half filled out before they were torn to shreds or weren't even filled in in the first place; he had long since given up on working on the daily school assignments that were slipped underneath his door by some kind Samaritan, along with the pity meals sent his way via the balcony. Granted, they often sat there for hours on end before he noticed or even bothered to retrieve them, if at all, only for him to take a couple of bites before they were added to the collection of thrown food.

The Son of Prince Charming didn't look any better, with his glasses almost carelessly thrown on the side table next to his bed, his crown had been thrown across the room, leaving a large dent in the wall above Hunter's bed, and his usual blue and gold trimmed jacket now lay in shreds on the floor. His brown hair was greasy and unkempt, his entire body giving off a slightly unpleasant odor with the lack of soap or any sort of hygiene for that matter. Dexter's eyes were bloodshot and half open, having not gotten any sort of sleep for what felt like weeks on end; he had hardly moved since he heard those fatal words pass over Ben's lips and turn his world upside down, only moving every now and again to use the bathroom or repeat the song he constantly had playing, the only noise that managed to cut through the deathly quiet sanctum he had created.

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe that Raven Queen, the one girl he had fallen head over heels in love with so hard it very well might have counted as a meteor strike, didn't love him back; the one girl he had managed to work up the courage to ask out on a date, was snatched out of his fingers at the last second by not only someone who was more adept at charming and wooing girls whether he was actually trying or not, but some random guy from another dimension as well. That what hurt the most.

All Dexter's life, he had been seen as the lesser of the two Charming brothers, the extra or left over Charming to be hastily cast into the role of a hero should it be needed; his own parents favored Daring over him by a long shot, to the point where he was actually often forgotten when visitors came around and was only brought out to compare his older brother's heroic and handsome features and skills to his. Most of the time back home, he simply spent in his room playing video games to pass the time or hanging out with Darling before her mysterious disappearance, but he had attacked the chance of going to Ever After High with great force, hoping it to be a chance to set himself apart from Daring in some manner to be recognized as well.

But of course, that didn't work. No matter how hard Dexter tried or worked, his brother always came out on top and managed to foreshadow him in practically every way that didn't directly link to technology in some manner; the girls swooned and drooled over him, the teachers were fond and particularly friendly with him, and even the Headmaster acknowledged the older Son of Prince Charming as a friend to some degree. Dexter meanwhile, was hardly remembered to the point where he could actually walk up to several girls in the halls and they wouldn't even know his name, no matter how ong he had been in school with them; upon reluctantly telling them that he was related to Daring, they all immediately started squealing and swooning and talking about his brother until he was forgotten altogether and he retreated into the Mirror Lab.

And the one time he actually felt true and desired feelings for someone, the one time he put all his mind and effort into working what little princely charms he had into wooing the girl of his dreams, she had been snatched from his fingers before he got to fully grasp her. Just when he was able to call Raven Queen his own, Ben had swooped in and taken it from him, all his hard work shattered before his very eyes like a glass pane carelessly destroyed by a lobbed rock.

" _And never knowing, what could have been._ "

" _And not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do._ "

Raven Queen, the love of his life, had been taken away from him by someone more handsome, more skilled, and just generally better in any way, and it wasn't even his brother! No matter what angle Dexter had thought of to try and win Raven back during the first few desperate hours of his isolation, there was always the possibility that Ben could instantly turn the tide in his favor with just a hit of that watch on his wrist, allowing him to keep Raven forever. And what made it all the worst, was that the person he could have probably relied on in this time of weakness, in this time or sorrow, he had chased away with nothing more than a few, harsh words and one solid blow to the face.

Those first few minutes after he had stormed out of the Mirror Lab had replayed in his mind over and over and over for the entire time he had been in his room, only disturbed by the presence of Hunter before he had angrily chased him out and shoved the dresser in the way to block everyone else out; what hurt the most however, was that Dexter hadn't the faintest idea of what had happened. One moment, he was yelling at Cupid, blaming her for his loss in the race for Raven's heart and that she just couldn't stand to have him win something for once, and then the next, he was standing over the young goddess with his fist clenched so tightly he was drawing blood from his palms as Cupid lay on the floor sobbing with a nasty bruise on her face.

One moment, Dexter had been in control, feeling a mixture of emotions; anger, defeat, sorrow, misery, hopeless, to name a few. The next . . . he couldn't describe. He had seen the whole thing unfold before his very eyes, the way his fingers curled into a tight fist before he slugged Cupid across the face and sent her falling to the floor . . . and yet, he had no recollection of it ever happening, of ever consciously doing it. It was like he wasn't in control of himself for the briefest of seconds, as if something else had somehow taken over the controls to his brain and made him deck his Best Friend Forever After across the face.

" _Not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do._ "

Cupid's cries of betrayal. That's what had kept him up and away from sleep. The way he stood over her like some kind of monster over its helpless and cornered prey, the way she was lying on the ground in a heap with that horrible bruise on her cheek, sobbing uncontrollably as she looked up to Dexter with such pain . . . trying to comprehend and understand why he had hit her.

He felt his heart clench at that thought, knowing full well that he no longer had a leg to stand on now; all bridges he had built to his friends had been burned with one simple movement of his hand. No one would ever talk to him again or even look at him for what he had done, and the one person he could count on to be at his side in the darkest of times and help him through the misery that was his life, now would most likely never look at him ever again, never speak to him again. Dexter twitched his fingers slightly and curled them around a stray, snow white feather on the bed next to him, the last and only thing to remind him of the eternal torture he now lived.

And it was all Ben's fault.

The Son of Prince Charming was quite surprised it took him this long to realize it, that none of this would have ever happened had Ben never interfered with their lives; had Ben never come to their world through whatever inter-dimensional portal spat him out in the first place, he could very well be holding hands with Raven right now, curled up together on the sofa in the student lounge watching a movie together and simply enjoying each others company. Cupid would always sit with him at lunch and occasionally go out for coffee with him always there to laugh at his horrible jokes and help him through the tough times while Daring continued to act the arrogant and egotistical jerk he was. Had Ben never destroyed every last piece of his life that he held dear by simply existing, he would be living his Happily Ever After right now.

Dexter suddenly sat straight up in bed, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth together; _Ben_ was the reason Raven didn't love him. _Ben_ was the reason he had hit Cupid and destroyed his entire life. _Ben_ was the reason he was living like some kind of animal in a cage, completely dependent on the pity of others for sustenance and life. Just as the prince charming felt his anger spike he felt a stabbing pain in the back of his head, an unbearable, burning sensation that only increased as the seconds ticked by and his temper flared. His entire body began to ache and hurt all over, like he was being stabbed repeatedly by a million needles all at once while his insides boiled and cooked alive; he cried out and held his pounding head, rolling back and forth on the mattress in the hopes of easing the pain before he fell off and onto the floor. By then, his screams and howls of pain and become deeper and more guttural as his body began to change. His arms began to swell as his shoulders and back broadened, tearing his shirt at the spine as his fingers trembled and quivered before swiftly turning into sharp claws; razor-sharp teeth tore through his gums in a bloody manner as dark, shaggy fur began to sprout all over his body, only adding to his increasing frame.

By the time the pain finally subsided, it was all over. Dexter . . . he felt nothing. An eerie calm had befallen the prince charming as he blinked his eyes and took in a deep breath, a low growl escaping his lips; the scent of fear, betrayal, and misery hung heavy in the air around him, enticing him. His eyes narrowed as his simple mind replayed his last thoughts over and over in head like a tape recorder, constantly and eternally reminding him of his pained existence.

 _Ben._

 **And with that, I leave you all to guess at what comes next (though truth be told it won't be much of a surprise).**

 **Now the next chapter will be the Halloween chapter, so get ready for some screams and frights, y'all! The chapter will be posted on Halloween night (just because), allowing me to write it and work on my other stories as well, so be patient if this isn't updated until everyone's favorite creepy and kooky, mysterious spooky, and altogether ooky holiday.**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

Hasta Luego!


	15. An Awfully Beastly Business

**Good evening, princes and princesses.**

 **I thought it only fair to warn you that the chapter you are about to read may disturb you. It may shock. It may even _horrify you!_**

 _ ***coughs up a hairball***_

 **You've been warned.**

 **Also, I've noticed that your car has broken down on this lonesome, country road, a place so remote that no one can hear your screams!**

 **Pretend I didn't say that.**

 **Come in, come in, but be warned. If you enter, you may be subjected to my tales . . . _TALES DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU REVIEW MY CHAPTER! MUA-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

 **Sorry. I was thinking of something funny I heard earlier.**

 **But in all serious guys and ghouls, thank you for the awesome and kind feedback from you. Once again, I honestly don't know where I would be without you guys giving me spooktacular ideas and creeperific criticism to work with; so if you've got hands, claws, tentacles, or whatever it is you got, give your a pat on the back and a round of applause!**

 **And for those of you worried or concerned, I am perfectly fine after my . . . absence last chapter. After I came to, applied an ice pack to my head, and managed to blackmail Maddie into holding still long enough for us to talk by threatening to throw her little hat into my fireplace, we have come to an agreement that Maddie will tell me _nicely_ if I am being too slow on the story and other things; hopefully without the mallet or any other nasty surprises she might have up her sleeve.**

 _ **Who says they're up my sleeve?**_

 **Get back in the story, Maddie! Your services are not required yet! And put that mallet away, you are seriously starting to scare me!**

 _ **Aw . . .**_

 **Anyways, enough of my senseless babbling. Onto your questions and review answers!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Yeah, I guess making Dexter turn into the Beast was a given at one point or another, given how much its been implied in the books (which I unfortunately never had the time to read) and other fanfiction stories (I would highly recommend reading** ** _The Raven and her Beast_ and it's predecessor _After Ever After,_ both by _.7_ ). As for Grimm trying to force Dexter and Rosabella together, it'll probably happen sooner or later (knowing Grimm, sooner if he can get past balancing the school's budget and dealing with a pair of seriously ticked off White parents).**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Thank you for the author's name; if I find the story to my liking, I'll see if I can't work it into an alternate universe for my one-shot series. As for your alien transformation OC, once again I already have a compiled list that I fully intend to put in at one point or another in this story, so I'm not really looking for anymore. Plus, with all the other aliens I have to fit in at least once into my story . . . it'll be a long and bumpy road. And no, I have not read** ** _NU: The Killing_ nor will Phantux have minions. Right now though, Phantux will appear passive, like Ghostfreak the first couple of times in the original series, but when he starts to come some more and feed off of Apple's insecurities . . . then maybe we can give him a musical number. And yes, I have seen Master-of-Dream's artwork (he actually let me use his version of Ventrilosquid for the last chapter. Mental note, go make and give him the credit he deserves).**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **I'm glad you're enjoying the chapter. And don't worry about Apple; between my plans to write in** ** _Spring Unsprung_ and _Way to Wonderland,_ I have my own idea for a little special that could very well be considered for Monster High or Ever After High to pick up for future Xovers, but I'll you with this: what if Apple were to some how come across a genie?**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **It'll be a brutal (and very costly) fight before Dexter's able to realize that, but I think I'll probably write in a less negative light; not all girls like heroes, after all.**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially the new alien. The reason I didn't give Ventrilosquid the ability to speak is because it makes more unique amongst the aliens, similar to how Wildmutt was in the original series because he was the only one of Ben's transformations that couldn't talk. As for Kitty, that little mess will be saved for later, but it will happen. Maybe not in a big chase scene, but it will happen.**

 _ **Hat-tastic324 –**_ **I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and as for the idea where Ben is turned into a girl, it will happen just not in the way you expect it. And I'll make sure to pass on your regards to Maddie (provided she doesn't hit me over the head with a mallet again).**

 _ **masterart –**_ **I appreciate the work you've been doing, but I already have a song selected for the Halloween chapter that I have been wanting to do for a** ** _long_ time. And dude, if you have to deal with Pinkie _and_ Maddie, I pity you.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **I'll have you know that that girl was not only wielding a giant hammer, but splashed hot tea into my four eyes to do it! And seriously, this is** ** _Maddie_ we're talking about! If you think I was shamed by _you,_ you should have seen Hades' reaction; I swear, if Olympians could die, he did (which is _really_ ironic, now that I think about it). Sadly, no, I did not see _Boo York Boo York,_ but another reader did give me a clawsome idea that very well could be used to my advantage.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I actually am highly considering on bringing Attea into this story at some point in time; she would make a nice addition to the story, plus a good chance to redeem a villain or two.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Yes! Yes! Cower beneath the awesome power of breaking the fourth wall! And, too be fair, it's not Dexter that's in control at the moment . . .**

 _ **Isom –**_ **You hit the nail right on the head; there will be a King Kong reference in here (was there any doubt?), and you're right; losing Raven to Ben was more like the straw that broke the camel's back, with all the time Dexter spent in his brother's shadow.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I know, right? Future Monster High/Ever After High Xover confirmed! Either way, I think it's more like option B with how Cedar came to be; I'm gonna guess that the Blue Fairy might be considered something of a grandmother to Cedar, considering she's technically Pinocchio's mom with Geppetto being his father.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Kitty** ** _will_ be joining the harem because, unlike Toralei, she's not a complete jerk. As for going into the Omnitrix, I'm slightly hesitant about that just because it might be really awkward or difficult to write.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Close. Very close.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Once again, you manage to predict almost exactly of what will happen. To borrow a line from a evil scientist who is commonly mistaken for a pharmacist and has a semi-aquatic, fedora wearing monotreme for a nemesis, "Curse you** ** _Darkness Rissing_ the Reader!" Stop reading my mind! Of course, you realize this means that I'll have to mix things up a little . . .**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Yes, I am a guy. Apologies for the awkward awkwardness XD And to answer your question, Ventrilosquid is actually not an OC. He's one of the few aliens that, unlike Spitter or Sandbox, was said to be in the Omnitrix but never mentioned in the series (the writers confirmed it themselves). The version I used was made by the wonderful artist** ** _Master-of-Dreams_ on DeviantArt (yes, I got his permission. Which means I need to make a correction to the last chapter and give him the credit he deserves). And how dare you try to get Maddie to hit me over the head with a mallet again! _WHERE IS YOUR HUMANITY!?_ I can however, confirm that Astranova will appear; whether or not she joins the harem, I'm not saying, but if you think she should be with Ben, consider voting on the next poll for my 'Cupid's Crystal Ball' one-shot series. On an unrelated note, _how in the name of Swampfire did you figure out half of what's in the following chapter!?_ And yes, EVO Xenomorph-like monsters would be absolutely terrifying. Also, I am highly contemplating Ben getting turned into an EVO monster of his aliens and Skurd.**

 _ **Chocojumping887 –**_ **The number of girls from Ever After High in Ben's harem will obviously be smaller, just because the show itself has a lack of a large number of characters like Monster High does; I'm hesitant on letting Lilly Bo Peep join the harem just because she hasn't even said a single word yet in all her appearances and there is deep information about her that I could use. I would like to give her a slightly bigger roll than she has in the series though, so I'll see what I can do.**

 _ **mechazard101 –**_ **I've been working on drawing a picture of Jigsaw myself to post on my DeviantArt account, and that will hopefully be up soon; my username is** ** _Fanficwriter1,_ and my profile pictures or Phobos (I managed to get a wonderful artist by the name of _Holycrap1992_ to draw him and I have to say, Phobos never looked better ). I'm flattered that you want to draw him though.**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Well . . .** ** _this is Halloween, this is Halloween! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night! This Halloween, everybody make a scene! Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright! It's our town, everybody scream in this town of Halloween!_**

 _ **Stop singing! You're stalling!**_

 **Sorry, Maddie. Please put those cymbals away.**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **I doubt even Maddie knows that much, but there's always Professor Paradox and hesiciah Steam if you've got questions. As for Astranova, I've been getting so many requests for her to appear that I can't refuse it; plus, another reader gave me a spell-tacular idea on how to incorporate her into this whole mess, too. So count on it!**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Aw, you really think so? Stop, you're making me blush. You probably can't tell 'cause of my pale, undead face, but you get the gist . . .**

 _ **.10 –**_ **It'll take a little time, but he'll get it back together by the end, that much I can guarantee without spoling anything.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Far more sinister than what they've planned before (maybe). As for Monster High and the location names, the way I see it is that it's similar to the original Monster High series; Normies and Monsters live together and call the locations by whatever they call it. Monsters call it Scaris and Normies call it Paris, meaning the same thing. As for Monster High, I was actually going to cover that in a later chapter, like I'm doing with the occasional flashbacks to Ben's dimension.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **No, the Evil Queen has nothing to do with this one. This is all Dexter's doing (** ** _OR IS IT!?_ ) and trust me when I say I have no intention of breaking Ashlynn and hunter apart; maybe in a one-shot that pairs Ashlynn and Ben together, but never in my main story. I never mess with canon outright.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Wow, dude (or dudette). Sorry to hear that. And actually, Hunter could build things relatively quickly even before he was fused with Jury Rigg's DNA (Aliens wiki says he's called a Planchakule, but I'll believe it when I see it on Ben 10's wiki). And yeah, Toralei had provided some inspiration for Bad Apple; as for the idea that other 'heroes' come and try their luck against Ben, it would make a considerable 'running gag', like Ben returning to the Underworld and kicking Hades' butt in the last story. Also, thanks for the Cedar idea. I'll admit, she's a hard character to write, only because she doesn't appear as often as, say, Cerise or Maddie do. And if you ever have problems with Kitty, send her my way. I think I might be able to convince Maddie to help.**

 _ **fantasylover4evr –**_ **Glad you managed to catch up! Enjoy the following chapter!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **No, I haven't read** ** _Bcarandang1's_ Xover, but I might consider it now that you mention it (if only I had more time on my hands. What I wouldn't give to be Clockwork). As for Spanner, I think now that the two universes are merged he's really nothing more than a distant memory and that he doesn't exist in the now main timeline (maybe in an alternate dimension where Ben never went to the Monster World). Skurd, I think with the addition of the Biomnitrix's and if he should actually last/live that long, would possibly make it something like a Triomnitrix, giving a Biomnitrix alien an added bonus, per say. Something like giving Fourmungousaur a pair of Stinkfly wings or something like that.**

 _ **morganoth –**_ **That actually is what happened. It will be further explained, but Diagon won't be returning for this story (I believe he is quite literally dead as a god can be).**

 _ **Smokescreen2814 –**_ **Thank you for considering to read my story! I shall try to make this as enjoyable as possible for a strict Ben 10 fan such as yourself.**

 _ **Soos –**_ **Not much, dude. How're things down at the Mystery Shack? I am surprised, to say the least, that a character from another franchise entirely managed to clear the interdimensional problems it takes to read this kind of thing, so good on ya! As for your dream question, she most likely will get more premonitions later on in the story when things get serious, but right now it's mostly just comforting/terrifying her for the moment, warning her of something far sinister down the road.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Yeah, Apple doesn't strike me as the immediate harem girl either. So, I guess that means I'll have to punish her and make sure she learns her lesson! MUA-AHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 _ **Zak Saturday –**_ **I'm a Tetramand of my word. Even when I'm dead!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Sadly not sure if Ventrilosquid will appear in the Ben 10 reboot they're planning, but here's hoping! Now onto your ideas: I know you're really hoping that Myaxx and Euince will appear at least once, but right now it just seems unnecessary; maybe they'll appear in one of the side adventures the ghouls go on back in Ben's dimension, but right now that idea's still on the shelf. As for Cooper . . . yeah, the guy could use some love, huh? Consider it done (eventually)! I don't think Darkstar would form an alliance with another vampire (even if he is reformed), 'cause that just leads to fights over who gets more energy and whatnot. As for your fourth idea . . . this could work. Skelita and Venus sadly won't be able to attend (you'll have to read on to see why), but I think I can arrange for Bonita and another ghoul or two to** ** _embark on la búsqueda épica_ you have set out for them. Consider it on the 'Absolutely . . . probably . . . maybe' list, so named after everyone's favorite, bumbling Galvan tech support.**

 _ **Fox Boss –**_ **Well, if this is to be 'realistic' enough, Dexter would have to act accordingly. And having his crush stolen from him might make him act similarly. So . . . please be patient.**

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin –**_ **Sorry, no. The appearance of alpha has it's uses and reasons, I promise you, but it's nothing too serious that I am going into.**

 _ **I wanna answer the last one! I like her the most!**_

 **Oh, fine. Make it quick though. We've been talking long enough.**

 _ **Royal Rebel – Hiya, there! I'm Maddie, if you didn't already know that! Now enough tapping the hedgehog with a flamingo, onto your questions and the answers I shall provide! Even if Riding Hood were able to do that kinda thing, it would only happen in time of pure stress, and even then I doubt she would be strong enough to lift up a building (it would be wicked though!). As for Astranova, you can bet your teacups she'll appear at a later date; she kinda got lost on her trip around this galaxy. Oh, well! Stop by the tea shop anytime and ask for me! I've got some . . .**_ **tricks** ** _up my sleeve._**

 **Maddie, what did I say about flirting with the readers?**

 _ **Oh, come on! She likes tea, I like tea! She's mad, I'm madder! We're perfect for each other!**_

 **How do you even know 'she' is a she, anyway?**

 _ **I love you, Royal Rebel!**_

 **Maddie, just . . . just, no. Go and drink some tea or something, just don't do it here!**

 _Party-pooper . . . I'll wait for you Royal Rebel!_

 **Get out of here already! _Ahem._ My apologies. Maddie got into some bad tea mix yesterday and it's driving both me and her up the wall; I'd ask Hades to help me get rid of her, but he likes her as much I do. Plus, she absolutely refuses to room/bunk with anyone else but of my unlife's miseries and woes! Before we begin, I would like to thank _luciayshadow_ for giving me an idea for Skelita's second alien form! That's right, boos and ghouls, everyone's favorite skeleton is getting an upgrade (no, she doesn't get Upgrade. That's just a bad use of a pun right there).**

 _ **GET ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**_

 **I THOUGHT YOU WE'RE DRINKING TEA!?**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Also, I own nothing by _Skillet_ or _Micheal Jackson._ Don't sue me!**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **Hey, that's my line!**

Rook didn't move.

He didn't flinch or twitch a single muscle. Heck, he hardly even _breathed_ as he kept the Proto-Tool trained on the ever shifting figure of Alpha; the room was the equivalent of a mausoleum, no one daring to make any sudden movements. Clawdeen as her claws spread out and her teeth clenched tightly, fighting against the feral growl in the back of her throat as Venus glared suspiciously as the crimson cloud of nanites. Jane hid behind her, peeking over her shoulder, unsure of what to make of the strange and rather frightening figure that stood between them and the Null Void Projector. Only Skelita, despite having nearly died at the hands of Alpha, retained an air of calmness over the situation, her expression not one of anger or fear nor of one of trust either.

"Alpha," Rook tried the foreign name in his mouth. "You are hereby ordered to surrender. You are under arrest for attempted murder and murder itself; if you do not comply within the time span of exactly twenty seconds, we will be forced to shoot."

"And you wouldn't want to make us do that." Clawdeen snarled, a slight roar behind her fangs.

The nanite figure didn't seem to be even remotely deterred by the werewolf's threat. "Why show such needless aggression? I have no animosity to you." Alpha quirked an eyebrow.

"You just tried to kill one of cadets!" Rook argued crossly.

"Not kill," Alpha corrected in his eerily calm manner of innocence. "Merely inhabit her body."

"Oh, that makes it _so_ much better." Venus rolled her eyes. "Just be glad Ben isn't here, otherwise you would be toast."

Venus' words made Alpha pause, his sinister glare becoming deeper as he swiftly thrust her arms out towards them, his nanite composition allowing him to grow his hands to massive proportions and sprout new limbs as he grew four large arms and pinned Rook, Skelita, and Clawdeen in the first, Venus and Jane in the second, and the small army of Plumbers agents in the other two to the walls. "How do you know that name?" the crimson figure growled, calmly walking forward to receive his answer.

"We're his ghoulfriends, you jerk!" Clawdeen snarled, struggling to free herself; Rook pressed one of the many buttons on the Proto-Tool and watched as it folded and flexed and reconfigured itself into a bright orange energy saw. Once the weapon had settled, he began to cut away at the firm prison that held him, Clawdeen, and Skelita captive, the shifting figure of nanites not seeming to notice or care.

"Girlfriends? Biological mates?" Alpha quirked an eyebrow. "Rather unusual for a human to have so many."

"Get used to it, bub!" Venus shouted. "You aren't taking us out so easily, right, Jane?"

"R-Right." Jane gulped nervously as she focused on an image in her head and felt the changes begin. Her body began to swell and grow as muscle and tissue formed and packed themselves tightly against each other just under her skin, giving her shifting body a horrifically muscled appearance; her fingers stiffened and clenched as if Jane was in intense pain as her nails grew larger and more pointed, twisting into sharp claws while her feet tore through her shoes and came to nearly match her hands. Her spine arched and crunced as she was forced to hunch over, pushing against Alpha's hands as a thick, reptilian tail sprouted from the base of her spine and pushed her off of the wall, allowing her to slip through Alpha's fingers and fall to the floor where the transformation continued. Her face bulged forwards as her teeth cracked in her teeth and became dagger sharp, more teeth pushing up through her gums as her face elongated forward into a bear trap-like jaw; her eyes rotated farther apart on either side of her face as a long, yellow, forked tongue slipped past her lips and sampled the air. Powerful legs lifted Jane off of the ground as her neck expanded and thickened dramatically as thick, armored scales took the palce of her soft, purple skin; the Nemetrix appeared around her neck in the form of a spiked collar, completing the transformation.

With a loud hiss, the Komodo dragon lunged forward, racing at Alpha on its four, powerful legs with its saliva stained jaws wide open to expose sixty needle-like teeth that Jane quickly used to clamp tightly around the nanite construct's leg, twisting and shaking her head back and forth in a savage manner to quickly severe the limb and force Alpha to release his hold on Rook, Clawdeen, and Skelita to support himself in the absence of his leg.

Skelita wasted no time as she fell to the floor and quickly slammed a hand on the waiting activation button of her Omnitrix, engulfing her in a flash of orange light that changed and warped her body at the genetic level into something new. Her bones cracked and snapped loudly as they grew larger and began to thicken, hundreds upon thousands of firm rods forming inside of her marrow to give them extra structure and support as her rounded shoulder blades began to broaden slightly, allowing her chest and rib cage to grow larger as well. Her bony knuckles and fingers trembled and clenched slightly before exploding in size, wicked claws tipping each bony finger as her legs started to match her arms in size and strength. Skelita's lower jaw jutted outwards in a large underbite that let her two of her sharpening teeth to curve up over her upper jaw while horn-like protrusions started to form above her eye sockets. Now crimson muscles commenced their slow and steady invasion of her skeleton, coating her white bones in fat and tissue and packing particularly tightly around her legs and lower abdomen while skin began to form over her new muscles and flesh; soon after that, deep orange fur started to sprout all over her, coating Skelita in a thick carpet as black stripes etched their way across her legs, shoulders and back while patches on her stomach, jaw, hands, and feet formed. Her nonexistent bust swelled into existence just as a tight, black and marigold colored leotard materialized over her body, followed quickly by black finger-less gloves, open toe boots, and a luchador mask that matched her outfit and allowed a short, orange ponytail tipped a deep black to slip through. The transformation completed the Omnitrix appeared in the form of a slim belt around Skelita's waist and as two, large claws ripped out of both of her feet.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Alpha, _extraña criatura nanite de un universo paralelo!_ Furryosa will defeat you! Furyosa will hunt you down even though you're standing right here! You are no match for the _genialidad_ of Furryosa!" the female Appoplexian bellowed loudly in deep baritone, yet feminine voice that made Clawdeen and Rook share odd looks with each other.

"Your senseless aggression . . . it does not make any sense." Alpha noted as the nanites from his fallen leg dispelled into a red cloud and flew back over to him; a new limb quickly sprouted where the old one had been torn off by Jane.

" _I KNOW!_ " Furryosa roared as she clenched her fist and charged right at Alpha, dropping to the floor to curl herself up into a ball and roll at the constantly shifting figure before she popped up and stood on her strong hands to lash out with her feet; Alpha cried out with surprise as his face was slashed apart into a cloud of nanites that quickly reformed seconds later before Furryosa gave a swift shift of her body that let her nail Alpha in the gut and send him flying back, releasing the rest of the captive Plumbers and Venus.

"Go! Retreat and lock us in!" Rook ordered. "As of this moment, this room is on lock down on you are hereby ordered not release us until I have given you the command to do so!" he shouted sternly as his Proto-Tool shifted back into a blaster just time for him to take a few potshots at Alpha's swirling form.

Molly hesitated slightly. "Are you-

"Yes, Ms. Gunther, I am sure!" Rook said firmly, turning his Proto-Tool in a a bright orange power whip that he cracked loudly across the ground to hold Alpha at bay for a brief second. "Do not disobey a direct order from your Magister! _GO!_ "

Molly sighed and quickly complied, following the rest of the retreating Plumbers into the elevator and watching as Rook, Furryosa, and a severely irked Komodo dragon attacked Alpha, holding him off long enough for the Plumbers to make their escape; with a loud roar, Jane surged right back at Alpha and propped herself up onto her hind legs at the last second, nailing a bone crushing bite to his neck as Furryosa in the chest.

"Keep 'im busy while I try to dial Polarize back in!" Clawdeen cried as she moved her hand to her own Omnitrix to join the fight.

Alpha caught sight of the werewolf and quickly sprouted another, rope-like arm to reach past and around Furryosa and Jane's attempts to subdue him to attach a clawed hand to the device around Clawdeen's wrist; she screamed with fear and anger and attempted to get him to let go as red, circuit patterns arched over the Omnitrix on her with a loud beeping noise before quickly retreating back to Alpha just as Rook cracked his whip at the spot his hand had been a moment ago. With a loud roar, Furryosa slugged him twice in the jaw before delivering a swift crane kick that sent him flying backwards.

"Such an interesting device." Alpha marveled. "More . . . complete than the last one." he noted as a section of his right wrist warped and shifted slightly before hardening and materializing into a more crude looking version of the Omnitrix around his wrist; the watch-like device was about twice as large as Clawdeen's and was embedded heavily into Alpha's shifting flesh, the design a dark red and gray in color in contrast to Clawdeen's purple and white.

"Yeah, well, enjoy it while you can!" Clawdeen snarled as she tapped her Omnitrix and slammed a hand down, waiting for the familiar purple light to wash over her and change her DNA. After a few seconds of waiting, nothing happened and the werewolf took a glance at the dark device, the familiar glow it gave off now dead. "What the Sphinx? He did something to my watch!"

"Yes, I did." Alpha confirmed with his ever eerie way of talking so calmly despite the situation; the stolen Omnitrix around his wrist glowed an ominous red in color. "Perhaps this time there is a form that may suit my needs." he breathed before the horrific Omnitrix upon his wrist swallowed him in a flash of red light and began to change him, his nanites forming a body for him to inhabit. Tough, crimson skin with a sickly hue to its shade started to form over Alpha's shifting arm, wrapping around his fingers with a loud splitting noise as his hands were morphed into three, strong, terrible claws with fleshy knobs tipping the knuckles; the skin traveled up Alpha's arm, crawling over his shoulder and moving onto his neck and chest as the nanites that made up his body began to compact and form themselves into stiff, strong muscles according to the blueprints the faulty Omnitrix provided. A loud, wet noise filled the air as two more muscled arms like the original suddenly exploded out of Alpha's sides in an ungodly manner, positioned in a functioning, yet almost painful manner as the first set of arms shifting slightly to look as if they had painfully sprouted from the nanite construct's shoulders. The sickly, crimson skin started to travel down to Alpha's legs, forming muscles that barely seemed to be contained underneath the tough exterior as three sharp talons with a fourth thrusting out of the back taking the place of his feet. His back swelled and bulked as a mane of greasy, black hair formed on his head and chin while his face protruded outwards in a rounded, amphibian-like nature; the jaws were quickly filled with sharp teeth as two, fleshy straps connected the upper and lower jaws together as two sets of glowing, red eyes formed on Alpha's face. Pulsing, blood red veins formed across his overly muscled body and glowed an ominous red as they all connected to the faulty Omnitrix jamming painfully out of his chest while a pair of black, ragged pants and undershirt materialized on him.

"Oh, my ghoul." Venus whispered as Alpha Four Arms gave a low, bestial growl from its vice-like jaws while it flexed its horrific claws experimentally.

" _Interesting . . ._ " the false Tetramand rasped.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Alpha who has now stolen Clawdeen Wolf's Omnitrix in the hopes of finding a host body that he'll most likely never find! Furryosa will not stand for this! Furryosa will destroy you and _patear el culo_ all the way to Hexico before I march all the way down there and kick it all the way back up here again! _Y hacer que les guste, también!_ "

The EVO Tetramand roared and raised up two of its monstrous arms, using the other two to support its hulking weight, and merely slammed one of his hideous hands into Furryosa, sending her flying across the room and landing painfully on the floor; Jane hissed venomously at this and lunged at Alpha Four Arms, digging her sixty, bacteria-stained teeth into the thick skin on his shoulder she was pulled off by the adjacent arm and thrown clear across the room where she rolled along the floor for a couple of yards before she came to a stop and resumed her original form.

"You just made a _huge_ mistake." Venus glared at Alpha as she tapped her own Omnitrix and slapped a hand on the waiting activation button without hesitation, encompassing herself in a flash of neon green light. She felt her skin harden into a soft, metallic sheen as it turned the color of oil and tar; arms and legs were reduced to near toothpicks with a loud squishing and cracking noise so that she didn't even reach Rook's knee. Venus' body became cylindrical in shape, her pointed legs sticking out of the bottom of her geometrical figure and her pointed hands that included nothing more than a two fingers and thumb out of her sides. A neon green lightning pattern etched itself down her front as two bolts appeared on either of her arms and shoulders; a 'plus' and 'minus' symbol appeared on her back as the Omnitrix appeared on her perfectly flat head, completing the transformation.

"Lets see what you can do up against _this!_ Ahahahahaha!" Electra cackled mischievously.

Alpha Four Arms merely slowly blinked his four eyes with boredom as the Nosedeenian morphed into an electrical body and dove through the floor and into the inner workings of the Plumber base, working her way through the electrical system and wiring as Furryosa climbed to her feet and rushed at the false Tetramand overhead, slamming her feet into his chest to stun him before nailing him in the jaw with a swift kick that sent him stumbling back and forcing him to raise one of his arms in front of his face to protect himself. While the Appoplexian was briefly distracted by trying to slash through the arm that shielded the EVO Tetramand's face with the claws on her feet, another of the three arms suddenly moved and swatted Furryosa away like a fly, sending her skidding along the floor and leaving deep trails in the paneling where her claws dug through.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Alpha, who has now stole Clawdeen Wolf's Omnitrix in the hopes of finding a host body that he'll most likely never find! Nobody shoots Furryosa in _la cara_ and gets away with it! Not by _un tiro largo!_ Or even a short shot!" the Appoplexian bellowed as she landed a roundhouse kick to Alpha Four Arms' gut and made him bend over in pain before she kicked him in the face and sent him reeling.

"Why does Skelita keep on kickin' him?" Clawdeen wondered as she ducked to avoid a wild swing of Alpha Four Arms' claws. "Wouldn't it be easier to punch 'im?"

"Female Appoplexians, unlike male Appoplexians, have lower body strength," Rook explained as he managed to shoot one of the false Tetramand's eyes. "They are more effective as warriors when they use their legs for attacks."

"Ever consider becoming a computer?" Clawdeen joked slightly as Alpha Four Arms gave a horrible bellow and swung its massive claws, sending Furryosa flying clear across the room where she smashed into the wall far off, leaving an Appoplexian-sized hole as she slid down the wall with a slight groan.

Clawdeen let out a long, feral howl before she dropped down to all fours and rushed right at the EVO Tetramand, leaping to the left and right to dodge punches that would have obliterated a building before she bunched up her legs and pounced upon him, slamming into him and throwing him to the ground long enough for her to lash out with her sharp claws and leave shallow grooves across his crimson skin; with a single swing of his arm, the EVO Tetramand sent her flying and climbed up off of the floor before Electra came flying out of the floor and blasted him with a large voltage of electricity, lighting him up like a Christmas tree.

With a dying screech, the bootleg Omnitrix timed out in a flash of red light and returned Alpha to his unstable, constantly shifting form where he received another blast of energy from the Nosedeenian.

"Keep firing, Ms. McFlytrap! It seems to be weakening!" Rook advised.

"Great idea! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!" Electra cackled.

"Famous last words." Alpha hissed as he activated the nanite powered Omnitrix secured tightly to his right wrist and swallowed himself in a burst of red light; sickly, black skin started to form over Alpha's figure while his fingers grew longer and more tentacle-like before metallic cubes tipped the very ends. His shoulders began to broaden, golden bolts thrusting almost painfully out of his shoulders and arms as two large tentacles with metallic tips sprouted from his shoulders and started to crack about violently while a twin, cable-like tails sprouted from the base of Alpha's spine. Three large claws grew from the nanite construct's feet as his jaw thrust out and sprouted a pair of saber-like teeth that curved up over his upper jaw while a single, blood red orb took the place of his eye. Two antennae thrust out from Alpha's head as the faulty Omnitrix appeared on his chest.

"Voltage." Electra cursed as Alpha Feedback gave a loud roar and flicked out a long, forked tongue past his needle-like teeth to sample the air before he raised his tentacle-tipped hands to curl around the small Nosedeenian and jam three plugs into her skin to siphon off and drain her of her power; Electra screamed in agony as her energy was slowly drained away from her.

Rook noticed this and aimed his blaster right at the EVO Conductoid's eye in the hopes of blinding it when he fired off several sniper shots; Alpha Conductoid unfortunately saw this coming and whipped out his two antennae to quickly absorb the Proto-Tool fire and then proceed to drain the weapon itself of its power and energy before retching it out out of Rook's grasp and tossing it away and out of reach.

"Venus!" Clawdeen cried as the Nosedeenian screamed in agony.

Unfortunately, this was a _massive_ mistake on Alpha's part. A sudden, savage scream sliced through the air like a knife, drawing Alpha Feedback's attention towards where Jane had been thrown aside to see her furiously bring a fist down on the Nemetrix that resided on her wrist and engulf her in a flash of red light, changing her DNA into something new. Her skin crunched and snapped loudly as it compressed heavily in on itself and hardened into a thick shell; Jane's bones groaned and loudly pushed themselves to the surface of her skin, pushing aside her muscles and tissue to reach her hardening skin and quickly merge with it, forming a single, tough exterior over her like that of an arthropod's exoskeleton. Two, jointed legs suddenly exploded out from her sides with a loud and sickening slurping noise, glistening in the low light with moisture as her feet and toes fused together into hardened, pointed tips before bending backwards with a loud cracking noise to form a third pair of legs; her arms lengthened and her hands grew into gigantic, black blades as her fingers shifted and grew into blood red spikes to form a sort of deadly pincer. Jane's rear end and gut region began to swell into a thick, black abdomen as her lips disappeared and two of her canine teeth curved out to form massive pincers that dripped with highly toxic venom. Her lavender eyes split into three more while two, fleshy tendrils with metallic tips exploded out of her disappearing shoulders and bronze bolts popped out at her joints and along her back. The final addition to the gigantic, spider-like predator was the addition of the Nemetrix in the form of spiked collar around her nearly nonexistent neck.

"A Teslavorrian Therastrom." Rook remarked. "Very rare and almost extinct."

Clawdeen gazed upon the monstrous, spider-like predator as its fangs oozed with a toxic venom that pooled on the floor with a loud hissing noise while its tentacles cracked back and forth angrily. "Uh, what's it doin'?" she wondered.

"Most likely awaiting the rest of its pack; despite its gargantuan size in comparison to its prey, Teslavorrian Therastrom never attacks a Conductoid without backup." Rook explained. "It is unknown if it is an act of cowardice or-

Arachnattack didn't wait for Clawdeen to finish as she raised her serrated forelimbs and charged at Alpha Feedback, slashing viciously with her blades and slicing off several of the false Conductoid's tentacles before its pincers parted slightly and fired off a thick webbing from an organ in her head that slammed into Alpha Feedback with a wet slapping noise and pinned tightly against the far wall; the nanite monstrosity's grip on Electra however, didn't loosen. Instead, he merely shifted his antennae out from behind his back and raised the tentacles growing out of his shoulders to fire off concentrated bursts of electricity at the Teslavorrian Therastrom.

Arachnattack hissed venomously and whipped out her own tendrils to quickly absorb the incoming energy blasts before she surged forward at an incredibly fast pace and fired off two more jets of webbing that pinned Alpha Feedback's tentacles and tendrils to the wall behind him, rendering him incapable of attacking as he continued to drain Electra of her power; the Nosedeenian was making pittiful squeaking noises as her movements became slower and slower.

This only angered the Teslavorrian Therastrom even further; the elephant-sized, alien spider leaped off of its six legs and slammed into the wall Alpha Feedback was trapped against, plunging its two, metal-tipped tendrils deep into his skin and effortlessly siphoning off his own energy as Arachnattack screeched and drove her venom-tipped fangs deep into the false Conductoid's skin, injecting a monumental amount of toxins into his body while she made a quick movement of her blades and sliced off the remaining tentacles holding Electra captive. The Nosedeenian whimpered quietly and fell a short distance before Arachnattack caught in one of her blades and quickly skittered to the ground as the Omnitrix and Nemetrix timed out, returning Venus and Jane to the world.

"A-Are you okay?" Jane asked.

"I'll live." Venus groaned slightly and stiffing a yawn. "I'm just suddenly really, really, _really_ tired." she added before Jane threw her arms around her neck and hugged tightly, burying her head into her shoulder and squeezing her much like an affectionate python. The shape-shifter hardly seemed to notice Alpha Feedback as he gave a cry of agony as the now unstable energy coursing through his body exploded and took out his right arm in a cloud of nanites.

"I was so worried," Jane sniffed. "I thought . . . I thought I was going to lose you . . ."

Venus decided not to tell her ghoulfriend that Nosedeenians were a lot tougher than they looked and that they only fell into slumber upon having the majority of their energy drained; she didn't know what happened if they were drained completely, and quite frankly, she never wanted to know for fear of worrying Jane even further. Rather, for the moment, she simply returned the hug and rubbed her hand along Jane's spine to sooth her.

Furryosa however, was not in the mood for such warm feelings as she staggered to her feet and felt a low growl escape her curled back lips. "Lemme tell ya somethin' Alpha, who has stolen Clawdeen Wolf's Omnitrix in the hopes of finding a host body that he'll most likely never find! Furryosa had enough foolin' around! Furryosa will destroy you with everything she's got, even if that something is the kitchen sink!" she declared loudly before dropping down to all fours and rushing at the EVO Conductoid to launch herself off of the floor and swung her feet forward to deliver a bone-crunching kick to his stomach region; the move stunned Alpha Feedback long enough for her to grip his sickly, black skin with her strong fingers and slash at the Omnitrix embedded into his chest with the claws on her feet, engulfing him in a flash of crimson light and throwing Furryosa back a couple of feet in the process.

"You are starting to amuse me less and less." the unstable nanite construct hissed as he activated the bootleg Omnitrix for a third time and encase himself in a blast of crimson light. Alpha's talons trembled and cracked loudly as his nanites compacted together to form bones that quickly formed three, sharp talons for hands as dull, rust red plating formed hurriedly over Alpha's arms while nanites linked together to form muscles and tissue according to the faulty Omnitrix's instructions. With a loud, sickening, wet noise, a pair of broad, bat-like wings ripped out of Alpha's shoulders, glistening with moisture in the low light as the crimson plating continued to crawl over the nanite construct's figure. His neck elongated, similar to an ostrich's as his shifting face pushed outwards into a hooked, horny beak; curved teeth lined both the upper and bower jaw, curving out into the low light as a pair of feathery whips sprouted from his pointed head. Two, large talons took the place of his feet before a third, scythe-like slashing claw thrust out between them; Alpha's left arm groaned and crunched loudly as metallic plating suddenly took the place of his skin, twisting and morphing together with the loud screches of metal as it formed into a strong, crab-like pincer. More metal upgrades sprouted from all over Alpha's body, forming a jetpack-like structure between his wings and a single, gauntlet-like device on his right wrist and armor formed on his shins as hoses and wires snaked out from his robotic arm and ribs and chest region. The crude Omnitrix appeared embedded in Alpha's chest as a crude loincloth appeared around him.

"Okay, that's just hideous." Clawdeen shook her head as Alpha Astrodactyl gave a loud screech, as if it were in agony.

Rook nodded in agreement. "According to the limited files Ben was able to give us during the last time he encountered Alpha-"

"Wait, Ben's fought this thing before?" Venus cocked a confused eyebrow.

"As you Earthling's say, 'It is a long story'," Rook addressed the comment before getting back to what he was saying before. "As I was saying, according to the limited files Ben was able to fill out after his encounter with Alpha, it is well known that these 'nanites', when activated at any given time, twist and mutate the host's genetic code, essentially turning them into a horrific monstrosity dubbed an 'EVO'.

"EVO?" Jane blinked.

"It is an acronym," Rook explained. "For 'Exponentially Variegated Organism'."

"So, wait," Clawdeen scratched her head. "If Ben's fought this thing before, how did he defeat it?" she wondered as Alpha Astrodactyl unhinged its jaw and fired off a hot beam of blood red energy from within itself at Furryosa, who was currently the only one holding the monstrous EVO at bay.

"According to the files, Ben had the assistance of a human from a parallel universe, a Rex Salazar that had the ability to control his own nanites and bend them to his will." Rex replied. "Unfortunately, we lack the resources and time to contact him for assistance."

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Alpha! Furryosa doesn't care how big or bad you get, because Furryosa will always be _más grande y más malo_ no matter what you say or do!" the Appoplexian bellowed.

"Is there some other way to stop him?" Clawdeen asked; Furryosa ducked to avoid a blast of hot energy from the gauntlet on Alpha Astrodactyl's wrist before she lunged forward and wrapped her legs around the EVO's own, pinning them together and sending him tumbling to the ground with a single twitch of her powerful leg muscles. Before any knew what was happening, Furryosa was upon him, slugging him across the face before she took notice of an ominous, bright red glow from the back of the EVO's throat and was blasted away seconds later.

"The reports are scarce as previously stated, but Ben did claim that he was able to gain limited control of the nanites through the use of his Galvanic Mechamorph form, Upgrade." Rook said, tapping his chin in thought while simultaneously morphed and shifted his Proto-Tool into a shield to block a stray blast from Alpha Astrodactyl before he threw it like a discus through the air managed to slice off one of the EVO's wings before effortlessly catching it as the shield boomeranged back to Alpha Astrodactyl's pained howls. "I do not suppose either of you have access to a Galvanic Mechamorph form with your Omnitrixes?"

"Mine's still busted." Clawdeen blinked, marveling at the Revonnahgander's skill.

"I'm lucky to still be awake right now." Venus stifled another yawn as she started to lean herself against Jane for support. "Sphinx, I didn't think I could be this tired."

Jane grabbed Venus by the shoulders and gave her a good shake to wake her up. "I-If you stay awake I'll . . . let you sleep with me tonight." she promised.

Venus gave her a weak, mischievous smile. "As much as I love a challenge, Sweet Mango, I don't it's one I can take." she yawned for the third time. "The bastard really drained me."

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Clawdeen Wolf, Venus McFlytrap, and Jane Boolittle! While Furryosa is _buenos amigas_ with you, she is getting severely annoyed that none of you other than Rook Blonko, highly ranked Magister and partner of our boyfriend Ben Tennyson, are doing nothing to help Furryosa!" the Appoplexian bellowed as she was thrown by a quick movement of Alpha Astrodactyl's remaining wing before she charged forward and punched him clean across the face. "Cosmic Clothesline!"

" _HEADS UP!_ "

Rook barely registered the loud warning before he grabbed Clawdeen's shoulder and pulled her down to the ground, Jane copying Rook's movements with Venus while a bright, red blast of energy soared over their heads and struck Alpha Astrodactyl in the chest, right on his bootleg Omnitrix as he threw Furryosa off of him for what seemed the hundredth time; the Appoplexian's Omnitrix timed out and returned Skelita back to the world as a flash of dark crimson light engulfed Alpha Astrodactyl and turned the monstrous EVO back into Alpha, the stolen Omnitrix no longer embedded into his wrist.

But that wasn't all that happened; Rook and the ghouls watched with fascination and horror as Alpha screamed in agony, his back arching backwards as his unstable body flashed and thundered with a dangerous amount of energy. Thick, crimson tentacles jammed painfully out of his back and twisted and cracked in the air as his arms stretched and became skeletal as he slammed them into the floor to support his weakening form. The nanites that made up his body started to buzz around angrily, making his finger larger and more crude as he howled and roared in pain, lowering himself down to where it seemed he was barely breathing.

"No! Not like this!" Alpha hissed in a weak, raspy voice; using what power he had left, he reached out with one of his hands and stretched the remaining nanites that obeyed him out towards the silent Null Void Projector, resting a hand on it while glowing, circuitry patterns etched their way across the large, barrel-like device that lay bolted to the floor. A crimson singularity of energy crackled angrily in the air above it until it exploded into a blood red vortex that swirled and pulsed violently; Alpha narrowed his eyes and focused all of whatever power he had been holding on into activating the device, sending the nanites that made up his body into the Null Void Projector; the portal flickered and pulsed slightly before it gave a loud bane and turned away from the image of the desolate wastelands of the Null Void.

Instead, the portal opened up on a wide, expansive city with tall skyscrapers that stabbed into the sky; large smoke clouds were billowing out from large fires in different sectors of the city, the flames being tended to by the city's fire departments. What caught drew anyone who managed to actually catch a glance at the strange world beyond their own was a large, white aircraft that flew almost a thousands feet or so above the tallest skyscraper, directly above where a large, black robot on four, spider-like legs with blaster turrets mounted on its glass dome was laying waste to the surrounding area. High above and falling fast towards the destructive machine was a Hispanic boy with spiky, black hair, mahogany eyes, a red and orange jacket, and what Clawdeen had to have guessed to be the cockiest grin she had ever seen. What caught everyone's attention however, was the fact that the boy's arms and fists were not organic in origin but like that of a gigantic, bio-mechanical robot's.

"Home," Alpha whispered. "My brothers . . ."

"Won't be seeing you any time soon!" Toralei snapped angrily as she leveled the strange, new weapon in her grip; if Rook had been asked to describe it, he would have compared it to that of a Tachyon Cannon in that fact that it looked very similar to a bulky, over-sized gun that one would rest on their shoulder while pulling the trigger. The only difference was that it had several more barrels than a normal Tachyon Cannon and that it was not wielded by a responsible Plumber, but rather Toralei Stripe herself.

The reason Rook would not have called Toralei responsible, other than the fact that she had let Psyphon and his entire gang escape the Plumber's clutches _twice,_ was because when she wasn't doing her job, she could often be found flirting with him as if she deliberately wanted to cheat on her boyfriend, Rocco, for the sole purpose of having the two of them fight over her.

This was not an outcome Rook particularly liked.

"Ms. Stripe! Put down the weapon, before someone gets hurt!" Rook yelled.

"The only one getting' hurt around here is _him!_ " Toralei shouted angrily.

"How did she even get in here?" Jane wondered, now supporting Venus's full weight on her shoulders; the plant monster had drifted off to sleep some time ago, too exhausted and drained to fight off the cold hand of sleep.

"That could be me." a voice responded with a slight giggle; Jane startled slightly as Whisp appeared directly in front of her in a puff of dark blue smoke, the genie's arms folded over her bust and her legs having been traded in for the classic, ghostly tail that djinni were known for. "Sorry if I wasn't supposed to do that, but she said you guys were in danger! Plus, I'm quite literally impossible to lock out of anything that doesn't involve a jar or lamp."

"If I may ask, what is that weapon you are holding?" Rook addressed Toralei as he shifted his Proto-Tool back into its original form and pointed it at Alpha; the nanite construct took one look at the versatile tech and rather frightening weapon leveled at him and decided not moving an inch was the best course of action.

"Sub-cellular Tachyon Obliterater." Toralei replied. "Something Blukic and Driba have been working on for a while. Unlike a Tachyon Cannon, it's actually capable of destroying organisms like Galvanic Mechamorphs and Polymorphs to the point where they can't reform; just in case Maleware comes back or something." she added with a slight smirk as she flicked her tail back and forth.

"But it is completely experimental, is it not?" Rook questioned.

Toralei rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. I did say that the Wonder Twins have been working on it for a while. Knowing those two, there's bound to be some kinks." she scoffed before aiming the experimental weapon at Alpha to finish him off.

"I would advise you do not do that." Rook warned her.

"Uh, yeah. I'm with Rook on this one." Whisp agreed, a worried look creeping across her face as Toralei blatantly ignored the two of them and pulled the trigger on the Sub-cellular Tachyon Obliterater and fired off a bright, red beam of destructive energy at Alpha; unfortunately, she managed to hit both the nanite construct _and_ the Null Void Projector, overloading the both of them with a monumental amount of disruptive energy. Alpha roared in pain, his body swelling up like a hundred different balloons all inflating at different rates while he glowed with bright, red energy; the Null Void Projector blinked and beeped wildly, the image of the strange boy and world on the other side flickering and wavering like an old television set.

"Everyone, get down! It is going to _explotar!_ " Skelita yelled over the roar.

"What did she say?" Toralei wondered loudly.

"It's gonna blow!" Whisp repeated, cupping her hands over her mouth to be heard; with this in mind, the ghouls and Rook all hastily ran for cover, none of them noticing as the image of Alpha's world vanished completely to be replaced by a wide, expansive view of a large forest that was overlooked by a tall, marble castle of epic proportions. The castle's many windows were all dark, save for several on the bottom floor as the very faint thrum of music could heard in the distance over the music of crickets and tree frogs. The beautiful and rather calming scenery was quickly spoiled as Alpha, quite literally, exploded into millions upon millions of unstable, deactivated nanites that washed over everything and coated in a layer of red dust.

"Is everyone alright?" Rook asked as he uncovered his head and brushed off a coating of nanites.

"I think so." Clawdeen paused to shake herself free of the layers of nanites much like a dog would; Venus merely murmured in her sleep as Jane started to comb nanites out of her ghoulfriend's hair.

"There, see? Nothing bad happened!" Toralei grinned triumphantly.

"You were lucky." Rook frowned. "Return the weapon to Blukic and Driba and have them come down here with a way to contain these nanites before they are possibly reactivated. And I highly suggest you do so while I am in a good mood." the Revonnahgander's frown deepened as he set the Proto-Tool back on his shoulder; despite her attraction to him, not even Toralei was willing to disobey an order when her Magister and commanding officer was in such an irritated mood. With a slight gulp, she quickly shouldered the Sub-cellular Tachyon Obliterater and rushed over to the elevator to hastily type in a series of bypass codes that granted her access to the elevator that quickly climbed into.

"Boo, you gotta rein her in." Clawdeen shook her head. "Otherwise, she'll be the destruction of you yet."

"I am quite aware of that, Ms. Wolf." Rook sighed as he rubbed his brow tiredly.

"Just out of curiosity, it is bad if the Null Void Projector is acting like that?" Whisp asked as she pointed towards the unstable portal; the vortex had turned a venomous and deadly red in color, growling hungrily as it rattled and shook violently. Rook made a move to try and shut down the precariously active portal from the control panel but was immediately stopped when he felt a slight tug on his fur.

"It's sucking us in!" Jane cried as she hung on tightly to Venus, not daring to let go while the thick carpet of deactivated nanites that lay around them started to move and shift towards the portal like a field of tall grass in the wind before the suction picked up and became more violent, sucking in whole swarms of the nanites, debris, and anything else within range.

"Hold on!" Whisp yelled as she snapped her fingers and transformed the ghostly tip of her tail into a heavy iron chain that attached firmly to an even heavier ship's anchor; while she was pulled towards the portal like everyone else, she was firmly stuck in place unlike the others.

"Please give me something heavy!" Clawdeen pleaded with her Omnitrix as her claws started to fail her and she slapped a hand down on the waiting activation button, engulfing herself in a flash of yellow light. Her fingers quickly fused together into razor-sharp points as her wrists and arms flattened with a loud hissing noise like that of a compressed airbag and became wider as well, quickly hardening in a metal-like exterior similar to that of Biosovortian; a small, pentagon-shaped notch was cut out on the inside of her elbow joints while a sharp blade popped out at the elbow. Her skin turned a dark gold in color while her dagger sharp points and blades turned a bright white as black patches etched themselves across Clawdeen's arms as muscles and tissue built themselves up underneath of her quickly hardening skin. Her skull pushed back and split into three, rounded horns with each of her two, now entirely yellow eyes sitting on one horn as the Omnitrix appeared between them on the while her bust swelled slightly; a purple jumpsuit with golden trim appeared on her figure, completing the transformation.

"What the- not CuttngEdge!" the Parae Cortarix screamed as her blades sliced through the floor like butter as she was pulled towards the portal; unlike Lilith, who had been done in by the public's criticism and utter confusion, CuttngEdge had simply changed her original name for something more unique and less crude. Not that it mattered now, with the very sharpened blades that made her a force to be reckoned with working against her as she was pulled out of floor and tumbled through the air towards the portal. "Look out!"

Whisp gave a small grunt as CuttngEdge slammed into her and accidentally severed the chain keeping her rooted to the spot with a slight movement of her foot, sending the two females flying.

"Jane! Give Venus to me! You must save Clawdeen and Whisp!" Skelita yelled; Jane gulped nervously and handed her still sleeping ghoulfriend off to the skeleton as her body began to change; her entire frame began to swell and get larger, much larger than her skinny form. Her bones groaned loudly as more and more weight was put onto them, muscle and tissue and fat piling themselves up underneath of Jane's thickening skin. Her top split open along the spine as she grew bigger and bigger, quickly dwarfing Skelita as she put on more and more weight until her arms and legs were as thick around as telephone poles; her fingers became quite short and stubby, soon almost nonexistent and leaving behind nothing but her fingernails on her growing fore legs. She shot upwards a couple extra feet, a mound of tough muscle and bone swelling between her shoulder blades and transitioning smoothly into her back as a small, ropy tail squirted out from the base of her spine. The most noticeable change however, was Jane's head as almost every last strand of hair was sucked back into her skull like strands of spaghetti, leaving nothing but thin, wiry hairs on her head and face while her ears exploded into the size of beach blankets and became more fan-like after a few seconds. Jane's upper canines cracked and groaned loudly as they were forced out of her mouth and swiftly lengthened into a pair of curved tusks as her eyes rotated off to the far sides of her head. The final piece of the transformation was when her nose and upper lip effortlessly melted together and into a long, seven-foot, manipulative trunk while the Nemetrix appeared around her thick neck in the form of its usual spiked collar.

With a loud trumpet, the female African elephant charged right after Whisp and CuttngEdge and whipped out her trunk at the last second to curl around Whisp's waist and hold her suspended in the air as the genie quickly grabbed onto the Parae Cortarix's wrist o avoid getting cut and hold her just inches from the swirling portal.

"Ms. Calaveras! Grab my hand!" Rook grunted as he fired off the grappling hook attachment of his Proto-Tool to watch it sink securely into the wall behind him before her reached with a hand towards Skelita; the skeleton was fighting against the intense vacuum of the unstable portal with as much strength as she could muster while holding on tightly to Venus, unable to reach her Omnitrix and turn into Furryosa to increase her chances of staying in one place. She was just inches away from grabbing onto Rook's hand, her bones threatening to come apart at the joints, when they did exactly just that; her arm bone was torn lose from its socket and was sucked, along with Venus, towards the enraged Null Void Projector.

"Venus!" Skelita cried, giving up on trying to save herself in favor of rushing after the unaware plant monster and her missing arm bone; it took only nanoseconds for Jane to react after seeing Venus fly right by her vision and charge after her without concern towards the portal, dragging Whisp and CuttngEdge along with her as she just barely managed to lung right in the way of the portal and stop Venus and Skelita's arm from being sucked in, quickly followed by the skeleton herself.

"Rook! The controls!" Whisp screamed over the roar in her pointed ears.

"Can you not just wish for this to stop!?" Rook yelled.

"Kinda have my hands full!"

Rook grunted and slowly began to pull in the sturdy cable of the grappling hook, allowing his feet to touch the floor before he began what seemed like an eternity of walking against the powerful suction of the portal towards the control panel; his feet were constantly sliding against the floor, scrambling for some kind of leverage as his grip on the Proto-Tool remained firm and unfaltering as he slowly, inch by inch managed reached for the control panel to the Null Void Projector; his frightened gaze frequently shifted back and forth between the panel and the ghouls as they were slowly drawn in towards the portal with nothing by Jane's weight to keep them in place and the powerful suction of the portal increasing as they got closer and closer.

"ROOK!" CuttngEdge roared as Jane finally lost her footing against the intense suction and desperately tried to gain some kind of foothold on the smooth flooring of the chamber as she and the rest of the ghouls were quickly pulled into the Null Void portal with a loud roar and blinding light; Rook turned away at the last second for fear of damaging his eyes as the Null Void Projector faltered and finally died like an ancient star.

"NO!" Rook yelled upon seeing the destroyed projector and empty air where the portal and Ben's ghoulfriends had been seconds before.

* * *

Headmaster screwed his face up in frustration, pausing to rapidly type a long list of numbers into the small calculator he always kept in the drawer of his desk when dealing with large amounts of math; after repeating the equation several times and never receiving an answer that worked, the Headmaster gave up and pushed the small calculating device and large stack of papers to the side to rest his head in his tired hands.

He had been at this for weeks now, calculating and balancing the school's dwindling budget over the damages that had been laid waste to his school, not all of them at the fault of the same person; there were multiple holes in several classes that created unwanted yet widely used doorways and a couple gaping wounds in the floors that Briar Beauty often bungee jumped through for the thrill of things. Fire damage was present in multiple parts of the school and the Charmitorium looked as if a herd of unicorns had stampeded through it and torn out most of plush seats. And then, of course, there were the two Rath-sized holes in his office.

The Headmaster's eyes narrowed at the thought of the irritating, Omnitrix-wearing boy that had turned his perfect life upside down; before he was a highly respected official of the world of Ever After and the proud headmaster of one of the finest schools in the fairy tale world. Now, he was something of a laughing stock and was ruler of a crumbling castle that was constantly having new additions damage wise added to it almost weekly through Ben's mishaps. Granted, the constant stabs at his pride and joy had decreased over the past few weeks with little to nothing for Ben to fight and cause collateral damage to, but the reminders were always there to haunt him.

Other than the destruction of the school, Headmaster Grimm had another reason for hating Ben so much. With him around, a hero that could do no wrong, could take on multiple roles of different fairy tales simultaneously, and was an active Rebel, he was a much bigger threat to world of Ever After than Raven Queen, though not by much. With looks and skills that could outcharm the Charming family themselves, he was slowly gaining ground by seducing members of the female population of Ever After High, playing them to his twisted tune like a fiddle until soon he would all have them in his clutches. Soon after that, the boys would have no choice but to bow to his whim as well with no princesses or maidens to save or protect for their stories. And with Apple White's parents unable to address their daughter's unexpected detention right at the particular moment (they were still furious and would be personally making a trip to Ever After High to discuss the issue with the Headmaster, a meeting he was both looking forward to and dreading), the Headmaster had good reason to fear and be annoyed by Ben; if those bandits would stop attacking every carriage that came rolling out of the White kingdom.

But there was something else about Ben that sent the portly Headmaster on edge. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on . . .

The door to his office creaked open and Grimm looked up to nearly fall back out of his chair in surprise. Standing in the dim light of the hallway, with nothing but the equally faint light in Headmaster Grimm's office was a large werewolf almost as tall as him; a short layer of fur covered its arms, making its appearance much bigger as its hands were twisted into sharp claws. Sharp fangs resided inside the mouth as bright, amber eyes starred hungrily at the portly Headmaster and a pair of sharp, wolfish ears flicked and perked up at the slightest of sounds.

"Headmaster Grimm?"

The Headmaster relaxed greatly as the figure stepped in the light of his office and revealed itself to be none other than Cerise Hood; her arms were covered in more furry bands than usual with faux claws decorated her nails. Colorful contacts sat over her usual, stormy gray eyes and a set of realistic looking, plastic fangs was positioned just behind her pale lips with a pair of fake wolf ears on either side of her head. A costume.

"Ms. Hood, you almost scared the living daylights out of me." Headmaster Grimm huffed, placing a hand over where the beating organ lay.

"Sorry," Ccerise murmured an apology. "I was just wondering if you had seen Ben? Or Raven? Or anyone else, really? I can't find them anywhere and you were the only faculty member still here."

Headmaster Grimm sighed. "Quite frankly, I haven't the foggiest idea," he replied. "You might as well check the ballroom though. I heard some noises coming from there that I meant to check out earlier . . . as you can see, I was a bit sidetrack by the repercussions of Mr. Tennyson's handiwork." he gestured to the stack of papers that surrounded him like a fortress.

Cerise nodded. "Alright . . . thanks. Uh, good luck with the paperwork." she said as she backed out of the office and closed the door behind her, taking a few quiet steps down the hall before she tapped into her wolf heritage and sped down the corridor at an ungodly pace.

A couple hours earlier, she had gotten a note from Ben to create a costume of anything she desired, nothing more other than the hint to 'follow her nose'. At first, she had been confused as to why she needed a costume in the first place, but then she remembered that seasons of Ever After had been mixed up again, resulting in an early fall and most likely caused by a back splash from the Well of Wonder or some raw Wonderland magic managing to slip through the defenses set up by the Grimm brothers against the Evil Queen's curse. It had originally been a warm summer before the wind had turned brisk and the leaves dull, warm hues of red, gold, orange, and brown, leaving the student body of Ever After High to react accordingly within a matter of days.

All Hallows Eve or Evil Day, as it was occasionally dubbed by princesses, maidens, and royalty alike, was a holiday not commonly celebrated by anyone outside of fairy tale villains such as the Evil Queen, Big Bad Wolf, or Dark Fairy, but both Ben and Apple had changed all that. With much persuading and hype, the two of them had managed to create enough excitement upon the student body to gather a sizable party to help decorate for and schedule an All Hallows Eve Costume Ball; Cerise would have enjoyed signing up for the committed to help decorate for the dance, but her heritage didn't allow her to participate in many after school activities, even those as simple or harmless as decorating for a ball.

It would be perhaps the first time the Royals and other future heroes and good guys of their respective stories would joining in on the spooky festivities, meaning Cerise wasn't alone in feeling slightly uncomfortable at attending an event with so many people packed into one place. Of course, it helped that both Raven and Ben would be there to help her should she get into trouble.

Speaking of her two friends (arguably one friend and boyfriend), the two of them, with the assistance of Maddie, had managed to convince Melody to reform the band they had hastily formed at the Talent Show so long ago; the Daughter of the Pied Piper was actually incredibly enthusiastic at the idea of officially forming the band upon hearing about her small spike in fame after the Talent Show. Dexter however, could not be reached no matter how much Raven tried to talk to him, often being met with gruff exclamations to go away.

So naturally, Sparrow Hood had stepped in for Dexter. On the grounds that he didn't try to steal the show, that is.

Another reason Cerise was wary of attending the All Hallows Eve Costume Ball was that, not withstanding the mixed up calendar, she was born on the spooky holiday; her birthday was constantly being overwritten by the famous holiday, with hardly anyone ever remembering until the very next day. Her parents and Raven were the few exceptions to that rule and tried to celebrate it with her as best as they could, sending cryptic cupcakes with candles or small presents hidden out of sight that could only be found by Cerise if she sniffed them out.

Cerise didn't even realize that she had eve arrived at the ballroom doors until she quite literally walked into them, banging her nose against the ancient, oak doors and eliciting a slight stinging sensation in her face; she unconsciously reached for her mother's hood and started to pull it up over her head to cover her ears before she realized that she had nothing to fear from someone seeing her wolf ears. Thanks to her selective and ingenious costume choice, they would simply assume she was getting into the spirit of the holiday. With a deep breath and slightly trembling hand, she curled her fingers around the handle to the ballroom and pulled it open to reveal . . . darkness.

"Hello?" she called out, the darkness too thick and black for even her eyes to see through. Suddenly, the lights clicked on and briefly blinded her.

"SURPRISE!"

Cerise blinked and looked with amazement as her friends all seemingly sprung out of nowhere, from behind and underneath tables and chairs she hadn't seen, from within the depths of the curtains on the ballroom's stage, even swinging down from one of the ballroom's chandeliers in Maddie's case; all of them were dressed in costumes, not all of them as scary or appropriately themed for the holiday.

Dressed in a pair of ragged, black and white vertically striped pants, black boots with shiny, brass buckles, a torn, white flannel shirt that exposed her midriff and trimmed with a glossy, black ribbon that curled up over her breasts, a black and gold captain's hat with a matching jacket, a pair of guns, and frighteningly realistic sword, Briar stood tall and proud as a blood-thirsty pirate that inched her hands towards the guns clipped to her belt if any of the boys lingered their gaze too long over her exposed stomach and breasts; the pistols may or may not have been fake.

Hunter stood among the crowds of costumed students dressed in a thick, burlap sack that hung loose over his shoulders and draped its ragged edges all the way down to his knees; wooden splints secured with twine copied his arm and legs as a pair of garden gloves sat on his hands with a rope belt around his waist that held a clearly fake, hastily carved, wooden lantern with a cloud of friendly fireflies relaxing inside and providing an unearthly glow. Straw poked out from under Hunter's burlap shirt and sleeves, with another rope tied tightly around a sack that sat on his head like a noose, with two eye holes poked out for vision and a wide and sneering mouth cut out for obvious reasons; resting in his hands was a large scythe, the blade of the weapon fashioned out of wood and covered with tinfoil to avoid injury, giving the scarecrow a rather frightening look. Especially when a a few crows flitted in through the an open window and alighted down on shoulders.

Ashlynn, while significantly less frightening than her boyfriend and still caring her broken, left arm in a sling for a few more days, was dressed as a witch, complete with a pair of black, knee high boots with brass buckles and straps she had borrowed from Raven, orange and black stockings, a black and orange, corset-like dress with scarlet top underneath, a pointed, black witches hat with orange trim, and a broom she had borrowed from the janitor's closet to compliment the costume like Hunter's scythe and surprised, feather guests did.

Daring perhaps had the most amusing costume Cerise had seen, and the slightly irked look on his face told her that it had not been his idea in the first place; a quick glance at Lizzie's threatening expression and Ceris ehad enough information to piece together who had been in charge of Daring's costume. The Son of Prince Charming was dressed as none other than a court jester, complete with a tight red and black suit that alternating colors, puffy, black and white checkerboard pants, pointed red shoes, a horned jester hat tipped with bells, and a sharp, red grin painted on his pale face.

Lizzie herself had done away with the standard blacks, golds, reds, and card symbols that she normally wore and had dressed up as a far more flashy and regal peacock; she wore a bright, blue miniskirt and fishnet leggings all the way down to a pair of gold and leather brown heels tipped with bronze peacock heads and a slim, black top tripped with fluffy, green feathers that cupped her breasts quiet nicely. In addition to the broad, peacock tail comprised entirely out of faux peacock feathers (at Ashlynn and Daring's request) she also wore a headdress composed of peacock head feathers, bright blues, dark greens, wild yellows, and a few more peacock tail feathers that all curled back in a style similar to that of a headdress often found on the head of a native American chief; glittering, gold face paint accented her eyes.

Apple stood beside Maddie with a warm smile and had decided to dress as a mermaid, with a sparkling skirt covered in bedazzled beads that glittered like fish scales that wrapped around her legs all the way to her knees before it tied together into a quickly, yet well crafted fish tail tipped with deep turquoise fins. Frilly fins of the same color decorated her hips as the bedazzled skirt smoothly transitioned into a top that split open down the middle to reveal a yellow top underneath that complimented the frilly fins that split out from it. Cyan gloves that stretched up to her elbow sat on her arms with deep turquoise fins sewn on, completing the outfit with a seashell necklace around Apple's neck.

Maddie, Cerise wasn't one-hundred percent sure on what she was dressed up as; really, it looked more like she had borrowed one of her Dad's suits and top hats. Upon closer inspection, Cerise noticed that she wore the black jacket of a tuxedo just her size decorated with bright green puzzle pieces and a green tie around her neck with a soft, black, silk skirt around her waist. Black fishnet leggings ran down to a pair black sneakers with green bottoms and laces while a large top hat with green rim sat on her head; a cardboard disk sat taped to her left breast with a crudely scribbled sharp, green hourglasses finger against a black background.

It seemed the Hatter had taken quite a shining to Jigsaw.

Ben himself stood next to Maddie with an arm around her shoulder as the Hatter leaned into his embrace with her usual, perky smile; the wielder of the Omnitrix was bare chested, causing Cerise to blush slightly until she caught sight of the wide, black and green collar/wrap-like garment that covered his shoulders and upper chest region. Shoulder pads with green, eye-like designs covered his shoulders as black and green braces covered his forearms and ankles, letting his sneakers slip out from underneath. A black Shendyt with trimming covered his waist as a headdress of the same color sat on his head with a golden crown decorated with a crude, curled up cobra at the top and a fake beard tied around his chin. A green belt with a fake Omnitrix sat around his waist and, to finish off the entire costume, he was covered in bandages and gauze borrowed from the nurse's office that nearly covered him from head to toe. Sitting on his shoulder and having tapped into the Vladat DNA of the real Omnitrix, was Skurd sprouting a small mask similar to Whampire's that was just the right size for him.

However all of these costumes, even Ben's were blown right out of the water when Cerise caught sight of Raven standing tall and regal looking on Ben's other side, her hands cupped together with excitement or worry; she wore a simple, black and red dress that reached down to her mid-thighs before smooth, black leggings with venomous, red, black widow markings running down to her knees where a single spikes jutted out before continuing onward and ending in pointed, crimson heels. Her black top was sharp and edged like a serrated blade, revealing a good portion of her breasts while remaining modest as she wore arm length, black gloves that ended in blood red claws. She had slipped red contacts over her original, purple eyes and highlighted with lots of black eye shadow as well as dying her naturally purple and black hair a deep crimson for the evening. What caught Cerise's attention the most were the four, large, black spider legs tipped a blood red that thrust out of Raven's shoulders and back with faux webbing strung between them; a black crown that framed her face completed the costume.

"Wow . . ." Cerise breathed, taking a few cautious steps forward.

"Happy Birthday, Cerise." Ben smiled.

"You . . . you knew my birthday?"

Ben nodded with a sly smile. "Raven told me about it and, well, I couldn't let my favorite Riding Hood celebrate her birthday alone-"

"So we threw you a big, honkin', Wonderlandiful birthday party!" Maddie interrupted eagerly.

Raven nodded in agreement. "Do you like it?" she asked.

Cerise blinked and looked around at the over all creepy atmosphere, with fake cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and taking up the corners with actual, gigantic spiders Ashlynn had talked into acting as decorations at the promise of some party food if they behaved. Green and purple holographic ghosts and spirits silently wailed and moaned as they flew and whirled around the ceiling and floor in an undisclosed rhythm while a large buffet table covered in an assortment of appropriately themed yet delicious looking food complete with a punch bowl with plastic eyeballs floating around inside for extra effect.

"It depends," Cerise said as she turned to look at Ben and Raven specifically. "What are you two supposed to be?"

Ben shrugged. "I thought I'd go as one of my aliens, Snare-oh. Skurd went for Whampire." he said, jerking a thumb towards the little Slimebiote on his shoulder.

"That's Count Skurd, the Terror of the Night to you!" he corrected.

Raven ignored Skurd as she spoke up in a slightly nervous tone; she had been slightly uncomfortable with the thought of dressing up in something so revealing, exposing the silvery scars that arched their way across her shoulders, back, stomach, breasts, legs, and arms. Her love for All Hallows Eve however, a holiday that Raven loved to celebrate both out of her heritage as a witch and just because she liked dressing up and dancing the night away with friends, made her eventually change her mind. Plus, it was Cerise's birthday and she wasn't about to skip out on her Best Friend Forever After's day of birth simply because she was scared of what people would think of her.

"I'm a Spider Queen." she replied. "Took forever to make the legs, but it was totally worth it."

Cerise gulped and looked slowly with her eyes between Ben and Raven, unable to take her amber eyes off of the two of them; she blushed a deep crimson upon seeing Ben's strong, firm muscles underneath of the collar-like garment around his neck and his lean arms and legs along with his warm smile and bright, green eyes. She shivered slightly upon glancing back over at Raven, taking notice of her soft, pale skin and kind smile upon her full, purple lips and slender figure.

"I . . . I love it." Cerise smiled.

"Hat-tastic!" Maddie exclaimed happily. "LETS PARTY LIKE THERE'S NO HAPPILY EVER AFTER!" the Hatter cheered loudly, drawing excited cries and whistles from the costumed crowd.

"That would be our cue." Ben nodded to Raven before he, Raven, and Maddie briefly left Cerise to merge with the crowd as they scrambled to the stage to warm up for the performance they had been commissioned to give; unexpectedly, Raven and the Rebels had become something of an overnight sensation around Ever After High and Book End, especially when Blondie's recording of the hastily constructed band's performance went viral within hours.

"Nice costume, Melody." Raven smiled as she slipped her bass' neck strap around her neck, careful to make sure it wouldn't mess with her carefully crafted spider legs; the Daughter of the Pied Piper had painted her face and arms a pale shade of green and carefully sketched long, dark stitches across her body to make it appear as if she had been crafted together from different body parts while she wore a black choker with a pair of plastic bolts she had bought at Book End's costume shop around her neck. Her white and lavender locks had been done up in a style similar to Frankenstein's bride while she wore a torn and tattered and mysteriously stained, white dress. In short, her costume as Frankenstein's Bride herself fit in quite nicely with her new DJ stand, a pair of massive conductors that crackled with monumental amounts of electricity dancing between them having been mounted on the top of her speakers for the evening.

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one who was conned into dressing up like some dumb bird!" Sparrow grumbled as he shifted his cardboard wings so that the brown and black construction paper feathers he had spent hours cutting out wouldn't tickle his sides as he played his guitar; to make a long story short, Duchess Swan, who had naturally dressed up a swan herself, had talked Sparrow into dressing up like his name sake, a sparrow bird complete with cardboard wings, fake tail feathers, and hat that resembled a sparrow's head (the only other option was to keep his usual hat and had a a fake beak tied around his mouth, but this kept him from talking properly or feasting on the delicious food Ginger Breadhouse had spent hours making in the kitchen, neither of which was a viable option for the talkative and hungry Sparrow Hood).

"Stop complaining and start playing. Or we can have Hunter replace you." Ben threatened lightly, even though he was being half serious; this quickly shut up the Son of Robin Hood.

"Good evening, Ever After High!" Raven called into the microphone once she had received the thumbs up from Humphrey Dumpty, who had decided to dress up like a battery for the special event; the witchling was met with loud cheers and whistles in response. "So, uh, thanks for liking us, I guess."

"Not use to dealin' with crowd, huh?" Ben guessed as he made some last minute adjustments to his guitar.

"No." Raven admitted before returning her attention to the crowd. "Thank you for your support! Even though one of our original members is . . . uh . . . missing in action," Raven supplied the awkward words in her mouth. "The show must go on! So enjoy our latest song!"

"Go, Raven!" Apple cheered excitedly, clapping her hands happily.

"Ready?" Raven gulped nervously, getting last minute jitters.

"Sparrow Hood is always ready! YEEAAAAHHHH!"

"Ready when you are, Raven." Melody smiled, giving a thumbs up.

"The clock doesn't start under the salamanders sing!" Maddie giggled from her position behind a recently borrowed drum set that the Hatter mostly likely didn't know how to play. This most likely wouldn't stop her from trying to play it or learn how to on the job, per say.

"Relax, Raven. This is just like the Talent Show." Ben reassured her. "The only difference is that there isn't an angry mob trying to kill me." he joked, earning a small smile from Raven and a fit of giggles from Maddie as she toppled out of her seat.

"Alright." Raven sucked in a deep breath to calm her jittery nerves; once she was calm, she raised her hand and quickly strummed a loud, bone rattling note by herself for a few short measures before Sparrow joined in with a higher, nearly identical chord while Melody set up a thumping, bass drum beat from her turn tables, starting to spin the records as Raven began to sing into the microphone like she had so many nights ago.

" _The secret side of me, I never let you see!_ "

" _I keep it caged, but I can't control it._ "

" _So stay away from me! The beast is ugly! I feel the rage and I just can't hold it._ " Raven sang loudly before Maddie spun her newly acquired drumsticks in her fingers and relentlessly pounded down on the drum set and cymbals before her with remarkable skill.

" _It's scratchin' on the walls, in the closet, in the halls._ "

" _It comes awake and I can't control it!_ "

" _Hidin' under the bed, in my body, in my head,_ "

" _Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?_ " Raven sang before Ben finally joined in on the song with a thunder chord of his own, easily outmatching the magnitude at which Sparrow played at running even with Raven's own playing as Maddie continued to beat her drum set in submission while Melody scratched at her turn tables with her claw-like nails.

" _I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I hate what I've become! The nightmare's just begun!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I,_ " Raven staggered the word. " _Feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ "

The music died down significantly as the next verse began with Raven's hauntingly beautiful voice being very pleasing to Ben's ears and the audience before them. None of them however, seemed to be enjoying the witchling's performance more than Cerise as Raven's sweet voice and excellent music skills caressed and soothed her sensitive ears only slightly less than her first performance had; the thumping bass line and loud chords of the wailing guitars stun her ears slightly, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

" _My secret side I keep hid under lock and key._ "

" _I keep it caged, but I can't control it!_ "

" _'Cause if I let him out, he'll tear me up, break me down._ "

" _Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?_ " Raven crooned gently into the microphone before the heavy chorus started up once more with Sparrow attempting to and failing to outplay Ben or Raven for several seconds before he eventually gave up and continued to play his part after receiving a particularly frightening grin from Maddie as she proceeded to obliterate her drum set and cymbals once more.

" _I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I hate what I've become! The nightmare's just begun!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I,_ " Raven staggered a second time, bringing the growling music down to just her and Melody's ever present base line. " _Feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ "

" _It's hidin' in the dark, it's teeth are razor-sharp!_ "

" _There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart!_ "

" _No one can hear me scream. Maybe it's just a dream._ "

" _Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster!_ " Raven finished singing before she surprisingly handed the microphone off to Ben, drawing curious looks from several of the audience members as the music went down to just Raven playing one long chord after another while Ben sang his own piece of the song into the microphone, a mischievous glint in his eye.

" _I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin._ "

" _I must confess that I-_ " Ben started before he quickly turned on the Omnitrix and slapped the activation button without looking, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that rapidly changed his genetic code in a matter of nanoseconds, effortlessly allowing him to keep pace with the song. His body began to swell and balloon as millions of strong, firm muscles piled themselves onto every part of his body while his fingers and hands trembled and twitched before quickly growing in size to match his rapidly growing arms. Stitches arched across his body as his expeditiously expanding back and chest tore his bandages and the collar-like garment around his quickly thickening neck to shreds with a loud ripping noise while patchwork skin started to make up his surface; a pair of burdensome, green gauntlets formed around his thick wrists as metallic bolts burst and poked out from his body on his arms and back while a pair of gigantic conductors tore out of his broad shoulders with a blast of green light. Electricity danced violently between the two conductors as a pair of black pants and large, slitted boots materialized on Ben. His jaw pushed outwards with a loud crunching noise, a few teeth jutting out at odd positions while his hair turned a jet black and became long and shaggy as the Omnitrix and Skurd popped out of his right pectoral, looking as if it had the device had been painfully torn from his body and crudely punched back in, completing the transformation.

" _-feel like a monster!_ " Frankenstrike growled heavily into the microphone, much to the crowd's excitement and shock and very nearly shattering the speakers with his deep voice before handed the microphone back to a surprised Raven and returned to destroying his guitar with the loud and painful tones of the song.

" _I hate what I've become! The nightmare's just begun!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I've gotta lose control, he's something radical!_ "

" _I must confess that I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I,_ " Raven staggered the word for the third and final time that evening. " _Feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I feel like a monster!I-I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ " Raven finished with a loud and wild chord that she held out for as long as she could while the crowd cheered and roared its approval; Melody pulled the plug on her DJ stand, Sparrow pumped his guitar up and down over his head in triumph with Frankenstrike copying him out of sheer excitement, and Maddie proceeded to quite literally destroy her drums in a blaze inferno; Ginger Breadhouse, dressed up as a gourmand chef complete with white apron and ever present chef's hat, ran up on stage with a fire extinguisher and quickly put the flames before the sprinkler system could be triggered.

"Thanks, everybody!" Raven smiled brightly. "Now we're going to hand it back over to Melody for some . . . what's the word, Ben?"

"Fangtastic." the Transylian replied.

"Right. We're gonna hand it back over to Melody for some fangtastic tunes while we dance the night away like there's no happily ever after!" the witchling cheered into the microphone; the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in his Thep Khufan costume as he and Raven helped Maddie pick up the charred remains of her drum set before jumping down off the stage to join the excited crowd while Melody a quick, upbeat song to start things off.

"Raven, that was wicked!" Cerise smiled broadly as she pushed her way through the crowd and hugged Raven tightly, resting her head on her shoulder; the half breed took notice at how unusually good it felt to have Raven's arms around her and that she smelled wonderfully like lavender, if her sensitive nose was right. Raven herself returned the hug with full force, reveling in the warmth Cerise and her hood offered her.

"Hey, I was up there, too!" Ben protested jokingly.

"You were hat-tastic." Cerise smiled, giving Ben a small hug.

"Hey, that's my line!" Maddie pouted. "Before you know it, the author's gonna get the two of us mixed up!"

Cerise rolled her eyes as she then grabbed Ben by the thick collar around his neck. "You gonna ask me to dance or what?" she smirked with a wolfish grin.

* * *

The cool, night air swept quietly through the open balcony doors, wafting into the dorm room beyond and rustling a few of the stray papers that littered the floor. A large figure curled up at the foot of one of the dorm's beds stirred from its position and shifted its body weight onto its burly arms to haul itself to its feet. After a brief pause, the hulking figure dropped back down to all fours and stalked towards the balcony like a proud, hungry lion surveying its territory.

The bulking beast felt the cool wind ruffle through his thick, shaggy coat of fur and put his sensitive nose to the air to draw in a deep breath; the scents of crisp, Autumn leaves and the warm smoke from bonfires filled his senses with his ears picking up the noises of laughing and cheering as young fairy tales walked through the streets of Book End in costumes and wild garbs to gather as much candy as their little bellies could hold without bursting.

The creature didn't understand why the people of his territory celebrated such festivities at this time of year; they were pointless unless they helped to store reserves of food for the impeding winter, if it ever came. That, or it was something of a loud, rambunctious mating ritual where the males or females that partied the hardest and managed to actually retain their hearing, sanity, and stay awake until the end of the party received mating rights to pass onto the next generation.

This thought only made the creature previously known as Dexter even grumpier than he already was. He would not be able to attend such an event even if he wanted to, his current form hindering his previous life. His clothes now barely fit him, only leaving him with a pair of stretched and ragged blue jeans and an old cape to cover himself. His temper was almost beyond control, and the massive claw marks, destroyed furniture, and holes in the walls only emphasized this even further. Dexter glanced up halfheartedly at the full, glowing moon overhead, sighing angrily when he realized that it reminded him of Raven.

That was almost all he could think about over the past few weeks, about the crush of his dreams had been snatched out of his grip just before he barely got a small taste of what it felt like to be loved, be it a girl or anyone really. Sure, his showboating brother showed affection and cared for him every now and again, but his massive, continent-sized ego would often ruin those times within mere seconds. His sister had been the only one that ever truly cared for him, hanging out with him whenever possible before she . . . disappeared.

With a growl, Dexter turned on his heel and stormed back inside of his room, taking out a chuck of the balcony railing with a single movement of his large hands; his nostrils snorted and flared as he thought about his life had been turned upside down on its head and ruined, torn from his grasp and destroyed before his very eyes by someone who not only stole his only love but continued to rub it in his face merely just by existing.

It was because of Ben that he was like this now, because of Ben that he could no longer have sweet Raven to himself, because of Ben that he had punched Cupid and severed all ties with anyone he had ever cared about before of even had an inkling of friendship with. It was because of Ben that he was a-

" _-monster!_ "

The creature's sensitive ears perked up at the word and stalked back out onto the balcony, twisting and turning his ears to find the source of the sound before he managed to hone in on it and looked out over the school grounds to see bright lights coming from the ballroom several rooms, classes, hallways, and floor away from his current position. The sounds of a massive party were coming from within the ballroom, the bright lights flashing different colors of orange, green, and purple in time to a wild and upbeat.

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ "

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ "

Dexter felt his temper flare at hearing those words, the very sentence buzzing around inside his head like a swarm of angry bees; what minimum logic and reason he had retained over his current form simply vanished and evaporated as he let out a loud roar and leaped off of the balcony, soaring through the air before he landed on the ground in a slight roll and whirled around to see he had cleared a good dozen yards or so from his previous position on the balcony. It was his first time outside of the sanctuary that he had created for himself in almost a month or so. It felt good to be outside for once.

" _I-I feel like a monster!_ "

The beast had been unleashed.

* * *

Cupid sighed unhappily as she sat on the sidelines of the grand All Hallows Eve Costume Ball, the only one currently sitting in a row of chairs pushed up against the wall adjacent to the stage Melody Piper was currently playing a slow tune on; the goddess hadn't put much effort into her angel costume, which was really nothing more than one of her plainer dresses with a rope belt around her waist, a plastic halo attached to a wire strapped to her back over her head, and a fake harp tied to her waist.

She watched glumly as Cerise was twirled and spun around by Ben in time to the music, slightly envious of her friend receiving a happily ever after for her birthday (even though the presence of a mask wearing Slimebiote kind of ruined it a little). Cupid knew that, as the Daughter of Eros and Harbinger of Love, her job was to ensure that monsters and now fairy tales all found that special someone, regardless of their differences or any boundaries that might have gotten in the way; this unfortunately left little to no time for Cupid to pursue her own interests in love and made it wonder how her adoptive father even had time to date, marry, and have her adoptive siblings with her adoptive mother. Granted, her father was hundreds upon thousands of years of old compared to her and had probably had more than enough time at one point to pursue her mother, that was the thing. Cupid didn't want to nor did she have the time to wait eons to finally find that special someone. While she may have been immortal, her crush was not and would not last as long as she was.

That thought made her heart clench.

Cupid had heard of and dealt with a few cases where the victim experienced something similar to Stockholm syndrome and had developed feelings for another person in the past and still loved them even when abused or attacked by their crush; Cupid could say with no uncertainty however, that she was not one of those people. Even though she still loved Dexter, even after she had been struck down by him and blamed for his lost act of love towards Raven, she somehow knew that it wasn't the Dexter she had fallen for that had punched her out of anger.

"Cupid? Are you okay?" Apple asked as she sat down next to the young goddess and set a comforting hand on her shoulder while she tucked her tail underneath of her chair to ensure it wouldn't get stepped by any stray dancers; Maddie had managed to talk Raven into dancing with for a while, until at least the one of them got to dance with Ben after Cerise' turn was over.

"No . . . not really." Cupid sighed.

"Let me guess," Apple smiled sadly. "It's Dexter, isn't it?"

Cupid blinked in surprise. "How did . . ?"

Apple laughed with amusement. "You don't have to be a goddess of love to know that you have a thing for him. Practically everyone knows!"

"Is it really that obvious?"

"As obvious as the fact that Dexter had a giant-sized crush on Raven." Apple nodded, watching as Maddie dipped Raven in time to the music with a mad, twisted smile on her face; the princess was quite certain that nothing was going on between the Hatter and witchling other than just two best friends forever after simply enjoying the dance together until they could dance with the boyfriend they shared with Apple. At first, she had been rather uncomfortable and skeptical with Maddie joining the quickly growing harem Ben was amassing, but was quickly pacified when she realized that Maddie was simply being . . . well, mad. That, and the Hatter threatened her with a very big mallet.

"Maybe you just need to relax and . . . take your mind off Dexter for a night." Apple suggested. "Just eat some food, dance a little. Hex, dance with Ben if it helps you loosen up little." she smiled warmly.

"Are . . . you sure?" Cupid wondered. "I mean, he is your boyfriend."

"And Raven and Maddie's," Apple added with a slight sigh. "Hex, I wouldn't be surprised if Cerise ended up being one of his many girlfriends, too."

"I take it you're not use to the whole 'being a part of a harem' thing?"

Apple nodded. "It's . . . weird. Very weird." she admitted. "I mean, ever since I was a little girl, I was told that I would always end up married to a prince, my True Love. And that seemed to be Daring for the longest time, too." she explained, the corners of her mouth quirking up slightly when she saw the jester dressed prince charming slip on a puddle of spilled punch and land flat on his butt, making his bells jungle and the surrounding crowd laugh; at first Daring was little more than furious at being humiliated, but the bright and spooky atmosphere quickly had him laughing along as well. "And then, one day, I find out that my True Love isn't Daring at all, but this shape-shifting hero from another universe who I've never even met and has a harem of his own."

"Well, that's love for you." Cupid replied. "It knows no boundaries and can bring even the most distant of people together, even from other universe it would seem."

"I suppose, but . . . it just feels wrong, somehow. I mean, every story ends with one prince and one princess, no middleman." Apple sighed.

"The power of love is often oblivious to such matters." Cupid nodded sympathetically. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go grab some punch before Hopper uses it as a swimming pool." she said when she caught sight of the small, green amphibian wearing a scary devil's mask just big enough for him and approaching the buffet table.

As Apple watched Cerise go, she looked around and took notice that Cerise and Ben had mysteriously disappeared. Then again, there were dozens of costumed party goers filling up the ballroom, so there was a slight chance that they had been swept into the large crowd of fairy tales; that, or they had stopped to use the bathroom or something else as innocent as that. At least, that was what Apple kept telling herself for the time being.

Contrary to what Apple was hoping, both Ben and Cerise had managed to slip away from the party for a short time and leave the loud party behind to venture out into the school's courtyard; the air was cool against Ben's skin, though not uncomfortably so, and dark, gray storm clouds rolled steadily towards them off in the distance under the glow of the full moon over head.

"Beautiful night, huh?" Cerise commented as both she and Ben sat on the edge of the courtyard's fountain, gazing upwards at the night sky overhead just a foot apart.

"I wouldn't know." Ben shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

"Your own beauty is blinding me."

Cerise snorted and chuckled. "That has got to be the worst pick up line I've ever heard."

Ben shrugged again. "I've heard worse."

"Try me." Cerise dared.

"Did you just fart? 'Cause you're blowing me away." Ben recited with a smirk; Cerise lasted approximately three seconds she burst into laughter in a fashion similar to that of a hyena's as she held her aching sides while they heaved in and out. Ben was snickering as well, watching the Daughter of Red Riding Hood gasp for breath between fits of giggles before she suddenly leaned backwards too far and tumbled backwards into the fountain with a _splash!_

"I knew I was funny, but it's nothing to hold your breath over." Ben cracked as Cerise resurfaced a few seconds later and spat out a mouthful of water while parting her black and white locks away from her eyes; with a grin that would mostly be found on large, apex predators, Cerise lunged forward and grabbed Ben by his shoulders to pull him into the fountain as well, getting both him and Skurd wet at the same time, much to the Slimebiote's annoyance.

"You adolescence and your hijinks!" Skurd huffed as he shook his slimy body free of any excess water.

"Oh, stop you're whining. We've been through worse." Ben rolled his eyes as he stood up and shook his head, sending water flying everywhere and soaking Cerise even further. "Man, am I glad I wet for the waterproof bandages."

Now even more sopping wet than before, Cerise glowered playfully at Ben and stood up to wring her crimson hood over Ben's head with a satisfied smile. In retaliation, he bent down and scooped his hands through the fountain's water to douse her with a small wave; a quick water fight ensued between the two of them as they mercilessly splashed and soaked each other to the bone until Cerise suddenly slammed into Ben and shoved him under one of the fountain's spouts. After that, the two of them were now wrestling in the fountain, sending water cascading over the sides as they fought with playful jabs and punches and splashes until Cerise body slammed Ben and sent the both of them falling to the bottom of the fountain, the water level now low enough for Ben to comfortably breath due to the small battle between them.

"Pinned ya." Cerise smirked.

"Oh, yeah?" Ben smirked as he gave a sudden surge of strength and managed to throw Cerise off him long enough for him to tackle her to the bottom of the fountain; the two of them rolled around for a few more seconds in a small scuffle before Cerise roughly slammed him into the bottom of the fountain again with a triumphant grin on her face.

"Pinned ya again." she repeated.

"Alright, alright, you win, Ms. Alpha Wolf." Ben submitted jokingly.

Cerise felt her face heat up in a slight blush at the comment as she let Ben back up and rubbed her arm nervously while he stretched and shook his head and costume free of water. "Uh . . . thanks."

"For what?" Ben wondered.

"For . . . being there, I guess." Cerise explained. "Not many people actually remember my birthday, since it's always overshadowed by All Hallows Eve; they usually don't even remember until the next day or so. And my parents . . . I can't even celebrate my birthday with both of them."

"That's gotta suck." Ben said lamely.

"Smooth move." Skurd mumbled.

"Yeah, it . . . kinda does.' Cerise agreed, ignoring Skurd's comment. "Just . . . thanks for doing all of this for me. Setting up the party, playing in the band, dancing with me, just . . . everything." she was at a lack for words, though the fierce blush on her face said it all and more.

"Hey, it's what I do." Ben smiled kindly as he climbed to his feet and proceeded to help Cerise do the same; the wind rustled past them, causing the two of them to shiver involuntarily.

"Might I be of some assistance?" Skurd asked.

"P-Please." Ben shivered; the Slimebiote quickly slithered and oozed his gelatinous body over Ben's left arm, returning the borrowed Vladat DNA to the Omnitrix before taking hold of another set of genetics within the device and forming deep, red armored plating over Ben's skin and turning it into the arm of an Orishan. Ben glanced over his new limb for a second, flexing the fingers experimentally before he looked over at his other arm to see Skurd done the same thing, allowing him to raise both of his hands over his head and open the ports on his palms, absorbing the moisture out of the air and off the both of them, quickly drying them in a matter of seconds.

"There we go. Much better." Ben commented as Skurd shifted his arms back to his original form; despite being dry, the temperature was slowly dropping and even though he wasn't as affected by the change in climate as most people would have been, he still shivered slightly. The problem was quickly sloved when Cerise took Ben's arm and pulled him close to her, untying the clasp of her hood and slipping it around Ben's shoulders, wrapping him a blanket of warmth.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much." Ben nodded. "But what about you?"

"I'll be f-fine." Cerise's teeth chattered involuntarily.

"I beg to differ." Ben frowned slightly, opening the hood up and grabbing her wrist with his other hand tp pull her into his embrace, sheltering the both of them from the cooling night. Cerise felt her cheeks turned red when she was pressed up against Ben's bare, bandaged chest; she unconsciously shifted herself into a more comfortable position, resting a hand on Ben's shoulder and chest while setting her head to rest against his neck. The Riding Hood could easily hear the steady beating of his heart with her sensitive ears.

"Oh, for Pete's sake! If you two aren't going to kiss already, I'll do it myself!" Skurd announced crossly as he tapped into the Omnitrix's immense genetic database to grow two pairs of beefy, burly Tetramand arms from his body and then grab the back of Ben and Cerise's heads with two hands each and force them together before either of them knew what was happening.

Cerise's first instinct upon feeling Ben's lips against her own was to bite and claw and attack as fast and as fierce as she could before beating a hasty retreat, but she quickly bit down on that thought and relaxed into Ben's embrace, noting that even when they were being forced together by his Slimebiote partner, it still felt amazing. Cerise was then slightly caught off guard when she felt Ben's arms slowly and cautiously slip around her waist and lower back, hugging her gently as he tentatively moved his lips so as not to scare her and awaken the beast within her; the Riding Hood was touched by this and eagerly threw her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss and returning it with passion.

Cerise stuck fast and fierce, hungrily kissing Ben and managing to slip her tongue past his defenses with ease, assuming dominance within seconds; it wasn't until she realized that Ben wasn't fighting back, but merely guiding her did she realize that it was actually him that was in control. While she attacked savagely and quick, he worked gently and slow, not necessarily evading her movements but deflecting and guiding them in such a manner that it felt like she was dominating him when it was actually him that was dominating her.

And . . . she actually liked it.

Cerise moaned slightly as Ben parried and blocked every strike of her flexible tongue, slowly driving her back to home territory where he quickly invaded her lips and mouth and hugged her tighter, slowly tracing his arm up her back to explore the rest of her beautiful features. Ben's fingers slid fluidly through her black and white locks, caressing her smooth, flawless skin and absentmindedly brushing past her ear; Cerise stiffened and whimpered with pleasure at that. Sensing he had struck something important, Ben carefully brushed his fingers back past the spot and felt another moan from Cerise tingle his lips, promptly him to lovingly cup Cerise's face while he passionately kissed her and tentatively touched the sensitive spot just behind Cerise's wolfish ears that drove her mad with pleasure.

Before long, the two of them separated from lack of air, turning simultaneously to glare at Skurd as he returned the Tetramand DNA to the Omnitrx; he was quickly forgotten however as Cerise dove in for one, last quick kiss from Ben and rested his head against his chest with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Happy birthday, Cerise." Ben whispered as he hugged her close to him.

"Thank you." she sighed happily. "Now how about we get out this fountain before we freeze our toes off?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"No, Maddie."

"Come on! Please?"

"I said, _'NO!_ '" Daring shouted.

"Pretty please?" Maddie asked sweetly, cupping her hands together and giving the prince charming the best puppy eyes she could muster which, unfortunately for Daring, was more than enough to melt any harshness he had towards the Hatter; it was infuriating how she was able to that so easily, though he had a sneaking suspicion that if she didn't have access to Wonderland magic she might have more difficulty on guilt tripping him. With a sigh, Daring bent down until he was nearly sitting on the floor and folded his arms over his chest before he did a very short and rapid jig that drew snickers and chuckles from the crowd as he danced before he slipped on yet another puddle of punch, back flipped through the air and landed flat on his face, the bells on his jester costume jingling merrily.

"Yay! I just love hearing those bells!" Maddie clapped her hands happily.

"I justh fwace pwanted myself so you cold lawgh at meh costumep!?" Daring griped with his face still glued to the floor, not wanting to move as he whined.

"Nah, the author is just entertaining his fans!" Maddie giggled.

"Okay, I think it might be time we get Maddie to a psychologist, if only to just return her to normal Wonderland sanity." Apple whispered to Raven.

"She'll just drive the poor guy even madder than she already is." Raven shook her head with amusement as Maddie finally stopped laughing long enough to help Daring to his feet and walk him over to the side of the ballroom to sit down so he could press some ice she had pulled out of her hat (her real one, not her costume one; her hat was small enough that it actually fit quite comfortably underneath of her costume) and press it to his bruised face.

"Speaking of poor guy, have you seen Ben?" Raven wondered, shifting her shoulders slightly to adjust the position of her costume's spider legs.

"No. That's what I'm worried about." Apple bit her lip nervously.

"He couldn't have gotten into too much trouble, could he?" Raven asked hopefully.

Their questions were soon answered when the doors to the ballroom were pushed open, drawing the majority of the crowd's attention towards them as Ben and Cerise walked back into the party with smiles on their faces and their fingers intertwined with the other; Ben received several thumbs up from some of the male fairy tales with Cerise getting a few wistful looks from several of the girls.

"Well, that answers my question." Raven shrugged with a smile, happy for her friend; Apple however, felt like she was just being toyed with by some invisible force that may or may not have been making her life miserable for the their own or others amusement.

"Good evening, Ever After High!" Melody Piper's voice rang loud and clear through the ballroom, shaking Apple out of her stupor. "As much as I hate to say it, all good things must come to an end, and this party, unfortunately, is no exception. So before we all crash, how about one more song?"

Te DJ was met with enthusiastic claps and cheers. "But before we begin, everyone give a round of applause for Cerise and her new boyfriend Ben!" Melody smirked mischievously as Maddie pulled a dlashlight out from her hat and shined it on happy couple like a spotlight.

"Sparrow doesn't ta waste time, OH!" Sparrow wailed loudly on his guitar.

Melody rolled her eyes and reached for one of her many records, spinning it on her finger before tossing it onto her turntables and kicking the volume up to an eleven as a thumbing, retro-bass rhythm echoed off the marble halls, eliciting several whoops and cheers of excitement when several of the more villainous fairy tales recognized the song.

"What's going on? What's this song?" Apple asked as Raven eagerly tugged on her arm and dragged her out towards the middle of the floor to stand on one side of Ben while Cerise and Maddie stood on the other side, wicked grins of amusement on all three of their faces.

"Just follow our lead." was all Raven said as the lyrics started to roll through the speakers and a pair of fog machines that hadn't cooperated during the previous performance finally kicked in after Humphrey figured out that they weren't plugged in in the first place.

" _It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark,_ " a warm, male's voice sang over the repetitive music.

" _Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart._ "

" _You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it._ "

" _You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes! You're paralyzed!_ "

At that point, the music kicked up dramatically into an upbeat and creepy tone as Ben and the girls (with the exception of Apple) started to jerk and twitch their shoulders and arms in time to the beat before clapping their hands above their head, shimmying to their left and stomping their foot down hard to then twist their heads left and right in time to the beat and then repeat the whole dance once more. After a few more tries, Apple was doing it to and, like a zombie virus, it slowly began to catch on and creep through the crowd of costume fairy tales.

" _Cuz this is Thriller! Thriller night!_ " the music blared as the Ben and the four costume girls twisted their hands into sharp claws and swung them back and forth in time to the chorus, drawing in more and more people until the entire party was dancing in unison to the song.

" _And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike!_ "

" _You know it's Thriller! Thriller night!_ "

" _You're fighting for your life inside a killer Thriller tonight!_ " was the last part of the chorus before the next verse came in.

" _You hear the door slam, and realize that there's nowhere left to run._ "

" _You feel the cold hand wonder if you'll ever see the sun._ "

" _You close your eyes and hope this is just imagination!_ "

" _Bit all the while, you fear a creature creeping up behind! You're out of time!_ "

" _Cuz this is Thriller! Thriller night!_ "

" _And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike!_ "

" _Cuz this is Thriller! Thriller ni-_ "

That was as far as the song got before a tremendous roar and boom shook the ballroom, sending instant panic and fear amongst the party guests and students as the ground began to tremble like it might during an earthquake; a thunderous roar filled the air, forcing Cerise to clap her hands over her sensitive ears and bite back a howl of pain as other, more sensitive students copied her while they all searched for the source of the noise. A sudden flash of blinding light came from overhead and everyone glanced up to see a massive, blood red portal swirling above and overhead, pulsing and swirling violently. The angry vortex shuddered and seemed to fold in on itself slightly, as if it were in great pain, before it made a loud, wretched squelching noise like one might make if they were about to throw up.

And before Ben knew what was happening, he soon found himself flattened under the combined bulk of an African elephant, a Parae Cortarix, sleeping plant monster, and disassembled skeleton as the crimson portal overhead gave a final roar before flashing out of existence and leaving a thunderous boom in its wake.

"Ow, my aching skull." CuttngEdge winced.

"At least yours is still attached to your neck." Skelita sighed as one of her arm bones fruitlessly patted around for the rest of her bones and body.

"Will you get off of me!?" Ben yelled; the slightly dazed elephant immediately perked up upon hearing his voice and quickly lifted its head off of the floor to let Ben crawl out from underneath of her considerable bulk and stand up, crack his now aching back, and turn around to glare angrily at the small group until eh quickly realized who he was looking at.

"Skelita?" he whispered with shock. "Jane? Clawdeen? Venus?"

"Ben?" CuttngEdge blinked with surprise.

"Madeline!" Maddie declared loudly and seemingly without reason.

Apple watched with slack jaw and wide eyes as a flash of golden light engulfed the Parae Cortarix, manipulating its genetic code and returning it back to its original form; a tall, slender girl with auburn cirls that tumbled to her hips, a pair of sharp, golden eyes, a set of white fangs, and a pair of pointed wolf ears and sharp claws, and covered from head to toe in caramel-colored fur. Several fairy tales startled at the sudden transformation and even more started to back away to form a wide ring around Clawdeen's as she lunged forward and wrapped Ben into a protective hug, relieved to see him.

If the sudden transformation of Clawdeen unsettled the crowd of costumed fairy tales, then the way Skelita's broken body moved on its own accord terrified them, a few even going so far as to empty their stomachs in the nearest trash can as Skelita's arm bones dragged themselves across the marble floor, picking up ribs and scattered toe bones in their fingers as they all converged on the spot her rib cage and spine lay. Her leg bones managed to stand themselves up after a few tries and reattach themselves to her pelvis, grabbing her discarded, multicolored skirt and kicking it up onto her hip bones for furhter adjustment as they walked over to her quickly reassembling torso. Once her arms had been fit back into her socket and her black top, topaz necklace, and marigold Omnitrix set back into their proper places, the arms propped themselves up onto their hands and walked over to her waiting pelvis before a jump that was big enough for the spine to fit back into place and allow the nearly completed body to fit the skirt back on properly and gather up her shoes before bending down to scoop up Skelita's head and set it back on her shoulders, twisting it firmly back into place. Now that she was whole, Skelita also quickly rushed to join in the hug, having missed Ben dearly.

Jane however, managed to make several of the more easily frightened fairy tales scream in horror as the elephant clambered to its feet and began to change before their very eyes, shifting and morphing in a rather horrific manner; her thick, leathery skin smoothed out quickly as she started to shrink and compress, her bones crunching and grinding loudly in sickening noises while five, stiff digits popped out from Jane's changing fore legs. Dense masses of packed muscle and tissue started to wither and wilt, becoming far weaker and more flexible than before as the elephant's ropy tail was slurped back up into its spine like a strand of spaghetti. Her massive tusks cracked and crunched loudly as they were forced back inside of her mouth with what seemed like incredible pain until they were nothing more than small canine teeth. Jane's eyes rotated back towards the front as her purple, magenta, and black locks returned to her while the long, dexterous trunk that took up a good portion of her face rolled upwards like a noise maker and squashed and compressed back into a small noise and upper lip; the blanket-sized ears shrank and became more disk-like as her spine snapped loudly and allowed her to stand fully erect as her usual clothes and the Nemetrix reappeared on her.

"I . . . I missed you, Ben." Jane sobbed happily as she squeezed between Clawdeen and Skelita and hugged Ben without any sign of letting go; Venus continued to snore loudly and sleep on.

"Ahem. I believe I am missing something here?" Skurd piped up. "Such as, how in the name of Galvan Prime did you acquire so much delicious DNA!?" the Slimebiote seemed to actually be drooling when he caught sight of the two Omnitrixes on Clawdeen and Skelita's wrists.

"Speakin' of missin', where the Sphinx are we?" Clawdeen wondered as she released her hold on Ben and glanced around at the crowd of unsettled fairy tales. "'Cause wherever we are, I'm gettin' the distinctive feeling that we're not exactly welcome here. And how's Skurd still here when Whisp is missing?"

"I'd also like to know something," Raven spoke up. "Just who the hex are you?"

"Name's Clawdeen Wolf. Werewolf, if you weren't lookin' clearly." she rattled off without hesitation. "Ben's my boyfriend. Any other questions?"

"So . . . you're Ben's ghoulfriends?" Cerise asked in a quiet tone, suddenly feeling the need to pull her hood back up over head to cover her ears; Clawdeen raised an eyebrow at this but didn't say anything.

" _Si_. You are correct." Skelita nodded. "We are but four members of Ben's rather large harem."

"Well what a co-ing-ci-dink! So are we!" Maddie smiled broadly, wrapping her arms around Raven, Apple, and Cerise's shoulders to hug them close to her.

Clawdeen blinked and turned on her heel to stare at Ben with a look of confusion and anger, expecting an answer soon and a promise of serious pain if it wasn't given. Ben flinched slightly under the hostile glare and opened his mouth to speak, the words hindered slightly by Jane's tight grip on him; before an answer could be given however, one of the windows to the grand ballroom suddenly shattered and crashed to the floor as something massive and infuriated leaped through and into the ballroom, sending screams up into the air as it charged through the crowd and skidded to a halt in the center of the ballroom where Ben the ghouls, and girls had been standing seconds ago before they all dove out of the way at the last second.

"W-What's th-that?" Jane gulped nervously, hugging Ben tightly.

The 'thing' in question was absolutely monstrous. It was absolutely huge, about as big as a rhinoceros and twice as strong if the massive muscles that rippled and flexed effortlessly underneath his tough skin; a layer of thick, shaggy, earthy fur covered its entire body, making its hulking frame seem even bigger as it simply stood there for a several seconds, suffering no injuries from its sudden entrance through the window. The creature tilted its head up to gather its surrounding, allowing Ben to see a pair of sharp, buffalo-like horns under a shaggy, lion-like mane that rested upon his broad shoulders. Dagger sharp teeth lined the jaws, a pair of tusks curving up over the upper lip from the lower jaw while a fluffy, wolf-like tail swished back and forth occasionally from the creature's spine. Despite being animalistic in appearance in nature, the monster wore a pair of ragged, blue jeans that barely seemed to fit him and a dark, purple cape the color of wine draped over his shoulders.

"It looks like . . ." Raven peered closely at the creature, gasping with surprise when she caught sight of bright, baby blue eyes sitting just above the fearsome jaws of the Beast. "Dexter?"

The Beast let out a loud, angry roar upon hearing the name, its jaws opened wide to showcase huge, pointed fangs that looked as if they could easily tear through flesh; the majority of the crowd yelped and covered their ears, pressing themselves up against the wall as the Beast that was formerly Dexter paced around in a cirlce inside of the ring he, Ben, the ghouls, and girls had been trapped in. A sudden snore caught his attention and he turned his head to see Venus sprawled out on the floor, completely oblivious to where she was or what was happening as she slept.

"Venus . . ." Jane gulped nervously, praying her ghoulfriend would wake up soon; the Beast stalked closer and closer to the sleeping plant monster, his nostrils flaring and snorting as he gave her cautious sniff. He gave a loud snarl of irritation and turned his head to face Ben with a hatred he had only ever seen on Vilgax and Zs'Skayr during his darkest hours before the Beast stood up on its hind legs and raised its clenched fists over his head.

"Venus!" Jane screamed as he rushed away from Ben and at the beast, swiftly changing all the while. Her skin cracked and split viciously, splitting into dozens of scales along her arms and face to then travel up her shoulders and down her neck and arch across her chest and torso to race down her legs, covering her in smooth, violet scales; every last strand of hair on her head and body almost instantaneously vanished, pulled back into Jane's body as her arms cracked and crunched in a sickening tone. Her fingers were ;pulled one by one back in her hand before that was pulled back into her wrist and then her entire arm was pulled back in her quickly disappearing shoulders, like they were being pulled through an invisible drain while the bones in her legs split and snapped in dozens of places, making her legs completely useless and letting her fall to the ground. Now forced to wriggle back and forth on her belly to even move, Jane's legs swiftly wrapped themselves around each other before fusing into a single, long tail covered in scales while muscles packed themselves tightly on her underbelly and ribs; her face pushed forward as a forked tongue flickered out of her pitch, black mouth as the Nemetrix appeared in the form of a collar around her neck, completing the transformation.

With a loud hiss, the black mamba lunged forward and curled itself up between Venus and the Beast, rearing up and unhinging its jaws to show off its pitch black mouth as a warning, hissing viciously. The Beast ignored Jane and brought his arms down, fully prepared to crush the snake and Venus in one fell swoop before moving onto destroying Ben.

Now without any other choice, Jane gave a final warning hiss and lashed her head forward, sinking her sharp fangs deep into the Beast's skin and injecting a horrible venom into his bloodstream; the monster roared in pain and recoiled, warily glaring at the black mamba as it retreated to curl up protectively on top of Venus' chest, as if daring him to come back for another strike.

The Beast wisely didn't and instead whirled around to glare straight at Ben, his nostrils flaring with anger before he roared and charged at the Omnitrix wielder; Ben instinctively turned on the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the activation button without looking at what alien he had selected, swallowing himself in a flash of green light. Half a dozen purple and black striped tentacles horrifically burst out of Ben's chest, making Apple turn on her heel and grab Briar's hat off of her head to empty the contents of her stomach as the horrifying new appendages slithered and cracked impatiently in the air; Ben's fingers ground and cracked loudly as the bone pushed out and through his skin in a painless, yet terrifying manner while they sharpened into wicked claws. His spine cracked and crunched loudly as it lengthened and bent, forcing him to hunch over as his legs wrapped around each other like rubber and fused into a single, wiggling tail that white and black stripes arched across. Ben's skin started to shift and hang off of his skeleton, making him look like he was wearing a massive, wet, paper bag as his new, lose skin shifted and warped to form sleeve-like arms that his bony claws slipped out of while a black, tuxedo-like suit trimmed in green made out of his skin formed around the rest of him, hanging lose and ragged at his ghostly tail. Ben's jaw jutted out as jagged, curved teeth ripped through his gums and let a wet, forked tongue slip out and sample the air as his eyes molded into a single, green orb and blinked experimentally. Two more fully functioning eyes thrust out of his shoulders with a wet popping sound, pushing through his suit-like skin and blinking slowly to take in the sudden amount of light the dim ballroom provided. The Omnitrix and Skurd formed at the center of a gruesome, bat-like bow tie tied tightly around his neck, completing the transformation.

"Okay, who's this guy?" the Draugnurite wondered, looking over his claws before the Beast slammed into him and tackled him to the floor; the crowd parted like the Red Sea as the two of them skidded across the floor, the ghost-like alien's tentacles instinctively slithering out between the flaps of his suit-like skin and wrapping around the Beast's arms and shoulders, restraining him in place.

"Skurd! Make with the info please!" the Draugnurite pleaded as he struggled keep the Beast from slaughtering him.

"You're a Draugnurite, dear boy! A subspecies of Ectonurite!" the Slimebiote reported.

"Ectonurite? Ghostfreak?" the Draugnurite rasped.

"You know I hate repeating myself! Starting defending yourself!" Skurd exclaimed.

"Well this changes everything." the ghost-like alien grinned a sinister, toothy smile. With a loud hiss, he focused on his protoplasm composition and effortlessly phased through the floor, releasing his hold on the Beast for a split second and letting it look around wildly for his opponent. "I think I'll this one Phantux!" the Draugnurite's voice echoed throughout the ballroom before phased down from the ceiling high in the air above.

"Lets take this new form of mine for a spin, shall we?" Phantux grinned maniacally as he flew down low to the floor and swiped the Beast's legs out from underneath him, turning around just in time to have the Beast punch him across the face and send his vision spinning long enough for the Beast to ram his head into the Draugnurite's gut and tentacles.

"Okay! Time to take charge!" Phantux exclaimed.

"Oh, for Pete's sake! Stop stating the obvious!" Skurd would have been grinding his teeth in annoyance if he had any.

"How about instead of complaining you do something to help?" Phantux suggested as he rushed at the Beast again and phased right through his body, pushing his mind down into the deepest recesses he could find and assuming control of the Beast's body with a slight cracking noise and triumphant, "Ha! Gotcha!"; the Beast stiffened slightly before his fingers clenched into fists and started slugging himself in the face several times, knocking him down to the ground as one hand continued to punch him and the other started yanking and pulling on his mane. A direct punch to the Beast's face released the Draugnurite's control on him and forced him out of the Beast's body and to the floor where he quickly flew out of reach.

"I might need some help!" Phantux rasped, the tentacles within his chest slithering out to wrap around the Beast's wrists and try and restrain it; Skurd oozed and slithered his slimy body over the Draugnurite's left arm to shift and morph it into the rock covered arm of a Pyronite. With his new limb, Phantux fired off a jet of flame towards the floor, creating a wall of hot fire that separated him from the Beast and made the crowd edge themselves to the very edges of the ballroom for safety. The Beast bellowed angrily and charged right at the wall of flames, leaping through with smoke curling off of his fur and the edges of his cloak slightly singed; he looked around to find not one Phantux, but half a dozen of them floating about a foot above the ground, silently starring at him with their three, green eyes.

"Pick a me! Any me!" Phantux cackled, his voice coming from everywhere at once. The Beast snarled and narrowed his eyes as he was suddenly enveloped his darkness, the ballroom and terrified party guests fading away into blackness and leaving nothing but the Beast and Draugnurite clones in a pitch dark abyss. The Beast formerly known as Dexter snarled and roared, pouncing upon two clones and swiping his claws at them only to find that they had evaporated into wisps of smoke and gas; a repeat of this with three other clones met the same fate and left the Beast with one Phantux left.

"Probably not my best plan." the Draugnurite mused.

"You think?" Skurd rolled his beady eyes before the Beast slammed into him and grabbed him by the arm with his teeth, shaking his head like a dog and sending Phantux flying off into the darkness; a flash of green light signified that the Omnitrix had timed out and the dark illusion quickly retreated, fading away with the disappearance of Phantux and return of Ben; the wielder of the Omnitrix lay on the floor at Apple's feet, dazed. With a loud roar of triumph, the Beast whirled around to charge straight at Raven, catching the witchling off guard as he slammed into her and threw her to the floor, grabbing the stunned witch in his grasp and throwing her over his shoulder before giving a final roar and barreling through the ballroom doors.

"Ben!" Raven screamed.

"Raven!" Ben shouted.

"Okay, can someone explain what the Sphinx is going on here!?" Clawdeen yelled loudly with exasperation. "Because in case you haven't noticed, I just came tumblin' out some weird portal of whatever into some crazy place with monsters that just kidnapped some girl and my missing boyfriend who has apparently managed to receive the affections of four other girls in his absence, including the girl just kidnapped! If someone doesn't explain what is going on right now, I will tear this place apart to get answers!" the werewolf roared angrily, breathing heavily from her tantrum during the awkward silence that followed.

Ben sighed and pinched his brow, grumbling under his breath about how the universe couldn't let him catch a break. "Long story short, we're in Ever After, a world of fairy tales, and that Beast just kidnapped Raven, Daughter of the Evil Queen and also my girlfriend, during Cerise's birthday party. And now, I'll probably have to gone on some wild goose chase to put this thing down while causing a bunch of collateral damage in the process and making the Headmaster's life a living Hell even further. Any more questions?"

"I think that is all we need to know for now." Skelita put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "We are just relieved to see that you are alive and well."

"Ben?" Cerise said in her formal, quiet tone; her wolf senses were telling her that the majority of the new comers were not harmful to her in anyway, but the werewolf was putting her edge as Clawdeen subconsciously asserted her dominance over her. "The more we stand around, the more Raven has a less likely chance of . . . living, I suppose."

"Right. Kick butt now, explain everything later." Ben cracked his knuckles.

"And . . . you might want to do it quickly, too." Jane added quietly, biting her lip as the last of her scales smoothed out into her usual, violet skin; with a grunt, she hooked her hands under Venus' arms and dragged her towards the group with a little difficulty. "I . . . kinda . . . accidentally . . ."

"What? What did you do!?" Cupid shouted desperately as she pushed her way through the crowd and ran up to Jane, fear in her voice.

"Cupid!? You're here, too?" Clawdeen's eyebrows shot up into her auburn locks.

"I'll explain later," Cupid pushed the question before returning to Jane, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. "What did you do to Dexter?"

Jane was greatly frightened by Cupid's rattling and attempted to speak through the shaking and tears forming in the corners of her eye. "I . . . bit him."

"Yeah, we all saw that. You were protecting your friend." Apple nodded.

"I-It's not that." Jane trembled slightly as Ben pulled Cupid off of her and calmed her down long enough for the shape-shifter to speak. "T-The snake I w-was . . . a black mamba . . . i-it's highly venomous. I-If Dexter doesn't get a t-treatment, a-an antivenom of some kind, h-he'll . . . he'll die." she practically whispered.

The silence that followed was crushing, and Jane was fighting every last instinct within her not to run away or change form under all of the eyes starring at her with fear and surprise; Cupid however, had simply broken down, nearly collapsing to the floor before Ben caught in her time and held her tightly, allowing her to squeeze the very life out of him and use his bandages as tissues.

"Stop with this senseless mourning! The boy still has a chance to live!" Skurd shook everyone out of their terror. "Quick, dear girl! How long does he have!?"

"A N-Normie will die within . . . forty-five minutes or l-less." Jane replied quietly. "Your friend . . . he may have a l-little longer . . . the venom, i-it'll cause paresthesias, extreme salivation, numbness, a-and headaches before he'll s-start to experience tachydysrhythmias and neurogenic shock before . . ." Jane didn't dare finish the sentence as Cupid let lose another round of sobs.

"We have to find him." Cerise frowned with determination. "He may be a monster now, but he's our friend."

"I don't know what half of what's going on here, but I ain't letting nobody die on my hands." Clawdeen growled angrily. "Count us in."

"Then it's settled." Ben nodded as he slowly started to rise, bringing Cupid up with him. "Apple, I need you to keep everyone in here, where it's safe, while we go deal with Dexter." he told the princess. "Make sure nobody tries to sneak out, run away, or try to play hero; it may be Dexter we're dealing with, but he's not in control right now. There's no telling what he'll do."

"Can do." Apple nodded.

"Good." Ben said before turning to Maddie. "I know you want in on the fun, but-"

"You want me to stay here and defend everyone in case Dexter comes back before you can." Maddie finished for him. "Can do! The author won't let you down!" the Hatter saluted eagerly while simultaneously pulling out the mallet that she used so often that Ben wasn't even the slightest bit phased; Earl Grey popped out of her hat as well wielding a tiny, toy sword and shield that he swung in a threatening manner on top of Maddie's head.

" . . . okay." Ben nodded; Clawdeen and Skelita shared confused looks upon seeing Maddie literally pull her weapon out of nowhere. "Lets do this then." Ben nodded with determination as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting a suitable transformation and slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a blast of green light. Deep, orange fur sprouted all over his body, as if a bomb filled with hair had suddenly exploded inside of him and forced all of the fur to the surface of his skin; his skull ground and cracked as his lower jaw was thrust outwards into a massive underbite, his canine teeth growing huge and perfect for ripping through flesh while patches of skin grew over his eyes and sent him into a world of darkness as they eventually became no longer useful and withered away, fresh bone replacing the gaping holes that had previously been his eye sockets. Ben's ears melted back into his head, becoming little more than mounds of skin that became useless and unneeded as a row of slits opened up on his thickening neck, forming into gill-like structures. His shoulders and arms swelled with tissue and muscle as he was forced down onto them like a second pair of legs while his fingernails ripped through his fingers and turned into sharp, menacing claws. His leg bones cracked and snapped as they were forced into the hind leg structure like that of a dog while a patch of sharp, pointed quills formed on his back between his shoulder blades; a thick, green collar appeared around Ben's neck as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared in a sudden burst of green light, completing the transformation.

"Wait, Ben!" Apple halted the Vulpimancer in his tracks before he could barrel out of the ballroom. "How are you even going to stop Dexter and turn him back?"

"The princess has a point." Clawdeen sighed. "I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say this involves magic and if memory serves, magic isn't yours or anyone's forte."

" _Si_. It will be _mucho difícil_ without Charmcaster." Skelita agreed.

"Actually, there is one way to stop the Beast." a girl spoke up as she pushed her way through the crowd and stepped out into the open circle for all to see; she had brown and crimson locks trailing all the way down to her hips and wore a pair of brown glasses to allow her to her hazel eyes to see properly. Dressed up for the event of All Hallows Eve, the girl looked as if she had chosen to impersonate a jungle native, if the scantily made, faux fur bikini she was wearing was anything to go by, though Clawdeen noticed she was actually wearing a real swimsuit underneath for privacy purposes while she twirled a rather realistic looking spear almost casually around in her fingers. White stripes arched their way across her arms and legs, stopping whenever they met the fur bands around her wrists or the heavy, fur boots on her feet.

"Whatever it is, Rosabella, we'll do it." Cupid sniffed.

"We?" Skelita raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, we. I'm coming with you." Cupid said with determination.

"Cupid, are you sure?" Cerise wondered. "I mean, I know you have a crush on Dexter, but-"

"This has nothing to do with my crush on Dexter." Cupid shook her head. "It's not his fault that he's this way or that he hurt me after he heard that Ben and Raven were a couple."

"Wait, my brother did what?" Daring sounded surprised, pushing his way through the crowd to join the slowly growing group of monsters, fairy tale, and one alien.

"During Ben's interview with Blondie, Dexter kinda . . . found out that he and Raven were dating." Apple winced. "He . . . didn't take the news very well."

Daring frowned. "My brother would never-"

"Daring, stop for a second and think about something first." Cerise frowned with a sigh. "Imagine that you're Dexter; all your life, you've been overshadowed by your older, stronger, faster, more handsome brother to the point where hardly anyone outside of your close friends even knows who you are. And every time you tell them who you are, they instantly forget about you as they go on and on about your older brother who is better than you in every way that matters. And the one time you actually work up the courage to ask the girl of your dreams out and tell her how you feel about her . . . she doesn't feel the same way and is swept off her feet by someone who came entirely out of left field."

"Well . . . when you put it like that . . ." the jester clad prince rubbed his arm sheepishly.

Cupid sighed and rubbed her aching temples; if she lived through tonight, she was going to need to sleep for a week and need the mother of all painkillers. "Rosabella, please. How do we help Dexter?"

"If what my Mom said about Dad is true, the spell Dexter has placed upon himself will only break when he learns to love once more . . . and earn the love of another." Rosabella tapped her chin as she leaned on her spear. "And that someone would have to love him, no matter what he looks like."

"But . . . who could love him like that?" Duchess scoffed, shifting her fake wings to fold her arms over her chest. "I mean, did you see what he tried to do? The people he hurt? His horrific appearance? How could anyone ever love him?"

Daring sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it . . . Duchess is right." he said, earning shocked and angry looks from other fairy tales and a deep snarl from Wildmutt. "Look, words aside, Dexter . . . he's nothing more than a mindless monster."

"He's not mindless!" Cupid argued loudly. "He's just . . . hurt. He needs help. And . . . I'm the only one that can give it to him." she added quietly.

"What about Rosabella? I mean, this is her story, right?" Apple piped up. "Should she be the first to try?"

The Daughter of Beauty and the Beast shook her head. "As much as I'd love to meet my prince, Apple, Dexter isn't it. This is one of those rare cases where the path set out is not necessarily the best one taken."

"Ancient Chinese proverb, if what Jinafire has taught me is correct." Skelita nodded sagely.

Apple sighed with defeat, knowing there was no way around this. With little other choice, she watched as Cupid and Skelita climbed onto Wildmutt's back and held on with their thighs and hands while Clawdeen and Cerise limbered with some small stretches; Jane hooked her hands under Venus' arms and hauled her over to Apple, leaving her at the princess's feet.

"I-I . . . I know we don't know each other that well . . . but can you please watch over her?" Jane pleaded. "She's in no condition to help."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Maddie asked, bending down and poking Venus' leg in a curious and repetitive manner like a curious child; had the plant monster been awake and fully rested, she would have found the constant movement to get annoying fairly quickly.

"Before we came her, she had all her energy drained from her while she was a Nosedeenian." Jane explained.

"Nosedeenian?" Daring raised an eyebrow.

"A living, alien battery, basically." Jane summed up. "Can you please watch her? If she wakes up, make sure she doesn't leave the room; she'll be your best line of defense if your friend comes back."

"You bet your teacups we'll protect her!" Maddie saluted, Earl Grey copying her.

Apple nodded. "What Maddie said."

"Thank you." Jane smiled before she bent down and lovingly kissed Venus on her forehead. "Sleep well." she added quietly, oblivious to everyone's surprised looks as she tapped the Nemetrix and twisted the watch face to rotate through the available transformations before finding a suitable one and slapping a hand down on the activation button. Her fingers ground and cracked before being forced together into a pair of razor-sharp spikes that were quickly surrounded by coarse, light brown hair that covered Jane's entire forearm before they shot out to massive length and sprouted spikes on her biceps, turning into a pair of sharp fore legs; her feet and toes melted into a similar pair of spikes as her thighs and legs swelled with muscle and sinew, growing more light brown hair on her ankles as her joints crunched and positioned themselves to lift her off of the ground. Her torso and abdomen fused into one and shot out behind her into a pointed, armored shell the color of eggshell as Jane's jaw thrust outwards in a predatory manner while needle-like teeth tore through her gums in an open mouth smile. A pair of pincers sprouted from her lower jaw while four, fleshy, leg-like growths tipped with a single spike sprouted around her head as the Nemetrix appeared in the form of a collar just behind them, finishing the transformation.

"What the hex is that thing!?" Duchess recoiled upon seeing the Terroranchula standing over her.

"Lets just say it's a weird world that we live in." Skurd simply said. "Now cease with your incessant and unnecessary bellowing! We've got a girl to save! Hi, ho, silver! Away!" he declared dramatically; Wildmutt bellowed loudly in response and sped off towards the doors with Cupid and Skelita hanging on tightly, Cerise and Clawdeen easily keeping pace with the Vulpimancer, and Terroranchula bringing up the rear with a loud, horrible screech, just barely ducking under the doorway in time.

"What I wouldn't ask for a normal evening." Apple shook her head as Venus snored at her feet.

* * *

Raven remained perfectly still as the Beast effortlessly carried her through the halls of Ever After High, his quick pace never faltering as he ran on all fours, save for the one arm that kept her firmly pinned to his shoulder; the witchling could have easily struck him with a short blast of raw magic, but that could end in numerous ways, most of them ending with her getting hurt and either enraging Dexter even further or even killing him with how unstable her powers were. And even though she had been forcefully kidnapped, she couldn't bring herself to severely hurting the Beast that had formerly been one of her Best Friends Forever After.

"Where are you talking me?" Raven asked.

The Beast snarled in response and increased his speed down the corridor, charging down the hallway that led to the boy's dorms and coming to a stop in front of a certain door; without setting Raven down, he pushed his free shoulder against the door and pushed, easily pushing it open despite the heavy dresser blocking it and storming inside where he forcefully tossed Raven on one of the lesser destroyed beds in the dorm while he slammed the door shut and shoved the dresser back into place.

"Dexter?" Raven spoke quietly, unsure of what to do.

The Beast whirled around to glare at her with those eyes she was so familiar with and rose up to his full height, standing twice as tall as Raven and utterly dwarfing her compared to his bulky frame. "What?" he growled after a while.

Raven blinked in surprise. "You . . . you can talk?"

"You think I can't?" the Beast snarled with a deep, angry voice.

"No, no . . . it's just that you didn't talk before." Raven answered. "I . . . didn't mean to offend you."

The Beast sighed and dropped back down to all fours, stalking back over to the other bed that sat in the room to jump up onto the mattress and turn around three times before lying down. "Sleep wherever you like; the bathroom is over there if you need it." he said pointing a little more to the right of the door. "But I'll be listening. You aren't escaping."

Raven frowned; what happened to the kind and slightly nerdy prince she had known before? The Dexter that would stutter and nervously glance at his feet as he tried to talk to her? The Dexter that would ramble on for an hour about the mechanics of the latest update to her Mirrorphone's software? The Dexter that had seen past what she was supposed to become and saw her for what she was? After a little more thought, Raven realized that this was her fault or at the very least partially. Maybe if she had loved Dexter, none of this would have happened. Maybe if she hadn't gotten so close or attached to Ben she wouldn't have been kidnapped by the Beast. The witchling unconsciously traced her fingers along the pale scars that marked her arms and shoulders, fingering the ones on her wrist the longest; those had been the most painful to her, at the least the times she was awake that is.

"You do know that Ben will try and rescue me, right?" Raven asked quietly.

"Let him come. I'll prove to you that my love for you is stronger than anything he and his precious watch could." the Beast glowered.

Raven didn't respond to that at first, only scooting back farther on the bed and proceeded to dismantle the spider legs that sprouted from her shoulders and back for more comfort. "You don't really love me." she whispered; before she knew what was happening, the Beast had sprung off of his bed and cleared the distance between it and the bed Raven was currently sitting on before slamming into the witchling and pinning her firmly to the mattress, roaring in her face.

"I DO TO LOVE YOU!" he bellowed furiously, blowing her hair back from the sheer force of his yelling.

"No, you don't." Raven shook her head, rolling it back and forth on the bed to do so.

"YES, I DO!" the Beast roared, digging his claws into her arms and eliciting a cry of pain from the witchling as her long since healed scars were reopened, her crimson blood staining her ivory skin and the covers. With gruff growl, the Beast climbed off of Raven and stormed back over to his side of the room, slightly calmer than before. "Wash yourself up and be back in two minutes. Dinner will be waiting." he growled as he began to search through the remains of the pity meals sent his way for anything that was still good.

Raven bit back the invisible tears that had failed to instinctively come to her eyes and pushed herself off of the bed, making her way to the bathroom the Beast had indicated to earlier when something heavy slammed into the door, startling her; the Beast pricked up his ears at the sound and narrowed his eyes as the door was hit again, pushing the dresser a couple feet. A final hit and the door was blown off its hinges, sending the dresser skidding across the floor and nearly crashing into Raven as Wildmutt thundered through the door and right at the Beast, slamming into him as Cupid and Skelita jumped off of the Vulpimancer's back; Clawdeen and Cerise came charging into the room soon after followed by Terroranchula.

"C'mon, Raven! We're getting you out of here!" Cerise grabbed hold of Raven's bleeding arm and pulled her back towards the door as Wildmutt and the Beast wrestled around on the floor in a mass of claws, teeth, and fur, neither side giving in to the other as Cupid just barely managed to flap her wings to avoid getting tangled into the mess.

Raven however, despite her fear and injuries stood fast. "I'm not leaving. Dexter needs me, needs us more than ever."

"Are you crazy, ghoul!?" Clawdeen shouted, pointing at the crimson lines that arched across Raven's skin. "Look at what he did to you!"

"He's not himself!" Raven protested; Wildmutt was thrown off of the Beast and landed on his feet, swiping his claws and striking his opponent across the face before he lunged forward and clamped his jaws tightly around one of the Beast's burly arms. The monster roared in pain and struggled against the Vulpimancer's grip, ducking underneath a swipe of Terroranchula's leg before he grunted and managed to haul Wildmutt's entire weight off of the floor and slam him into the Terroranchula, sending the two of them sprawling across the room as their respective devices timed out. "We need to stop him long enough for us to get that venom out of his system and talk some sense into him!"

"No promises, ghoul." Clawdeen shook her head as she rushed at the Beast, intent on tackling him to the floor like she and her siblings had done to each other when they were pups, and was almost instantly thrown back by one swift movement of the Beast's arm, sending her skidding back. With an annoyed growl, Clawdeen activated her Omnitrix and slammed down on the activation button, not caring which alien she was turned into. Her fur began to fuse together with her skin, hardening and forming a durable armor as her bones almost painfully pushed her muscles and tissue aside, the Omnitrix numbing any pain she might experience as her bones pushed to meet with her skin and coalesced together to form a thick exoskeleton that turned a faint shade of pink as the transformation continued; her fangs cracked and groaned as they dissolved together to form two plates for teeth that twisted into a permafrown accented by black markings around her mouth that looked like feminine lips. Clawdeen's claws and fingers molded together into a pair of crab-like pincers as her legs bent into bug-like joints with her toes and feet thinning out to form spikes for legs. A loud squelching noise filled the air as a pair of identical legs ruptured out from Clawdeen's insides, glistening with moisture as she balanced herself on her new limbs while her head exploded in size, her eyes moving farther apart as her brain grew bigger and bigger. Patches on the joints of her elbows and legs turned a dull purple in color, but Clawdeen hardly cared about that as the armored plating that protected her brain split down the middle; the she could now see the world more than just a TV show he could interact with. Rather, she literally began to see the world's inner workings as complex equations mapped out the quickest escape and safest escape routes, analyzed the ongoing battle between the Beast and Cerise as the Riding Hood engaged him, cataloged the different ways she could subdue the creature. A purple and golden neck brace and loincloth appeared on her body, the Omnitrix appearing at its center and completing the transformation.

"I'm still getting use to the whole 'Ben isn't the only one without an Omnitrix' thing." Raven noted as Cerebella clicked her pincers and skittered into the fray, unhinging her skull plates to fire off a low voltage blast at the Beast, stunning him long enough for Cerise to deck him across the face without having to dodge a swipe of his claws.

"You will get use to it." Skelita told her as she turned on her own Omnitrix and pressed a bony finger down on the waiting activation button, having selected Furryosa. Her bones cracked and ground heavily as they rotated in their sockets to position her arms above her head, her fingers stretching to a near impossible length while her rib cage grew bigger and bigger, her bones fusing together to become thicker as her vertebrae molded together into a long, spinal cord that outwards into a cup-shaped dome that quickly connected with her growing rib cage and encased the skeleton in a large shell. Flesh and tissue began to form over her arms and legs, connecting the bones to strengthen their mobility as internal organs started to form within the safety of her shell. A large heart appeared in the center of her chest with massive lungs appearing on either side of the beating organ as skin began to coat the fresh muscles, tissue, and fat that had formed over her skeleton; a sickening cracking filled the air as six massive holes opened up in the front of her carapace as it ground heavily and became more teardrop-shaped in the process. Her jaw bones snapped and crunched loudly as they hardened into a horny beak, her eyes moving father apart as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest, completing the transformation.

" _Ay caramba._ " Tortuga sighed with exasperation.

"Watch not give you want you want?" Raven guessed.

" _Si._ It is normally not so difficult." the Geochelone Aerio nodded before lumbering forward raising her flippers up in front of her face just in time to avoid getting hit by Cerise as she was thrown aside like a rag doll. The Daughter of Red Riding Hood gave a feral growl as her stormy gray eyes flashed an intense amber before she crawled back up onto all fours and rushed right at the Beast, slamming into him full force and tackling him roughly to the floor.

"Potentially useful objects: chair leg, mattress, balcony." Cerebella mumbled to herself. "His advantage: superior strength, power, and unpredictability. Our advantage: superior numbers multitransformation abilities."

"What is Clawdeen doing?" Raven wondered.

"Brainstorm battle plan." Ben groaned as he sat up and rubbed his aching skull. "It's how Cerebrocrustacean's fight: they analyze a situation and search for the fastest and simplest way of doing things. Although I thought it'd take her a couple more months for her to learn that." he mused.

"Dexter Charming: emotionally distraught and experiencing symptoms commonly known as desperation and heart ache. Unpredictable and wild." the Cerebrocrustacean recited as the Beast snarled, threw Cerise off of him, and made a slashing movement with his claws that Cerebella easily avoid. "Dodge. Deliver low voltage blast." she said as she opened her skull plates up and zapped the Beast with a electrokinetic blast that sent him stumbling back towards the balcony.

With a loud roar, the Beast dug his claws into the floor and charged at Cerebella. "Cerise Hood attacks, distracting Dexter. Use mattress as shield." the Cerebrocrustacean explained with a monotone voice as she surrounded the destroyed mattress on the Beast's bed with a green, electrokinetic bast and easily lifted it off of the bed frame and in front of Cerise to protect her from the Beast before pushing him back with the mattress and pushing him up against the wall.

"Skelita attacks, swings wildly. Release hold on mattress." Cerebella monologued as she let her hold on the mattress go just as Tortuga charged into the fray and swung her flipper, smacking the Beast upside the head and sending him flying towards the balcony; before he could move to defend himself Cerise had launched herself at him and tore into him, snarling and growling angrily as she slashed with her claws and furiously bit his strong fingers, breaking two of them between her teeth.

"Cerise! Stop! You're hurting him!" Cupid screamed.

"That's the point!" Cerise growled in a deep voice that sounded like it came more from the wolf within her than Cerise herself; Ben rushed past Cerebella and ducked under Tortuga to grab Cerise by the shoulders and pull her off of the Beast, wincing slightly as she momentarily attacked him and sliced through several of his costume's bandages before she realized what she was doing and stopped. By then Cupid had come down from the sky and was joined by Raven and Jane on the balcony as the others followed suit to surround him.

"Now what do we do?" Jane wondered. "We defeated him but . . ."

"The venom's still inside of him." Cupid gulped shakily. "How . . . how long has it been?"

"Estimated transpired time: thirty minutes." Cerebella reported. "Estimated time before black mamba venom effects Dexter: fifteen minutes. Perhaps even less."

"Oh, hex." Cupid shuddered; the thought of losing Dexter before she could at least tell him how she felt was too much. She had to save him, no matter the cost.

"I . . . I could try and expel the venom from him with my magic." Raven offered. "But . . . there's a chance it could go wrong. Maybe even kill him."

"It could work." Ben nodded. "Clawdeen? What're the odds it'll work?"

"Probability of success: fifty-one percent," the Cerebrocrustacean proclaimed. "The odds of it working without him suffering unfortunate side effects however, drops to an estimation of exactly ten."

"We can't risk it." Cupid shook her head. "As a last resort, maybe, but not as a definite solution."

"What I don't understand," Jane mused quietly. "Is why your friend doesn't seem to be suffering any of the side effects I mentioned after I bit him."

"Que? Is that bad?" Tortgua wondered.

"Normally, y-yes. For all we know, the side effects are d-different on beasts than on Normies." Jane bit her lip. "But that's just it. Even back home, we have dragons, unicorns, and fairies like you seem to do. I can't figure out what Dexter even is."

"Is it possible that . . . maybe he's not just one species of animal?" Cerise wondered.

"Probability: seventy-five percent." Cerebella declared.

"Even if we didn't have Clawdeen, the chances are that he is," Jane nodded, waddling over to the dazed Beast to make her point. "These horns," she said while gesturing to his head. "They belong to a buffalo. His build and arms are like a bear's with his jaws and vocal cords like that of a lion's. His head structure seems to be akin to those found in silver back gorillas and his tail is like that of a wolf's."

"Wh-What are you saying?" Cupid asked.

"I'm saying that there is a slight possibility that your friend is also made up of an animal that is immune to black mamba venom." Jane explained. "Possibly an Afreakan honey badger."

Before Cerebella could give an estimation for Jane, the Beast's eyes snapped open and it gave a loud roar of agony and acrimony before he swiftly jumped to his feet and sent the majority of the group flying back; with a second roar, the Beast roughly grabbed Raven and threw her over his shoulder again, bunching up his legs to launch himself high into the air and slam into the marble exterior of the castle, digging his claws to begin a long and treacherous climb up.

"We need to stop him! Before he hurts Raven!" Ben cried as thunder rolled in the distance, signifying an upcoming storm; this didn't bother the Omnitrix wielder in the slightest as he turned on the Omnitrix and selected Big Chill before slamming a hand down on the activation, expecting the familiar surge of power to flow through him. It took him a few seconds to realize that the transformation hadn't worked and that the Omnitrix was in recharge mode.

"Seriously?" Ben griped with exasperation.

"Will you stop that incessant babbling? We have a girl to save!" Skurd declared dramatically.

"Right." Ben nodded; a quick look at Tortuga signified that she would be able to carry him and Cerise up after the fleeing Beast; Jane swiftly morphed herself into a falcon and took to the air, following after Cupid who had left the instant Raven had been snatched.

"Clawdeen, how long before that storm hits us?" Ben asked as the Cerebrocrustacean hurriedly skittered up the wall after the fleeing Beast.

"Estimation: exactly four minutes and twenty-eight seconds." Cerebella replied.

"We don't have long." Ben sighed as Tortuga spun her flippers faster to rise higher and higher.

Raven meanwhile, was trying not to scream any louder than she was mentally as the Beast effortlessly clambered up the side of Ever After High with the wind howling in his face and whipping through his fur, threatening to tear them off the side of the building and hurl them to the ground far below. The Beast never faltered in his climb, easily jumping from ledge to ledge with a secure grip on Raven; they eventually reached the top of one of the castle's many towers and Raven thought they were at the end of their travel. She was quickly proven wrong when the Beast gripped her tighter and threw himself off the edge with Raven screaming in terror until they crashed into the side of the next tower, sliding down a couple of feet before the Beast's claws managed to get a good enough of a foothold in the marble exterior and continue his climb upwards despite his broken fingers screaming in agony.

"D-Dexter, you need to stop this!" Raven trembled; she had never really had a fear of heights, but being this high above the ground with nothing but her friend to keep her from falling to her doom she was quite worried.

"Never!" the Beast snarled. "Not until I am loved! Not until I have what is rightfully mine!"

"I'm not something to own, Dexter!" Raven argued. "I know you're going through something right now, but-"

"SILENCE! I have what is rightfully mine and nobody will change that!" the Beast roared as the whipped past them while thunder rumbled close by and rain started to pour down in a light shower that was increasing with intensity as the seconds ticked by. Ignoring the rain, the Beast continued his climb, his grip occasionally slipping with the down pour making the marble towers and ledges slick and wet. The Beast never never faltered in keeping his firm grip on Raven, clambering higher and higher and passing a familiar window on the way up the tallest tower the school had to offer; to say Headmaster Grimm was startled to see a monstrous creature with the Daughter of the Evil Queen thrown over his shoulder like luggage climbing up the walls of Ever After High was an understatement.

After what seemed like way to long of a time to Raven, they finally reached the top of the tower and the witchling was set down as gently as possible; she shivered in the pouring rain and hugged the tower's spire like a lifeline while the Beast roared in defiance at anyone who dared to take his prize away from him.

"We're not all gonna be able to fit on that tower." Ben said grimly.

"Lover's leap?" Cerise suggested.

"Only option we got." Ben nodded, taking Cerise's hand and giving it a firm squeeze before edging him toward Tortuga's head. "We're gonna jump. We need you to provide air support."

" _Si._ " the Geochelone Aerio agreed. With a deep breath, Ben and Cerise shakily climbed to their feet as Tortuga flew in close, just barely dodging an angry swipe of the Beast's claws as her two passengers jumped off her shell and just barely made the jump to the tower.

"Ben! Be careful!" Cupid pleaded as she swooped in, her feathery wings keeping aloft in the raging storm. "Don't hurt him!"

"I can't make that promise, Cupid!" Ben shouted over the rolling thunder. With a grim expression, Ben tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting Four Arms and slapping a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light and energy. His fingers ground and cracked, twitching violently as his veins grew in size, pumping alien blood through his circulation as her skin oozed into an inky, black shade the color of midnight while his fingertips snapped and crunched in a painful noise, turning blocky and cube-shaped as they hardened into metallic plugs; Ben's back cracked loudly as a long, whip-like tail sprouted from the base of his spine, a metallic growth forming on the end like that of a plug as his body shot upwards few feet and swelled with muscle and tissue. He formed a swell formed chest while his toes ripped through his shoes and morphed into two, sharp claws as every last hair on his head was sucked back into his scalp like strands of spaghetti while his bottom jaw thrust forward slightly and let his teeth grow into razor edges. Ben's ivy green eyes melted together into a single, green orb as a pair of long, elastic antennae sprouted from his skull as his chest and stomach turned a light shade of green down the middle, the Omnitrix forming on his chest and completing the transformation.

"Time ta plug in and knock 'im out!" Feedback quipped as he socked a plugged hand into his fist. The Beast glowered at the Conductoid, clenching his fists tightly and letting out a loud, thunderous roar before lunging forward and swiping his claws at Feedback, forcing him to bend backwards and very nearly tumble off the edge before Skurd oozed his gelatinous body over the Conductoid's back and sprouted a pair of Lepidopterran wings out of his slimy body.

"Thanks, partner." Feedback sighed with relief as he righted himself.

"U try." the Slimebiote shrugged as the wings disappeared. "Now shall we deal with this heathen?"

"All charged up and ready to go." the Conductoid gave his trademark smile before Skurd oozed and slithered his body over Feedback's arms and turned them into those of a Floruana's complete with thorny, vine whips. "What am I suppose to do with this?"

"Whip it, dear boy! Whip it good!" Skurd replied enthusiastically.

Feedback nodded and lashed out with a foot, kicking the Beast in the chest before he lashed out with his vine-like whips and curled them tightly around the Beast's wrists, pulling back as the Beast pulled in the opposite direction. Cerise gave a predator-like growl and attacked the Beast from behind, digging her claws into his fur and skin while stabbing her boots deep into his lower back, forcing him to arch backwards to ease the pain; with Feedback restraining him from the front and Cerise holding him from the back, he was essentially trapped. With a swift movement of the Conductoid's wrist, he sent the Beast tumbling to the roof and dog piled on top of them.

"Dexter, listen to me! You can only be turned back to normal by someone you love-"

"I do! I love Raven!" the Beast roared, struggling to get up before Cerise stabbed the heel of her boots into his back again and eliciting a roar of pain form the creature.

"Let me finish!" Feedback pleaded. "The curse can only be broken by someone you love! But that same person has to love you back, unconditionally!" he finished his sentence before grabbing Dexter's head in his hand and forcing him to look at Raven as she clung tightly to the tower's spire, shivering and quivering in the cold rain. "Look at her! Does she looks like she loves you!?"

The Beast resisted at first but finally took a close, long look at Raven through the lightning flashing in the distance and the sheets of rain that relentlessly pelted them; the witchling . . . she didn't look at all like she loved him. He knew she didn't hate him right now, even the heavy rain wouldn't be able to mask that scent. Rather, it was something else . . . disgust? Anger? No, those weren't the proper terms for it. It was then that the Beast realized that Raven was actually afraid of him, lying in fear of him. He remembered her initial protests at being forcefully kidnapped, how she screamed and fought with all her might, how she screamed Ben's name instead of his own. The Beast caught sight of the long, crimson lines tracing down Raven's arms; last time he checked, that wasn't exactly a sign of love but more like that of cruelty and power.

With a loud roar, the Beast threw both Cerise and Feedback off of him, sending the Conductoid skidding towards the edge of the roof and the Riding Hood flying into Raven; the slick roof didn't work in her favor, allowing her to slid to the edge and off of the roof.

"Raven!" Cerise cried.

"Ben! Cerise! Somebody! Help!" Raven begged, her voice trembling as she hung on for dear life almost a thousand or so feet off of the nearest ground point; a fall from that height would no doubt kill her and if she somehow miraculously managed to survive she would mostly either die within a few days or spend the rest of her life crippled. With Ben preoccupied with keeping the Beast at bay, Cerise climbed to her feet and rushed to the edge of the roof as Raven's fingers slipped on the wet roof, her grip loosening further and further until she was hanging by nothing but her fingernails.

And then she fell.

"RAVEN!" Cerise screamed, snapping her hands forward at the last second and managed to grab hold of Raven's wrists at the last second; with every last ounce of raw strength she could muster, Cerise dug her heels into the roofing of the tower, slowly hauling Raven back up until the witchling was able to grab a foothold and help the rest of herself up before Cerise suddenly wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly, enveloping the two of them in her hood. "D-Don't . . . don't ever do that again."

"I don't plan to." Raven gulped shakily.

"This is your fault! You're the reason that I'm like this!" the Beast roared in Feedback's face as the two of them fought to keep the other in place; fingers interlocked and arms struggling against the other, they lay on the edge of the roof with the Conductoid's antennae dangling out into the open air and the Beast standing over him.

"Dude! This isn't my fault!" Feedback grunted. "It's your fault! Does Raven look like she loves you? Does she look like she's having fun right now!? It's your fault she doesn't love you! It's your fault that she's scared of you! It's your fault that you're a monster!" the Conductoid shouted in the Beast's face, driving the point home every chance he got before he whipped his antennae back up and deliver a short blast of electricity at the Beast, weakening him just enough for Skurd to return the Florauna DNA to the Omnitrix and shift Feedback's arms into that of a Tetramand's, a second smaller pair sprouting beneath the original and allowing the Conductoid to slug the Beast twice in the gut and push him off of him.

"This is not your place to say who Raven can love! She is not an object for you to control!" Feedback snapped, jabbing a finger right at the Beast. "And if you keep this up, I won't be surprised if your cold, twisted, black heart lets you stay this way forever!"

That did it. With lightning striking the sky dangerously close to their current position, the Beast roared with furry and rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he bellowed loudly, dropping down to all fours to race across the small tower and closing the gap within several bounds while the lighting flashed closer and closer. With no other choice, Feedback raised his hands above his head as Skurd reabsorbed the Tetramand DNA and returned it to the Omnitrix just as a blast of lightning struck the Conductoid, letting him absorb the massive amount of electricity into his body with a loud yell of defiance as he leveled his hands right at the beast and released every last watt of energy he had in his body at the Beast, blasting him back across the roof with a pained howl as he was pushed off the edge and out into open air.

"DEXTER! NOOO!" Cupid wailed as Feedback dove across the roof the tower to try and grab the Beast's flailing arms in his fingers in a feeble attempt to save him. With one last roar of anger, sorrow, betrayal, and agony, the Beast plummeted off the of the tower clawing at the air in defiance, the last thing he saw before he hit the ground far, far, far below being the terrified expression on Cupid's face and the lost look that Feedback held.

* * *

Lightning flashed overhead as Cupid descended down to the ground, her tears invisible in the rain as she was joined seconds later by Feedback, the Conductoid using a short burst of electricity to slow his fall with a still shaken up Cerise and Raven clinging tightly to his shoulders.

"Dexter!? DEXTER!" Cupid screamed over the roar of the thunder above.

"Spread out and search. Whoever finds him first, yell." Feedback instructed as Tortuga settled down on the ground with Clawdeen and Jane riding on her back; with a short nod, Jane quickly morphed herself into a wolf and both she and Clawdeen put their sensitive noses to the ground in search of the fallen Beast as Skelita's Omnitrix timed out in a flash of marigold light.

"This Dexter . . . he will be alright, yes?" the skeleton wondered.

" . . . no promises, babe." Feedback sighed, "If we're lucky, we just be able to save him. At the very least . . . we'll find his remains." he winced as heard Cupid break down again and collapse to her knees in the mud, sobbing.

"The odds of him are slim, correct?" Skelita inquired.

"I . . . don't have the faintest idea." the Conductoid shook his head sadly. "We gave to believe that he managed to survive the fall, if for no other reason than to put Cupid's mind at ease."

" _Si._ " Skelita agreed; she began searching with no other complaint as Raven and Cerise searched together, the later absolutely refusing to let the witchling out of her sights while Feedback headed off on his own.

Cupid tediously picked her way through the school grounds, venturing closer to the edge of the treeline just in case the Beast had rolled or bounced away from his initial landing point; mud sucked at her feet and rain relentlessly poured down on her, but the young goddess never stopped searching in desperation, mentally begging and pleading with Uncle Hades that her love was still alive. Now that she thought about it as she pushed herself into the woods and ignored the thorns scrapping at her from the bushes, she didn't really care anymore if Dexter returned her feelings or not right now. All that mattered to her for the moment was knowing whether or not he was still alive after getting bitten by one of the world's most deadliest snakes, suffering from several broken fingers, technically getting struck by lightning, and then falling almost a thousand feet or so to the very hard ground below; most fairy tales and even monsters would have long since perished through that, and even the Beast could have died as well. All Cupid could do was search and hope that he was alright.

A sudden rustling noise caught the young deity's attention, making her freeze on the spot and listen; while the chances were that it could possibly be the Beast somehow still alive and kicking, there was also a chance that it was something far less friendly. After all, the Enchanted Forest was known to be a rather enjoyable place during the day but not so much at night, often drawing out the monsters and ghouls that slithered and stalked in the shadows of the trees, waiting for night to fall when they could venture out without fear of being seen (monsters in Ever After were known to be camera shy and did not appreciate having their picture taken, especially with the flash on).

"Dexter?" Cupid called out cautiously; the second she called out the name, she instantly knew that it wasn't the Beast. Not even close.

Stalking towards her in the darkness of the Enchanted Forest was a massive lion the size of an elephant. Its paws were bigger than Cupid's head and its claws were longer than her hands, its eyes almost three times the size of her own; and its teeth looked like they could easily punch through steel. Cupid felt her breath in her throat as she slowly took several steps back, the lion creeping closer and closer with every step she took backwards until she found she had pressed herself up the trunk of a thick tree. The young deity knew the creature before her all too well, a monster that could be found in both of the realms she had traversed through her days: the Nemean Lion.

Most would have found the presence of such a beast in the world of Ever After to be strange, if one was not well versed in the realms of both the Fairytale World and Monster World as Cupid was; due to the gods being able to traverse between most worlds relatively easy, along with the fact that they had as much influence in fairy tales and myths as they did with monsters, it wasn't uncommon to find creatures from both worlds in one or the other. The Nemean Lion, unfortunately, was no exception.

"And me without even my bow." Cupid whimpered quietly as the lion growled and curled back its lips to show its gigantic fangs. The Nemean growled and bent its legs before giving a roar and pouncing upon Cupid, intent to kill her with one swift bite to the throat and devour her mutilated corpse to sustain itself for the evening. Before Cupid could feel the claws tear into her skin, the teeth rip into her flesh, and the life drain from her body, a second roar met her ears and she cracked open her eyes to see the Beast come hurtling through the air and slam into the Nemean Lion before it could land on her, tackling the gigantic lion to the ground a short distance away.

"Dexter!" Cupid cried as the Nemean Lion shoved the Beast off of itself and to the ground before pouncing on him and biting him on the back of the neck; fortunately, the Beast's thick mane protected him form the majority of the lion's teeth and let him twist his head to the ground to send the lion off of him. The Nemean Lion snarled and then tackled him full force, pinning him to the ground and trying to bite his head before the Beast managed to throw it off of him and slam his claws into the lion's shoulders. The Nemean Lion roared and swiped its claws across the Beast's face, dazing him long enough for it to get in with another blow before the Beast rammed his horns into the lion's chest, stunning it long enough for the Beast to get underneath of the gigantic lion and heave it up into the air with some difficulty, hoisting the ravenous monster high above his head.

With a final roar, the Beast chucked the Nemean Lion as far as he could, sending the massive predator flying through two trees and reducing them to splinters before it finally crashed against the ground some distance away; with a final snarl of defeat, the iron-sided lion retreated into the woods to lick its wounds.

"Dexter!" Cupid gasped as the Beast slumped slightly, breathing heavily as Cupid rushed to his side and stopping a few feet away from him before approaching. The Beast made no move to hurt her while he fell to his knees and supported his weight with one arm, holding the other over his chest as it heaved in and out for air.

"Dexter, please! Say something!" Cupid pleaded.

" . . . Look behind you . . ." the Beast formerly known as Dexter panted.

Slightly confused at the odd request, Cupid did as she was told to see Cerise, Clawdeen, and Feedback come racing towards the trees with concerned expressions on their faces. "Over here! I found him!" she yelled, waving her arms and spreading her wings so they could see.

"Cupid! Are you alright?" the Conductoid asked worriedly.

"I'm fine! But Dexter's hurt!" the young deity exclaimed. "We need to get him some help now!"

"Uh, ghoul? There's . . . nobody here." Clawdeen pointed out; confused and slightly hurt by what the werewolf said, Cupid whirled around to prove her point and that she was correct only to find that the hulking figure of the Beast was gone, nothing more than a set of muddy, quickly vanishing footprints and a piece of torn cloth from the Beast's cloak caught on a branch to remember him by.

"But he . . ." Cupid said lamely.

"He was here." Cerise reassured her. "I can smell him."

"Smell him?" Cupid raised an eyebrow.

Cerise gulped nervously, realizing she had let her secret slip; Clawdeen was looking at her with an expression of suspicion and knowing, as if she had suspected the whole time. Feedback put a comforting hand on her shoulder, nodding his head. "My parents . . ."

"Are Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf." Cupid summed up.

Cerise's eyes flashed a bright amber as a low growl of annoyance escaped her lips before she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "You . . . you knew?"

"I'm the Daughter of Eros and a Goddess of Love, Cerise. I can sense the love between happy couples, and your parent's is through the roof." Cupid shrugged. "But that's not important right now. Dexter's gone!"

"He's alright." Cerise reassured Cupid. "His scent goes back to Ever After High. I can't smell any anger or rage on him."

"So we shouldn't be worried?" Feedback wondered.

"I'd escort everyone to their rooms first and make sure they lock the doors first, but it should be safe." Cerise nodded. "Maybe shove a chair or something in front of the door, too, if they're unsure."

"Is that even safe?" Clawdeen wondered.

"Maybe, maybe not." Feedback shrugged. "Either way, the Headmaster'll make sure Dexter stays in his room one way or another; at this point, he'd probably put the entire school on lock down just to avoid any more damages. The place is coming apart at the seams."

"No thanks to you." Cerise smirked.

"Hey, it's not my fault every other bad thing in the universe happens to me!" Feedback argued back; while the half breed, werewolf, and Conductoid playfully bantered back and forth, Cupid cautiously walked up to the nearby branch and plucked the piece of torn cloth off, feeling between her fingers and holding it near her heart. Looking back at the looming, impending figure of Ever After High in the thunder storm around them, she could only hope that Dexter would alright . . . and that she would be too.

* * *

The rain was drumming loudly on the roof above him, pounding relentlessly on the doors that led to the balcony he had been on what seemed ages ago, when in reality it had only been an hour or two. Dexter lay on the remains of his mattress starring up at the ceiling with a blank expression while the storm raged outside, simply wondering. Minutes after he had returned to his dorm and shoved the dresser back into place against the door, the horrific transformation that had turned him into a monster had worn off, painfully returning Dexter to his human form. At first he nearly wept with joy now that he had his humanity back, but this was quickly forgotten when he realized that the monster he had been wasn't gone but merely sedated within him, put to sleep for the time being.

It had been horrible being the Beast. It was like being at the Multi-Hex and chained to a chair, forced to watch a movie he absolutely hated or was terrified to watch while Oakler and Birchman heckled him to death from their balcony seats on high; he was helpless to watch as he crashed Cerise's party, fought with Ben on several occasions, and nearly killed Raven twice, all while the Beast mentally taunted him at how weak and pathetic he was, how helpless he was to watch the monster within him destroy his life with teeth and claws he never wanted. Dexter had nearly been driven to madness (not the good kind that the Wonderlandians were known for) before he had been blasted off of the tower roof by Feedback and plummeted to the ground below, the Beast wounded enough for Dexter to fight back with everything he had and regain control just in time to save Cupid.

That had been the last thing Dexter had done before he fled through the trees and charged up the steps of Ever After High, ignoring anything or anyone that noticed or chased after him as he retreated to the boy's dorms and to his sanctuary; no doubt he would be hearing about this from the Headmaster or someone of even higher power at some point in time or another.

The Son of Prince Charming wanted nothing more than to forget it all happened, forget everything that had happened during the single worst moment of his life, but the fearful face of Raven, the determined face of Ben, and terrified expression of Cupid were burned into his mind with the hottest, mental branding iron there was to offer. Raven, the girl he had a crush on since their first year, hadn't loved him like he had wanted to believe, no, she had been terrified of him. He couldn't blame her for feeling that way, nor could he blame Ben, the person he had thought been the root of his entire problem, for feeling like he had the only option of putting down Dexter if things went too far. The only thing that confused Dexter was Cupid . . . how despite his temper and animalistic nature and ghastly appearance, she had fought to save him.

Dexter reached over for the table beside his bed and curled his fingers around the snow white feather that had been a constant reminder of his treachery, wondering why Cupid hadn't been disgusted or frightened of him. He couldn't comprehend how she, the Goddess of Love, could ever possibly love him, if that was even the case; the idea seemed ridiculous in the first place. Then again, now that he thought about it, up until he had become the Beast, she had always been close to him, always there for him no matter what he was doing and if she had the time. Even if it was him tinkering in the Mirror Lab and speaking things nobody but he and Humphrey could understand, she didn't mind spending time with him. And those times he had helped her with her Crownculus homework, she had been caught starring at him with a dreamy smile on her face before she snapped out of it and returned to the lesson.

Had he really been that blind?

Dexter's thoughts were scattered as the door to his dorm scooted open a couple inches, moving the dresser a little bit; the Son of Prince Charming fully expected the Headmaster to appear with a couple of enchanted suits of armor using a small battering ram to open the door, but when it didn't open any further it only confused him more. It was only when he noticed the large, lavender cobra slithering across the floor did he actually react by promptly jumping back and falling off the bed and to the floor.

"S-Sorry!" Jane winced as she quickly resumed her original form; this only startled Dexter even further before he remembered who she was.

"Y-You . . . y-you're the snake lady!" he trembled, pointing a shaking finger at her. "Y-You bit me!"

"You tried to kill my ghoulfriend." Jane countered. "A-And I'm sorry for that . . . I overreacted. I-I'm just relieved th-that you're still alive."

Dexter sighed and climbed back up on the bed, placing his head into his hands. "No, I deserved it. I probably deserved more than that. I've been nothing but a jerk lately . . ."

"At first, maybe." Jane nodded. "But even though I just arrived here and don't entirely know what is going on, I can tell you were not in control."

"Well, that makes me feel so much better." Dexter sighed sarcastically. "Now everyone hates me. They're probably terrified me, maybe even gathering an angry mob or something to come and kill me."

"I . . . I did see a small group of lights in the forest," Jane cringed slightly. "I . . . think they had torches and pitchforks."

"See!?"

"But that doesn't mean everyone hates you and not everyone is terrified of you." Jane told him, gathering enough courage to sit on the bed beside him; Dexter flinched slightly,a s if expecting to be slapped but relaxed after a few seconds of waiting. "Your witch friend-"

"Raven . . ." Dexter whispered.

"Raven . . . she may have been terrified of you, but she did want to help you. From what Ben has told me during the torture sessions Clawdeen is putting him through right now, she's had a tough time here constantly being told that she's destined to become the most evil and hated thing to ever walk the world. You've been one of her few rays of sunshine that's kept her going."

Dexter perked up at this, rolling his head to look at Jane.

"A-And Ben! He might have been trying to stop you, but he was only do that because he was as scared as you were!" Jane continued.

"Yeah, scared that I would hurt someone." Dexter mumbled.

" . . . True . . ." Jane admitted. "But he was also concerned for you. He literally threw himself off of the roof after you fell, trying to save you. And Ben has been through as much as you have . . . I imagine having someone powerful enough to destroy and recreate the universe in his image within your school walls is terrifying enough."

"Wait, what?" Dexter blinked with surprise.

"Oh, that's right. You probably haven't seen Alien X yet . . ." Jane mused before waving it off. "And then there's Cupid."

"Yeah . . . I guess she's always been there for me," Dexter chuckled slightly, forgetting about the thought of Ben being quite literally omnipotent for the time being. "But . . . what if I hurt them? What if I turn back into the Beast? I'm nothing more than a

monster . . . a mindless animal . . ."

Jane hesitated for a moment; she had been in Dexter's shoes before, suffering from her unstable DNA and the sheer savagery of the Nemetrix's primitive genetic samples. She been there once, reduced to a mindless, predatory, killing machine that had relentlessly tried to hurt someone she loved deeply, and she had been through the immense amount of fear and guilt that now riddled the prince next to her. Jane had spent her entire life in constant fear, afraid of almost everything new and unusual to her when she had reintegrated back into society and enrolled into Monster High, and thus knew every level of fear there was to experience. She had been afraid to of having something within her that could easily destroy everything she cared for; the shape-shifter reached out and took Dexter's hand in hers, giving it a friendly squeeze.

"I . . . I know that we may seem different, with me being a shape-shifter and you being a prince . . . but we're really not that different from one another." Jane told him. "As a wise Galvan once told me, "Having that thing inside is not what makes you an animal. Knowing when to let it out, when to use it, is what makes you a man." she said. With a final, friendly smile, Jane set his hand back down on the bed and made her way towards the door, morphing into a small, furry bat and flying her way up to the door frame, crawling through the small crack, and then flying back down the hallway towards Ben's dorm where she and the ghouls were staying for the night.

Dexter watched her go and fingered the feather white as snow, wondering just how right she was.

* * *

"Oh, my Sphinxin' head." Whisp moaned as she sat up and rubbed her aching temples; her head killing her, Sphinx, her entire body was killing her. It felt like she had just been crushed into an area the size of a dictionary and then put through a paper shredder before having her remains dumped in a vat of corrosive acid; in short, the genie's body hurt everywhere at once.

With a slight groan she opened her eyes and checked herself over, sighing with relief when she found that she suffered no external wounds; a quick internal check of herself told her that everything important was still intact and fully functioning. The Omnitrix given to her by Ben, despite being a genie and one of the most powerful beings in the universe (though even she paled in comparison to the power of a Celestialsapien), was still strapped to her wrist and starred back at her with a blank yet friendly gaze. Comforted in the fact that she was alright, Whisp moved on to figuring out where in the name of Frankenstein's monster she was.

Unfortunately, she knew the place all too well.

"No. No, no, not this place!" Whisp cried as she scrambled to her feet, struggling to stand up on the shifting sands as she ran to the top of the nearest sand dune for a vantage point. She fell to her knees upon seeing an endless sea of sand that stretched for miles in all directions with no end in sight and only a familiar palace to and some date palms to decorate the barren landscape. With a scream of despair, Whisp rushed towards the grand palace that taunted her in front of her vision, activating the Omnitrix and slamming a hand down on the core, not caring what she turned into as her genetic code was manipulated and changed. The first and most notable change to Whisp was the sudden and swift change in her size; everything about her became utterly massive, her and legs swelling to a thousand times their original size while her hands trembled and twitched before ballooning to a gargantuan size to match her new limbs. Her feet tore though her pointed shoes and exploded outwards, slamming hard against the sand and causing a large tremor while she got taller and taller with every passing second until she was as tall as a mountain. Whisp's skin bleached a chrome white before dark blue patches and black stripes arched their way across her body as a loud cracking noise filled the air and a pair of gigantic, sharp blades ripped out of her wrists and arms; fins sprouted from her rounded hips and slim shoulders just as a pair of sharp, pigtail-like crests sprouted from her skull above her vanishing, pointed ears. Metallic knobs popped out of her cheeks, her feminine figure swelled to massive proportions, and black, fingerless gloves materialized on her hands while a pair of tight, black shorts and top appeared on with the Omnitrix appearing on a belt around her waist, completing the transformation.

Letting out a loud roar of outrage, the female To'kustar quickly cleared the distance between her and the palace that had previously been her home before she swung a gigantic arm and effortlessly swiped it through the tallest tower, destroying it in a cloud of dust and rubble as she raised up a foot to crush the front gate into oblivion. Little Jane didn't care what she was doing as she curled her fingers around two more towers and ripped them out of the ground, smashing them together and grinding them into a compacted ball of rubble before she chucked that at another wall and destroyed with a cloud dust and debris. Panting heavily, the To'kustar took a couple steps back and crossed her arms in front of her face, gritting her teeth as she felt a severe heat build up in her wrists before a bright blue beam of cosmic energy sparked to life and shot off at the derelict palace, obliterating whatever managed to survive the first attack into oblivion. Little Jane stood there, her breaths deep and quick as she caught her breath before she fell to her knees and let out a loud, primal roar of sorrow before the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of dark blue light and returned Whisp to the world.

The world within her lantern. The very same lantern she had spent countless eons rotting in until some hapless Finder was lucky enough to find her. But this time, she was alone.

No Nefera, no Gigi, no Ben.

She was entirely alone. Again.

 **And there we go! What has been and probably will be the longest chapter of this story to date! I'll probably outdo it later, but I don't care!**

 **Neither do I!**

 **You know what? I'm not even bother going to tell you to go away any more. It does nothing, and I actually feel a little lonely without you around to constantly fill my life with misery and woe and constant hilarity.**

 **Aww, you really like me?**

 **Of course. Just, please don't hit me with a mallet again, please?**

 **I think I can I handle that, heeheehee. I'm always available if you want some tea or . . . something more intimate.**

 **You've been hanging around Faybelle and Kitty for** **way** **to long.**

 **Or maybe I'm just mad!**

 **Whatever. Enjoy your creepers and stalkers and ghouls and things that go bump in the night, everybody, cuz this is** **THRILELR!**

 **No, you silly, this is Halloween!**

 **Oh, no. I sense a musical number coming on.**

 **You bet your teacups! Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see, this our town of Halloween!**

 **Look, can you maybe sing this another time? We're running low on pages here.**

 **If you say so . . .**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Leave your ideas as well and know that the next time I write will be featuring the Ever After special** **Spring Unsprung!** **Just don't expect it so soon, though. Things start to get busy for me around this time of year and with the amount of dialogue and writing and searching I'll have to do, it's bound to take a while. So sit back, enjoy Halloween, and just enjoy** **killing** **the time!**

 **Heeheehee! Oh, those jokes are to** **die** **for!**

 **Oh, I kill myself! Oh, wait,** **I'M ALREADY DEAD** **(normally it I would be bolted to the wall, but I seem to lack the necessary body structure of a certain pipe organ)** **!**

 **Hasta Luego!**

 **Happy Halloween!**


	16. It's How you Play the Game

**Hello, one and all! Welcome back once more!**

 _ **Hiya, everyone! I'm Maddie!**_

 **Maddie, they already know that.**

 _ **Well, maybe they didn't! Maybe they just want to hear me say my name again!**_

 **You keep telling yourself that. Either way, both me and Maddie are seriously Wonderland crazy happy right now! Why are we so insanely crazy happy? Because of your guys, of course! It's been only fifteen chapters since I began this Wonderlandiful story and we already have** _ **500 REVIEWS**_ **thanks to you guys, gals, princes, princesses, aliens, and monsters! I can't believe how well this story is turning out right now, so thank you all for your support! Also, Maddie kinda went overboard with the tea during the celebrations, so . . . yeah. Times both good and bad were had, that's all I'll say.**

 _ **As much as I know they deserve it, you're stalling again!**_

 **Sorry. Right. Onto the review answers! And considering how some (okay, a lot of you) have spoken out to my roommate/partner/possible girlfriend, Maddie, she will be answering some of them, too.**

 _ **Aw, so I'm your roommate/partner/possible girlfriend now?**_

 **Wear the title with pride, Hatter. Now if you could put that mallet away, stay sober enough off of your tea, and join me in reviews, it would be much appreciated.**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **You really think so? I guess 500 reviews is nothing to sneeze at XD**

 _ **Aw, thanks storygirl99210! I love how mad and crazy I am in a good way, too! Drop by the tea shop sometime!**_

 _ **1985 –**_ **I fully intend to upkeep both series as much as possible, my friend. Glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **You're right about Clawdeen and Cerise. Once they've worked out who the Alpha is (until Frankie arrives), they should become fast friends; as for Jane, she'll naturally panic at first until she's comfortable before she even** _ **thinks**_ **about studying her furry friends a little closer. I'm imagining she and Ashlynn will get along well, once the later gets past the fact that the former can easily kill her. As for Whisp . . . well, I'm not sayin'! XD That's one lamp that has yet to be rubbed and one genie that has yet to be released. But until then, lets keep this whole thing bottled up for now (I kill myself sometimes. Oh, wait,** _ **I'M ALREADY DEAD!**_ **).**

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin –**_ **First off, let me just say that that has got to be the longest username I have ever encountered XD Second, Dexter won't be able to transform at will like Jane can, but he'll slowly be able to control and channel the beast within him to the point where it looks like he can. And as for Alpha I can promise you that he is in fact one-hundred percent dead as much as a nanite construct can be.**

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the song selection (it was easy. Halloween's my favorite holiday after Christmas), and as for what will happen to Dexter, lets just say it'll be a long road to recovery.**

 _ **Miya, marshman101! Nice to finally meet ya!**_

 **Quiet, you. We've still got more review answers to get to.**

 _ **Don't make me bring out the mallet again.**_

 **As I was saying, feel free to interrupt all you like!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Thank you. I'll admit, it took some thought (almost equivalent to your own, oh, mighty angel of ideas) for the Dexter/Beast subplot to work successfully, but I am** _ **muy feliz**_ **with the end result.**

 _ **spurlinpatricksean2 –**_ **I think Jane, Skelita, and Venus will be more forgiving of Ben (mostly just relieved they've found him and that he's still alive) while Clawdeen might be a little harder to convince to except Ben's new fairy tale girls. And yes, this chapter was** _ **incredibly**_ **long.**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Thank you for the kind words. I spent an incredible amount of time on this getting every just right (glad you found Daring's forced costume and unfortunate antics amusing), the emotions of all the characters being the hardest to portray. And yes, I'm pretty much just torturing the Headmaster right now XD**

 _ **StrongGuy159 – Gracias, amigo!**_ **I fully intend to!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **It won't happen right away, but Ginger will be dragged into the harem eventually. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at bringing her in considering, compared to the other girls, she doesn't get as much screen time, but I thought why not? And knowing Ben, there's bound to be some sort of fight somewhere sometime (sooner than one might think, actually). As for for Whisp and Dexter, the former will be explained a little later while the later . . . well, the Curse of the Beast isn't genetic. If it was, Rosabella would have shown signs of it by now. Yes, I do read the comments on my other stories, I just don't respond to them like this. As for your Skelita idea, it very well could be referenced later on, but it definitely will be written; I have an inkling of an idea I could use, but it'll be some time before I get to it. And yeah, I've been meaning to get around to answering reviews for my other stories at some point. Regarding the Time Travel Fiasco, I don't think I'll really expand on that any more than a few mentions here and there. And yes, I did have to put that much heart wrenching in the last chapter for it to suit my tastes and the mood. Paying attention to Whisp and your minion idea, I ain't saying anything for the former and please stop asking me about the later: it's not happening.**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Now that you mention it, the little scene with Ben and Cerise wrestling in the fountain (and Cerise consistently winning) are borrowed lines from** _ **The Lion King.**_ **I'm not sure if any other references will be made or not, but seeing as how almost all the fairy tales are based on the Disney versions (the original Snow White had her prince actually want to keep her 'lifeless' corpse as a trophy because of how beautiful she was), I don't why not.**

 _ **mechacard01 –**_ **I swear, the last one was actually unintentional. I guess it's no secret that** _ **The Lion King**_ **is my favorite Disney movie of all time (and why not? I** _ **love**_ **the art style and Scar's voice. Delightfully wicked).**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Knowing Whisp and the trouble she can get into, I imagine it won't be long XD**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **I didn't have your respect before? ;) Continuing, don't worry about Whisp. When she gets out (which will be sooner than you think) Ben's gonna have to get use to a really clingy and possibly aroused genie XD**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **You make a fair point. I mean, seriously, Halloween to Hades is like a kid in a candy store where everything is free (really annoying and hilarious at the same time). And believe it or not, the classic Disney look you're referring to is actually the look the whole tale is based on (Disney based it on an actual folklore story by the same title). And yes, Grimm will be getting on the bad sides of some certain ghouls and fairy tales. And as for your Whisp question . . . you actually guessed right. As for who it is, I'm not saying!**

 _ **Fantasylover4ever –**_ **Hahahaha! Yeah, Grimm does seem to have something up his butt, don't he? Either way, concerning the ending, it seems to be the most likely course of action; I'm still open to suggestions and ideas for the ending since repeating what did last time might either just be cliché or lazy. And yes, things will work out for Cupid and Dexter in the end.**

 _ **Soos –**_ **What about those folk songs, Soos? I hear you're quite the legend. Either way, me and Maddie can try to convince Ben, but he seems a little preoccupied at the moment.**

 _ **When do I get to answer some questions?**_

 **Patience is a virtue, young Hatter.**

 _ **You know you're really cute when you get all wise and stuff.**_

 **. . . I will not dignify that with a response. Back to the review answers!**

 _ **Yay!**_

 _ **Kaiju Fan – STOP TRYING TO GIVE ME A CONCUSSION!**_ **XD I'm glad I managed to pleasantly surprise you and keep things interesting, despite your ability to guess what'll happen next. Unfortunately, I don't think anything noteworthy will happen for Thanksgiving, except maybe some kind of gigantic, Wonderlandian celebration feast or something, but I can guarantee you that something with happen around Christmas. After all . . .** ** _It's the most wonderful time of the year!_**

 _ **Stop it, silly! If I can't sing no one can!**_

 **Maddie, _please_ put those cymbals away.**

 _ **Depends. Do I get to answer some reviews?**_

 **Actually, yes.**

 _ **Hat-tastic!**_

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Yes, Astranova will join the harem some time in the distant future. As for Dexter, despite the tangled and mixed up bloodlines that curse Ever After High, Dexter is not related to Beauty and the Beast in any way (at least, I don't think so). The Curse of the Beast, as I've said before with another reviewer, is genetic in this story, if it ever was. Curses generally aren't genetic, though the one exception to the rule seems to be Briar Beauty and her little narcoleptic problem. And yes, Rosabella and Darling will be making more appearances later on. As for Thanksgiving, I'm not sure if I'll do anything really special for that, but definitely expect something around Christmas time.**

 _ **Oh . . . well, that's a little . . . awkward.**_

 **Well put, Hatter.**

 _ **Hey, I don't interrupt you when you answer!**_

 **Actually, you do. _A lot._**

 _ **Sorry. Anyway, Royal Rebel . . . stop by the tea shop anytime you like! My offer still stands like a jabberwock in a mine field! As for your offer, I'll have to check with Creaturemaster. After all, it**_ **is** ** _his room I'm staying in and he's technically the boss . . . not that I listen all that much. I just don't want to lose my hat again!_**

 **You've got dozens of them!**

 _ **Yeah, well, this one is special! I LVE YOU ROYAL REBEL!**_

 **Oh, for the love of gargoyles, will you just let me finish!? Go get yourself drunk on some tea or something!**

 _ **You're just waiting for me to get delirious enough to get up close and personal with me, aren't you?**_

 **. . . I will not dignify that with a response.**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **I did find some profiles on DeviantArt for the sons and daughters of DC Nation and Marvel superheroes. I'm pretty sure they're all fan made, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to see. I'd see it something similar to what they're doing for Ever After High: you got two sides attending, the Heroes and the Villains, and maybe some villains that don't want to be evil and some heroes that** ** _do_ want to be evil or don't want to follow in their parent's footsteps and become superheroes.**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Don't worry about Whisp. I like her too much to put her through another thousand years of isolation.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **Once again (I've had to explain about two other times now), the Curse of the Beast is not genetic, meaning Dexter does not have to be related to the Beast to be cursed. Besides, it's almost common knowledge that he would become the Beast/Prince of Rosabella's story in the book series, so I decided why not? And, sorry, Darling won't be officially appearing until** ** _Way too Wonderland._**

 _ **The Question –**_ **So many questions, so little time!**

 _ **.coronado72 –**_ **Hmmm. The idea if Dexter having a mini harem of his own, per say wouldn't be bad. I'd have to put it to an official vote and talk it over with Maddie, but I don't see why not. It'd definitely would be interesting. And yes, Headmaster Grimm's gonna get his hands dirty at one point or another.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Hmmm. It has been a while since I've shown an angry mob, now isn't it? Time to mess with some characters!** ** _MUA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

 _ **Wolfslick –**_ **Actually, that is one of the future stories I'm planning on writing. While it probably won't be anywhere near as long as** ** _We're All Monsters_ or _Once Upon a Tennyson,_ it's definitely something I plan to write.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Well, what did you expect? That everyone's favorite, meddling Headmaster was going to idely sit by while a band of monsters, rebellious fairy tales, and one alien shape-shifter tear down everything he's striven to work for? Yeah, I thought so.**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **While it's not directly outright said, it's implied that do to the maddening nature of Wonderland and the effects it has on its inhabitants, the raw Wonderland magic that flows through them and their world is what keeps them immune to Jigsaw's pheromones, mostly because they are, in a sense, just like Jigsaw: complete and utter Looney Tunes.**

 _ **Dragonsaurus –**_ **I'm pretty sure the Wonderlandians would like Ledgerdomain as much as they love Wonderland. And as for Blondie not jumping on the chance to interview Ben after the destruction of the Beanstalk bakery . . . sometimes I am** ** _so_ stupid.**

 _ **Yep! You definitely are!**_

 **This is the part where you're supposed to make me feel better, not insult me.**

 _ **I never said I didn't like stupid men . . .**_

 **Back to the review answers!**

 _ **Resistance is futile!**_

 _ **Grimlock –**_ **Halloween was a blast! Which is more than I can say for the little kids I accidentally scared. Note to self, do not wear a gorilla costume when handing out candy.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **You actually are pretty close to what'll happen between Cerise and Clawdeen. Hope Ben is okay with love bites . . . ouch. And yes, "Cupid and the Beast" would definitely be an interesting story to read.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Trust me when I say you don't want to know what Maddie did when we reached the 500 review mark. Lets just say that Hades will be seeing things for a week and I need to move Maddie's secret stash of tea somewhere where she can't find it. As well as hide her mallet and other dangerous instruments.**

 _ **Dragonsaurus Rex –**_ **Don't worry about Cupid and Dexter; he's taken enough of a beating for you to jump into this story and slap him silly. As for Whisp, that's me to know and for you to find out later . . . and what** ** _is_ Halloween without Thriller? Arbor Day, that's what. Now that I say that out loud, I probably find a place to hide in case Venus comes around . . .**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **It may be the move of dick, but I have my reasons. Be patient, young grasshopper.**

 _ **Hat-tastic324 – Heeheehee! Us fourth wall breakers sure are screwy, ain't we? I mean, this one time I got Creaturemaster's bed to stay on the ceiling for the whole night while he was sleeping and he didn't even notice until the next morning!**_

 **And I have the scars to prove it. Last time I let Lady Persephone decorate my room with spikes.**

 _ **Either way, send over the cannon right away! If not to play a few pranks on my roommate, than I'll use it to drive ol' Hades to the brink of, well, madness! I could always use some more company.**_

 **Aren't I enough for you?**

 _ **You still haven't joined me in madness.**_

 **Whatever. Onto the next one.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Looks like you and I have something in common with female Wonderlandian roommates that can't take a hint (not that I'm complaining about mine) XD And actually Venus didn't unlock her Nosedeenian form last chapter, she had it for quite a while; in the last chapter of** ** _We're All Monsters_ (before the epilogue) when the ghouls are receiving their Omnitrixes, Venus is revealed to have Whampire (a bad idea for fights that don't take place at night or indoors) and thus changed into Buzzshock to avoid burning to ash. Also, I don't think your dimorphism example works very well, since Subdora was the only Merlinisapien to appear in Omniverse and ChamAlien never debuted, so . . . yeah. I think a better example would be how male Conductoids are negatively charged and females are positively charged (this is actually true). And yes, Dexter and Daring will have some 'bro-talk' (though I doubt I'll ever write in a suicide attempt). As for your villain idea, I was actually considering that, so thank you.**

 _ **Are we done?**_

 **Yep. I think so.**

 _ **Ah-HA! You're lying!**_

 **I am?**

 _ **What did you just talk to maverickmoxey2000 about?**_

 **Oh, yeah. Silly me. You heard the Hatter, ladies and gentlemen! For those of you that are unaware either of us is talking about, I had a Nemetrix Predator OC contest back during _We're All Monsters_ asking for my viewers to submit originally made Nemetrix predators for Ben's aliens during a chapter I like to call " _Nemetrix Unleashed_ ". So now, I am having a Villain OC contest for _Once Upon a Tennyson!_**

 **Long story short, Ben needs more bad guys to fight before the big guns come out, so I need/want you guys and gals to submit your own villains for Ben to battle! Here is the app for those that chose to submit.**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **Species (can not be from Ben's world or any other franchise):**

 **Appearance:**

 **Powers/abilities/weapons (do not make too overpowered):**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Personality:**

 **If you believe I have forgotten anything else of importance, do not hesitate to add on to the application! The villains will not really play a big part in this story, it's just something to fill in those moments between major events; also, the ones that I chose will not only be featured in the story, but will also be brought to life by me and posted on my DeviantArt account hopefully sometime in the near future. So send 'em in!**

 _ **Are we done now?**_

 **Yep! As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 _ **And be sure to drink lots and lots of tea, too!**_

 **Don't listen to her. The world does not need more Maddies.**

 _ **Oh, as if you don't want to put a little Maddie in me right now.**_

 **. . . For the third time, I am not going to dignify that with a response.**

 **Shout out to _Codecrash_ and _Morantis_ for helping me out on how to freakin' start and end this chapter! You guys (or gals) rule!**

 **Onward!**

Raven covered her ears and gritted her teeth against the freezing, biting wind. Snow swirled and swarmed around her like clouds of angry bees, stinging her pale, ivory skin and turning her purple lips blue from the drop in temperature; shivering, Raven wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to stay warm in the frigid wasteland that surrounded her, with nothing but snow and ice for as far as the eye could see.

Well, no, that wasn't very true. Raven peered through the flurries and raging blizzard around her, just barely able to make out shapes forming in the snow, still and rigid in the howling woods. Wincing at seeing her own breath in front of her sudden freeze into ice and fall to the snow below, Raven took a cautious step through the knee deep snow, really wishing she had decided to wear something warmer than her usual school clothes. As she stumbled through the snow, ancient, icicle covered, stone walls rose up around her, forming into a large square that Raven could not see the other side of; her pace slowed even more than it already was when she noticed that inside of this stone prison there were odd objects jutting up from the ground around her, some in neat rows, some posted about haphazardly.

It only took a minute for the witchling to realize that strange objects were grave stones and statues.

"H-Hello?" Raven called out, her voice echoing and sounding frail and alone in the cold graveyard. Biting her lip nervously, the witchling took a few more cautious steps through the frozen cemetery and glanced back and forth worryingly as she approached the closet tombstone and crouched down to get a better look at it; with breath visible in front of her, Raven brushed away the layer of ice crystals and snow that obscured the grave's name and immediately wished she hadn't.

"Here lies Cerise Hood," Raven whispered to herself. "A wonderfully, diabolical pet to her Evil Majesty." she continued, reaching out and running a hand over a carved image of a howling wolf, wondering just who this 'Evil Majesty' was. Whoever she was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Raven climbed to her feet and continued to walk through the graveyard, leaving Cerise's tombstone behind to investigate the other headstones; she stopped at a second grave marked with a depressed, weeping angel hunched over a stone plaque marked with an engraving of an apple with a arrow shot right through the middle.

"Apple White. Biggest sucker her Evil Majesty has ever known." Raven read, gulping nervously when she noticed that the stone angel crouching over the grave bared a frighteningly striking resemblance to Apple herself; the young witch noticed that part of the engravement on the princess's grave was covered in ice and stooped down to brush it away and reveal a second part of the message. "She did, however, make a lovely statue."

"I'm sorry, Apple." Raven whispered, bowing her head at the stone angel that had once been Apple White; how her murderer had managed to get a pair of stone wings on the princess before turning her to stone was beyond the witch, but she was pretty sure she didn't want to know how. Raven backed away from the grave and turned around to never impale her face on the tip of a stone sword thrust down in her direction. Rolling her eyes up, Raven saw a stone statue of Daring Charming standing tall and proud over her, his face stoic and unmoving.

"Here lies Daring Charming. He made a delightfully wicked court jester to her Evil Majesty." Raven read. The more and more the witchling walked through the cemetery, investigating the horrifying graves of her dead friends and the repulsive ways they had died or been treated before death, the more and more Raven was wondering who this 'Evil Majesty' was. A look at the burial site where poor Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman had been buried together holding hands and embracing each other to the last breath revealed they had once opposed her Evil Majesty and had frozen into the very, icicle covered statues that marked their grave; Briar had been impaled through the heart during a small rebellion against her Evil Majesty; Dexter himself had been forced to participate in her Evil Majesty's Colosseum, pressed against his will to cut down Cupid, Sparrow Hood, and Duchess Swan before he himself had been slain by . . . Raven couldn't make the name out.

Her heart was hammering in her chest now as she crept through the desolate, ice covered graveyard, nearly skipping a beat when she came across two large tombstones and an even bigger mausoleum between the two of them; the first tombstone on her left picture four, feminine figures standing in menacing positions with fingers twisted into sharp claws and giving vicious snarls, exposing pointed fangs. "Here lies Clawdeen Wolf, Venus McFlytrap, Jane Boolittle, and Skelita Calaveras, a few of the best and most competent of her Evil Majesty's army. They shall be fondly remembered." Raven read, quickly recognizing the four monsters that had recently been added to Ever After High's growing population.

The second tombstone had a single statue that may have looked slightly taller than the four other statues on the left of the mausoleum; even when the statue was covered in ice and obscured by the howling wind and snow, Raven recognized who it was of, taking immediate note of his strong, lean arms, firm chest, warm eyes, and the watch with an odd, squid-like creature plastered on it strapped around his wrist. "Here lies Ben Tennyson, the greatest warrior, asset, and lover her Evil Majesty had ever known. May he rest in peace and kick butt while doing it." the witchling read, barely able to form the words with her lips.

She barely found the strength to look upon the large mausoleum between the two, statue decorated graves; the frost covered mausoleum was decorated with icy pillars of stone with intricate, stone vines wrapped around them and stone ravens engraved above the door. A sour feeling in her stomach, Raven climbed to her shaky knees and approached the door of the mausoleum and pushed it open with some difficulty, the stone door freezing her hands until they had turned a burning red in color; the inside of the tomb wasn't any warmer.

At the back of the mausoleum was a an ancient, stone crypt elegantly decorated with thorn covered vines and crows with ruby eyes implanted in the small eye sockets of the stone birds; resting above the vault was a carving of a woman wearing a spiky dress and bat-winged cape, with four, slim arms clenched tightly into open palmed claws that held crackling, hot flames. She was frighteningly elegant and beautiful, withholding an air of regalness and royalty, her purple eyes replaced with sparkling, violet diamonds of the highest quality; below was an inscription.

"Here lies her Evil Majesty; despite all odds set against her, her horrifying origins, her terrifying childhood, and her overwhelmingly saddening destiny years, she has conquered all. She has loved, lost, killed, and conquered all those she knew and once held dear. May Raven Queen rest in . . ." Raven choked at the end of the sentence, unable to finish.

"I-I . . . I did all this?" Raven whispered, her throat dry and tears starting to well in her eyes.

"Oh, yes. You _did_." a whispery voice purred. Raven watched with horror as the lid of her crypt shifted slightly and broke off a thin layer of ice before the lid moved again and fell to the floor with a thick _thud!_ A pair of bone white hands grabbed the edges of the tomb and strained to pull something up, slowly revealing a deathly pale, feminine figure dressed in black and purple robes that Raven recognized all too well. Trembling, she took a few steps towards the door of the mausoleum before turning on her heel to run and slam into something hard; it wasn't overly hard like a slab of stone, but it was hard enough that it made the witchling freeze in her tracks and peel herself off of it for a closer examination, immediately wishing she hadn't.

Standing in front of and taking up the entire frame of the mausoleum door was a large and well muscled Tetramand, a deep frown on his face; unlike Ben's Tetramand form, Four Arms, the hulking creature seemed to be incredibly ill, his skin a light shade of scarlet orange instead of deep crimson and his pulsing, blue veins were visible underneath of his tough exterior. Deeper splotches of orange covered his thick neck and arms, his black and green undershirt torn and ripped in places and exposing yellowed bones and raw muscle and tissue; a few, crooked teeth poked out from his four jaw and curled up over his upper lip and one of his eyes was gone entirely, the socket messily sewn closed with stitches. His beard and mustache were thick and scraggly, yellowed skull being visible from his decaying scalp while parasites feasted on his festering flesh; what really caught Raven's attention however, other than the fact that one of the monstrosity's lower arms had been messily reduced to a stump and replaced with a crude, steampunk knock off, was that the belt that held up the Tetramand's pair of ragged, black pants had an ever familiar black and green, sharp hourglass figure on it.

"B-Ben?" Raven gulped, gazing upon the rotting Tetramand.

" _RAAAAAA-AAAAAAGGGH!_ " Zombie Four Arms snarled, swiping at her with the bony claws that tipped his strong fingers. The witchling instinctively covered her face and head and ducked to the ground under the attack, scrambling between the slightly confused Tetramand and stumbling out into the cold once more.

"Get her, my pretties!" the Evil Queen cackled from within the mausoleum, climbing out of Raven's crypt and climbing onto Zombie Four Arms' shoulders; the festering Tetramand roared angrily and thumping all four of his fists, both organic and mechanical, against his rib cage, his howl echoing throughout the frozen cemetery. As Raven ran away from her mother, the graveyard around her began to move and come alive all around her; tombstones quivered slightly and rotting hands thrust up out of the snow covered burial sights while a few of the statues started to slowly move on their own accord, sending ice and snow raining down on the graves they guarded as they came to life.

Raven glanced to her right and gasped with horror as the statue that had been Apple at one point straightened its posture with a loud cracking noise and spread its stone wings, breaking the layer of ice that had formed over them before the stone princess turned to regard Raven with hostility and take to the air with a flap of her wings and a horrible screech. While Daring's statue didn't move, a pair of rotting hands poked up and out from the snow that covered the ground and hauled up his rotting zombie, the festering prince stumbling to his feet and tearing the stone sword of his statue's hand with little effort.

A long, low howl pierced the night from a figure perched on the head of one of the few tombstones Raven had passed by earlier; it was a woman, if the feminine figure was anything to go by, and had a tattered, crimson cloak covering its body. A single, bright, amber eye sat in one of the figure's rotting sockets, the other one bloody and empty as pointed fangs decorated the inside of her mouth. Cerise snarled and growled, leaping off of her gravestone to cut off Raven's path of escape, crouching low on all fours while Apple guarded her above.

More horrific, frozen, walking corpses of Raven's friends were slowly approaching her, stumbling and shambling through the snow after her, forming a wall of rotting flesh and stone around her, fencing her in; with the broken head of a spear in her heart and the rest in her grip, Briar hissed and snarled at her with Ashlynn and Hunter's statues by her side, their emotionless faces twisted into ones of hatred and anger; Cupid's rotting corpse descended down from the sky and hissed venomously at Raven, going so far as to try and rake her bloody nails across the witchling's face before she managed to duck out of the way in time; the decomposing remains of the Beast lumbered up into the ranks of the undead, his lower jaw exposed and nearly free of his rotting flesh as Cupid alighted down on his shoulder like a hunting hawk, awaiting orders; even the decaying cadavers of Clawdeen, Venus, Jane, and the broken pile of bones that was Skelita were roaring for her blood, hissing and screeching like untamed beasts only held back by their mistress's iron will.

"Well, well, well. Cornered once again like the rat you are." the Evil Queen purred as Zombie Four Arms pushed and shoved his way through the wall of the undead to bring his master to the center of her army so that she could talk to and berate her pathetic daughter from up high.

"P-Please . . . j-j-just leave me al-lone . . ." Raven pleaded.

"What's the matter, _dear?_ Can't handle the truth? Can't stand to see the repercussions of your mistakes?" the Evil Queen wondered in a playful tone, enjoying the way her own daughter cowered beneath her like the scum she had always been. "Can't handle the fact that nobody loves you?"

"Y-Your wrong! Raven shouted. " I-I have friends!"

"Oh, you mean these?" the Evil Queen asked innocently, raising her hands to the sky; the army of undead fairy tales hissed and screeched hungrily, as if laughing at the witchling's naivety. "I'll admit, they make _wonderful_ puppets and subjects and playthings."

"Well . . . I-I . . . I have Ben!" Raven yelled, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Do you? Really?" the Evil Queen purred with a raised eyebrow; she snapped her ivory fingers and Zombie Four Arms grabbed his mistress by her outstretched arms to set her down gently in the snow in front of him before slapping the Omnitrix on his waist and swallowing himself in a flash of green light. Raven was blinded for a brief second as Ben emerged from the blast of energy, taking note that he was oddly healthy looking, devoid of signs of decay or rot.

"Kiss your mistress, won't you?" the Evil Queen asked Ben with an innocent tone.

"Yes, mistress." Ben nodded without even batting an eye or looking at Raven; she watched with horror as Ben wrapped his arms around her mother's waist and stood on his tip toes to press his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that neither party seemed even remotely disgusted by. In fact, they began to deepen their kiss even further, knowing full well that Raven was watching as they kissed and heavily gropped each others person without care of what she or the surrounding undead body thought (not that the zombie fairy tales could really think).

"Pleasure your mistress later, my pet," the Evil Queen smiled darkly once she and Ben had broken away from one another. "For now, do as your mistress says . . . and _attack_."

"With pleasure, mistress." Ben gave a sinister grin as the ring of rotting corpses shuffled closer towards Raven while Ben slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix and encompassed himself in a flash of green light. His skin began to crawl as it hardened and smoothed into something similar to an exoskeleton, yet not quite at the same time as it turned black as midnight with blue blotches with lighter center appearing all over him. His fingers cracked and trembled as they sharpened and turned into claws while his toes ripped out of his shoes, melting into a pair of talons as his heel thrust out behind him and formed a third toe with a loud grinding noise; Ben's teeth fused together into two plates that felt like they could bite through almost anything as his eyes widened and bugged out of his skull, flashing a spooky green as three, darker dots appeared. Muscles piled themselves up on his chest and arms as his spine arched forced him to hunch over; an itching sensation came from his back and head as four, large wings ripped out of his back with a sickening noise like that of wet flesh slapping against itself while a pair of anteannae burst out of his head. The wings and antennae flapped for a few seconds before they wrapped around him like a cloak and could as a chilling sensation formed at his core; his wings started to tear and rip, becoming ragged along the edges as flesh started to decay on certain parts of his body, the entire left side of his face melting away to expose a transparent shell that let Raven see the pulsing arteries and tissue beneath.

"Sad, isn't it?" the Evil Queen grinned maliciously as Zombie Big Chill held out his hands in front of him and formed a long bladed scythe made entirely out of ice and frost within his tight grip. "To think such a worthless, undeserving, pathetic, insignificant insect such as you lasted so long, even through all that I put you through." Raven's mother smirked as the zombies closed in, reaching for her with low snarls and hisses while the Necrofriggian hovered above her with a creepy smile on his face. "Oh, well. You won't last long anyway."

Raven trembled and fell to her knees, hugging herself tightly as her mother's words buzzed around and around in her head, pounding against her brain as the undead closed in. "And I'll be keeping Ben . . . _comfy_. . . while your gone. Who knows? Maybe he'll produce a better offspring than your idiot of a father." the Evil Queen added playfully as Zombie Big Chill froze Raven to the spot, encasing her feet in ice crystals and allowing the army of fester fairy tales to converge on the witchling and grab her, pulling on her arms and hair, scratching and biting her relentlessly and without mercy.

"Raven!"

" _Raven!_ "

" _RAVEN!_ "

* * *

With a start, Raven bolted up in her bed with her pulse racing and her heart pounding in her chest, her breaths short and rapid as she looked around with frightened eyes; she relaxed only when she was sure that she was safe in her dorm, her horrendous and absolutely ghastly mother nowhere in sight. Gulping nervously, the witchling pulled down the neck of her nightgown to glance at the silvery scars that marked her skin, a constant reminder of her childhood. A quick roll of her sleeves revealed the raw, red scars she had received from the Beast the night before, a night that Raven would never forget as long as she lived; her terrified cries for help, the Beast's angry and furious roars, the rolling thunder and bright lightning and Cupid's scream of terror and fear would forever haunt her mind until the day she died. And she had the scars from the Beast's claws to prove it.

A light snore caught her attention and she turned to see Apple turn over in her sleep, completely oblivious to the witchling's discomfort. In a way, Raven envied the princess, admiring how naive and ignorant she could be, hardly suffering the constant, reoccurring nightmares that plagued the poor witchling's mind, terrifying memories that haunted her, or the silvery scars that marked her skin and would remain there for as long as Raven lived. She couldn't count the many times she had dropped the brave leader of the Rebel cause she had carefully crafted over the years and simply collapsed to the floor of the bathroom or closet and curl up into the tightest ball she could muster and letting out all the fears and sorrows she had kept within her during the day. Sometimes it would be over the constant, hushed whispers behind her back, or over a bad day during classes, but most of the time it was over the constant reminder of her mother; the scars that covered her body were but one reminder of her.

Glancing around, Raven noticed that it was still dark out and a quick look at the alarm clock on her bedside table revealed it to be two-thirty in the morning; with a defeated sigh, Raven slipped out from under the covers of her bed and touched her bare feet down to the dark purple carpet that covered the floor on her side of the room. Once she was sure Apple wouldn't stir, the witchling crept to the door of the room and cracked it open, wincing as the hinges creaked in protest before she closed it softly behind her and hurriedly sneaked down the hallway and towards the boys dorm, hoping she wouldn't be caught by the enchanted suits of armor that patrolled the corridors; she had already glimpsed at a pair of heavily armed suits of armor posted outside of Dexter's door and was not eager to run into anymore of them.

As Raven made her way towards the safety of Ben's dorm, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a chill traveled, getting the sense that she wasn't alone in the halls; the knowledge that there were dozens of sleeping boys behind the doors lining the hallways didn't comfort Raven as much as she had hoped, especially when she heard a shuffling noise from behind her. Whirling around, the young witch saw nothing more than the empty, moonlit hallway.

"Easy, Raven. It's just your imagination." the witchling told herself. With this in mind, she continued walking down the hallway, quietly wondering why a corridor was so long in the first place, regardless of the sizable dorms on either side of the halls. She was especially wondering why Ben's dorm just _happened_ to be at the end of the hallway, though she supposed it might have something to do with its significantly grander design, a mistake made when Ever After High was first being built.

The sound of footsteps caught Raven's attention and she turned around to see that the hallway behind her was empty once more, save for a few decorative tables, statues, or potted plants that added an air of class to the relatively blank corridor; Raven thought it was pointless, as the items simply got in the way of moving furniture or luggage. As well as the fact they provided perfect hiding places for things that went bump in the night. The witchling shook off that silly thought, knowing full well that the only monsters in the school were in Ben's dorm and in the Enchanted Forest outside.

A low growl suddenly caught her attention and she paused midstep to turn around and see a pair of crisp, golden eyes glaring at her from the darkness, a set of white fangs glistening in the moonlight just below them. Before Raven could yell for help, the thing in the darkness pounced upon her and slammed her to the floor, pinning her legs beneath its weight and pinning her arms to her sides with its sharp claws.

"Oh. It's you." Raven opened her eyes, not realizing that she had squeezed them tightly shut out of fear, to see Clawdeen sitting on her with a slightly irked expression on her face; the witchling's heart was hammering in her chest from the fright, her attempts to calm herself down not being helped by the werewolf's cold expression or pointed fangs. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Raven grunted.

Clawdeen shrugged as if she hadn't just tackled Raven to the ground like prey. "I asked you first."

Raven sighed. "I . . . I was trying to get to Ben."

"Why?" Clawdeen cocked an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little too early in your _relationship_ with him to be sleeping with him?" she wondered, her eyes narrowing at the word.

"Maybe, but . . . he helps me sleep." Raven replied lamely. "You wouldn't understand what he's done for me." she sighed as Clawdeen climbed off of her and allowed her to climb up into a much more comfortable sitting position.

"I think I have a pretty good idea. We interrogated him the minute we got out of the storm," Clawdeen shrugged. "And you're not the only one asking to see Ben tonight?"

"R-Really?" Raven blinked, curious.

Teh werewolf nodded. "Yeah. Earlier, some girl with a hood and wolf ears tried getting' in the door; almost didn't hear her, too. After that, some girl that smelled like she got too close to a fireplace or somethin' tried it too. Kept claiming she was trying to see Ben's annoying room mate, though."

"You must mean Cerise and Ashlynn," Raven hummed before a thought occurred to her. "Hey, um . . . i-if you're going to be here for a while, can you . . . not tell anyone about Cerise's wolf heritage? It's . . . kind of a sensitive topic . . ."

"I gathered as much from the way the way your Headmaster fainted when he went after your friend." Clawdeen explained. "What was his name? Dexter?"

Raven nodded. "Thank you. If I may ask . . . what were _you_ doing out here?"

"Taking a leaf out of Jane's book and doing some exploring; ghoul doesn't feel comfortable until she has decent information on wherever she is. Course, she skipped that little routine and curled up to Ben the moment she hit the mattress. Jane's kinda . . . _jumpy_." Clawdeen explained when she caught sight of Raven's confused expression. "She was raised in the jungle, far from civilization and gets nervous around new people, places, and really big crowds."

"Poor thing." Raven shook her head sympathetically before she rubbed her arm uncomfortably, mentally cringing as her fingers brushed past the latest scars on her arms. "So . . . can I see Ben? I fugured that . . . well, you've been with him longer, so . . ."

Clawdeen actually seemed to brighten up upon hearing this, a small smile crossing her lips. "I don't see why not. You were a lot less pushy than . . . Cerise, was it? I swear, if Ben hadn't still been awake we would have gotten into a fight or somethin'."

Upon hearing this, Raven wondered if it really was a good idea to spend the night in a room with two, wolf-like creatures that seemed fully intent on tearing each others throats out when their boyfriend wasn't around, a potentially carnivorous plant monster, a jumpy shape-shifter, a huntsman, a princess, Ben, and who knew what else might decide to drop in on them in the middle of the night. The prospect of a good nights sleep and at least five of those things on her side if things were to take a turn in the wrong direction however, helped the witchling walk the rest of the way down the hallway with Clawdeen by her side and slip into the dorm on the other side.

Hunter and Ashlynn were quietly sleeping together in the huntsman's bed, wrapped securely up in the warmth of the sheets and blankets it provided; it was almost as if the happy, young couple were oblivious to the variety of bizarre and possibly frightening monsters sharing the dorm with them. Venus had taken a position by the dorm's wide windows to gain the plant equivalent of a caffeine boost in the morning when the warm sun finally rose. Skelita had dozed off in a cushy chair near the window, a blanket wrapped around her bones and a pillow underneath her marigold and black locks, her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept despite not actually having any lungs in her chest (that Raven knew of anyway); Ben lay on his own bed adjacent to the skeleton's resting place, softly snoring with his arm wrapped protectively around Jane's shoulders, his fingers ensnared gently in her hair as if he had fallen asleep stroking her. Much to Clawdeen's annoyance, Cerise had managed to slip into Ben's bed while was gone and was currently resting near his feet with her arm draped over the side and her crimson hood tugged securely over her head while she wore a pair of ragged shorts and shredded tank top for night clothes.

"Voltage. She moved." Clawdeen frowned.

"You're not going to be able to move her." Raven shook her head quietly.

"Fine. One night." the werewolf relented angrily as she sat down on the bed and slipped off her boots and gently pulled the dangling, hoop earrings out of her ears before dropping them down into her footwear for safe keeping as she shrugged off her jacket and took a spot near the foot of the bed at Ben's feet, yawning. "Only one spot left. Enjoy it while it lasts." Clawdeen mumbled sleepily, resting her head on her hands as she got comfortable.

"Right." Raven sighed, crawling carefully over the bodies of Jane, Cerise, Clawdeen, and Ben, lest she wake up an already skittish shape-shifter and accidentally get injected with who knew what horrible venom or paralyzing poison was embedded deep within the billions of DNA samples that floated around in Jane's bloodstream. Once she was out of danger (relatively speaking), Raven bedded down next to Ben with Cerise sharing the end of the bed at her feet with Clawdeen, and snuggled up close to him, instantly feeling much more relaxed and secure than before.

"Good night, Clawdeen." Raven yawned as she started to dose off.

"Night. Don't let the Normies bite." Clawdeen replied.

"What?"

"It's just an expression." the werewolf replied before dosing off and leaving Raven to drift off into peaceful slumber; the witchling was asleep within minutes.

* * *

Raven blinked and glanced around at her surroundings, finding herself floating in the emptiness of a suffocating, black abyss devoid of any other color, matter, or even light for that matter; if she had been asked to describe what the inside of a black hole might look like (assuming she would survive the immense pressure, gravitational forces, and life threatening conditions), the witchling would have to describe it as where she currently was, a place so black, so dark, so isolated and lonesome that it would have driven anyone else to the brink of madness and beyond in this place where time was meaningless and meaning had no meaning.

Thankfully for her, Raven had one thing to keep her from going insane; a soft, white light glowed in the darkness of the void, sparkling and shimmering like a star. The young witch was sure that it was beckoning to her somehow, as if summoning her with invisible arms, gesturing for her to come closer. Most people would have been put off by a mysterious, glowing light in the darkness of an empty abyss or at the very least curious, but Raven oddly didn't feel any of this. She felt . . . oddly calm and serene. With the fearless curiosity of a young child, she made her way towards her, floating in the empty, black space she had found herself in as she approached the light; as she got closer and closer, she was forced to squint against the harsh glare, narrowing her eyes to near slits before they had closed all together. By then, the light strange light had sucked her in, completely blinding her entirely.

The sound of tolling bells pounded relentlessly against her ears, the light growing more intense until she dared to blink her eyes and found herself in a new place entirely, having left the inky, black space of the void and soft, white glow of the bright light behind. Raven found herself at the end of an aisle, rows of pews on either side of her filled to the brim with people and fairy tales and some rather unusual characters as well, the vast numbers of the crowds not even fitting entirely into the seats and forcing others to stand against the walls or perch on top of some of the larger guests. One thing Raven noticed about them, no matter their size, species, or anatomy, was that they all seemed to be dressed in fancy, classy clothes, mostly dresses and tuxedos from what Raven could see, along with what seemed to be the equivalent of those for some of the more bizarre members of the audience.

Raven glanced down at herself and found that she had been dressed in a gorgeous and simply stunning. Flowing white dress with a layer of soft, lavender silk underneath to accent her dark heritage as a witch with a sizable train trailing behind her with a violet veil over her ivory face, slightly obscuring her view. She felt a slight tug on her arm and looked up at the unmistakable face of her father beaming warmly at her with his bright, blue eyes; he had gray beard and thinning hair underneath of a magnificent, golden crown that sat on his head while he was dressed in a crisp, black tuxedo with his strong arm hooked in hers.

It took several seconds for Raven to realize that she was at a wedding. _Her_ wedding.

The witchling nearly cried with joy and slight confusion as her father, the Good King, led her down the aisle, drawing the warm looks from several of the invited guests; a large, female Chimera Sui Generis that dwarfed the majority of the guests that had been seated around her with her tentacles pulled back into hair-like locks allowed a small smile as an aged Galvan with thick, fleshy whiskers sprouting from his upper lip nodded with approval and the warm smile that most would assume to find on a grandfather of sorts while he stood on the large alien's shoulder. At the Chimer Sui Generis' side was a seemingly human girl with pale skin, short blonde hair, and a white dress with black stripes and gloves, a few tears leaking from her eyes as Raven was walked down the aisle.

A few more rows down sat a large, bulky, Petrosapien slightly bigger than Diamondhead wearing a black, white, and light green suit of sorts that made his bulk and size much more imposing an impressive, his chin sporting markings to what Raven could only guess to be the Petrosapien equivalent of a beard. Seated next to him with perfect, erect posture and a strange looking weapon perched on his shoulder was a Revonnahgander dressed in a crisp, black suit and a woman with snow white hair tipped a venomous purple and appareled in dark purple and black royal robes of some kind. Sitting next to her was a human girl with bright, orange hair, a pair of blue glasses, freckles, and wearing a white dress while another seemingly human figure, this one male, sat next to her with his arm around her; he had dark, cold black eyes with slight bags and shaggy, black hair that blended perfectly into the tuxedo he had been forced into against his will. The fact that he was looking up at the alter with slight jealousy did not help his case as the girl he had his arm around sharply elbowed him in the ribs, summoning a glowing ball of pink energy to her finger tips as a threat.

Raven soon found out what the dark boy was ever so slightly irked about when she looked at the alter to find Ben standing there with a warm and slightly nervous smile on his face; his dark, green eyes accented his black tuxedo trimmed with green, the Omnitrix securely strapped to his wrist as he watched her with a happy grin. Aside from Ben, there were almost two dozen other girls behind or beside him, some that Raven quickly recognized; Maddie was the one that stood out the most, dressed in a Wonderlandian wedding dress of wild and extravagant colors and designs that made one dizzy just by looking at it. Another girl, a dragon of some kind if the golden scales, reptilian tail tipped with a plume of green fur, and the smoke drifting casually from her lips were anything to go by, was dressed in a snow white kimono with jade green locks pulled back into a tight bun with what looked similar to a pair of black chop sticks holding it in place. A tall, tan skinned girl with sharp, light purple eyes and black and Nile blue locks pulled back into a long ponytail that reached her waist wore a single, white dress with a shimmering, jewel studded Shendyt around her waist and faded, golden bandages wrapped snuggly around her arms, shoulders, and ankles with large amounts of fine and expensive jewelry adorning her.

Raven finally came to the end of the aisle and approached the alter, taking a position beside Apple; the princess was wearing white wedding gown similar to the witchling's with the exception of bright golds and deep reds emphasizing her undeniable beauty and kindness. Glancing out over the audience of strange folk that had gathered for the wedding, Raven saw numerous fairy tales, monsters, and what she assumed to be aliens amongst the human crowd members, taking note of a row of seven, young male dragons sitting towards the back of the church under the harsh glare of a far older dragon. Towards the front of pews Raven caught sight of Cedar's father, Grandfather Gepetto, and the Blue-Haired Fairy sitting in appropriate attire while the Mad Hatter stood on his head next to them, a cheeky grin on his face to compensate for the rather drab suit he had been forced to wear for the occasion under the request of Maddie (Raven highly suspected there was a second suit of far more grander and wild design just underneath of the black tuxedo, just waiting to be let out as the old suit was torn to shreds at the grand climax of the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of the ancestors," a warm, kindly old voice spoke up; Raven turned to see none other than Giles Grimm at the head of the alter dressed in a set of rather impressive robes that marked as a high, authoritative figure in the room, possibly even higher than the several kings, queens, princesses, princes, other rulers of planets and far away lands, and people just as much respect. "And in the face of this company, to join together this Man and . . . several ghouls, monsters, princesses, and other woman . . . in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted by the ancestors. Into this holy estate these . . . many persons," the old Headmaster seemed rather befuddled by the high amount of girls eager to be wed to a single man. "Present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace."

Raven half expected the doors in the back of the church to be banged wide open and have someone of dark, sinister nature, be it Headmaster Grimm, a band of eerily silent Forever Knights, or even her own cruel mother, come storming in and protesting about how the wedding was over, unlawful, and just down right wrong. But after several moments of heated silence, Raven relaxed and knew it was never coming; as if anyone in their right mind would want to take on roughly two dozen heavily armed females of varying species all eagerly awaiting to be wed to what was perhaps the most powerful man in all of Ever After.

"Ben Tennyson, do you take these girls as your lawfully wedded wives?" Giles asked once enough time had passed.

"I do." Ben replied without hesitation, taking Raven's hands in his and giving them a comforting squeeze.

Giles now turned to Raven. "And do you, Raven Queen and your fellow princesses, monsters, and assorted other girls all take Ben as you lawfully wedded husband?"

" _WE DO!_ " the majority of the girls all replied at once. Raven had been hesitating, biting her lips nervously and wondering what to say; it wasn't every day a girl got to get married, especially to someone as kind, caring, loyal, and brave as Ben. The witchling realized that the entire church, both guests, Ben, and fellow brides were all waiting with baited breath for her response, a rather awkward silence washing over the gathering.

"I . . . I do." Raven said confidently.

"I now pronounce you husband and . . . wives." Giles nodded with a gesture of his hands. "You may attempt to kiss all the brides before you are engulfed and forced to kill your feet in the resulting after party." Ben ignored the joke and simply focused on Raven, hugging her close to him and holding her hand fondly; the witchling could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she lunged forward and passionately kissed Ben on the lips over the earth shattering roar of the cheering crowd and the loud ringing of the wedding bells overhead.

* * *

Raven awoke to the warm feeling of the rising, morning sun on her face and slowly stiffened, stretching ever so slightly so she wouldn't wake anyone else up; after a few seconds of waking up, the witchling became aware of a slight weight on her chest, most likely Ben's hand or someone's foot that had accidentally ended up there in the middle of the night. It wasn't until Raven actually fully woke up did she realize that the thing on her chest was _very_ warm. The young witch rolled her eyes down towards her chest to see a ball of deep crimson resting on her breasts like a pillow; the ball of red shifted ever so slightly and rolled over just enough for Raven to catch a glimpse of Cerise, completely oblivious to what had transpired in the middle of the night.

" _Awwww._ Just like the author said!" a familiar voice cooed quietly.

Raven rolled her eyes up to see Maddie hanging upside down from a pitch black hole on the ceiling, her little top hat unsurprisingly somehow managing to remain fastened to her head and defy the law of gravity. The Hatter skillfully swung down and gripped the edge of the hole, as if there was a hidden lip inside of the black void, before dropping down to the floor; she was dressed in a pair of teacup and teapot decorated leggings that reached down to her ankles just above a pair of fluffy, pink bunny slippers that were wearing monocles over each of their eyes and a light blue nightshirt that cupped her small, perky breasts nicely for anyone that cared to check. "Maddie, what are you doing here?" Raven hissed quietly.

Maddie giggled madly. "Looking for Kitty, silly! She disappeared from our room sometime last night and I thought to check here!" she smiled happily. "Looks like I was right as a left handed bandersnatch!" the Hatter added, pointing above Raven; the witchling rolled her eyes up to see Kitty curled up beneath Ben's head like a pillow, most likely having snuck into the dorm while everyone else was sleeping and switching out the cushion for herself. Raven wasn't quite sure why the Cheshire cat would do such a thing, but she had a guess at what it might be.

"You have got to be kidding me." Raven grumbled.

"It's like a sleepover!" Maddie beamed brightly.

"Yeah, a sleepover with a werewolf, a plant monster, a skeleton, a shape-shifter, a huntsman, a princess, a witch, a Cheshire cat, and a Riding Hood that doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space while she's sleeping." Raven muttered under her breath; Cerise shifted in her sleep and cuddled up closer to the witch, nuzzling her hooded head deeper into her cleavage and neck region. "Uh, Maddie? Can you . . . give me a hand, please?" Raven hissed with slight discomfort. "This . . . kinda hurts."

Maddie's bright expression immediately turned seriously. "Are those nasty ol' scars acting up again?"

Raven stiffly nodded. "Unfortunately. Even after all these years . . . they still hurt . . ." she whispered. Maddie sadly shook her head and carefully reached across the sleeping bodies of Ben, Clawdeen, and Jane to place her hands on Cerise, studying the Daughter of Red Riding Hood's position for a few seconds before Maddie expertly slipped her fingers underneath of her tight grip and loosened them with ease without waking her up. Within seconds, Cerise had been pulled off of Raven and moved onto Ben, allowing the witchling to crawl out of bed and relax.

"Raven, be honest with me. Is Ben hurting you?" Maddie asked; while the Hatter was commonly insane and crazy as her heritage and entire realm celebrated, this didn't mean that she was not able to be serious when the time called for it.

The witchling shook her head. "No, no. He's . . . surprisingly gentle." Raven admitted. "Whenever he touches me, it's like . . . my scars don't hurt anymore."

"That's a relief." Maddie sighed with a smile.

"What's a relief?" Ben yawned as he slowly awoke and stirred; alerted of their boyfriend's movements, Cerise and Jane soon woke up afterwards with slight yawns and whimpers of protests on Jane's part. The shape-shifter kept a firm hold on Ben, like she were a small child hugging her security blanket or favorite stuffed toy close to her for comfort as if she were afraid she would be yanked out of her grasp any second. Ben didn't blame her in the slightest, barely able to imagine how frantic she and the others must have been when he didn't return home the fateful night he had left his world behind. This thought made him frown with anger; whoever tore him away from his loved ones was going to get a beat down. Then again, if he hadn't been kidnapped he very well would never have met Raven, Apple, Cerise, Maddie, or his other fairy tale friends.

Maddie instantly resumed her happy demeanor. "I found Kitty!" she exclaimed merrily.

"What? Where did she-" Ben started before he was interrupted by a sleepy purr from behind him. Glancing back he saw Kitty Cheshire curled up on the spot where his head had been resting moments ago and where his pillow might have been had it not vanished under mysterious circumstances that he suspected were somehow linked to the crafty feline. "You have got to be kidding me."

"That's what I said." Raven smiled slightly. "Everyone sleep well?"

Cerise yawned. "Sleeping in a bed with someone else will take some getting use to, but it's not something I wouldn't welcome." she grinned, kissing Ben softly on the cheek with a slight blush on his face.

"Yeah, well, don't get use to it." Clawdeen grumbled as she woke up and sat up to stretch and scratch an itch behind her ear with the back of her foot; Ben raised an eyebrow at this, as despite her canine nature Clawdeen was not normally one to display such primitive behavior. Though, now that he thought about it, even she hadn't been able to resist a thrown tennis ball much like her older brother, and she was the one able to show more restraint over such things.

"What are you talking about?" Cerise frowned.

"If you're going to join this harem, then there are gonna be some rules, got it?" the werewolf snarled with a threatening tone. "Rule number one: only those at the top of the social ladder get to sleep with Ben. And as far as I'm concerned, you're not there yet."

"And you are?" Raven raised an eyebrow of confusion; Jane gulped nervously at the building tension between the two wolfborn girls as they had taken to glaring at each other with bright, furious eyes of gold and amber, and pressed herself a little closer to Ben.

"As a matter of fact, I _am_." Clawdeen smirked. "Frankie made me Beta."

"Beta?" Raven was confused. Even with Cerise as a best friend forever after, the witchling's knowledge of a wolf pack's social structure only extended to the fact that there was an alpha pair, of which seemed to be this Frankie and of course, Ben.

"Second in command." Clawdeen explained. "Meaning, you, your half breed friend, and anyone else that Ben manages to seduce is beneath me. And seeing as how Frankie isn't here, it looks like I'm Alpha."

"You make it sound like me attracting girls is a bad thing." Ben smiled lightly, despite the way Cerise was clenching her fists and grinding her fangs together out of fury.

"I'm not saying it is." Clawdeen shrugged. "But there's only so much space in the house."

Cerise continued to glower heavily at Clawdeen as Venus finally came to life, the vines that circled her arms and legs spreading out their leaves to the fullest extent to gather the full amount of sunlight possible. Raven watched curiously as the plant monster stirred and stood up from her position near the window, stretching her arms and cracking her back before beaming warmly at Ben and Jane; the witchling's eyebrows shot upward as Venus bent down and affectionately kissed Jane on the cheek without hesitation.

"Morning, Sweet Mango. Sleep well?" she asked.

Jane nodded. "Especially now that we found Ben."

Venus grinned toothily. "Of course. I could I forget that our man needs some morning sugar, too?" she purred, leaning over further to kiss Ben full on the lips; it wasn't until she had finally let him go did she notice Raven and Cerise starring at her. "What, you've never seen two ghouls kiss before?"

"No . . ." Raven said, looking at Cerise out of the corners of her eyes; the young witch couldn't be one-hundred percent sure, but she could swear she saw a deep blush cross the Riding Hood's face beneath her hood. "Ever After High . . . isn't really big on homosexual couples. You know, what with the whole fairy tale prince and princess thing."

"Talk about narrow minded." Cerise mumbled quietly.

"Amen. It took weeks for just our friends to except the fact that we were dating." Hunter said with a yawn as he sat up in bed and noticed Ashlynn curled up beside him; before he startle and wonder just why and how his girlfriend had managed to get into his dorm, the princess grabbed hold of him in her sleep and yanked him back down to the bed, securing her tight grip on him and snuggling her head into his chest for comfort. "How did she get in here?" he rasped.

"Don't you remember? I gave her the passcode to the room." Ben replied. "She was thankful for that."

"Isn't our boyfriend the sweetest?" Maddie giggled, clapping her hands happily.

"I'm not complaining." Hunter grinned. Ashlynn stirred in her sleep slightly, a smile crossing her lips as she slowly blinked open her eyes and yawned herself awake. "Morning, babe."

"Morning, handsome." Ashlynn smiled. "Hope I didn't scare you."

"I'll admit I was surprised." Hunter shrugged. "But, hey, if Ben can have girls share a bed with him, I don't see why we can't."

"Because your Headmaster is _asustado_ of us." Skelita said as she arose and stretched her bones with a loud clattering noise that made Ashlynn visibly flinch. "At the very least, I do not think he would be very welcome to the idea of us staying here."

"She d-does have a p-point." Jane gulped, remembering the small, angry mob that had been formed last night during Dexter's rampage; having been the only one brave or crazy enough to go see him after their late night ordeal, the shape-shifter could only imagine what kind of night Dexter had been forced to live through. And if such a crowd came after her and the ghouls . . . she didn't want to think about the disaster that would transpire. She wasn't sure if we she would be able to restrain herself, much less Venus if the plant monster even _heard_ her in danger; and if Ben was even involved in such a fight . . . Jane trembled at the thought.

And then came the scream.

The already on edge shape-shifter yelped with fear and immediately felt the changes sweep over her body fast and fluid. Her bones cracked and snapped as they roughly pushed their way past her muscles and tissue to the surface of her body, melting together like molasses with her lavender skin and hardening into a durable exoskeleton with a loud crunching noise. Her frame compacted and shrank down to a size that was dwarfed by those around her, shrink down to the size of a volley ball while her fingers and toes each fused together to formed sharp, pointed tips; a wet, splitting noise filled the air as four, extra, jointed legs suddenly thrust out from under her original arms and hips, glistening with moisture as her legs and arms soon copied their look and became sharply jointed as well with some small modifications. Jane's head pushed back against her shoulders as her chest, torso, waist, and ass were swiftly rolled up into a small orb a little bigger than a golf ball, her eight legs shifting slightly into their appropriate positions; organs sloshed around inside of her shifting body as her lips twisted into a vertical structure that swelled and hardened into a pair of sharp, pointed fangs dripping with toxic venom. Her eyes splint into four, shiny, black pairs as thousands upon millions of sharp hairs sprouted across her body, covering her in a thick, shaggy coat of hairs that could fired off with a quick movement of her legs as a tiny, almost unnoticeable, spiked, red collar appeared around Jane's abdomen.

Ashlynn shivered slightly as the black and lavender tarantula skittered up onto Ben's shoulder (who didn't seem to mind it in the slightest) and held on tightly as he scrambled out of bed and kicked open the door to his dorm to rush down the hallway towards the source of the panicked scream; Hunter was naturally right behind him, his huntsman nature berating him for not responding to a helpless maiden's scream sooner, with Ashlynn in tow. Raven, Cerise, Clawdeen, Skelita, and Venus soon followed after sharing looks with each other and decided they didn't want to be caught in the boy's dorm by anyone who might have been alerted by the cry.

Of course, it was only then that Kitty woke up.

"Mmmhaa?" she yawned, blinking blearily at her surroundings.

"Oh, goody! You're awake!" Maddie smiled broadly.

"What'd I miss?" Kitty yawned a second time, stretching her stiff muscles and flicking her tail back and forth in anticipation.

"Oh, nothing that you should be concerned about." Maddie waved it off. "The author's just lazy and wants us to stay here so he doesn't overwork himself later on."

"Party pooper." Kitty pouted.

Ben and the small group of worried fairy tales and inquisitive monsters that followed after him ignored the absence of their Wonderlandian friends and continued to run towards the source of the loud, bone rattling scream that had shaken them all out of their early morning stupor; both Raven and Ben were getting increasingly worried when they found themselves running down the hall of the girls dorms, ignoring the curious and half awake cries and inquiries of the dorm's inhabitants as they ran closer and closer to the dorm that Raven shared with Apple.

"I can't believe Skurd isn't awake." Ben grumbled, glancing down at the sound asleep Slimebiote fixed permanently to his wrist as he skidded to a stop outside the door, nearly causing everyone else to crash into him while he turned the doorknob. "Usually he'd be complaining about the noise."

"Will you cease that incessant bellowing this instant!? Some of us are trying to get our much needed beauty sleep!" Skurd shouted sleepily as he compressed himself back down on the Omnitrx and promptly fell back asleep before Ben could tell him off.

"No amount of beauty sleep will help you, Snot Rocket." Ben shook his head as he entered the dorm and looked around; this was actually the first time he had been in Raven and Apple's dorm, and the first thing he noticed as he walked into the room was that the short hallway that led out from the door and to the main room was decorated with pictures. On Ben's left were pictures Apple with what Ben assumed to be her family, some close ups with Briar, Ashlynn, and occasionally Blondie, and a few photos of Daring that lay scattered on the floor beneath their empty frames for some reason. On the right were pictures of Raven and what Ben guessed to be her father, a photo of a younger Raven playing a toy violin in front of a small gathering of servants, maids, and her father once more, and finally a picture of Fasttrack, Cerise, and Raven in the nurse's office smiling like fools; there were no pictures of her mother in sight.

As Ben stepped further into the dorm with the others behind him, he noticed that unlike some of the other dorms he had managed to sneak a glimpse of during the past few weeks he had been attending Ever After High, there was a distinct difference from both sides of the room, a clear line drawn right down the middle by a royal red on one side and a deep violet on the other. While one side was decorated with glimmering golds and vivid reds dotted with plushy cushions and pillows, the other side was covered in brooding blacks and poisonous shades of purple that seemed to dare Ben to edge closer to the multiple spikes, fake cobweb designs, and dark ravens that adorned everything; he had a sneaking suspicion that this was Raven's side of the room.

"Apple?" Ben called out.

"We lookin' for that mermaid princess ghoul from last night?" Clawdeen asked.

"That was a costume," Ben corrected. "But, yeah, that's who we're looking for."

With this in mind, Clawdeen took a deep breath through her sensitive nose while everyone else spread out to search the room for any sign of the missing princess; the purple and black tarantula on Ben's shoulder crawled down his arm and leg to jump to the floor and explore the more out of reach places for any clues. Within seconds, Clawdeen was down on her hands and knees, sniffing the floor and drawing the others attention before she stopped in front of another door to the room just to the left of the entrance.

"She's in there. Bathroom, I think." the werewolf replied, climbing back up to her feet in what she deemed to be a dignified manner.

"Is she okay?" Ashlynn asked worriedly.

"I don't smell any blood," Clawdeen sampled the air. "What I do smell is sweat and I can hear her heartbeat. She's really scared or upset about something." she explained, pressing her head to the door for better examination; in doing so, she failed to notice the tarantula at her feet press itself to the floor and just barely manage to slip its sizable abdomen underneath the bottom of the door. "I think we can-"

" _EEEEEE-EEEEEEEKKK!_ "

Clawdeen stumbled back from the door, her hands cupped over her sensitive ears as Cerise tugged down her hood even further in an attempt to block out the shrill shriek without exposing her secret. Ben charged at the bathroom door and kicked it open with a loud _bang!_ to find Apple curled up in a tight ball wrapped up in the sheets of her bed wedged into the small area between the bathtub and toilet, her eyes watching the ceiling fearfully. Ben rolled his eyes upwards to see a shivering, lavender and indigo striped gecko clinging to the ceiling, its wide eyes glancing around nervously. With a sigh, Ben held out his hands and let the small reptile fall safely into his hands before it skittered up his bare chest and curled itself around his neck, licking its eyes to clean them.

"Apple? What's wrong?" Ben asked calmly. "Why did you scare Jane?"

The princess was shaking, pointing a trembling finger at the equally frightened gecko around Ben's neck. "I-I-I s-saw a g-giant spider." she whimpered slightly. "T-The spider . . . it t-turned into a lizard!"

Ben chuckled slightly, rubbing the purple gecko's head with a finger to soothe it. "Apple, do you remember last night? Cerise's Halloween birthday party? Dexter's rampage?"

"Th-That all happened?" Apple blinked. "I . . . I was hoping it was a bad dream."

Ben shook his head. "Well, it wasn't. Jane wouldn't _dream_ of hurting you." he assured her before turning his attention to the gecko that affectionately licked his cheek. "Would you?"

"I just might if she does that again . . ." Clawdeen grumbled under her breath.

"Clawdeen, _please_ try to keep your temper in check. We _really_ don't want to lose Ben after just finding him." Venus pleaded; the werewolf couldn't argue with that and reluctantly agreed as Venus stole a peek into the bathroom to meet Apple for the first time. The princess took one look at the plant monster's spike-like claws, razor-sharp fangs that glinted in the morning light and promptly let out another scream of fright, backing up as far against the wall as she could while Jane startled for a third time and morphed into the form of a lavender furred tarsier that launched itself off of Ben out of fright and onto Venus' shoulder before scurrying into her sleeve and shirt for safety, making Venus giggle at the feel of her ghoulfriend's feet tickling her.

What is it now, Apple?" Ben cringed, taking his fingers out of his ears.

"I-I-It's her! M-Mary, Mary Quite C-Contrary!" Apple trembled.

Ben quirked an eyebrow up in confusion before realization finally crossed his mind. "Wait, you think _Venus_ is that crazy, psycho plant girl from that movie we watched on our first day?" he wondered; Apple was confused as to why her boyfriend found this even remotely amusing. Now that she looked past the frightening features of Venus, she found she was only starring at a green skinned girl that was currently giggling like a small child as the hyperactive primate that had once been Jane scurried around and around inside of her shirt.

"Y-Yeah." Apple nodded.

Ben laughed lightly. "Trust me, Venus won't hurt you. Pretty much all of my ghouls are harmless, unless you either get on their bad side, endanger any one of them, or hurt me. _Then_ you're in for a world of hurt."

"Really?" Apple gulped.

"We promise, Apple." Venus snorted as she finally got the little tarsier out of her shirt and convinced it to at least stay still on her shoulder with a small scratch behind its large ears. "Just don't get between Clawdeen and T-bone steak during a full moon." she added with a small smirk that showed off her fangs, earning a glare from said werewolf and a look of fear from Apple.

"This is fascinating and all, but unless someone's life is in danger, I'm going to go get ready for school." Hunter piped up. "The Damsel-in-Distress course was rebuilt and they're making us do a reevaluation that I do _not_ want to be late for."

"It's cool, dude. We'll wrap things up here." Ben waved him off as the Son of the Huntsman and Ashlynn left the dorm once the later was sure that Apple would be alright.

"Now that we're back on track, what exactly were you screaming about? You woke up the entire girls dorm and about half of the boys." Cerise winced at the slightly painful reason she had been dragged out of her nice warm bed and away from Ben. Now that Apple had been brought around and out of her fear of gigantic, shape-shifting spiders and flesh-eating plant monsters, she hesitantly fished around inside of the bundle of blankets she had pulled into the bathroom with her before finding her Mirrorphone and handing it to Ben after a moments vacillation, biting her lip anxiously.

"What is this?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow as he took the device from the princess's hands while the ghouls and girls gathered around to peek over his shoulder out of curiosity.

"I-It's a hext." Apple gulped.

"From your _padre._ " Skelita noted.

Apple nodded her head to confirm this. "The H-Headmaster . . . I-I got detention and-"

"Wait, how did _you_ get detention?" Cerise wondered.

"Cerise makes a good point, Apple." Raven added with a knowingly chilling tone that made the princess tremble under the witchling's frosty gaze. "How did you of all fairy tales, the _nicest_ and _fairest_ princess out there get detention?"

Based on the slight emphasis that Raven was putting on certain words, Apple was guessing she wanted her to simply just tell the truth; Apple knew it was the right thing to do. After all, a princess never lied if she could help it and it was only bound to get in trouble later on down the road. But she confessed and told Ben what she had been doing, he would be angry at her for trying to do such a thing and Cerise would most likely break her in half.

"I-It was an accident, I swear." Apple half-lied. "The point is, I-I got detention from the Evil Step-Librarians-"

"Wait, I thought you said the Headmaster gave you detention?" Clawdeen interrupted.

"He cemented it." Apple sighed before continuing. "Anyway, the Headmaster said that he was going to have to call my parents about my behavior . . . and my relationship with Ben."

"Why?" Ben blinked.

"Apparently . . . you're the cause of my 'bad behavior'." Apple winced, sniffing slightly as she climbed to her feet and wrapped her arms tightly around Ben, burying her head into his chest as she felt tears come to her eyes; even though she was actually able to cry on command, something her Princessology classes had taught her to do in order to get a prince to save you more heroically, these tears were general. At first, Apple had only fallen in love with Ben because her story dictated that she do so, along with the prophecy her magic mirror had given her, but over time she had come to love Ben for just more than that; she couldn't bear the thought of going one day without Ben there beside her. "I don't want to lose you."

Ben was slightly taken aback by the kind gesture, mostly because he had been trying to read the hext message from Apple's father, but returned the loving gesture full force, sliding his arms around her waist and shoulders, running his fingers through the princess's blonde locks to comfort her. Raven was watching all this with slight surprise, as she had only thought Apple was after Ben to preserve her story; but taking one look at the princess's face told her that she was generally worried, whether it was for his story or not. "I promise, Apple. Nothing is going to tear you and me apart." Ben reassured her.

"Promise?" Apple sniffed.

"Promise." Raven cut in. "Count me in."

"Me, too." Cerise nodded, her grip on her hood never faltering.

Clawdeen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, seein' as how everyone else is so invested in it, we'll help as much as we can, too."

"Th-Thank you." Apple smiled. "But forgive me if I'm still scared of you. I'm not use to-"

"Talking to a werewolf that could easily mutilate you faster than you can blink, a walking skeleton, a flesh-eating plant that could convince you walk off of a cliff, and a shape-shifter that can turn into any animal you can imagine?" Clawdeen summed up with a small smile on her lips.

" _Yes._ " Apple squeaked.

At this the werewolf laughed. "I'm just messin' with ya, ghoul."

"You could have _engañado_ me." Skelita murmured, earning another smirk from Clawdeen. "I suppose we should all get ready for the day. We should at least try to make a _buena impresion_ for our first day."

"Agreed. We don't want to lose Ben again." Venus nodded; the purple tarsier effortlessly jumped up onto her head and squeaked in agreement before happily nestling down into the plant monster's green and pink locks.

* * *

The students of Ever After High were use to seeing odd creatures occasionally grace their hallways. After all, quite a few fairy tales required strange beings such as the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Tiny; even Ben could be considered under that category, though most students and staff were still getting use to having the shape-shifter in class with them, Daring being chief among them. They were prepared however, for the four monsters that followed Ben into the Castleteria with Raven, Cerise, and a slightly on edge Apple with them as well.

"I _really_ wish they would stop starring." Jane whimpered as she took a small, almost fearful bite out of an apple, as if she bit off a bigger piece the entire Castleteria would attack her.

"They can't help it," Ben shrugged, taking a sip of his orange juice while Raven picked at her expensive omelet; Apple once again took pity on the witchling and traded her for half of her meal for the two slices of toast and a fluffy pancake that she had been given for breakfast. Jane and Venus chipped in too, handing over a few apple slices and the chunks of pineapple the lunch ladies had hurriedly prepared for their meals after a short explanation of what they preferred (Venus could swear the two trolls had nearly collapsed with relief when they found out she wasn't an avid carnivore). "Believe me, they didn't stop starring at me when my secret got out and they still haven't stopped starring."

"I suppose a band of _monstruos_ would draw some _atención._ " Skelita nodded, resting her skull in her bony hands and her elbows on the table out of boredom; a plate of steaming breakfast potatoes sat in front of her untouched.

"Aren't you going to eat those?" Cerise asked as she bit off a piece of bacon with a twist of her head.

" _No puedo._ " Skelita shook her head. "It is rather . . . difficult to eat really anything, considering my . . . unique physiology."

"It's not that she can't eat." Ben added, swallowing a mouthful of eggs. "It's just that it's _really_ disgusting Trust me when I say you do _not_ want to see that." he shuddered slightly; in simple terms, it had not been a pleasant experience for Ben when he accidentally opened up the door to Skelita's bedroom and found her trying to eat a basket of warm of nacho chips drizzled with some of the homemade salsa she, Sandra, Ma Vreeedle, and an uncomfortable amount of Pretty Boys had made while simultaneously keeping the Vreedle spawn from using Skelita's bones as teething toys.

" _Sí. No es bastante._ " Skelita nodded. "Unlike most monsters, I do not require food. It is more of a _tratar_ than anything else."

"I suppose it's better than what they make everyone else eat." Cerise sighed, glancing around at the specialized meals the majority of the other students were forced to eat; Faybelle was drinking her morning nectar and hungrily chewing her fruit salad, the Three Little Pigs were happily gorging themselves on a pile of slop of vegetable scraps, and Maddie, naturally, was drinking tea and eating teacakes while shooting the breeze with Earl Grey. The eating however, stopped cold when everyone caught sight of Dexter Charming silently making his way through the breakfast line, his gaze never wavering from the tray in his hands; whispers rustled through the air as the Son of Prince Charming finished gathering his food and made his way towards a table in the back of the Castleteria and sat down to pick at his food, avoiding the eyes of his fellow students.

"How's Dexter doing?" Raven asked, not sure if she could look at him just yet.

"Based on the looks people are giving him . . . not very good." Apple concluded, wincing slightly when she caught sight of some of the harsh expressions sent Dexter's way. It was then that Cupid walked into the Castleteria and gathered her own breakfast before looking around for a place to sit, briefly glancing at the table Ben, the ghouls, and the girls were sitting at before she caught sight of Dexter sitting all alone; without hesitation, the young deity made her way over to him and sat down across of him in silence, deciding now probably wasn't the time to try and make small talk.

"Is she out of her mind?" Clawdeen hissed.

"As of right now, Cupid's probably the only friend poor Dex had left in the world." Ben shook his head sadly.

"Should we . . ?" Jane hesitated.

Raven shook her head. "Right now, the best course of action is to just let him readjust to a normal day before . . . _it_ happened." the witchling winced, remembering the fateful day that had started this all; several things had happened on that day, most notable among them being the fact that she had been fused with a Vladat's DNA and nearly burned to a crisp in the sun, but the one that would remain burned in the back of her mind for as long as she lived would be Dexter's hurt expression as she and Ben unwittingly tore his already broke heart in half and crushed it into the dust.

"We should probably invite him to sit with us during lunch, though." Apple suggested. "If for no other reason than to make him feel less lonely."

Ben nodded. "That, and keep him safe. Someone's bound to try and rough him up after what happened last night. Not one of your better birthday's, I can imagine." he joked lightly to Cerise. The group chuckled awkwardly, making a silent agreement to talk about the night of All Hallows Eve as little as possible and unless absolutely necessary; before they could engage in slightly less uncomfortable conversation, the squawk of the intercom interrupted them and silenced the majority of the Castleteria.

"Would Apple White please report to the Headmaster's Office? Apple White to the Headmaster's Office." Giles voice came through; despite the old headmaster's kind voice, Apple gulped nervously upon detecting what she guessed to be a slight strain in his voice, as if he didn't like making such nerve wracking announcements. Shivering with worry, Apple gave Ben and Raven a pleading look before quietly standing up from the table and making her way out of the Castleteria under the steely gazes of her fellow students.

"She looks like she's on death row." Venus remarked, bit her lip with one of her pointed fangs.

"Apple might as well be." Cerise said quietly. "Knowing Headmaster Grimm-" the Riding Hood was suddenly caught off by the harsh ringing of the morning bell, signifying that breakfast was over and that students had but a few minutes to get to their classes before they would be marked tardy. Ben however, knew that he would be going to his classes, while the ghouls opted to remain in the safety of Ben's dorm until their fate was determined, without any knowledge of what was happening to Apple.

And that was a thought that frightened him.

As the crowds of students poured out into the halls, Ben grabbed Jane by the arm and pulled her aside once she realized who it was that was grabbing onto her; with the majority of the crowds moving against them, Ben pulled Jane against the nearest wall and bent down so he could speak to her in private. "Can you keep an eye on Apple for me, please? Alert me if anything goes wrong?" he asked.

"I-I can try." Jane nodded before she concentrated on an image in her head and felt the changes begin. Her lavender skin began to blister horribly, hundreds upon thousands of sharp, little barbs prickling their way across her arms and shoulders, chest and stomach before traveling down to her thighs where they stopped; the skin on her legs started to harden and become crusty in appearance, splitting and cracking to form overlapping scales that ran all the way down to the very tips of her toes while they melted together into three, small digits tipped with tiny talons. As her heel ground against her foot and formed a fourth toe growing out the back, Jane was shrinking all the while and becoming smaller and smaller with every passing nanosecond, her bones crunching and snapping loudly as she grew small enough to sit in Ben's hands. Her arm bones hollowed out with a horrendous cracking noise as they were quickly realigned in while looked like an incredibly painful manner into the structure of a bird's wing. Jane's nose and lips fluidly melted together like hot cheese, forming a pointed, horny beak as every last strand of hair on her body disappeared and her eyes rotated to either side of her head. The final piece of the transformation was the swift appearance of a coating of soft, purple and indigo feathers that covered her entire body and formed her wings and tail as a small, spiked collar formed around her neck.

With a small chirp, the the small swift flapped its wings to alight onto Ben's outstretched finger before he tossed Jane into the air and watched the small, purple swift fly quickly down the hall, avoiding the eyes of anyone that hadn't witnessed her sudden transformation.

"C'mon, dude." Hunter interrupted his thoughts. "We've got Heroics 101."

"Great. My favorite class." Ben rolled his eyes.

* * *

Ben sighed and folded his arms across his chest, having lost count of the blades of grass that made up the recently reconstructed Damsel-in-Distress course while King Charming lectured them on the proper way to rescue the damsel posted in the tall tower at the end of the course. He didn't know why the elderly king was even telling them about such tactics when they weren't even going to be using the new course today, mostly out of fear of Ben destroying it again. Beside him, Hunter was just as equally bored and seemed like he was just about ready to fall flat on his face out of exhaustion, but Daring seemed to be paying attention with rapt focus, his gaze only occasionally drifting away from his father to look at his younger brother; the majority of the boys in the class stood a fair distance away from Dexter. The nerdy prince didn't look at them and merely watched the demonstration with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his gaze far away, avoiding his father's unreadable expression.

"Alright, Huntsman! You and Tennyson are up!" King Charming announced from atop his white stallion; as far as Ben knew, the king never left the back of his horse and made him vaguely wonder if he was actually surgically attached to the poor animal.

"What are we doing?" Ben wondered.

"Mr. Tennyson, I explained this at the beginning of the class." King Charming glared.

"Um, no you didn't." Hunter pointed out.

King Charming narrowed his gaze at the huntsman and Ben before turning to face his elder son. "Daring, would you care to enlighten these fools?"

"Certainly." Daring nodded, though Ben noticed the slight cringe he gave at the insult sent his way. "Due to the fact that the Damsel-in-Distress course is still in need of repairs, we'll be sparring."

"Alright, that's something I can get behind." Ben nodded with a confident grin. "I'll give you a sporting chance." he added to Hunter as the two of them walked out to a large ring made of wide, flat stones embedding in the ground; Ben quickly accessed the Omnitrix and randomly selected an alien before slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light. Ben could feel his body shift and move dramatically as his skin was cut and sliced into thin ribbons with a sickening squelching noise, as if he were being messily cut apart by a pair of gigantic, invisible scissors. His circulatory system and organs melted together into thin strips of their own, stretching out to an incredible length before of the thin strips of flesh that had become Ben began to bundle themselves tightly together, wrapping around each other and forming themselves into a crude, masculine figure with long, exaggerated fingers and toes made of single strips of the bandage-like material. He could feel his face harden once more and quickly flatten itself out into a rough, triangular shape and turning black and green in color as it sat itself on top of the broad, bandaged shoulders; a green and black headdress appeared on his head complete with a pointed beard, a wide collar materialized around his neck, and a green belt attached to a Shendyt formed around his waist. The transformation ended when a set of black and green braces appeared on his wrists and ankles, two long tendrils snaked out of his back, and the Omnitrix and a now awake Skurd appeared on his belt.

"Ooh! What fun, eh, old boy?" Skurd quipped with excitement.

"I still hardly think this is fair." Hunter grumbled as he was handed a wooden shield and sword.

"I could have turned into Humungousaur, if you prefer." Snare-oh gave a mouthless smirk.

"No, thanks. I'm good." the huntsman shuddered before startling as King Charming gave a shrill blow from his whistle, signaling the match to begin. With a loud battle cry, Hunter charged at the Thep Khufan with his shield raised in front of his face and sword dragged out behind him to allow him enough momentum to strike Snare-oh. The Thep Khufan however, stretched himself upwards to avoid the brunt of the blow and only stumbling backwards when Hunter managed to ram his shield into waist; thanks to his bandage-like physiology, the Thep Khufan was able to effortlessly avoid the swing of Hunter's sword by stretching his body into the bare minimum his body could muster over Hunter's head and reform behind him, letting him nail him in the back with a swift kick.

"Nice trick." Hunter smirked as he turned around to face his opponent.

"Can you believe I never had a lesson?" Snare-oh joked as he lashed out with his bandages and swiftly wrapped them around Hunter's shield, tearing it away with a sudden flick of his wrists; the weapon sailed over his head and promptly smashed King Charming in the face, nearly knocking him off of his horse while several of the other boys snickered. Ignoring the annoyed look on his teacher's face, Hunter swung his sword and managed to slice off Snare-oh's fingers as he came to try and steal the huntsman's wooden blade from him.

"Come on, dear boy! Finish him already!" Skurd argued.

"I'm trying to draw it out so he won't feel so bad when I beat him." Snare-oh replied.

"I heard that!" Hunter yelled. "Come on, dude! Don't hold back on me! Show me what you got!" he taunted.

"Well . . . he asked for it." Snare-oh shrugged; Skurd winked one of his beady eyes and pressed himself down on the Omnitrix disk fixed to the Thep Khufan's belt and swallowed the both of them in a flash of green light while the Slimebiote oozed and warped and wrapped himself around Snare-oh's arms, tapping into one of the Omnitrix's many DNA samples and forming a thick, crusty, red shell over the thick bandages as four sharp claws took the place of his fingers and special organs materialized under the protective exoskeleton. Taking a quick glance at his newly formed Orishan gauntlets, Snare-oh fired off a blast of pressurized water at Hunter, increasing the pressure level behind the water when Hunter blocked the shot with his sword.

"And now you're all wet!" Snare-oh cracked as he aimed one of his hands lower and fired off a jet of water at Hunter's feet, turning the ground beneath him into slick, wet mud; unable to gain proper footing, Hunter slipped and slid in a fruitless attempt to stay standing before the Thep Khufan nailed him in the face with another blast of water and sent him falling on his back into the mud with a loud _splat!_

"Huntsman, you're out!" King Charming barked before turning to the rest of the boys in the group. "Hood, you're up!"

"Ha! This'll be easy!" Sparrow smirked broadly as he slipped off his precious guitar and handed it off to Hopper Croakington II for safe keeping. "Prepare to lose, Bandage Face!"

"Looks like someone needs their ego taken down a few pegs." Snare-oh grumbled under his breath as the omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world; with a grunt, he knelt down and grabbed hold of Hunter's outstretched hand, helping him to his feet and earning a playful face full of mud from the huntsman.

"Now that's what I call fighting dirty." Skurd chuckled as Ben wiped his face off and took his position at one end of the fighting ring while Sparrow took the other side, rejecting the sword and shield he was offered and opted to fight with his fists.

"This is for humiliating me at Talent Show!" Sparrow yelled as he charged forward his fist drawn back to slug Ben in the face; the wielder of the Omnitrix however, saw this coming jerked his head to the side and caught the Son of Robin Hood's fist in his hand. Smirking slightly at Sparrow's surprised look, Ben then twisted his wrist around and shoved Sparrow back before tapping the Omnitrix on his wrist and slapping the waiting activation button. Thick, shaggy fur started to sprout all over Ben's body as his frame cracked and crunched loudly, his body gradually growing taller as his posture forced him to hunch over slightly. His jaw crunched loudly and jutted out into an ape-like fashion while his lower canine teeth curved out over his top lip, joined later by a few more crooked teeth; muscles and tissue packed themselves into his arms and chest, his figure swelling dramatically as small, metallic bumps formed on his wrists. Ben's fingers grew thicker and stronger, becoming more adapt to smashing things as his feet changed drastically with his big toe jutting out at a forty-five degree. His brow pushed down, giving him a permanently irked look as a metallic, three horned prong suddenly appeared right between his eyes and a thick, green belt formed around his waist, the Omnitrix and Skurd apearing in a blast of green light and completing the transformation.

"Try Shocksquatch on for size, eh!" the Gimlinopithecus grinned, socking his fist into his large hand with a short burst of static electricity.

Sparrow was only slightly put off by the large, ape-like alien that towered a good four feet over his head and had hands about as big as his face, and rushed at the Gimlinopithecus with blind fury, slugging him as hard as he could in Shocksquatch's gut before ramming his head into his chest and then kick him in the gut once more. Shocksquatch merely grunted from the Son of Robin Hood's strikes and grabbed him by the back of his shirt before promptly chucking him across the fighting ring and sending his face into the mud. With a loud cry of power, Shocksquatch then slammed his fists into the ground and discharged a blast of electricity from the static build up in his thick, furry coat, lighting Sparrow up like a Christmas tree much to the class's amusement.

" _Shocking,_ eh?" Skurd chortled.

"And people claim my jokes are bad." Shocksquatch grumbled under his breath as Sparrow coughed a small cloud of soot and glanced at the dark marks that decorated his skin; now completely furious, the Son of Robin Hood rushed at the Gimlinopithecus and managed to slug him in the jaw making him stumble backwards, allowing Sparrow to kick him right his nether regions, stunning him. With a grunt as he held his gut in pain, Shocksquatch let out a short charge of electricity and briefly stunned the guitarist before he decked Sparrow across the face and then fired off a powerful blast of static energy that made Sparrow howl with agony.

"I think he's had enough, eh, don't you?" Shocksquatch chuckled as Sparrow fainted on the spot, twitching ever so slightly whenever a static discharge rattled through his body.

"Uh, well done, Tennyson." King Charming shifted uncomfortably from atop his force as the Omnitrix timed out and Hunter and Hopper kindly dragged the stunned Sparrow Hood out of the ring. "Daring, you're up. Make your old man proud and show this simpleton what for!"

""You got it, old man!" Daring grinned charmingly as he stepped into the ring and excepted the sword and shield offered to him.

"Ready for round two, Daring?" Ben smirked confidently.

"Give me your best shot, Tennyson." Daring sneered cockily; with this in mind, Ben selected Badaboom and slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that warped and changed his DNA into something new. He felt his head sink down into his neck, almost merging with his chest as only a small amount of muscle built up on his arms, though it was mostly just flabby fat; several teeth tilted askew and popped out of his jaw or disappeared altogether as a great deal of blubber and tissue built up around his shrinking skeleton, insulating him as his skin turned a dull yellow and thickened to nearly four inches. Ben's eyes rotated to the farthest part of his face while remaining on the front of his head while his mouth broadened and widened to fit his new dental work. His toes were sucked back into his foot, leaving the toenails as his fingers became nothing more than dull claws while every last strand of hair upon his head and body disappeared. A pair of green and white underpants materialized around him as the Omnitrix popped out of his belly button, completing the transformation as several wart-like growths swelled up on his forehead.

"You butterfingered buffoon! You've done it again!" Skurd berated the Atrocian.

"You're enjoyin' this, aren't you?" The Worst frowned at Daring as the Son of Prince Charming held his aching sides as he laughed.

"Daring! While I will admit that this is mildly amusing, now is not the appropriate time!" King Charming lightly scolded his son.

"You mind givin' me a hand or pseudopod or whatever it is you have?" The Worst sighed.

"Mmmhmmhmm! It would be my pleasure!" Skurd chortled as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix buried into the Atrocian's bellybutton and swallowed the both of them in a bright blast of green light. His skin became more loose, like that of a wet paper bag or liquid while his bones dissolved into nothingness, and even then his organs seemed to disappear; but Ben could sense that they were still there, somewhere, just a lot more squishy and more modifiable than they had been before. His skin turned a shiny, black in color, racing to cover his everything as bright, green circuitry patterns arched and etched their away across his body; his feet molded together into a single, wide toe as he lost a finger on each hand. More mass piled up between his head and shoulders until there was a smooth, slope-like transition between the two. Ben's mouth and nose vanished altogether as his eyes crashed into each other and molded into one, forming a glowing green ring around the Omnitrix and Skurd that materialized on his face.

"You're messing with me now, aren't you?" Upgrade seemed to glare at the Slimebiote that resided right between his single eye.

"Maybe I am, dear boy, and maybe I'm not." Skurd replied deviously. " _Look out!_ "

The Galvanic Mechamorph wasn't able to react fast enough as Daring slashed his sword through Upgrade's liquid metal skin, slicing clean through his neck; this would have normally decapitated most adversaries in a spray of blood or the likes, but this was not so for the Galvanic Mechamorph. With a slow blorping noise, he fastened his head back onto his shoulders and quickly flattened himself down into a puddle to avoid another swing of Daring's sword. Before the young prince could defend himself, the black and green circut-pattern puddle lunged at him, slithering over his body and encasing him in blackness much to everyone's surprise before Upgrade oozed off of him and to the ground.

"What was that all about?" Hunter wondered.

" _Astounding._ " Dexter breathed, drawing the majority of the class's attention towards him and away from the bubbling, liquid metal mess on the grass; Daring however, watched as Upgrade engulfed his Mirrorphone, having stolen it off of his person, and began to modify and alter the device to his liking. By the time he was done and satisfied with his work, Upgrade's new technological body stood about even with Daring and stood on three, spider-like legs with glowing green wires encircling around them. A wide screen composed the majority of the android's body, the protective covering blinking to life to show Upgrade's face directly below where the Omnitrix and Skurd had been repositioned.

"Hey, Daring! Say 'Cheese'!" the Galvanic Mechamorph quipped; knowing Ben, the prince instinctively ducked behind his shield and covered himself with his sword as Upgrade's screen hummed loudly and fired off an intense, green beam of light and energy, blasting Daring full force and sending him skidding back. When the light finally died down, Daring blinked and looked over himself, wincing at the small burn marks that covered his arms and face and the smoke that curled off from them while the wooden shield and sword in his hands promptly crumbled to ash.

"Uh, Daring?" Upgrade beeped. "I don't mean to alarm you or anything . . . but your head?"

"It's on fire, dear boy!" Skurd announced loudly.

With this news, Daring promptly started screaming and running around like a frightened hooligan, slapping at his smoking crown in an attempt to put out the small flames he was overreacting about; unfortunately, King Charming didn't think this to be a small accident and was riding after his flailing son on his horse, shouting and cursing at the top of his lungs while the rest of the boys chased after the two of them, a few of them bending down to scoop up mud to lob at Daring's head in an attempt to put out the flames. At least, that was their story.

"Looks like he got _burned_ on that deal." Upgrade snickered.

"Stop now while you're ahead, dear boy. You're only hurting yourself." Skurd shook his head sadly.

Upgrade was about to retort with an insult or cynical comment when his entire body gave a jittery buzz, like that of a phone on vibrate; it took several seconds and another buzz for the Galvanic Mechamorph to realize that not only was Daring's phone buzzing, but he was buzzing as well, signifying a call. Seeing as how the Son of Prince Charming was unable to answer right now, his head plunged into the river underneath the Troll's Bridge and his father unable to restore order to the massive mud fight that had ensued amongst his students, Upgrade oozed himself off of the Mirrorphone and picked it up in his hand, tapping the screen with a finger and finding that it was a call from Apple.

"Helo?" Upgrade said.

"Ben? Is that you?" Apple's frightened face blinked to life on the screen. "I hexpected Daring to pick up, but this works just as well and-"

"Apple, what's wrong?" Upgrade interrupted.

"Oh, right." Apple gulped; the Galvanic Mechamorph took notice of a small, purple bat with indigo fur perching on the princess's shoulder, noting that the small, winged mammal was shaking like a leaf in a storm and squeaking frantically. "Things have gotten really, really, _really_ bad . . . and now my parents are _really_ upset about us and Daddy's yelling and Mom's crying and Grimm is shouting at the top of his lungs and-"

"I'll be right there." Upgrade promised. "Just try to calm them down until I can get there."

"I-I'll try." Apple gulped nervously before signing off to the sound of her father's yelling. Now with a goal in mind, the Galvanic Mechamorph slapped the Omnitrix disk in the middle of his optical sensor and swallowed himself in a flash of green light. Light blue fur sprouted all over Ben's body in a short layer, covering him from head to toe before his arms and thighs suddenly shed every last off of him, exposing deep, black skin beneath the blanket of fur; black spots appeared in random places on Ben's body as his bones hollowed out and became lightweight and strong, filling with sturdy beams of sorts that supported their structure while muscles piled themselves onto his arms and legs, packing themselves particularly tight in his chest and thighs. His fingers strengthened as they grew into sharp and pointed claws with a loud cracking noise like that of splintering wood. A long, feline-like tail with a black tip arched out from the base of his spine, cracking back and forth with anticipation as his toes molded together into a pair of sturdy paws while his ears became sharp and pointed like a cat's, rotating to the top of his head as if they were floating on liquid metal; a handful of whiskers sprouted on Ben's face as his teeth cracked and ground into sharp canines. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a black and green track suit, a pair of green tinted goggles, and the Omnitrix and Skurd at the center of the belt around his waist.

"This time, keep your comments to yourself." Fasttrack grumbled to Skurd as he slipped his goggles over his eyes.

"Whatever do you mean?" Skurd asked innocently.

"You know _hexactly_ what I mean." was all the Citrakayah said before he sped off in a blue and black blue and left King Charming to become the favored target of the mud fight.

* * *

Apple sucked in a deep breath as she hesitated outside of Headmaster Grimm's office, waling around a freshly mopped area of the floor directly outside of the doors; on the other side was Headmaster Grimm, her parents, and hopefully Headmaster Giles. She hoped to the ancestors that Giles would be there to at least provide some sort of protection from the onslaught of harsh words and negative comments that would undoubtedly be sent her way from both Headmaster Grimm and her parents for her deplorable behavior.

Deciding there was no other way around it, Apple curled her fingers around the handle of the door and opened it, stepping into the office beyond and instantly noticing that Giles was nowhere in sight, much to her dishearten; the princess failed to notice a purple swift fluttering in through the door above and behind her just before it clicked shut.

"Ah, Ms. White. We've been expecting you." Headmaster Grimm greeted her with a voice that made her shudder.

Sitting in a pair of comfy, plush chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk with a chair between the two of them was a man and woman of perhaps middle age or older, though their looks made them look as if they had hardly aged much since their own years of attendance at Ever After High; the man was tall and had a large, square jaw with a clean shaven face and dark, blue eyes like that of the ocean's depth that heavily complimented the bright, golden locks that could be seen under his grand, sparkling crown. The woman next to him had skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, and lips as red as blood, all with a calm and pleasant demeanor to compliment the royal robes she and her husband wore.

"Hello, sweetie." Snow White IV greeted her daughter with a warm smile.

"Yes, it is nice to see you again, dear." Leonard White I added with a slightly gruff tone; Apple knew her father could be much more joyous and carefree than he was now, though she suspected that he was more stern thanks to the circumstances they had been brought together by.

"If you will have a seat, Ms. White, we can begin." Grimm gestured to the chair between Apple's parents.

"Lets make this quick, Milton. We were lucky to slip past our kingdom's borders without being detected by those insufferable bandits that attack everything on four wheels and hooves." Leonard sighed warily.

"Of course, your majesty. This will take but a few minutes." Headmaster Grimm as he sat back in his chair with his hands folded together. "Now, I'm sure you are aware of why you are here?"

"This is about our daughter receiving a detention of some kind, yes?" Snow White guessed.

"Preposterous!" King Leonard protested, slamming a fist down on Grimm's desk; the Headmaster didn't move. "Apple isn't capable of doing such dastardly deeds!"

"As much as I hate to admit it, our daughter just isn't capable of such things." Snow White agreed.

Headmaster Grimm nodded. "While I completely agree with you, you majesties, there is simply too much proof against Ms. White to prove her innocent.

Apple instantly hated how her parents and the Headmaster were talking about her like she wasn't even there, as if she were just some lifeless vegetable or animal that didn't fully understand what was happening to her nor had any choice in the matter. She watched as the Headmaster rolled back in his chair and pulled open a desk drawer to pull out a Mirropad that Apple guessed had been only recently used; she knew that the Headmaster Grimm, unlike his brother, was not as adept to using technology as his students were and guessed that he had only recently started using it to keep an eye on Ben's exploits, most likely to keep evidence on record. It was in this nervous fidgeting stage as her parents started to bicker with the Headmaster while he fruitlessly attempted to figure out how to work the Mirrorpad, that Apple noticed a slight movement in the high corner of the office. Focusing on it, she found that it was a small, purple bat of kinds that was clinging to the wall for dear life, as if getting spotted would most likely get it killed.

 _Is that . . . Jane? Did Ben send her to keep an eye on me?_ Apple wondered, watching quietly with her eyes as the bat crawled a short distance against the wall before losing its footing and flapping its leathery wings to keep from falling to the ground; the furry, winged mammal fluttered over the Headmaster's head, snapping up a small, buzzing fly, before it flew up to hang from the chandelier overhead.

"Apple? Apple!"

The princess was shaken out of her thoughts by her father's stern voice against her eardrums and she was startled back into reality as the Headmaster and her parents starred at her strangely. "Y-Yes?" she squeaked.

"What are you looking at?" Headmaster Grimm raised a suspicious eyebrow; he had been holding up the Mirrorpad for Apple's parents to watch footage of the school's security camera feed that occasionally switched points of view throughout the halls. The Mirrorpad was paused on an image of her dressed in dark, foreboding, _rebellious_ clothing that was most certainly not becoming of a future queen and bending down to pull out a thick book from underneath of a towering bookshelf overhead.

"N-Nothing." Apple tried to lie, her anxious gaze flickering up towards the chandelier overhead.

The Headmaster and her parents followed her gaze and gasped as Jane took that very moment to try and beat a hasty retreat, swooping down low from the ceiling and nearly colliding with Snow White's crown as she frantically beat her wings and chattered with distress as the queen began to scream bloody murder; while it was common knowledge that all fairy tale princesses had a connection to the woodland creatures of the enchanted Forest, even when they grew older and older, this did not mean that some princesses were not fond of certain animals. Snow White, in the current case, did not seem to be very fond of bats if the way she was screaming at the top of her lungs and covering her head with her hands was any indication. Set on edge by his wife's screaming, Leonard promptly got out of his chair and heaved it over his head, waiting for just the right time to strike before he threw the chair as hard as he could and just barely missed hitting the bat as it did a barrel roll and flew back up to the ceiling.

"Your majesty, in case you haven't noticed, my school is currently falling apart at the seams. I'd prefer you do not add to the damage." Headmaster Grimm pleaded as he took cover under his own desk when the king remembered that he had a sword clipped to the belt of his royal robes for emergencies and quickly drew it out. Determined to kill the bat or at least drive it off, the king swung his sword in a downward arch and missed the bat by mere inches, whirling around with expert precision and just barely grazing the top of the Headmaster's balding head in attempt to slice the bat in half. He was about to make another strike of his sword when he noticed that Apple standing between him and the small, winged animal like a guardian angel of some kind, holding her finger out and close to her so that the bat could roost in safety.

"Apple, put that rabies infested creature down!" Leonard demanded with anger and fear.

Apple sucked in a deep breath before responding. "No."

Eerie silence followed as the king tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade and lowered it to the ground, his expression becoming cold and hardened as Snow White nervously bit her lip, no longer concerned about Jane for the moment, and the Headmaster crawled out from under his desk. "What did you say?" the king asked.

Apple drew in another deep breath. "I-I said . . . no. I'm not going to let you hurt this poor creature."

"And _why_ is that?" Leonard frowned. "Can't you see that your mother is terrified?"

"I can," Apple nodded, turning to her mom to give her a sympathetic look. "B-But I'm not going to let you k-kill my boyfriend's pet."

Leonard stopped cold at this. "I was not aware that young Daring was even _capable_ of keeping such a disgusting creature as a companion." he muttered. "Are you sure that thing doesn't belong to your roommate?"

Apple nodded once more. "I'm sure. And . . ." the princess bit her lip at this, unconsciously slipping the bat into her hand to stroke the back of its head with a finger for comfort, an act that made her parents cringe slightly with worry. "Daring . . . isn't my boyfriend."

If the silence before was awkward, then the one that followed Apple's last words were frightening as the king's gaze turned from cold confusion to absolute fury. " _WHAT!?_ " he roared before turning full force onto Headmaster Grimm. "Were you aware that my own daughter was jeopardizing the ways and traditions of our ancestors, denying her destiny, and not even dating the prince of her _story_!?"

"I was getting to that, your majesty." Grimm huffed coldly. "It seems that your daughter's choice of a male companion and future husband is what has resulted in her horrendous behavior. You've seen the unfortunate destruction that had befallen my school, yes?"

"Hard to miss, really." Snow White nodded, her gaze never straying away from the shivering bat in Apple's hands; something about it didn't sit well with her, and it wasn't the fact that it was purple instead of black or brown like most bats she had seen were.

"Unfortunately." Headmaster Grimm nodded sadly. "Gaping holes in the walls, holes in the floors that endanger students and staff alike, the destruction of the Lifairy and Mirror Lab, not to mention endangerment of staff and students as well as small bouts of destruction such as the two . . . Rath-sized holes . . . in my office."

"What exactly is a 'Rath'?" Leonard wondered, utterly confused; he had noticed the holes upon entering the Headmaster's office, but he wasn't quite what had made them or what they were for if anything. To think something that small, compared to the awesome might of a dragon per say, put his nerves on edge.

Headmaster Grimm sighed dramatically at this. "It would seem, your majesties, that Apple White has fallen in love with a shape-shifting incubus hellbent on hypnotizing her into a mindless slave and toy."

Snow White froze up at this. "My daughter would never-"

"Dear, our daughter is cuddling with a _bat._ A parasite covered, disease ridden, rabies carrying _bat_." King Leonard sighed wearily. "Unless Charlie's girl has been too careless in who she hits with that hammer of hers, our precious daughter being possessed by a sex demon is the only option left."

"Dad, I'm not-" Apple tried to protest.

"I'm afraid I must agree with you, your majesty." Headmaster Grimm interrupted her. "The incubus has been amongst our midst for a while now, always changing his appearance to gain the affections of our female populace to gain control and power. He is a vile, disgusting creature that will destroy everything we hold dear to us, including your precious daughter." the Headmaster lectured, his voice becoming louder and louder as he went, taking hold of the Mirrorpad and fumbling with it for a moment to pull up video feed from the school's security cameras of Bullfrag and a mutated Briar, Daring, and Apple attempting to fight off a severely irked, fire-breathing dragon in the school's Charmitorium. The king and queen watched with horror upon catching sight of the monstrosity their daughter had been twisted into and how she was forced to act anything but like a proper princess in training, actually _fighting_ instead of calling out for help like a proper maiden.

" _THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!_ " King Leonard roared at the top of his lungs as the footage continued to role; Snow White had broken out into a small fit of worried tears, not sure if she could look at her precious daughter anymore. " _I DEMAND THAT THIS . . . THIS . . ._ HEATHEAN _BE SUSPENDED! EXPELLED! EXECUTED EVEN!_ "

"We have tried, your majesty, but-" Headmaster Grimm tired to say before the king interrupted him and continued to rant and yell a the top of his lungs. With her hands over her ears, Apple placed the indigo furred bat on her shoulder hurriedly crawled towards the doors of the office, casting her mother a fearful look, before she slipped out. Snow White watched her go through the tears that streamed down her face, wondering where she had possibly gone wrong as a parent for her daughter to suddenly and unexpectedly to turn down the destiny she and her mother and all of their ancestors before them had forged for her so long ago, all for a _boy_. Sniffing and drying her eyes with a handkerchief she produced from her sleeve, Snow White supposed she couldn't blame her daughter for doing such things at such an age; after all, she was still a child and still had a few more years ahead of her before her story would play out for her, meaning she was technically allowed to experiment and enjoy her life and date a bad boy . . . just like Snow White herself had done so many years ago . . .

"Where is this . . . this _incubus!?_ " King Leonard roared. "I'll cut him down where he stands before he can lay a hand on my daughter!"

"Daddy?"

King Leonard White I paused in his ranting to turn swiftly on his heel and glare at Apple as if she were worse than the mud beneath his boot before it instantly softened upon seeing the heart retching look on her face, how she was standing with her back to the door with her hands folded in front of her like she was when she had been a little girl and had managed to get into some sort of mild mischief. His cold heart softened when he noticed the way she was visibly shaking with fear, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as her bottom lip quivered and he realized that his sweet, precious daughter was actually _scared._ And while the bat she had been so fully intent on protecting earlier hadn't dared to move from her shoulder (which he had to give credit to. For a bat, it was quite crafty, he would give it that), he felt compelled to simply just hug her and hold her like she was the little girl that had snuck into her parent's room in the middle of the night during a great thunder storm that had frightened her so.

"Yes, Apple?" he asked in a much more relaxed tone.

"I-I . . . I . . ." Apple sniffed, trying to form words.

" _EEEEE-EEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ "

Apple had mere seconds to dive out of the way as Fasttrack came crashing right through the front door of the Headmaster's office, sending wood splinters flying everywhere as he slipped and slid all over the floor, unable to stop and crashing right into Snow White; the two of them tumbled a fair distance across the room before coming to a stop with their arms and legs tangled up in the chair the queen had been sitting in just before the Citrakayah had barged in. Apple winced at the sight of her mother and boyfriend in a heap on the floor, just barely managing to keep Jane from frantically fluttering away and getting within range of her father's sword; this didn't seem to be much of a problem though as both Leonard and Headmaster Grimm were too stunned to do much but stare.

"Ben? Are you alright?" Apple asked, clenching her hand firmly around Jane; normally, holding an animal as creepy and skittish as a bat would have sent shivers up Apple's spine, but knowing full well that it was not _entirely_ a bat helped comfort her. Then there was the fact that she had no reason (yet) to believe that Ben's ghouls would ever intentionally hurt her, with the exception of Clawdeen and Venus. Something about the werewolf made Apple uneasy and while she had gotten over her initial fear of the plant monster she was still put off by her.

"I'm fine," Fasttrack mumbled from the floor, lying on top of Snow White. "This nice, cushy pillow broke my fall."

Apple blinked and took a look at how the Citrakayah was positioned atop her mother and felt her face burn and turn a bright red; Jane covered her eyes with her leathery wings. "Um, Ben? Th-That . . . That's not a pillow . . ."

"What?" Fasttrack blinked his eyes blearily and found himself less than half a foot away from Snow White's pretty face, an intense blush on the queen's cheeks.

" _How dare you sexually assault my wife!?_ " King Leonard roared.

"I didn't! I just slipped on the wet floor outside, I swear!" Fasttrack defended himself as he quickly scrambled to his feet and ducked under a swing of King Leonard's sword, backflipped away from him and held out his arm before him; the king and queen watched with amazement as Skurd oozed himself over and around the Citrakayah's furry arm, encasing it in cyan colored crystals and strengthening his hand and fingers before forming a long, jagged, crystalline blade in his grip.

"What is that foul creature upon you that looks like muck with the same viscosity of a booger?" King Leonard wondered with astonishment.

"Not again." Fasttrack grumbled.

" _Booger!?_ " Skurd roared incredulously. "Is that all I am to anyone these days, just a talking _booger_!?" he screamed.

"Evidently, I have struck some kind of nerve with the slime creature," Leonard murmured aside to Headmaster Grimm. "If I may inquire, just _who_ are you? I would at least like to know who I am avenging my beloved wife over."

"Name's Ben," Fasttrack replied. "And it was an accident!"

King Leonard's stern expression instantly turned far sourer. "So, _you_ are the incubus that had ensnared by precious daughter in your vile clutches? I can't say that I am impressed."

"For the last time, I am _not_ a sex demon!" the Citrakayah yelled as the Omnitrix beeped and engulfed him in a flash of green light; the fur that covered his entire body prickled against his skin as it was sucked back into his body like millions of strands of spaghetti being slurped through straws as his fingernails dulled and his fingers shrank slightly, devoid of the enhanced muscle they had before. His skeleton cracked and snapped as his frame decreased slightly as his bones became heavier and more weighty than before, his tail compressing back into his spine with a loud crunching noise. Fasttrack's paws split into two extra toes, losing their razor-sharp claws as his teeth dulled and became more flat and perfect for chewing rather than tearing into flesh; his pointed ears rotated down to the sides of his head and became more disk-shaped as his muscled figure became slightly weaker than before, his skin turning a pale pink in color while a pair of brown pants, green sneakers, a black and green T-shirt with a white number 10 on the front and a strange, watch-like device appeared on his left wrist, completing the transformation.

"See? I'm just a boy." Ben said, gesturing to himself and only oblivious to the fact that his right arm belonged to that of a Petrosapien's for a few seconds before he gave a quick look to Skurd and deactivated the somewhat negative looking transformation.

"As you can see, you majesties, the incubus is capable of multiple forms of deception." Headmaster Grimm coughed uncomfortably, climbing back into his office chair to recompose himself into a more regal looking position. "And as much as I would like to send the vile demon packing, I'm afraid we can not."

"And just why," King Leonard snarled. "Can you not get rid of a vile creature that won't stop until he has control over the minds of every member of your female population, including that of my beloved wife?"

"Because," Headmaster Grimm sighed. "Despite our initial attempts to get rid of him, he's like that of a one man dragonfly infestation; no matter how many times we try to do away with him, he comes back stronger than before. That, and he has just as much right to be here as Ms. White. It would seem the horrendous creature possesses a destiny to follow." he grumbled, glaring coldly at Ben. "I can assure you, that this is not something I am fond of."

"Then we have no other choice," King Leonard frowned. "We will be taking Apple back home with us to be home schooled until it comes the time for her to fulfill her destiny."

"Dear, I believe you are being a bit over dramatic," Snow White piped up as she came to her husband's side. "I am completely fine and unharmed; Ben has nothing to me."

"Then what do you suggest we do!?" King Leonard cried, raising his voice and making Apple cringe; Ben would have comforted her, but he got the distinct feeling that the friendly gesture would be taken the wrong way. "Idly stand by while our daughter is taken by the clutches of horrific, disgusting, vile, mass rapist sex dem- _AHHHHH!_ "

The king was promptly interrupted in his anger as Jane quickly slipped out of Apple's grip, avoiding her grasping hands, and morphing into a lavender _Velociraptor_ covered in indigo and deep purple feathers that slammed full force into Leonard and knocked him to the floor; the king instinctively grabbed the raptor by the throat and held its lethal jaws just out reach of his face as Jane snapped them repeatedly, not taking kindly to the way this man was insulting her boyfriend. With a grunt, the king threw the _Velociraptor_ off of him and sending her skidding a few feet away, her dagger-like claws and scythe-like middle toe digging into the carpeting of the office before she charged at him with such swift speed he barely managed to raise his sword in time to block a swipe of the dinosaur's claws.

"What is this monstrosity!?" King Leonard demanded to know as he blocked and twisted his sword to shield himself from Jane's vicious attacks.

My gi-" Ben started to say before she caught sight of Apple's warning look. "Uh, my _Guard Monster_. She, um, attacks anything that puts me in danger; in this case, it took you insulting me as a sign that I was in danger."

"Then I shall smite the foul beast!" Leonard roared as he swung his sword in a wide arch to get the _Velociraptor_ to dance backwards to avoid getting hit before he drew back his fist and socked the dinosaur in the snout, sending it flying back across the room where it slammed into the wall with a loud _thwack!_ and slid down to the floor, giving out a pain screech of terror. The king smirked and marched towards the downed dinosaur, his shaky grip tightening on his sword as Apple bit her lip and covered her eyes while Snow White looked like she was about to say something before she too turned away; Ben was cycling through his Omnitrix, trying to find XLR8 or Kickin' Hawk to save Jane while the Headmaster was mentally egging the king on.

"Back to the deepest depths of hell, you foul demon!" King Leonard roared, raising his blade above his head to plunge it straight into the _Velociraptor's_ chest; before he could land the final blow however, the doors to the office were reduced to splinters and slabs of wood with a loud _crash!_ as an angry, bat-like creature swooped into the room. It was clearly feminine in gender, if the hourglass figure and sizable bust and ass were anything to go by, and had pasty, pale skin stretched over her nearly skeletal figure. Yellowed fangs curved out over her lips and razor-sharp claws tipped her fingers while she wore a tight, black and neon green costume that showed off her curves and part of her bust while a pair of bat-wing horns and curved covered her face and a pair of thick membranes spread from her wrists to her hips, forming wings. The vampire-like creature hissed violently and attacked Leonard from behind, slamming into the wall and pitch him over her shoulder and to the floor, standing defensively between him and the _Velociraptor_ as an equally ticked off werewolf and confused skeleton scurried in through the doorway; Snow White gave a startled scream upon seeing Skelita's exposed bones.

"If you touch another hair, feather, fin, or scale on my ghoulfriend's head, I will drain you of all your bodily fluids before chopping your carcass up into mincemeat and feeding them to Chewlian!" Whampira hissed venomously.

"And that'll be _after_ I'm through with you!" Clawdeen snarled, baring her teeth.

"Ah, _HA!_ " Headmaster Grimm cried triumphantly, jamming a finger towards the group of monsters; the _Velociraptor_ on the floor whimpered feebly like a puppy, instantly drawing Whampira's attention as the dinosaur's image suddenly disappeared in a whirl of feathers, scales, and claws to be replaced by that of a teenage girl with purple skin, a jungle style chic to her clothing, and a bizarre, spiked, red watch fixed tightly around her left wrist. Jane groaned and held her aching side where she had been forcibly thrown against the wall, feeling around for any broken or bruised bones and thankfully finding none.

"What manner of deceit is this?" Leonard growled.

"That is my ghoulfriend, Jane. She is a shape-shifter." Whampira helped, supporting the jungle girl with comforting hands.

"My point is further proven, your majesty! It is because of Tennyson and this ungodly, sum licking creatures that your daughter has resorted to such behavior!" the Headmaster declared, pointing a shaking finger at Whampira, Clawdeen, Skelita, and Jane with great disdain. "Their very presence is jeopardizing our ways of tradition!"

Ben frowned. "Okay, hold it. First off, something tells me you might of accidentally drunk some Wonderland tea or something instead of your morning coffee or whatever, 'cause half the stuff that's coming out of your mouth is complete nonsense and garbage! Second, we're not trying to jeopardize anything! They've only arrived last night, and even then they helped us stop Dexter from accidentally throwing Raven off of the roof! And ever since _I've_ been here, I've been trying to do nothing but good! Sure, my exploits often involve collateral damage, but it's not like I'm _trying_ to destroy everything!" Ben defended himself.

"And this gives you the right to poison my daughter's mind!?" Leonard snarled.

"For the last freakin' time, I am _not_ an incubus!" Ben yelled back, refraining from swearing no matter how much he might want to. "And you are not taking Apple from me!"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter, Tennyson." Headmaster Grimm interrupted with a stern tone that Ben could tell that he was enjoying watching Ben squirm. "And as for your disgusting monster friends, they will be going as well. That, or they will most likely be hunted down by an angry mob."

"If you won't listen to my words, then maybe you'll listen to my fists: I am _not_ letting you get rid of my ghouls _or_ Apple." Ben snarled, clenching his fists tightly. "And there is nothing you can say or do that will make me change my mind."

Snow White watched all of this with increasing worry, wondering who she should side with in the matter; on one hand she had her husband, who was both kind and protective of her to a fault (he was a Charming, after all). They loved each other dearly and were quite happy in their just rule over the kingdom they resided in, being quite adored amongst their subjects and respected throughout Ever After. On the other hand, she loved her daughter to pieces and only wanted the best for her. At first, she thought this was to be a good little princess and follow her destiny like she had followed her own mother's, getting married to a handsome prince and having a lovely daughter together that would continue on their legacy and tradition, but now as she watched Apple huddle on the floor in fear, not sure of what she should do in all the yelling that ensued, she was wondering if she actually knew what was best for her.

Now that she thought about it, Snow White hadn't been too keen on following her destiny either back in her school days at Ever After High. She felt her face heat up as she remembered spending countless hours with the school's resident bad boy without a care in the world, an unspoken love forming between the two of them before he suddenly came to class one day and completely ignored her, avoiding her for the rest of the day as if she had the plague. Snow White felt her heart clench at the memory, of how her crush had avoided her advances and pleadings until she never saw him in the halls again, nothing more than a flicker of a shadow or rush of wind behind her back to signify that he was still there. With nothing left to fight for, she had mindlessly excepted her destiny and happily fallen in love with Leonard after he had awaken her from and courageously fought off the Evil Queen's advancements to try and take over all their stories at once. If she could somehow go back in time, she would still do it all over again, if she could only get the chance to see her bad boy once more.

Looking back at Apple curled up on the floor in fear, not use to being surrounded by such harsh yells and curses, Snow White knew that she only wanted the best for her daughter; if that meant her prince was to be a bad boy and not one of royal blood . . . so be it (there was the slight chance that Apple would be doomed to repeat her mother's unfortunate history, but Snow White was hoping it wouldn't come to that). "If I may offer a suggestion?" she spoke up, silencing everyone in the room.

"Yes, what is it, your highness?" Headmaster Grimm asked politely, though the queen could tell he was quite annoyed about being interrupted.

"I propose a game," she recomposed herself into a commanding and regal figure that even her own husband was not willing to go up against if he could help it. "A game of Wonderland Chess. If Ben wins, his monsters can stay; if you win, they will have to leave."

"And what about Apple?" Ben asked.

Snow White sucked in a deep breath before speaking. "I'm afraid that she will still be coming home with us."

" _Mom!_ " Apple protested, feeling very hurt.

Snow White shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear, but this is for your won good." she said. "But I suppose we can allow you to watch the match before we return home. That's fair, isn't it, dear?" she turned to her husband, phrasing the words like a question but saying it more like a command that couldn't be argued with.

"I suppose." he grumbled under his breath, clipping his sword back to his belt. "How about it, Milton? Feel up to a round of Wonderland Chess?"

"Gladly." Headmaster Grimm smirked.

"Guess I don't have much choice, do I?" Ben sighed. "Quick question, though: what the Sphinx is Wonderland Chess?"

* * *

It turned out that Wonderland Chess was something of a lost and ancient, yet highly respected sport in Wonderland, according to Maddie and Lizzie Hearts when Ben asked them out of the curiosity of what he had managed to get himself into. According to the Princess of Hearts and Hatter, back in the old days of their homeland before Frabjous Day, the many warring tribes and clans of Wonderland would settle disputes and matters that would have resulted in an unnecessary amount of destruction and loss by selecting a certain number of their best warriors and pitting them against each other in a gigantic, life-sized game of chess that would usually only result in the deaths of the selected warriors that functioned as the game pieces. The selected 'game pieces' would move under the command of a player, a leader or general of some kind, and would only attack when confronted by another piece from the opposite side; other than that, the rules were simple and results were usually wild and unpredictable, considering the random and mad nature of Wonderland.

Adding to Ben's nervousness was the fact that his ghoulfriends would be functioning as his chess pieces, Apple was being taken away from him, and Lizzie Hearts was both watching and referring the whole thing to ensure that the tradition of Wonderland Chess would be held with high honor; all that, and Blondie was recording the whole thing for everyone else to watch.

Ben now stood perched on top of a hastily constructed, stone wall that Maddie had happily provided with two platforms on either end of a gigantic, colorful chessboard made of alternating pink and yellow grasses also provided by the Hatter; Clawdeen, Venus, Skelita, and Jane each stood on a patch of grass that represented a single tile on the chessboard facing the opposite direction of Ben and looking at the other side where Headmaster Grimm stood tall and proud, a look of overconfidence on his face as he stood calm and collected. Sitting on a bench to the side of the whole thing was King Leonard, Snow White IV, and Apple with Lizzie Hearts standing above them in a basket of sorts that allowed her to observe the whole game from above while Blondie eagerly recorded the whole event from below them all with Humphrey Dumpty at her side; she had been unable to reach Dexter for assistance, though she was unsure of whether she wanted to ask for his help just yet.

"I'm not sure whether I should be amazed or worried." Clawdeen mumbled when she caught sight of Headmaster Grimm's choice of chess pieces; two pairs of burly, gigantic suits of armor stood poised and ready at the opposite end of the game board. Each one was about twice as tall as any of the ghouls, perhaps a little less, and was covered in thick, protective armor that could have easily withstood a direct hit from a dragon's fiery breath or whip-like tail with spiked shoulder pads and knee guards and a durable chest plate with the Ever After High symbol portrayed proudly in the middle. A large helmet like that of a Greek Corinthian with a large, red plume of feathers sticking out of the top and only adding to the enchanted suits of armor's impressive size and bulk; what really set the ghouls on edge however was how each knight-like gladiator wielded a massive, spiked mace in their grip, currently resting the weapon on their shoulders and standing motionless while awaiting orders.

"They don't look so tough!" Venus smirked, though Clawdeen could smell the fear radiating off of her from a mile away; even Ben looked nervous at this, what with his ghoul's lives possibly on the line.

"You do realize that this is Ben we're talking about here, right?" Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "As much as we all love him, brains aren't exactly his thing."

"Sh-She has a p-point." Jane gulped nervously.

" _Spéralo._ I sense that Ben has a plan." Skelita said patiently, looking over her shoulder blade to watch as Ben tapped the Omnitrix on his wrist and cycled through his roster before slamming a hand down on the activation button and swallowing himself in a flash of green light. His skin turned a dark gray in color as his skeleton groaned and cracked loudly as he slowly grew a couple feet taller, his ears becoming long and floppy like that of a rabbit's, drooping down on either side of his head before they stiffened and stood erect once more; his eyes shifted shape slightly, becoming more diamond-like and turning an emerald green in color. His arms grew until his knuckles just barely touched the ground, small spikes popping out at his elbows and his pinky finger slurping back into his wrist. A loud grinding noise came to Ben's attention as a skeletal tail whipped out from the base of his spine, fresh muscle surrounding the bare bone and wrapping it into tissue before smooth skin raced over to cover up the pulsing red flesh. His toes popped back into his foot one by one as the bone quickly oozed to the surface like jelly before hardening into a solid hoof, like that of a horse, while his organs sloshed and blorped around inside of him as his expanding skull was crammed full with his pulsing brain. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of black and green arm and leg braces, chest plate, shoulder pads, belt, and a helmet that protected his skull while the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on the belt around is waist.

"Okay, I'm feeling a little less scared right now." Venus sighed with relief as Brain's eyed up the situation with his keen eyes, noting the cocky smirk on his opponent's face; with a roll of his green eyes, the Twin folded his arms over his chest and glowed a faint green aura as he levitated a few inches off of the ground to create an air of power around himself that he was glad to note that Apple's parents were taking notice of.

"Are we ready to begin?" Lizzie asked.

"Affirmative." Brains drawled, glancing his claws with nonchalance.

"Lets get this nonsense over with." Headmaster Grimm nodded, puffing out his chest with pride.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at the Headmaster. "Do not make me give you a penalty for insulting the great importance of Wonderland Chess, Headmaster." she warned in a chilling tone that said her shouting 'Off with your head!' through a bullhorn would be the least of his problems. With that being said, the Princess of Hearts gave a shrill blow of her whistle to signify the beginning of the game, much to Blondie's excitement; while he was wise enough to keep his biting comments to himself, Leonard wasn't quite sure she would be able to stay awake during the game, especially one between his former Headmaster and the despised boyfriend of his daughter, who sat uncomfortably between both him and her mother.

"Ben, you may begin." Lizzie nodded.

"Hold that thought for just a moment," Headmaster Grimm frowned. "Why does _he_ get to go first?"

"Because he is actually respecting heritage and is keeping any rude comments he may or may not have to himself." Lizzie snapped angrily; Grimm decided it wise to keep his mouth shut.

Brains tapped his chin in thought, evaluating the board before him; in addition to his ghouls acting as game pieces, he himself was also a piece, the king in fact. Should his opponent somehow miraculously manage to get an edge over him, he would have to be captured in order for the game to be won and for his ghouls to be banished or executed as the case may be, depending on how the Headmaster was feeling. The chess board was labeled by a system of numbers and letters, with numbers running horizontally across the board and letters running vertically as made evident by the shimmering, glowing symbols on the side of the checkerboard lawn.

"Hmmm. Rook move to A4." the Twin commanded, rubbing his chin as he ran through the calculations and all possible moves that his opponent could make.

"Who the Sphinx are you talking to?" Clawdeen wondered.

"You, Ms. Wolf." Brains sighed, rolling his eyes; confused as to what he was so exasperated about, Clawdeen caught sight of a faint glow coming from her chest and looked down to see the shimmering image of a tiered tower on her chest giving off a light luminescence and signifying her position in the game. Now knowing what was going on, the other ghouls looked over themselves for similar symbols as Clawdeen moved from her corner of the chessboard to about half way.

Headmaster Grimm grinned at this. "Rook to A5: _attack_." he ordered, jamming a finger across the grassy board. One of the hulking suits of armor in the opposite corner of the board shifted slightly and raised up a monstrous foot to slowly stomp across the board, moving down his row before making a sharp right and marching right towards Clawdeen in a straight line with an emotionless mask before it came to a stop with a slight creak.

The werewolf had mere seconds to duck to the ground and dodge to her left across the sizable square to avoid a downward swing of the gladiator's mace that left a large crater in the spot she had been moments before while simultaneously sending dirt clods flying in a wide radius. Clawdeen snarled, wishing she could use her teeth and claws against the hulking, metal monstrosity, but knowing full well she wouldn't make a dent and only hurt herself in the process; instead, she tapped the Omnitrix fastened to her wrist and slammed a hand down on the activation button, swallowing herself in a blast of golden light that warped and scrambled her genetic code into something new. The first and most noticeable part of the transformation began when the fur and skin around Clawdeen's head suddenly melted off, the bare muscle and tissue quickly solidifying and turning a hard, metallic sheen. Clawdeen's head suddenly separated from her body, a forked eyebrow-like crest forming above her yellowing eyes. Her shoulders pinched upwards, forming large points and then an upside down arch with her head floating between them, held in place by some magnetic field; the werewolf's chest swelled slightly into a more noticeable bust. Her skin turned a durable, metallic black with bright, silver lines and spots as her claws crunched and snapped loudly to fuse together into a pair of large pincers, her frame shooting upwards until it was about ten feet tall. Her toes ripped out of her boots into a pair of large claws, a tingling sensation coursing through her entire body as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest.

"Not bad for a rookie." Skurd remarked as Polarizer raised her metallic pincers above her head and focused on the metal composition of the heavy mace heading in her direction, figuring it to be something similar to iron; she was proven correct when the gladiator's mace quivered and shivered in his grip, trembling there for a few seconds longer before its weapon was torn from his grasp and into the air. The sudden release nearly threw the Biosovortian off balance before she was able to focus more on the mace now within her grasp and sent it flying back at the enchanted gladiator, narrowing her eyes when it managed to catch the weapon in its hands and hold it in place in the air.

"What are the odds that she'll win, good chap?" Skurd asked Brains.

"Estimation: roughly 18.66667 percent." the Twin replied, his position never wavering as he watched Polarizer yank the mace out of the gladiator's grasp once more and send it into the air before promptly beating the hulking metal suit over the head with the weapon, smashing and compressing it down to about half her size before she focused on the gladiator itself; the suit of armor squealed and creaked in protest as its metal suit was compacted and compressed into a smaller and smaller metal ball, making everyone wince from the sheer noise of the act before the Biosovortian finally stopped and let the roughly beach ball-sized orb of antimonial material fall to the ground.

"Make that 72.349 percent." Brains corrected himself as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Clawdeen to the world in a flash of golden light; Headmaster Grimm was fuming as the werewolf sighed with relief at not getting ground into mincemeat.

"Lucky shot." Leonard grumbled, oblivious to his daughter's particular interest in the fight and the way his wife was looking at Brains with admiration.

"I can not believe my eyes, Ever After High! It seems Ben isn't the only shape-shifter!" Blondie exclaimed with surprise as Humphrey took a pause in his filming to clean his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Your move, Ben. The previous skirmish is sound." Lizzie nodded as Headmaster Grimm clenching his fists and teeth angrily.

Brains nodded and tapped his chin in thought once more, wondering if he should proceed to continue to use Clawdeen or throw in another one of his available ghouls in order to keep the tables turned on his opponent. "Knight to E3." he ordered.

Jane gulped nervously and took a few cautious steps forward, moving three squares straight in front of her before turning a sharp left and resting on the single square, awaiting further orders or for something to happen. Headmaster Grimm frowned and stroked his mustache in thought, knowing full well that he shouldn't underestimate the trembling, violet girl before him. From what he gathered from mere glimpses of her behavior, he could establish that she was easily frightened by strange, new things she didn't fully understand and was fiercely protective of those she cared for and loved, if the little skirmish in his office that left horrendous claw marks on his rug was anything to go by.

"Pawn to . . . G6." he tried, watching as the bulky suit of armor slowly lifted its legs with a low creaking noise and loudly stomped its way through two squares of colorful grass before coming to a stop; after receiving a nod from Lizzie that the moves were valid, Brains continued with a slight edge on his face.

"Knight to F5: attack." the Twin ordered.

Jane sucked in a deep breath to still her jittery nerves before moving the three, brightly colored squares in front of her and taking a sharp right to come face to face with the gigantic suit of armor that completely dwarfed her trembling figure; she stole a quick glance back at Brains before she rushed forward and punched the gladiator as hard she could in the chest, crying out as she bounced off and held her throbbing hand. A quick check told her that nothing was broken, but the jungle girl supposed that this wouldn't deter the gladiator from trying to crush her bones into dust. This was quickly proven when the hulking enchanted suit of armor swung its mace high and around its head before swinging it downward.

Jane instinctively focused on an image in her head and felt the changes begin instantly, quickly changing her genetic code and body structure within milliseconds. She felt her skeleton compress in on itself, her bones shrinking and cracking loudly as her frame quickly shrank down to about the size of a dollar bill, if not a few inches larger. Her violet skin blistered horribly before thick, pebble-like scales exploded on her arms and shoulders and ran down to her hands while they twisted and morphed into small, claw studded digits. The scales continued to traverse across her body, forming gnarled bumps and spines that made it look like a very unappetizing meal as her face pushed out slightly and her eyes rotated to either side of her head. Her full lips disappeared to be replaced by gums lined with small, needle-like teeth and a broad, flat tongue while bony ridges formed over her eyes to shield her from the sun; Small horns formed on the back of her head, giving her spiked crown of sorts as her chest and sides widened into a shape similar to that of a pancake with spiked edges while a short tail squirted out from the base of her spine; the transformation ended when the Nemetrix appeared as a small, spiked collar around Jane's neck.

:Ha! The coward!" Leonard guffawed at the tiny, almost invisible horned lizard lying very still on the grass in the hopes that the gladiator wouldn't notice her. Unfortunately, the metal giant's gigantic steps were more than enough to set the small reptile on edge as it instinctively began to puff itself up as an intimidation tactic that would most likely not work on the gladiator who bent down to pick up the horned lizard by its tail and hold it up to its face out of curiosity.

"I can't watch . . ." Apple covered her eyes, fearing the worst; the lizard was small enough that the enchanted suit of armor could have easily crushed her into a bloody paste with a single clench of its fist.

What happened next however, surprised everyone as Jane screwed up her eyes and fired off jet of dark, crimson blood from special ducts in her eyes, successfully blinding the gladiator for a few, precious seconds as it dropped her and stumbled back trying to wipe the foul tasting blood from its face; this was all Jane needed however as she landed on the ground and instantly began to attack. The small horned lizard instantly disappeared in a whirl of purple scales and fur to be replaced by a jittery kangaroo that leaned back on its tail to deliver a swift kick to the gladiator's stomach that would have actually managed to break bones before the marsupial vanished in a cloud of fur and bony plating to be replaced by a massive _Ankylosaurus_ the size of a car.

The heavy, armored dinosaur snorted and turned around to smash its club-like tail into the gladiator's shoulder with a loud _crunch!_ before raising its tail into the air to bring it down on the enchanted suit of armor's head. The gladiator however saw this coming and managed to duck out of the way in time, swinging its mace with one hand like a golf club into the _Ankylosaurus'_ side, knocking it over onto its back with a little effort and proceeding to punch it repeatedly in its vulnerable underbelly. With a roar of agony, the heavily armored dinosaur disappeared in a whirl of bony plating and feathers to be replaced by a small swift that flapped its wings and took to the air, disappearing from view. The Headmaster was about to eagerly call out on a foul when he noticed that the tiny dot that was Jane almost instantaneously got bigger as it came back down, his expression turning from one of confusion to one of fear as a gigantic _Diplodocus_ came crashing down to the ground and crushed the hulking suit of armor into the dust.

" _Foul!_ I call foul and cheating!" Headmaster Grimm roared as the titanic sauropod shifted its pillar-like legs to scrape off the remains of twisted metal plating from the bottom of its large feet. "There is no possible way that this, this _tactic,_ if it can even be _called_ that, is fair!"

"I deem it fair, Headmaster." Lizzie frowned. "It is not an uncommon tactic to be used, and I commend Ben's shape-shifting friend for honoring the favorite move of my ancestors, _The Mad Hatter Mallet Smash_. Accusation overruled and skirmish is sound and fair." the Princess of Hearts declared, much to Jane's relief and the Headmaster's fury as the former returned to her original form and fell to her knees out of exhaustion; shifting between multiple forms in quick succession often made Jane tired and even a little bit sore on occasions as well, at least when Venus hadn't offered to smooth our the tight knots and massage her sore muscles.

"Bishop to G4." Brain drawled lazily, watching with disinterest as Venus moved across the board with a broad, toothy smirk on her lips.

" _Bishop to E5: attack!_ " the Headmaster roared with fury, watching as the enchanted suit of armor marked as the bishop hurriedly rushed diagonally across the board to comply with its master's plans, raising its mace above and behind it in preparation to smash Venus upside the head. The plant monster however merely raised up a foot and stomped it down on the earth, smiling as she felt the roots in her feet shoot down into the ground and slither towards the patch of colorful grass the gladiator was approaching, her grin broadening further as she felt the roots hastily split off and thicken themselves into hungry, new shoots that burst out of the ground just as the gladiator was about to mash her into paste. Strong, thorny vines and creepers wrapped themselves around the armor's neck and arms and wrists, restraining him in place as they converged on the rest of him, smothering him and injecting tiny hooks and roots into him for support. Venus was quite sure she had won when the small mound of pulsing plants across from her suddenly exploded in all directions with a loud, green squelch that made her cry out as her 'children' were destroyed; the gladiator took this moment to grab its fallen mace and bash the plant monster in the side of the head, sending her flying across the square and plowing into the dirt with a groan.

"Venus!" Jane cried, hastily crawling on her hands and knees to the edge of her square before a shrill whistle that made Clawdeen howl with pain cut through the air.

"Pieces are not allowed to leave their position unless ordered to by their king." Lizzie recited, shaking her head and pointing a finger at Jane, telling for her to get back where she belonged before she was disqualified and counted as a victory for the eager Headmaster.

"Aren't you the slightest bit concerned?" Skurd wondered, raising an eyebrow up at Brains.

"I have my rational motives." Brains huffed, absentmindedly glancing at his claws out of boredom.

"Please . . . don't fail be now," Venus pleaded to the Omnitrix on her wrist, wincing at the wound in her head with one of the mace's spikes cut through her skin and allowed valuable sap to leak through her hair and fingers as the enchanted gladiator slowly approached with its mace dragging through the dirt. She was engulfed in a flash of neon green light as her DNA was scrambled and rearranged into something new. Hard metal plating raced up his back and front, melting together into a single shield as her shoulders crunched and squelched loudly, broadening out while becoming rounded and massive; flexible, black tubing covered the skin between her elbows and shoulders. Venus' arms began to swell, metal plating taking the place of her skin as the plant equivalent of bone and muscles fused together before sending out thousands upon thousands of sensitive nerve endings that connected themselves to the armor that now encased Venus in a tight, faint orange shell. Her hands trembled and splintered loudly as they suddenly changed into sharp, gray claws while a large piston formed on the back of her elbows, merging with her arms beneath the thick layer of durable armor. Metal plating enveloped Venus' head and formed something that resembled a Greek Corinthian helmet as a pair of small, pointed ears slipped out from beneath the armor just as her feet tore through her boots and turned into hard, metallic claws. The Omnitrix appeared on her chest between a pair of slight bulges in her armor where her breasts might have been as patches on her chest, knees, feet, and wrists turned a fiery pink in color, completing the transformation.

"Hah!" the Talpaedan raising a jackhammer-like arm to block a wide swing of the gladiator's mace with little more than a slight dent to show for it; narrowing her small, beady eyes, the hulking, armored alien climbed to its feet and drew back its arm, clenching her metal fingers into a fist and watching with amazement as they instinctively fused together into a hardened, drill-like tip in contrast. With an unseen, cocky smirk, the Talpaedan thrust her arm forward and smashed it deep into the center of the gladiator chest, activating her drill-like arms and watching as the enchanted suit of armor spun around like a pinwheel in a hurricane before being blasted back to the very edge of its square with a loud _thud!_

"As much as it pains me to admit it, this was an outcome I did not see coming." Brains admitted as the Talpaedan looked at its claws, as if thinking before raising an arm above her head and plunging it deep into the earth at her feet; the piston on the back of her elbow hissed and started to pump up and down viciously, going faster and faster as the ground began to tremble and a large fissure appeared in the ground at her feet, snaking outwards the gladiator and opening up a large crack underneath its feet, trapping it as the hulking suit of armor fell through and up to its waist.

"And that's why I'm calling this one Wreckta Scale!" the Talpaedan seemed to smirk before jamming her other arm into the ground and adding to the trembling and quaking that was radiating through the ground; Apple had curled up into a ball out of fear of her first earthquake, not quite sure what to do, as Leonard struggled to keep his crown on his head and his butt to the seat as the ghouls wobbled and staggered on their legs. The Headmaster had fallen flat on his black a long time ago, Lizzie was furiously gripping the sides of the referee basket with white knuckles as Blondie and Humphrey tired to hold the camera steady while also standing, a task that was not easy to do. The enchanted suit of armor struggled with all its might to pull itself out of the closing crack, but the attempt proved to be fruitless as it was squeezed and compressed by the shifting plates before the suit of armor shuddered and rattled and finally died as the faint, glowing aura gave off blinked out and let the metal body parts fall lifeless to the ground.

"And it seems as if a new alien has been unlocked for Venus!" Blondie declared from a sitting position on the ground, not yet ready to trust her legs as Wreckta Scale flexed and poised for the camera for a few seconds, earning a slight blush from Jane and smiles of amusement from Clawdeen and Skelita. The Headmaster on the other hand was furious at his losses, realizing how much of a disadvantage he was at against beings that could alter their form for any occasion or trial he threw at them.

"As unanticipated as the outcome was, the results are undeniably desirable." Brains hummed just before the Omnitrix beeped and suddenly timed out in a flash of green light, returning Ben to the world much to his exasperation. "Oh, come on! How am I supposed to win now!?"

"Turn into another alien, you imbecile!" Skurd sighed with exasperation.

"Oh. Right." Ben chuckled sheepishly before he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting Brainstorm and slamming a hand down on the activation button, encompassing himself in a flash of green light. His skin began to harden into a smooth covering, the little hairs on his body solidifying and rearranging themselves into little, spiked diamonds that rose up from his arms and quickly fused together to form a solid layer of crystal that quickly traveled his arms and across his shoulders to work downwards towards his chest and across to his other arm, traversing across his skin as his bones amalgamated with his new skin; his frame bent and warped loudly with a loud cracking noise as his height and size increased while Ben's jawline pushed out into a square, charismatic way; his teeth fused together into two, hard plates as his skull pinched back into a sharpened crest. A pair of sharp blades tore out through the back of his shirt, adding to his considerable bulk as his body finished solidification into a diamond-like substance. A black jumpsuit with a wide, green stripe down the middle that showed off his crystalline chest and muscles materialized on his body, a green belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd forming at the center and completing the transformation.

"Not again." Diamond sighed, pinching his brow with annoyance.

"Would rather be turned into your Appoplexian form?" Skurd countered.

"At this point, it might be the best option." the Petrosapien grumbled as he glanced over the chessboard and took a look at the one remaining piece of his opponent.

"Uh, Pawn to B3." Diamondhead guessed, hoping he was making a good decision as Skelita moved forward two squares and awaited further orders.

"Knight to C6." Headmaster Grimm immediately said afterward.

"Pawn to C5: attack." Diamondhead ordered, hoping Skelita would be able to defend herself against the hulking, metal gladiator; unlike most his ghouls, the skeleton was more susceptible to injury in her natural form with no muscles, tissue, or skin to protect her bones from brutal beatings. His worry quickly dissipated as Skelita bent down into splayed leg, fighting gesture much like Diamondhead had seen multiple time in martial arts movies, and deliver a swift roundhouse kick that sent the gladiator stumbling back; the lessons Jinafire had been giving her seemed to be paying off, especially considering Skelita didn't have any muscles or organs to weigh her bones down and allowing her to perform almost unrealistically flexible flips, kicks, and dodges that left most enemies dumbfound, much like the enchanted suit of armor was when it swung its mace and witnessed Skelita leaping over the weapon and arching her spine to propel her back to the ground at an impossible angle.

This allowed Skelita to activate the Omnitrix fastened securely to her radius and ulna and tapped the watch face with a bony finger before selecting the desired transformation and pressing a hand down on the activation button, swallowing her in a flash of marigold light and scrambled her DNA into something new. Her bones cracked and snapped loudly as they grew larger and began to thicken, hundreds upon thousands of firm rods forming inside of her marrow to them extra structure and support as her rounded shoulder blades began to broaden slightly, allowing her chest and rib cage to grow larger as well. Her bony knuckles and finger trembled and clenched slightly before exploding in size, wicked claws tipping each bony finger as her legs started to match her arms in size and strength. Skelita's lower jaw jutted outwards in a large underbite that let two of her sharpening teeth to curve up over her upper jaw while horn-like protrusions start form above her eye sockets. Now crimson muscles commenced their slow and steady invasion of her skeleton, coating her white bones in fat and tissue and packing particularly tightly around her legs and lower abdomen as organs started to form within the protective shell her body was building for her. Skin began to form over Skelita's new muscles and flesh, allowing deep, orange fur to sprout all over her body, coating her in a thick carpet as black stripes etched their way across her legs, shoulders, and back while patches on her stomach, jaw, hands, and feet formed. Her nonexistent bust swelled into existence as a tight, black and marigold colored leotard materialized on her body, followed quickly by a pair of black finger-less gloves, open toe boots, and a luchador mask that matched her outfit and allowed a short, orange ponytail tipped a deep black to slip through. The transformation completed as the Omnitrix appeared in the form of a thin belt around Skelita's waist as two, large claws ripped out of both of her feet.

" _RAGH!_ " Furryosa bellowed loudly, reverberating the air and making everyone within the vicinity cover their ears for fear of losing their hearing. "Lemme tell ya somethin', _traje encantado de la armadura_ wieldin' a mace that may or not be custom made design specifically to _destruirme!_ You may be _grande,_ but Furryosa is even bigger!"

The hulking gladiator drew itself up to its fully height and set its massive mace to rest on its shoulder, as if glaring at the female Appoplexian currently yelling her head off at it.

"Except for the part you're taller _and_ heavier than me . . . but that doesn't matter!" Furryosa roared angrily, jamming a finger up at the gladiator that stood well over her by more than a couple of feet. "'Cause the bigger they are, the harder they-"

Apple cringed as the gladiator didn't let the Appoplexian finish her ranting and swung its massive mace around to brutally slam it into her side, sending her flying across the two squares and skidding painfully into the dirt, leaving a large trail of destruction in her wake as the gladiator seemed to chuckle while it marched over to meet her and finish the job; Headmaster Grimm was watching with great intensity, silently chanting on his champion.

"Something tells me ol' Grimmy forgot about Rath." Diamondhead noted when he caught sight of the headmaster's excited expression.

"The fool doesn't know what he's got himself into." Skurd shook his head in agreement as Furryosa groaned and climbed to her feet, rubbing her aching skull.

"Ugh, Furryosa doesn't remember how the rest of that goes," she grumbled under her breath. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall! That's what Furryosa was gonna say! By that logic, you being bigger than Furryosa, _IS A DISADVANTAGE! RAAAAGH!_ " she roared with fury, rushing forward to ram the gladiator in the gut and sending it skidding back as it held its dented chestplate.

"Cosmic Clothesline!" the Appoplexian declared, dashing forward and slugging the gladiator across the face and knocking it down to the ground.

"Kineceleran Leg Drop!" Furryosa roared, throwing herself into the air and slamming the back of her legs across the gladiator's chest, knocking the wind out of it or at the very least, stunning the suit of armor.

"To'kustar Big Boot!" she added, kicking the gladiator in the jaw after it threw her off of it and climbed to its feet, only to have its head snapped back by the furious kick.

"Khoros Arm Bar!" the Appoplexian yelled, launching herself at the gladiator's face before shifting herself to wrap her arms and legs around the enchanted suit of armor's arms, squeezing her thighs and and clenching her leg muscles to loudly tear the limb off and away from the body. With a grunt as she fell to the ground, Furryosa rammed herself into the now one-armed gladiator's gut before it managed to grab by the wrist as she attempted to punch it and threw it a fair distance away; the Appoplexian quickly landed on her hands and rushed forwards, lashing out with the claws on her feet in swift kicks and jabs that made the suit of armor jolt and stumble back with every blow as it tried to get a shot in edgewise with its giant mace.

"Sirius Butt-Kicking!" Furryosa screamed as she flipped herself over, grabbed the gladiator's dismembered arm, and proceeded to beat the enchanted warrior over the head with its own limb; she mercilessly pummeled it down and into the ground before ditching the arm and proceeding to stomp down on the gladiator's chest, stealing the gladiator's mace and then beating it into scrap metal with that.

"Lemme tell you somethin' _traje encantado de la armadura_ wieldin' a mace that may or not be custom made design specifically to _destruirme!_ " Furryosa roared. "El Kabong Mace Shot!" she screamed, raising the mace above her head and slamming it down on the gladiator's head with a sickening _crunch!_ and the twist of screaming metal; the Omnitrix timed out as the Appoplexian effortlessly tossed the heavy weapon over her shoulder and across the field, narrowly missing Clawdeen as it smashed through and obliterated the stone wall behind as Skelita returned to the world.

" _¡Estoy tan cansado!_ " the skeleton wiped her sweaty brow.

"The game of Wonderland Chess is over!" Lizzie declared loudly. "You know have an option, Headmaster Grimm: surrender and allow Ben's monsters to stay at Ever After High for however they may be here, or jump into the game yourself and attempt what can only be a suicide mission to win victory."

"You say that as if he has no chance." Blondie remarked.

Lizzie shrugged. "While it was not uncommon for games of Wonderland Chess to be won with nothing more than a single 'game piece', it is somewhat considered an honorable, yet foolish and desperate move to make that is only to be attempted by the most mad or powerful of 'kings'." the Princess of Hearts explained.

"You don't think he can do it?" Blondie asked.

"Not even _I_ am mad enough to try to single handedly take on those monsters." Lizzie shook her head. "Especially the oddly amusing purple one; her fear and the results that follow are quite interesting to watch." she added with a slight smirk. "What is your decision, Headmaster?"

The Headmaster glanced at the chessboard, watching as Clawdeen glared at him and cracked her knuckles while simultaneously baring her teeth; Wreckta Scale flexed her impressive bulk and fired off her drill-like hands in a threatening manner until the Omnitrix timed out and returned Venus to the world; Diamondhead whipped his arm out to the side and morphed it into a long, sharpened blade, narrowing his eyes at the Headmaster and daring him to make a move; only Skelita and Jane weren't making menacing gestures at him, though he supposed they were merely keeping up a facade of sorts.

"I . . . submit." he grumbled before a bright smile crossed his face. "On the brighter side of things, Ms. White will still be going home where you won't be able to touch her."

"Don't remind me." Diamondhead sighed; he stole a quick glance at the princess and felt this heart clench when he saw that she was curled up into a tight ball with her head on her knees, sobbing slightly as her mother tried to comfort her. Leonard remained stone faced and unresponsive, though the Petrosapien could sense that he was uncomfortable with his crying daughter at his side.

* * *

Apple sniffed as she watched Diamondhead come trudging out the front doors with the final trunk of her luggage and belongings on his shoulders, looking down at her feet with sorrow while the Petrosapien hefted the trunk up onto the roof of the White family's carriage and secured it with a sturdy rope; having packed light and absent of any guards in the hopes of going unnoticed by the band of highwayman that threatened their kingdom, the Petrosapien had offered to help Apple move out of her dorm if for no other reason than to spend their last few moments together.

In addition to the heartbroken princess and Petrosapien, Raven, Briar, Ashlynn, and Daring had all been allowed to be excused from their classes to see Apple off, an atmosphere of depression and awkard farewells lingering over them all.

"That's the last one." Diamondhead sighed as he turned to face Apple for the last time.

"Good. Now we best be on our way." Leonard huffed, climbing up into the driver's seat of the carriage; normally they would have had a professional driver handle the horses and drive the carriage, but it wasn't often that the king got to go out of his own kingdom without a band of guards at his beck and call. That, and he never got to drive around as much as he wanted to (Snow White could already feel the many bumps, potholes, and and tree roots that would jostle the carriage).

"Say good-bye to your friends, dear." Snow White sighed wearily, climbing into the carriage and preparing herself for the bumpy ride ahead.

Nodding Apple turned to the small group that had been allowed to say their good-byes to her; the ghouls were noticeably absent under the request of Diamondhead. "Well . . . I guess this is it."

"And you wonder why I'm a Rebel." Raven smiled sadly, giving Apple a comforting hug. "We can come visit you during school breaks, if you like."

Apple nodded. "I'd like that." she sniffed before Briar pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that was simultaneously squeezing the very air out of her lungs.

"I promise you, the moment we meet up again I am throwing the biggest, baddest, page ripper of a party." Briar said after she allowed Apple to breath again and regain the color in her face.

"I can ask my bird friends to carry messages if you like." Ashlynn offered after giving the Daughter of Snow White a softer and more gentler hug than her narcoleptic friend.

"Thank you." Apple smiled before she turned to Daring, the two of them remaining silent as they faced each other in awkward silence; despite sharing the same story that would supposedly have them end up marrying each other, things had never really grown between the two of them. For the most part they simply ignored each other and stayed out of each others lives, with the exception of Daring stepping to try and resecure his role as Apple's prince from Ben (and everyone knew that _that_ little plan had turned out horribly). So came to no ones surprise when the two of them merely shared a simple handshake and comforting smile with each other, much to Leonard's annoyance.

Snow White watched her daughter's interaction with her destined prince, remembering how back when she was in school she wasn't as on board with the 'following your destiny' thing; back then, Leonard had been something of a rude and pompous jerk that always vied for her affections while simultaneously flirting nonstop with nearly every other member of the female species that attended Ever After High. That was probably the main reason she had been deterred from the path set out from her and why she was so attracted to the bad boy of her dreams, how he never let anything bother him or how he simply ignored practically everyone around him; then again, almost had mostly been avoiding him for fear of getting bitten. But not her, no the moment she had laid eyes on him she had started to follow him around until he had finally lost his cool and told her off. Snow White remembered how she had stood her ground against the bad boy's brutal words and wasn't the slightest bit affected by it, something that drew his attention towards her. And after months of a strong friendship and silent love, he had suddenly ignored her, avoiding her as best as he could for some unknown reason. All she knew was that he had left her on the steps of Ever After High right before a study date together to attend a meeting in the Headmaster's office, and that was the last she saw of him.

She watched as Apple finally came to Diamondhead, the quirky little Slimebiote that usually resided on the strange device that allowed the Petrosapien to transform at will having moved to his shoulder to be in a less awkward position.

"So . . . I guess this is it, huh?" Diamondhead sighed after a while, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah," Apple sniffed. "I guess it is."

"You know, I could always . . . ya know . . ." the Petrosapien tried to say.

Apple shook her head, remembering the somewhat dark and frightening offers he had occasionally made while cleaning out her side of the dorm the princess had once shared with Raven. "No, Ben, freezing my parents inside a block of ice is still not an option."

"Well what about-"

"Neither is freezing them in time for the next twenty years." she scolded him lightly, knowing full well that he was only joking around to try and lighten the somewhat depressing mood; it worked, but only slightly as the two of them fell back into a sorrowful state. "I'm . . . I'm going to miss you." Apple sniffed, feeling tears well in her eyes. These tears, unlike several occasions before, were genuine and full of fear and regret, afraid of what would become of her when she left Ever After High, of what would become of Ben and her friends when she was gone, afraid of the unknown.

"Hey, come on now," Diamondhead said, bending down to one knee and carefully brushing away her tears with a finger. "Chin up, and all that. It's like they say: life is a highway. Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand, sometimes you turn your back to the wind. And then you occasionally end up in an accident, but that's beside the point." he added, earning a small smile from Apple. "Fate's a funny thing, Apple. We'll see each other again someday, maybe even sooner than you think."

"I hope so," Apple nodded before she wrapped her arms around the Petrosapien's thick neck and burying her head into his shoulder for comfort. "I-I'm going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you, too." Diamondhead replied, pulling the princess into a secure hug and easily lifting her off of the ground; he never wanted to let go of this girl in his grasp, this girl who had made one of his first few friends in this strange new world. Before he knew what was happening, Apple was kissing him on his crystalline lips, not even put off by the fact that she was kissing an alien transformation and not his human form.

"Ooh, the drama!" Skurd squealed excited, twisting his tentacles with enthusiasm.

Ahem." King Leonard coughed crossly. "I hate to interrupt this touching . . . _moment_ . . . but we must be on our way before it gets dark."

"Coming, Daddy." Apple sighed as Diamondhead set her back down on the ground. With a final, farewell look behind her, Apple made her way towards the carriage and climbed in, closing the door behind her and getting comfortable from across her mother; with a snap of the reins,the carriage took off a brisk pace, crossing over the Troll's Bridge and disappearing out of sight towards Book End.

"Ben?" Raven asked after a few moments of silence. "Are . . . are you gonna be okay?"

"'Course I am." Diamondhead lied. "Not like I haven't broken up with a girl before."

"You're in denial, aren't you?" Brair guessed.

"And if I am?"

Daring was about to interject with own thoughts when a loud, shrill scream came from off in the distance, followed by a series of destructive noises that didn't sound the slightest bit good; to Diamondhead however, that scream was all too familiar. " _Apple!_ " he cried, stomping down on the ground and spawning a cluster of diamonds beneath his feet. The Petrosapien effortlessly slid across them like ice, increasing the rate at which they spawned and sprouted out from the earth to slide across them much like a snowboarder would down the slope of an icy mountain.

"Ben! Where are you going!?" Ashlynn called out.

"Apple's in danger! Stay here!" Diamondhead called back over his shoulder.

"Ah, off on another harrowing journey to save the girl of your dreams, eh?" Skurd chuckled excitedly as he and his currently Petrosapien partner moved along at a quick pace.

"Not now, Snotty. Just get ready to fight."

"With pleasure." Skurd chuckled wickedly.

* * *

"Get your hands off my wi- _mmmphf!_ " King Leonard yelled, swinging his sword in a wide arch and warding off a pair of bandits opposing him and failing to notice the third one that came up behind him and gagged him a piece of burlap, kicking him in the back of the knee and forcing him to drop to the ground where his trusty weapon skidded just out reach; the pair of bandits he had been fighting before grinned wickedly and converged on him with several coils of rope, tying his hands and feet together before leaving him to squirm on the road like a helpless worm.

As soon as the carriage had rumbled into the Village of Book End, chaos had broken out as a band of bandits, the very same group that had been terrorizing and attacking every coach to come in or out of the White Kingdom with extreme vigor, laid waste to the the village. Despite their screams, no one was brave or willing enough to try and rescue the royal family as Leonard had fruitlessly tried to keep the ruthless men off of his wife and daughter before being captured himself; about a dozen or so bandits were looting the carriage or chasing after and trying to secure Snow White and Apple, each one of them wearing a heavy, dark brown cloak that obscured their faces over a thick, black shirt and a pair of deep blue breeches. Each bandit wielded either a knife or a sword of some kind as they scrambled about in a mad chase.

"Please! Leave me alone!" Apple pleaded as a band of bandits chased after her, hungry smiles on their faces as they followed her into an alley where she struggled to climb up a drain pipe and onto a low roof top; a brigand tried to follow her up the same way, only to be beaned upside the head and into unconsciousness by Apple as she ditched her heels in favor of making a quicker getaway. Now safe in the knowledge that their target was unarmed in any way, the other two criminals climbed over their fallen comrade and scaled up the drainpipe after the princess, chasing her across the roof with swords in hand. Apple was inching her way across the thin edge out of fear and falling as the bandits rounded on her and skillfully followed after with much more speed that she had suspected them to move at; then again, they had managed to elude her parent's forces for a very long time and were most likely highly skilled in methods of espionage and escape.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Snow White screamed, pulling off her heels and throwing them with deadly accuracy at one of the bandits, succeeding in hitting him in the jaw and sending him falling off the roof; the other shoe missed by a hair, nearly making the other bandit wet himself out of fear before he continued after the fleeing Apple. Snow White frantically looked around for anything that might be able to help her daughter when he wrists were suddenly clapped together and pulled above her head by a bandit from behind that put a knife to her throat.

"One move, and that pretty head of yours ain't stayin' on yer shoulders." the thief hissed in her ear. Snow White clenched her feet and slowly moved her foot from under her dress, aiming it just right and driving it back as hard as she could to kick the bandit in his nether regions, sending him crumbling to the ground as she caught his knife in her hand with a triumphant smirk.

"I think I'll keep my head, thank you very much." Snow White smirked before she was suddenly slammed into from the side by a bandit and knocked to the road, the knife sliding out of reach and under an abandoned fruit stand; with the queen temporarily dazed, a group of bandits descended on her and held her arms and legs out spread eagle to restrain before tying them together behind her back and gagging her before deserting her on the road for the time being. A few furious bandits even went so far as to spit on her and the one that had taken a shot to his coconuts gave a swift kick to the ribs in revenge before she and her husband were dragged over to the broken down carriage and put under guard by another pair of bandits before the rest went after Apple.

The princess gulped nervously as she reached the end of the roof, glancing to her left to see the bandit plus another pair that were farther off quickly making their way towards her, dark grins on their faces and twisted grips on their weapons; Apple then glanced to her right at a frightful fall to the ground below, a drop that would most likely bruise or break a few bones if she didn't land it correctly. With little other choice, Apple sucked in a breath and jumped off the roof, luckily landing on an awning beneath her that cushion her fall and bounced her across the road into a deserted fruit stand, covering herself in the sticky, juicy remains of watermelons, apples, oranges, and grapes.

"If anyone can hear me, for the love of the ancestors, please help!" Apple screamed as the bandits surrounded her and edged in closer and closer, mixed emotions on their faces; some looked as if they merely wanted to kidnap Apple and hold her for ransom while others looked as if they just wanted to kill her and get it over with, finding her parents to be more profitable than her. And there were a small number that looked as if they wanted to have their way with her, a thought that made the princess tremble where she lay.

"If you lay one finger on her, I'll grind you into dust!" a deep, masculine voice threatened. The group of bandits looked around wildly for the source of the noise before something large and bulky landed in front of them right between them and Apple.

"Ben?" Apple gasped with relief.

"In the flesh." Diamondhead nodded. "Now we can either do this the easy way-" he started to say before a bandit lunged forward with his sword; the Petrosapien effortlessly raised an arm to block the shot before pushing back on his arm and slugging the criminal in the gut, sending him flying clear across the square and through a shop window. "Looks like we're doing this the hard way. _Diamond_ hard." he grinned wickedly, whipping his arm out to the right and morphing it into a long, sharpened blade of crystal.

"Cut 'im inta jewelry, boys!" one of the bandits yelled as the majority of the group rushed at the Petrosapien with swords raised above their head and ready to fight; Skurd wiggled his little, squishy antennae and tapped into the Omnitrix's extensive genetic database, oozing himself over Diamondhead's left arm and morphing hard, crusty rocks over the shimmering crystals and turning it into that of a Pyronite's.

"Guys like you really burn me up." Diamondhead glowered as fired off a jet of fire from his new limb at the road, creating a wall of fire between himself and the approaching bandits. The Petrosapien then stomped a foot down into the road and formed a thick pillar of diamond beneath his feet that he warped and spawned over the wall of fire, swinging his sword in a wide arch to send them back. With a loud war cry, the Petrosapien leaped into the middle of the battle and swung his sword in a wide arch around him, managing to take a pair of thieves that didn't duck fast enough.

A bandit lunged at him with sword in hand, thrusting it forward only to have Diamondhead parry the blow and slug him in the chest with his flaming fist, sending him screaming off in search of a way to put out the fire that had started to consume his cloak.

"En guarde!" Diamondhead grinned as a bandit used one of his brothers as a spring board and tried to attack from the air, sailing too far overhead and allowing him to grab a hold of his foot and slam him into the ground before stomping a foot down just an inch from his face and spawning crystal restraints over his wrists and ankles. A pair of bandits tried to take him on at the same time, only to be pelted by an orange and watermelon from the fruit stand by Apple, an act she instantly regretted as a trio of bandits converged on her while Diamondhead was distracted.

"Ben! Help!" Apple pleaded as she was gagged and tied in a similar manner to her mother.

"Give me a sec!" Diamondhead grunted as Skurd returned his arm to its original form upon his request; the remaining bandits all rushed at him at once; the Petrosapien glowered at them and morphed his other hand into a sharpened blade, lowering himself into a fighting stance before charging at them with a battle cry. What followed was a blur to him as he swung his arms to parry blows and block strikes towards him before he counteracted with swings of his own weapons, clubbing a bandit or two over the head when he didn't send them flying in all directions with a movement of his arms.

"And stay down." Diamondhead growled at the fallen bandits around him. Snorting with annoyance, the Petrosapien shifted his arms back into their original forms and looked around for any signs of remaining thieves before he noticed that the royal family had mysteriously vanished; with a grunt, Diamondhead whirled around and slammed a fist into the ground, dozens of glimmering diamonds jutting up out of the road and forming a tall wall in front of the remaining trio of bandits that had managed to get away with Leonard, Snow White, and Apple in tow.

"Ready to surrender?" Diamondhead offered with a threatening tone; the three leftover criminals all shared looks with one another, took a glance at their fallen comrades, and promptly raised their hands above their head in a yielding position.

"That's what I thought." Skurd huffed proudly as Diamondhead thrust a fist down into the ground and formed tough, crystalline prisons around the three thieves before shifting his arm into a jagged blade and proceeding to carefully cut through the ropes that bound the White family where they lay.

"Am I ever glad to see you!" Apple cried with relief, hugging Diamondhead viciously; the Omnitrix timed out mere seconds later and Ben was returned to the world, allowing the princess to hug her boyfriend's true form once more.

"As much as I hate to admit it, young lad, your help was greatly appreciated." Leonard grumbled as he climbed to his feet and rubbed his bare wrists before he helped his wife to her feet while she dusted herself off and winced at several bruises that lined her arms.

"Does this mean I can still date Ben?" Apple pleaded, her grip tightening on Ben's shoulders as he genlty slid his arms around her waist and her close for what could possibly be the last time.

"I'm afraid not, dear." Snow White sighed. "Not to be nit-picky, but he's not even a knight or prince, just-"

"If you say incubus one more time . . ." Ben threatened.

Snow White shook her head. "No, I was going to say 'boy'. Granted, your skills are highly admirable and it's clear that you love our daughter dearly, but he is not of royal descent and thus cannot be your prince."

"But my magic mirror said-"

"Magic mirrors are not always correct, sweety." Leonard grumbled with annoyance, glancing back at the carriage and noting with disappointment the lack of its horses and its two, broken wheels. "The only possible way he could have a chance at even becoming your prince is if he was a hero or proved himself worthy enough to become your future wife."

"But he _has,_ " Apple protested. "Ben fought Daring and won!"

"And, I'm actually a worldwide famous hero back home." Ben added.

"What do you mean 'worldwide famous hero'?" Leonard narrowed his eyes. "If you really were that famous, I would have heard of you by now."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about the whole 'being from a parallel universe' thing for a second there." Ben grumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Leonard raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, someone needs a quick lesson in alternate dimensions." Ben sighed, giving Apple a comforting smile before he took the confused king aside to try and attempt to explain to him the concept of time travel, parallel universe, alternate dimensions, and extraterrestrial life while Snow White took her own daughter aside.

"I'm sorry, Apple, but you can't keep him." she said in a somewhat unusual, loud tone.

"But _why,_ Mom? Why are so set on keeping me and Ben apart?" Apple asked with a hurt voice.

Snow White didn't respond at first, glancing over her shoulder at Leonard and Ben as the former was massaging his aching cranium from the amount of information Ben was giving him before she turned to look back at Apple with the same, warm smile that she had known since she was a mere baby. "I'm married, dear, and I love your father too much to openly disagree with him under most circumstances." she said quietly. "What he doesn't know, won't hurt him, now will it?" she winked mischievously.

Apple blinked with confusion before a look of realization crossed her face. "You mean . . ?"

The queen nodded. "You found yourself a good one, sweety." she smiled, hugging her daughter warmly. "Be good to him; he's a keeper."

"W-Why are you so supportive of us?" Apple wondered, mentally crying with relief.

Snow White gave a childish shrug. "Believe it or not, dear, I wasn't always so insistent on following my own destiny as I am now. Before your father and I met, before I was poisoned and he awoke me from my slumber, he was the biggest womanizer I had ever seen and I . . . well, I was dating a bad boy. I was a princess, he was a villain, but despite that small, little detail, among other things, we developed feelings for each other. Unfortunately, it came crumbling down when he never talked to me again." she added with a disheartened tone before recomposing herself to bend down to Apple's level. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm just glad that you have the courage to break away from the script a little, dear, unlike me. I'm proud of you." she smiled, giving her daughter a tight embrace.

"Plus, you have excellent taste in boys." Snow White added with a small smirk.

"Really?" Apple blinked with surprise.

"Yes," Snow White nodded, her devious smirk broadening like the Cheshire cat's as she glanced over at Ben with a hungry look in her eyes. "Why, if I wasn't married, I'd-"

" _MOTHER!_ "

 **And there we go!**

 **Well, looks like we all know where Apple that small, little dark side from. On an unrelated note, I am rry this took so long to write. I just couldn't figure out how to start out the chapter without completely messing it up (among other things), so thank you all for your patience! Once again, I'm sorry this chapter put off _Spring Unsprung,_ but it was absolutely necessary so that I got this out of the way without just ignoring it and leaving a loose end to tie up some twenty chapters or so later. Regardless, _Spring Unsprung_ will be coming up next, even if I have to kill myself to do it.**

 _ **Your forgetting so small detail . . .**_

 **Oh, yeah. I'm the equivalent of a Tetramand zombie. Which reminds me, how in the name of Galvan Prime did you get down here and past Cerberus without angering Hades?**

 _ **I'm your eternal tormentor! Until you've finished this story, you're stuck with me!**_

 **I'm beginning to see why Hades likes you so much . . .**

 _ **Well, I never said this little job doesn't have its perks . . .**_

 **I don't like that look you're giving me.**

 _ **Just sign off already. You and I both know you could use a good cup of tea.**_

 **Ugh, fine. Just keep that mallet away from me. I'd like to actually enjoy my tea with sugar this time without the threat of getting a concussion.**

 _ **Aw . . .**_

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 _ **Hasta Luego!  
**_

 **Stop stealing my lines, woman!**


	17. Spring Unsprung Pt 1

**Greetings one and all, monsters and fairy tales of all ages!**

 _ **Hiya, everyone!**_

 **We're back with another chapter for your enjoyment and, get this, it _is_ Spring Unsprung!**

 _ **Finally!**_

 **Well, no need to rub it in. Anyway, onto the review answers!**

 _ **Hold it! You forgot something!**_

 **I did? _OW!_ What was that for!? And where did you get those cymbals!? I thought I destroyed those!?**

 _ **Hades lent me a pair, silly! Apparently he isn't very fond of marching band music. Anyways, you forgot to remind them all about the Villain OCs contest! We need more of those applications!**_

 **Oh, yeah. For those of you that are unaware either of us is talking about, I had a Nemetrix Predator OC contest back during _We're All Monsters_ asking for my viewers to submit originally made Nemetrix predators for Ben's aliens during a chapter I like to call " _Nemetrix Unleashed_ ". So now, I am having a Villain OC contest for _Once Upon a Tennyson!_**

 **Long story short, Ben needs more bad guys to fight before the big guns come out, so I need/want you guys and gals to submit your own villains for Ben to battle! Here is the app for those that chose to submit.**

 **Name:**

 **Age** :

 **Species (can not be from Ben's world or any other franchise):**

 **Appearance:**

 **Powers/abilities/weapons (do not make too overpowered):**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Personality:**

 **If you believe I have forgotten anything else of importance, do not hesitate to add on to the application! The villains will not really play a big part in this story, it's just something to fill in those moments between major events; also, the ones that I chose will not only be featured in the story, but will also be brought to life by me and posted on my DeviantArt account hopefully sometime in the near future. So send 'em in!**

 **Can I proceed with the answers now, Maddie?**

 _ **Only if I get to answer them, too!**_

 **We'll see if there are any for you. Onto the answers!**

 _ **Yay!**_

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I unfortunately have not been able to watch** ** _Way too Wonderland_ yet (something that will quickly rectified once I reach that promised chapter), but from the clips I _did_ manage to see, it's probably pretty close, if not a less violent version of Wonderland Chess. As for Faybelle, I am definitely setting her into the harem as, unlike Duchess, she has some redeeming qualities that can be exploited; Duchess isn't hexactly one of my favorite characters since she's always so pompous and rude. If anything, she'll probably get knocked down a peg or two and maybe be paired with Sparrow (I made it a goal to form at least one or two other couples for this story like I did with Abbey and Heath in my previous work).**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Bribing Sparrow to play a romantic song for Dexter and Rosabella on a date set up by him? My friend, you just gave me an idea for a future chapter! And don't worry about Dexter: he'll find love sooner than he thinks.**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Well, you'll just have to see if everyone's favorite Royal is still with us, now won't we? XD**

 _ **I suppose that's fair. Stop by whenever you can though! The tea's always hot!**_

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin –**_ **How dare you tie me to my own chair!? Do you have any idea how uncomfortable a tiny office chair is to my Tetramand bulk!? And** ** _why_ have you made my eternal torture worse with Maddie's new weapon!? The looks she's giving me are terrifying! As for sending Ben to RWBY . . . I unfortunately don't have any idea what that is. Plus, I think Ben's got bigger issues right now . . .**

 _ **Thanks for the hammer! Heeheehee!**_

 **I can hear the sleepless nights already.**

 _ **They won't be so sleepless if I'm sleeping with you . . .**_

 **While I admire you persistence, my dear Hatter, we still have questions to answer.**

 _ **If you say so.**_

 **I _do_ say so. Back to the review answers!**

 _ **Zak Saturday –**_ **Thank you!**

 _ **Well, Zakky, as you already know, the tea shop's open anytime you like! And if you ask for me, you'll get a fdiscoun, too! Every cup of tea for half price! I'm just kiddin' you, you'll get the discount whether you call for me or not. Because who needs madness when you have friends who are just as crazy!?**_

 **Someone needs to lay off the tea a little . . .**

 _ **NEVER!**_

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I fully intend to,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Your idea to have Apple's mom work as a teacher at Ever After High definitely works, especially in the Ben factor now that I have a little trick up my sleeve provided to me by another reader (** ** _MUA-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)._ As for Skelita eats . . . I quite literally have no idea; I just wrote that so I wouldn't have to explain it later on, but it seems to have had the opposite effect, now hasn't it? And you are quite literally the first of two readers to suggest Cedar and Skelita being friends because of those very same similarities . . . Robecca could also work, considering they were both technically made by their father's and are little more than robots to some degree in Cedar's case.**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **Yeah, Jigsaw might be able to do it, but I'm trying to take every opportunity to make sure all of the aliens from my previous story and the new ones appear at least once and this was perhaps the easiest way to get Brains done.**

 _ **Can't say I've met this Deadpool. I've heard of him, of course. Creaturemaster constantly rants on and on about him and about how he constantly breaks the fourth wall, driving him mad to no end-**_

 **Just like a certain Hatter, I might add.**

 _ **Aw, you really do care!**_

 **I'll care even more if you let me finish these review answers.**

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **While more explosions are not likely to occur (what can I say, compared to Bellwood, Ever After's a pretty dull place), there will definitely be carnage and collateral damage to spare.**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **Thanks! I guess there's just more to write about in Ever After than there was at Monster High. Lets see if I can't keep this up!**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **Yeah, I guess the zombie nightmare threw people for a loop. Lets see if I can't keep my readers on their toes! XD**

 _ **Upchuck is kinda cute, isn't he? But there's no resisting Ben when he's Pesky Dust! He's so adorable!**_

 **Ahem.**

 _ **Don't worry, Creaty, you're cute, too!**_

 **That's not what I was trying to say. And I am still not responding to that nickname of yours.**

 _ **You can't hide from the truth!**_

 **I can sure try!**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Ha! You almost got me, you really did! And yeah, sorry to disappoint, but this was necessary since I want to avoid another "Adwaita going Unnoticed" incident again (Blondie never capitalized on the chance to investigate the destruction of the Beanstalk Bakery and never will thanks to my stupidity).**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **Yep! Loose ends are all knotted and tied up for the moment! Spring Unsprung, here we come!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Going back over your villain OC idea, I think I can make it work. I'll have to rework his back story and background a little in order for him to properly fit into Ever After High, but I think this could definitely work. Regarding Sandbox, I think I'll keep him as** _ **kjmarch**_ **portrayes him and stay true to the master. And thanks for the helmet! With the nuthouse I'm running, it's bound to come in handy.**

 _ **Yay! Yay! Yay!**_

 **Case in point.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Thank you! Much appreciated! Regarding the Christmas song suggestions, I think I'll hold off on those until the time approaches. As for which fairy tales can expect to join Ben's harem . . . I ain't sayin'!**

 _ **And neither am I!**_

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Brooke will appear when she first debuts (which is actually Spring Unsprung, I think). No, Darkstar has yet to actually appear. As for Apple's father, you'll have to wait and see!**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **You're actually not too far off from what I have planned (lets just say that the Evil Queen is one** _ **really**_ **twisted woman). And yes, I felt Raven could use a another nice dream (I'm stuck in a place where I want to both antagonize and hold her all at the same time. What is wrong with me!?).**

 **Actually, no, I didn't rate them at all. But I'd be glad to give it a shot near the end of the chapter (excluding all the ones I added in over the series. Only canon aliens!).**

 **Glad I made at least one of the parents likable. I'll admit, I was trying to make King Leonard I a little more appealing than he turned out, but I guess that's something work on later on in the story; at least I portrayed Snow White IV well enough XD As for Milton, I guess this is both a combination of my interpretation of him and what they have him act like in the series; after all, it's kinda hard to picture how he would behave when a certain, alien shape-shifter gets dropped into his world. And while I don't like Milton as much as the next guy, I don't really think he's doing it for his own personal gain: for all we know, denying your destiny actually** _ **can**_ **make your story go** _ **POOF!**_ **It just may take a while (though I highly doubt any of this is true). Really, Milton's just acting out of fear of the unknown. And I'm sorry to say that Joker will not be the one getting vengeance on Milton (I have a much more appropriate yet similar way of doing this).**

 **Truth be told, I based Wonderland's history off of** _ **Sigmu's True Love Loophole**_ **(I** _ **highly**_ **recommend reading if you have not) and whether the original Wonderland actually was somewhat war-like I have no idea. And who said Apple was leaving ? ;) And concerning Ben getting 'comments' from Apple's mom, there'll be more of those to come . . .** _ **heh heh heh heh.**_

 **To be honest, I don't think there are other aliens that have Bullfrag's issue, both OC and canon. I mean, there might be differences in the Omnitrix's aliens and the actual aliens, but I don't think it's anything as extreme as Bullfrag's case.**

 **My personal 10 (to start out. I really like all of them) would be: Feedback, XLR8, Humungousaur, Big Chill, Echo Echo, Heatblast, Gravattack, Ghostfreak, Diamondhead, and Wildmutt; my addiontal three (since Ben seemed to have actually 13 aliens within constant use in the original series; the Halloween Trio, Eye Guy, and Way Big never really got used more than once) would be Grey Matter, Ripjaws, and Ball Weevil.**

 **And dude, if you evr need help with either Cheshire, let me know. I have friends in low places (literally).**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Glad I was able to touch your otherwise frozen heart XD And yeah, while the horned lizard's defense is horrendously disgusting, it's actually pretty interesting, which is why I included in this story; beats watching an octopus attack the gladiator's face, now doesn't it? Now for your answers in the order you asked for them: Lizzie, Kitty, and Ginger will all eventually join the harem, but it will require more time and work; the chapter with Ben turning into a girl (sorta) may not be some time, but it** _ **will**_ **happen, guaranteed; I've briefly given thought to giving Ben an Anodite form, but the main problem with that is that Anodite's don't have DNA (though they** _ **do**_ **have something similar to genetic material), thus meaning that the Omnitrix can't sample an Anodite's genetic makeup and create a transformation for Ben to use. So, a Ben-odite transformation will unfortunately never come to fruition.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Thank you. You can thank** _ **Codecrash**_ **for giving me that little idea XD**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Sooner or later, Cerise is going to realize what's going on, and this is where Venus and Jane come to put their skills to use! And you're actually the second person to propose the CedarxSkelita friendship. And yeah, Raven's got get real cozy with Ben and his ghouls . . .**

 _ **Gosick5233 –**_ **I can not safely say what would happen if the Dark Knight were to enter Ever After, but I can assure that if the Joker somehow tags along, it won't be any laughing matter.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **I** ** _love_ this guy! He's kinda like an evil version of Maddie and Zombozo all rolled up into one! The only question I have is _why_ Jester is after Ben. What kind of connection does he feel with him? What kind of special connection does he think he has with Ben? If I can get an answer to this, it will make his debut far more easier.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Yeah, a lot of fairy tales thought that was rough. Which is why I compensated that for the special wedding dream I put in. As for your OC, I think he definitely has potential but is there any possible way you could make him different than just another, super powerful Forever Knight?**

 _ **Sorry, Royal Rebel! I honestly would have but there's only so much one can do when they're stuck down here in the Underworld! Directly talking with those of the living isn't allowed. Scoodle bits!**_

 _ **Dragonsaurus Rex –**_ **First off, let me point out that there is very compelling and actual proof that some dinosaurs (not all) had feathers or fur-like growths covering their bodies;** ** _Velociraptor, Archaeopteryz,_ and _Microraptor_ have been proven to have feathers throughout their life, _Tyrannsaurus Rex_ had feathers at least when it was younger, and all species of pterosaur had some sort of fuzz covering their bodies that isn't actually fur, hair, or feathers. For further explanation, I highly recommend checking out _Trey the Explainer's_ Youtube channel for other paleontology facts and finds. And also, in the part where Jane was shifting between multiple forms (dinosaurs included) I included a specific body part from the the animal she had _been_ and the animal she was turning _into._ Just be glad I'm firm in keeping _Spinosaurus_ on two legs instead of four.**

 _ **Lord Dominator – Muchos gracias!**_

 _ **Dragonsaurs –**_ **No, I don't think I will. I'm at the point where going back like that would just be redundant.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Trust me when I say you probably shouldn't wish you been there. By head** ** _still_ hurts. As for if the Evil Queen will try to seduce and get her grubby mits on Ben, I have no idea.**

 _ **Pinkie Pie –**_ **What is with all these characters breaking the fourth wall? And what the Sphinx are you-** ** _GAH!_**

 _ **Yeah! My cannon's here!**_

 **Yeah, nearly crushing me in the process! Thank goodness _Guest_ gave me this Taydenite enfused helmet to protect me with! Ha, HAH! Take that karma!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Yeah, the deletion of that story was a mistake. Glad I got it fixed though!**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **Grab your popcorn, people!**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Considering she's my roommate, I wouldn't say I'd be surprised.**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **Basically, every time Cedar's tried to even talk to Ben he's otherwise occupied or hurries away to take of an upcoming crisis, leaving Cedar trying to even catch up with him. As for your second question, our favorite wooden puppet had no idea what Apple was doing; she's considered the nicest person in school and all but incapable of being remotely evil. If she's 'insulting' you, it's something similar to a pep talk.**

 _ **Soos –**_ **We'll try and give Ben an opening to help you, but from what I've gathered you stand a chance of defeating ol' Bill. And remember, if you** ** _must_ die, do it while hugging!**

 _ **Bill Cipher –**_ **How dare you, you insufferable son of a demon!?**

 _ **You watch your mouth! Or whatever it is you have! I'll have you know**_ **nothing** ** _can beat my Ben!NOTHING!_**

 **Well, at least I have a chance of living my undead life out until the eventual madness.**

 _ **Oh, yeah? Well riddle me this, Silly Billy Nilly! Why did the interdimensional demon turn around and get his triangular butt kicked!?**_

 **Maddie, calm down! He's not worth it. At least not yet. And besides, I have the power of the keyboard on my side! Anything he tries to do to me, you, anyone, even Hades, I can undo! HAH! Take that you triangular, one-eyed freak!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Did I really forget to answer one of my favorite reader's questions? Aloow me to rectify that by answering** ** _both_ reviews!**

 **Yes, I had a spooktacular Halloween in the Underworld (Hades sure knows how to party). And believe or not, Maddie actually kinda look cute as a vampire.**

 _ **Aw, you think so?**_

 **Be gone, you! Regarding a Polymorph transformation for Skelita, it will most likely come in a shade of orange or marigold since Polymorph's come in a wide variety of colors _and_ Skelita's main colors are black and marigold in contrast to Ben's black and green. I'm a little ify on the name as it's not as . . . I guess _flashy_ as Furryosa, Tortuga, or Explosiva. And yes, I did base Furryosa on Bombarda from TheWalrusClown (believe it or, he's one of my followers and we're currently collaborating on a new Nemetrix predator for his Ben 10 reboot project).**

 **While I can not say whether Snow White knows that many swear words, Riddlish or otherwise, I can guarantee that King Leonard was more than displeased. As for why Lizzie's costume didn't scare the living daylights out of Ben, it's kinda obvious it's a costume and not something dangeorus (although with Lizzie, you never know). And no, that was not MaddiexRaven. This is Maddie we're talking about; dancing with her best friend forever after is not something out of the question ofr her (and apparently neither is hitting me over the head with a mallet).**

 **I like what I see for the Latin America adventure (you're just trying to get me to feature more of your home, now aren;t you? XD) and the Rook suggestion (he will join at one point). Glad you enjoyed my version of Snow White; I always thought it would be hilarious if Apple, the leader of the Royals that was continuously trying to get everyone to sign the book for fear of disappearing, had this adventerous, ass-kicking mom who back in her school days was just like Raven, her 'enemy'. You can also thank _Codecrash_ for the ending idea.**

 **And while I do like you're idea, I already have a succubus/incubus villain (she actually debuts this chapter). If you'd like to resubmit with something different (I'd like variety if possible. Plus, I'm trying to keep this rated T and Ben getting that close to Headmaster Grimm possessed or otherwise is already sending shivers down my spine. And trust me, if I put _that_ in the story, Maddie and pretty much everyone would throw the book at my head, no matter how much they hate Grimm), please do. I love to hear ideas and thoughts and suggestions. Concerning your Celice idea, that might not work either just because she's the Vreedle equivalent teenager and has absolutely no idea how to read, regardless of whether female Vreedle's are smarter than males or not. She'd most likely at least try to become a Plumber, graduate, and become something simialr to a game warden just because she's that bad but not terribly so that she wouldn't be a good asset. Watch out Rook! Vreedle's comin' home!**

 **That cover everything?**

 _ **Yep! That should do it!**_

 **Good. Now can you** _ **please**_ **put those cymbals away?**

 _ **Maybe. Give me a good reason.**_

 **Because it might damage my perfectly handsome face?**

 _ **While you face**_ **is** _ **flattering, I need a better reason! I haven't practiced in a**_ **long** _ **time!**_

 **Uh, tea party?**

 _ **Tempting. Maybe sweeten the deal a little more? My cymbal fingers are getting itchy . . .**_

 **Alright, alright! You can have the top bunk!**

 _ **We don't have a bunk bed, silly!**_

 **Wait, so that means . . .**

 _ **Make sure you don't hog all the covers with your handsome, Tetramand body, Crreaty!**_

 **What have I gotten myself into? And I am** _ **still**_ **not responding to that nickname!**

 _ **Resistance is futile!**_

 **So is saying resistance is futile. Anyways, as always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Also, I do not own Ben 10, Ever After High, or Monster High! And thank you _maverickmoxey2000_ for submitting your villain! Prepare to watch her ass get kicked around like a soccer ball!**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **One of these days I am going to lock you in my closet just so I can do an intro without interruption.**

 _ **Over my dead body!**_

 **Don't tempt me.**

* * *

M.N: _Spring time at Ever After High . . ._

F.N: _Normally, it would have been winter, but due to a rather large back splash from the Well of Wonder, time was reversed-_

M.N: _Or fast forwarded._

F.N: _Right, reversed or fast forwarded to Spring time, a time when the flowers have bloomed and fill the air with their sweet fragrances among the beautiful bird song. And all this caused by a well._

B.P: _Is that the same well Briar threw the Storybook of Legends into? Are we going to Wonderland!?_

F.N: _Brooke, what have we told you about spoilers?_

B.P: _That's not a spoiler, that was a recap!_

M.N: _She's right. When Briar found the true Storybook of Legends, she threw it down the Well of Wonder so she wouldn't have to sign it._

F.N: _So she could write her own destiny and not follow in her fairy tale parent's footsteps._

M.N: _Little did she know that the book would end up in-_

B.P: _WONDERLAND!_

M.N: _Yes, Wonderland._

B.P: _Oh, my Fairy Godmother! I can't believe we're actually here!_

F.N: _And the palace of the Queen of Hearts, separated from Ever After by an evil curse._

B.P: _Ooh, I can't for Ben and his girls to get here and-_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke . . ._

B.P: _Sorry. I'm just really, really,_ _ **really**_ _excited! I've never narrated a crossover before!_

F.N: _And you'll have to wait. You're here as an observer, nothing more._

B.P: _Does that mean I can't watch Ben?_

M.N: _What is it with you and Ben these days? I swear, he's all you ever talk about!_

B.P: _Well, it's just that . . . he's so interesting! He's got such a page ripping background and spell binding powers, too! He's so cool!_

F.N: _Sounds like someone has a crush . . ._

B.P: _I do not!_

M.N: _Shhhh! The Queen of Hearts . . ._

* * *

Alistair Wonderland gritted his teeth and gave one last futile struggle against the playing card guard that effortlessly held his arms firmly pinned behind his back; the white cuffs of his blue, Wonderlandian patterned jacket were digging uncomfortably into his wrists and he wanted so badly to readjust the leather strap of his satchel into a more comfortable position on his shoulder, but the emotionless guard wouldn't budge in letting him.

Glancing to the side with his baby blue eyes, he caught sight of the slightly nervous look on his friend's face, her snow white rabbit ears drooped down over her eyes as if this would prevent her from seeing anything that frightened her. Bunny Blanc, while about a head shorter than Alistair, was more than twice as fast as he was regardless of whether or not she was a small, fluffy rabbit or not. The Son of Alice in Wonderland felt his face heat up slightly as he tried to give her a comforting smile, if for no other reason than to turn those cute, green eyes and small lips from a frown into a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat; the Daughter of the White Rabbit had light pink skin in contrast to Alistair's peach and had shoulder length, white hair with a fringe in comparison to his curly, quail brown locks. Her dress was adorned with numerous clocks and stopwatches, with the addition of a large, bronze stopwatch clipped to her belt, a gift from her father in preparation of the destiny she so strongly wished to follow.

"The baby bird flies," an eerily calm, cool voice interrupted Alistair's thoughts as the collection of playing card guards brought him and Bunny's march to a stop in a grand throne room decorated with numerous hearts, jacks, clubs, and diamonds, in addition to the long and winding staircase up to a grand throne; sitting with an air of regalness was a woman with eerily pale skin and rosy cheeks, a wild red hair done up in a style similar to that of a red heart. Unsurprisingly, in auxiliary to the grand, golden crown on her head, she wore playing card themed royal robes and possessed a heart-shaped birthmark just above her lip. What really made Bunny cringe though, were the cold eyes that seemed to nonchalantly bore into her soul as the woman glared at her and Alistair. "The snakes, it slithers. But the holds both, to die . . . _and to wither._ " the Queen of Hearts seemed to hiss venomously, much like the aforementioned snake.

"What?" Alistair cocked in eyebrow of confusion; despite spending so much time in Wonderland, he was not as fluent in Riddlish as the rest of his Wonderlandian friends.

"This," the Queen of Hearts said as she rose up from her throne before seeming to quite literally pop out of existence and then reappear right in Alistair and Bunny's face with a frightening amount of fury plastered on her pale features. "Is your last warning," she frowned, narrowing her eyes at the two. "Next time my guards catch you _exploring,_ it's _OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!_ " the Queen of Hearts roared more loudly than should be able, the chilling threat echoing off the throne room walls for what seemed hours on end.

A tiny, creaking noise drew the Queen of Heart's attention away from her current captives and she turned to see one of her many loyal playing card guards wheeling a tea table stocked with teacups, teapots, boiling tea, cakes, and biscuits before giving a quick salute. "Ooh! Afternoon tea!" she squealed like a child, picking up a three spouted teapot and pouring herself a cup. "Would that be one lump or two?"

"Depends," Alistair piped up. "Are you going to hit us with a hammer?"

The Queen of Hearts actually seemed amused by this. "Oh, you silly boy! That's Charlie's game, not mine! You by now that it's always-"

"'Of with your head'," Alistair sighed with relief. "Well, if it isn't broken, don't fix it." he shrugged.

"Alistair, what are you doing?" Bunny hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"Getting us out of here." he mumbled back. "Hopefully."

"My, aren't you charming," the Queen of Hearts smiled with a wicked tone. "Guards! Send them on their way! I wish to have my tea in private."

With a single motion, every playing card guard in the room gave a salute and proceeded to march towards the doors of the throne room, dividing themselves up so a vast majority of them lined the walls, ready to protect the queen at a moments notice, while the rest continued to show Alistair and Bunny towards the door, their two captors removing their bonds as they did so before quite rudely shoving them out of the palace doors and slamming them shut after two guards had stationed themselves outside.

"Well that was rude." Alistair huffed as he picked himself up and dusted his jacket off before helping Bunny to her feet.

"It's the Queen of Hearts," Bunny sighed. "She's always been a little . . . mad."

"I suppose so." Alistair sighed as he and Bunny left the Queen of Heart's palace for the wild, colorful lands of Wonderland; the sky was tinted a bright, friendly yellow and the grass was a checkerboard of pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. Tall acacia trees with bright red and yellow leaves stretched out into the air on the flat plains amongst gigantic flowers and tulips while a flock of dodo birds flew overhead and a heard of playing card pattern hippos made their merry way down towards a watering hole to cool off in the Wonderland heat. Butterflies with massive, disproportional heads giggled mischievously from the bright pink waterways and ponds as Alistar and Bunny stopped to rest at a riverbank and pass the time; while Bunny sat herself down on the grass however, Alistair made his way to the water's edge and picked up a stone, his mind a hurricane of thoughts and inklings as he hefted the stone across the water and watched skip three times before sinking to the bottom.

"The curse on Wonderland has made the Queen of Hearts afraid." he declared after a few moments of silence and another tossed stone.

"I know, Alistair," Bunny sighed, her ears drooping slightly.

"Afraid that if anything happens to upset the balance that green encircling chaos will close in and destroy Wonderland." he continued with worry, gesturing up towards a massive, angry, green hurricane of fury and darkness overhead, thunderous roars and lightning arching through the storm above. "One day, I'll help solve the riddle and lift the curse!"

"But Alistair, you've tried that,"Bunny sighed. "And even if we knew how to lift the curse, who could possibly be powerful enough to do it? You'd have to be a hundred foot tall giant just to reach it!"

"I'll think of something. Someday." Alistair huffed, bending over to pick up another rock to throw when something caught his eye. While it wasn't uncommon to find strange and unusual stuff in the waters of Wonderland (it was Wonderland after all), this thing seemed to be out of place. Compared to the surrounding rocks that lined the bottom of the stream, this was too angular and clear cut to be natural, even when one took into account the playing card groves that dotted Wonderland's maddening landscape.

"Whoa. What is that?" he whispered, curious.

Bunny got up from the grass to look over Alistair's shoulder as he reached through the cool waters towards the gleaming object to pull it out and reveal itself to be a book. "I don't believe it . . ." she whispered in a hushed tone of amazement.

"It's the Storybook of Legends!" Alistair gaped at the olden book in his hand, his thumb rubbing against the cool, golden lock and ancient, leather cover; despite resting in the river for who knew how long, the book was surprisingly dry and the pages were crisp and clear as if they had just been printed but a few hours ago. "Hey, if the book is in our world then that means . . ." he realized something. "There's a portal that isn't sealed anymore!"

Now with new hope, Bunny felt herself become engulfed in a puff of purple smoke as she was changed into a small, white rabbit with fluffy fur and a small, black top hat between her ears. The two of them eagerly rushed off into the wilds of Wonderland, following the rainbow colored stream back to its source through club-shaped leafed thickets and towering acacia trees, across sprawling checkerboard plains dotted with the herds of exotic animals that roamed the world, picking their way through gigantic mushroom groves with talking flowers and giggle plants that laughed with delight whenever someone brushed against or stepped on them, much to the talking flower's annoyance. They only paused in their journey to allow a small band of walking fish with musical instruments in their fins to pass by them before continuing onward for what seemed miles on end until they finally found it.

"Now this is a riddle, and it's begging to be solved." Alistair grinned when he caught sight of the Well of Wonder, an ancient stone well older than Wonderland itself that allowed an infinite amount of rainbow stained water and creativity to flow forth from its bountiful depths.

"You say that about everything." Bunny laughed as she was swallowed in a cloud of purple smoke and returned to her human form to jump up onto the well alongside Alistair. With one last look of comfort from each other, they took the others hand and plunged feet first into the well, grabbing last mouthful of breath as they were swept downwards by the swift current; mentally screaming with fright and delight, the two of them were pulled through numerous if not infinite amounts of tunnels that winded and twisted and turned in every direction possible, going up, down, left, right, loopty-loops, barrel rolls, and even an advertisement that read 'Eat at Joe's' for anyone who was lucky enough to glance at it and know what the hex it meant.

Before long, the two of them were spat out of the tunnel and into a shallow pool in some sort of underground cavern of some kind that dozens of rainbow colored tubes and tunnels snaked through.

"Watch out." Alistair warned Bunny, gesturing with his eyes towards a figure that was sprawled out along a stone brick cliff, sleeping; upon closer inspection, the figure turned out to be a woman with pale skin, feline-like ears poking out from under her lavender and indigo locks, cat-like claws tipping her delicate fingers, a long, feline tail, and wearing a black furred top with leggings.

"Oh," Bunny gulped nervously as she realized just big the cavern was and just how lucky they were to have stopped in the shallow pool just before it emptied into a deep basin far, far, far, far, far, _far_ below them; the two of them missed a quiet mewing noise as the figure on the stone cliff above them stirred slightly. "I've never been under Wonderland before."

"C'mon. Lets get moving." Alistair rasped in a hushed tone so as not to awaken the cat-like figure above them, taking Bunny's hand and helping her to her feet; the Daughter of the White Bunny blushed slightly but managed to cover it up as the two of the waded out of the shallow pool and out onto a narrow, stone ledge that traversed about the expansive cavern. The two of them walked in awkward silence, not wanting to disturb the ruler of this domain and whatever else may be lurking about the darkness of the tunnels and caves that wormed their way through the solid, stone rock amongst the multiple waterfalls and streams that tumbled and turned their way towards the main basin.

"Stories you seek that are not your own," a chilling, female voice greeted them with a hidden, warning tone that made Bunny try and hide herself behind Alistair. "Lest be found down here all alone." the voice seemed to smile as the same, familiar figure they had glanced at before materialized before them on a stone spire with a bright smile and flash of sparkling light.

"Oh! Hey, Kitty's Mom! 'Sup?" Bunny smiled nervously; the Cheshire Cat was notorious for being crafty and cunning, not to mention confusing and clever. Alice herself had warned both of them about talking to her for fear of losing their minds into insanity at her tricks and twisted words.

"The real riddle is not what's up," the Cheshire Cat scolded them lightly with a cheeky smile upon her lips as she flickered her tail back and forth. "It's what you're doing down here." she smirked, disappearing in another sparkling light to reappear right behind and between a startled Alistair and Bunny.

"W-We found the missing Storybook of Legends and are trying to return it to Ever After." Alistair gulped at the woman's cold, clammy touch and the way her pointed claws drummed patiently on his shoulder; a quick glance at Bunny told him that she was faring no better against the crafty cat.

"Curiouser and curiouser . . ." the Cheshire Cat purred. "To get to Ever After, follow the Flow of Wonder." she replied simply. "Two lefts, three rights, four legs, five rights, a peg legged ostrich, and so on, until you are there! Good luck!" she smirked mischievously before disappearing in a third flash of light and leaving Alistair and Bunny all alone in the caverns again.

"Wait, what?" Bunny and Alistair gawked in confusion.

Alistair sighed as they began to move along. "Look, we gotta get this book back to our friends in Ever After."

"Let's just hope they have some answers." Bunny agreed as they came to pause at a stone staircase.

"They will." Alistair reassured her; unbeknownst to him however, the Cheshire Cat crept out from behind the mouth of a nearby cave and quietly, skillfully reached for the zipper of Alistair backpack where he kept the oh, so precious Storybook of Legends tucked away. To the Cheshire Cat however, who had earlier been discussing her daughter's unacceptable and downright pathetic attempts to become the Cheshire she was always meant to be, grinned maliciously at the thought of all the chaos that would ensue in Ever After as she slowly grabbed the Storybook of Legends and slipped it out of the satchel. With the book tucked under her arm, she then replaced with a another, nearly identical book, a book of Wonderland Riddles, almost giggling at all the hysteria that would ensue once her unwitting pawns made their way to Ever After.

"How do you think we get out of here?" Alistair wondered.

"Hopefully it doesn't involve that peg legged ostrich," Bunny shrugged.

"Are you two still lost?" the Cheshire Cat reappeared in front of them with an innocent and playful tone, nearly startling the madness right out of the two of them; now that Alistair could get a good luck at her, he could almost guarantee that she was messing with them, toying with them much like a cat would with a caught mouse. Or in this case, a befuddled rabbit and Wonderland. Normally, Alistair would have been able to use his quick wit and cunning intellect to outsmart any foe that came across his path, including the Queen of Hearts herself, but he knew that all of that could be completely useless against the crafty and confusing Cheshire Cat, the one Wonderlandian his mother had warned him to spend as little time as possible with if he ever wanted to keep his sanity. The Cheshire Cat was so maddening in fact, that in his younger years he would often have to comfort or take care of his single mother when she was taken over by bouts of madness, memories of the foxy feline filling her head and driving her to near insanity to the point where she would be bedridden for days. Alistair himself did not hold any of this against his friend, Kitty Cheshire, but he always made sure to wary around her mother.

"We followed your directions, but it led us back here." Alistair frowned with annoyance; really, he was lying. He suspected that the Cheshire Cat was playing them somehow.

The Cheshire Cat tapped her chin with false worry. "Oh, dear. Then let me give you a little . . . _help._ " she purred, taking a few steps backwards and pressing a hidden button worked into the inner mechanisms of the spacious cavern she called home; she watched with delight as the stairs Alistair and Bunny were standing on instantly fell flat and turned into a smooth ramp, sending the two of them spiraling downwards with yelps of fright onto a landing as smooth as ice.

Alistair fumbled and attempted to move his feet, watching with fear as Bunny slid right off the edge and over the railing of the landing, screaming as she fell before Alistair lunged forward and managed to grab her hand, grunting at the surprise addition of Bunny's body weight. Unfortunately, his grip wasn't firm enough and Bunny's fingers slipped out of his, sending her plummeting through the cavern and down towards the basin far, far, far, far, far, far, even farther than before, far, far, _far_ below. The Son of Alice in Wonderland didn't know what made him do it, but the instant he watched Bunny fall from his grasp with her eyes full of fright as she plummeted towards what very well could possibly be her death, Alistair jumped over the side of the railing and plunged after her

"Bunny!" he cried as he fell, wishing he could have been made of rock at this point if for no other reason that to reach Bunny in time as he wrapped his arms securely around her and hugged the frightened Daughter of the White Rabbit close to him. Bunny cracked open her eyes and instinctively grabbed one last breath before she and Alistair plunged into the rainbow waters before, being pulled in by the current and swirled around and around as if they were in a gigantic toilet of sorts before they were pulled under again.

Bunny wasn't quite sure what happened next, she was too busy holding her breath as she and Alistair were swept along with hundreds if not thousands of interlocking, intertwining, swerving tunnels that made her stomach tie itself in knots and threaten to throw everything she had previously eaten (some sweet carrot cake with a nice salad drizzled in carrot juice, her favorite) before she and Alistair were suddenly thrown upwards, as if in a geyser; during all of this, Bunny could have sworn she saw a very frightened girl being shot through several of the tunnels next to her and Alistair, but she was sure her chaotic mind was just playing tricks on her. With a thunderous roar, the two of them shot out high into the air, giving them a grand, wide view of none other than the world of Ever After; that is, until gravity decided to rear its ugly head and pull them back down again.

"Bunny!" Alistair cried a second time as she slipped out of his grasp a second time and plummeted towards the not so soft ground below. Thankfully, the Son of Alice in Wonderland had managed to land in a tree with several cuts and scraps from the branches, leaving her to fall just out of reach of the tree's comforting branches. With nothing else to lose, Bunny felt herself become encompassed in a flash of purple smoke and opened her eyes to find herself a white rabbit once more that lucky landed in the safety of Alistair's arms just before she could elude his grasp.

"Hah! We did it!" he cheered excitedly.

* * *

F.N: _Now isn't it time we check in on the school?_

M.N: _Oh, yes! Quite right! That day, Ever After High was holding a festival worthy of Wonderland._

F.N: _Unfortunately, it most likely wouldn't stay that way if_ _ **someone**_ _managed to get into trouble again._

B.P: _Hey, Ben can't help it that he's a trouble magnet! You would be too if your the powerful weapon in the universe on your wrist!_

M.N: _She . . . does have a point dear. You could at least_ _ **attempt**_ _to show Ben in a better light, if for no other reason than to teach Brooke how to properly narrate a story._

F.N: _Ugh. Fine._

B.P: _Yay! I can't wait to get to the part where Ben fights the-_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke! No spoilers!_

B.P: _Sorry._

F.N: _Why can't you be more like your brother?_

B.P: _Mom!_

M.N: _Ahem! Since we're on the topic of Ben anyway, I don't suppose it would hurt to check in on him. Deep in the Enchanted Forest . . ._

* * *

Despite the majority of his experience on festivals and fairs mostly dealing with explosions, chaos, and a certain huntsman and his Nemetrix wielding mutt, Ben could say with no uncertainty that something was bound to go wrong at the Spring fair his fairy tale friends had spent so much time setting up. Over the past couple of weeks, as time seemed to reverse and allow the warm colors of Autumn flow back into the cool, recently budding leaves and flowers of Spring, somehow bypassing and skipping Summer altogether, his girlfriends had been preparing for the festival, during their free time with the entire school abuzz with excitement leaving both Ben and his ghoulfriends completely baffled as to what was going on.

After a brief explanation from Lizzie Hearts however, as the Princess of Hearts feverishly tried to unsuccessfully come up with the latest in Spring fashion before finally giving up and storming off to find something called the 'Well of Wonder', the ghouls and Ben now understood that it was something of a celebratory Spring break to commemorate the coming and going of the seasons, even when they were as mixed up as gumballs in a gumball machine; Ben also guessed it would serve as a fundraiser of sorts to also try and cover some of the costs it would take to repair Ever After High, if the way Headmaster Grimm was mumbling obscenities and glancing back and forth between his calculator and slowly assembling fair grounds was anything to go by.

Which was why Ben was currently walking through the Enchanted Forest and heading off towards Miss Muffet's frozen yogurt bar. He had originally been walking with Lizzie simply because they had been taking similar trails, but awkward conversation and an eventual splitting of paths quickly ended this and left the wielder of the Omnitrix and Skurd all alone together in the forest.

Unbeknownst to Omnitrix wielder or Slimebiote, a figure was watching them from the shadows that the trees provided, an alluring smile crossing her lips as she watched Ben walk along without a care in the world. She had traveled long and far to find this boy, this hero of legend whose story had spread like wildfire across the world of Ever After until it finally met her ears. Most people regarded such tales as pure fantasy, despite the irony that often produced, but she had learned to never take such matters lightly in her quest for power. And if the rumors were true, then she had just hit the mother load.

Beforehand, she had gently and quietly poked and probed the minds of the feeble fairy tale spawn that her target had surrounded himself by, learning what little information she needed about him to defeat himl she herself was quite powerful and had no doubt that anything the strange boy had to throw at him she could easily defend herself from or better yet even throw right back at him. With a sinister smirk, she felt her body shift slightly and transform her figure before she hiked up her now short skirt and rushed ahead of Ben with the preferred scenario already forming in her head.

"For the last time, Skurd, they don't have DNA flavored frozen yogurt." Ben frowned. "I mean, who makes that kind of stuff anyways? And _how_ would you make it in the first place?"

"You humans know nothing of the deliciousness that is DNA." Skurd shook his head with scorn.

"We invented Mr. Smoothy's, didn't we?"

"Ah, touche." Skurd shuddered with anticipation of sipping from the glorious flavors the goofy grinning cups of semi-frozen ice provided him. Before either of them could say anything worthwhile or not, a slight movement caught their attention and Ben felt his jaw drop when he saw who it was walking into view.

" _Hey, Ben._ " Snow White IV purred as she leaned herself against the trunk of a tree. If the sudden appearance of Apple's mother didn't surprise Ben, then the way she was dressed certainly did; instead of the royal robes, dress, and crown he had last seen her in, she was dressed in nothing more than what could only be described as a school girl's outfit consisting of a short, red, plaid skirt, a pair of black dress shoes, a white dress shirt that was opened a little too much around her cleavage and exposing a bright red bra that didn't cup her breasts all too well, as if they were just waiting to spill out into the open air.

"Uh, h-hey there, y-your majesty." Ben gulped with a red face as he bowed slightly. "Um, not to be rude or anything, b-but . . . what are _you_ doing here?"

"I was bored," Snow White pouted in an innocent tone as she ever so _slowly_ peeled herself off of the tree trunk while arching her back to make sure she showed off as much of her curves, ass, and breasts as possible before sauntering on over to Ben with a swing in her hips. "So I thought I'd come visit my favorite, little shape-shifter."

"Uh, okay?" Ben quirked an eyebrow, stealing a glance from Skurd and mentally wondering why this woman, this _queen_ didn't have any personal guards or security of some kind around her; then again, she very well could just feel safe around him, though he doubted anyone would willingly chose him as a security option unless they had to. Trouble had a way of finding Ben one way or another.

"So what is my daughter's _handsome_ boyfriend up to?" Snow White asked, standing a little too close to Ben for his comfort, especially when she seductively slithered her arms around his neck and back and pressed herself lightly against his body.

"Um, just getting frozen yogurt." Ben replied.

"Why walk when you can just use that fancy little gizmo on your wrist?" Snow White wondered playfully.

"You mean the Omnitrix?" Ben corrected her as they began to walk again, the queen hanging off of his shoulder with an eerily sweet smile on her lips.

"Yes, do tell me about it! I'm sure you _love_ to use it." Snow White cooed.

Ben blinked and wondered if random bouts of mild insanity were a hereditary trait amongst the White family, remembering the little incident involving a scantily clad Apple and Cupid's bow. "Well, yeah, getting to turn into all sorts of super powered aliens is awesome and everything, but sometimes you just wanna stay human, ya know?" he shrugged. "Not to mention the fact that pretty much every lunatic in the universe is trying to kill me for it or take it from me."

"You must fight a lot." Snow White commented.

"That's an understatement." Skurd mumbled. "Lucky for the lad, the silly thing doesn't come off!"

"Correction: it doesn't come off unless I _say_ it comes off." Ben corrected the Slimebiote. "Other than that, nothing will get it off of me, not even the destruction of the universe."

"So . . . unless someone were to, say, kill you, they wouldn't be able to get it?" Snow White wondered, confused.

"No, that's pretty much the only other way to get the Omnitrix off of me." Ben replied, slightly suspicious; no one ever asked this much about the Omnitrix unless they were absolutely clueless or were trying to get something from him, usually the device in question. "Why're you so interested in the Omnitrix anyway?"

"Oh, no reason." Snow White purred, halting Ben and pushing him up against a tree and stopping him against a tree, her beautiful face but a breath away from Ben's as she held him close to her, pressing his face into her cleavage. "I don't suppose you'd like to give an old queen a good time?"

Ben muffled something incoherently into Snow White's cleavage before he managed to push the seductive queen off of him and regain some breath in his lungs. "Okay, what's going on? Who are you and what do you want from me?" he narrowed his eyes at Apple's mother. "Because, as far as I know, Apple's mom is a highly respectable queen and _not_ some kind of slut. So you got exactly ten seconds to start talking before I go Humungousaur on your butt!"

Snow White sighed with defeat and grumbled with annoyance. "Youth today. No respect for their elders, no matter _how_ attractive." she muttered under her breath as her image began to contort and shift before Ben's very eyes, much like Jane often did when morphing into multiple species of animals; however, unlike his ghoulfriend, the change was slow and hideously grotesque to watch or look at. Snow White's height increased slightly, making her a good foot taller than Ben's six foot frame as muscles rippled underneath of her snow white skin as it darkened dramatically into a deep caramel with strong, lean muscles making up her arms and legs, her stomach hardening until it was something similar to a wall of solid iron. Her short, black hair lengthened and pulled itself back into a braided ponytail that reached all the way down to her waist as her bright, blue eyes flashed an intense yellow in color and became comparable to that of a hungry serpent. Her sizable chest increased dramatically into a pair of DD cups that practically dwarfed Ben's head as her ass swelled slightly and a long spaded tail sprouted from the base of her spine; Ben half expected a pair of sharp horns to grow from underneath of her red highlighted hair as a pair of gigantic, bat-like wings messily slipped out of her back with a wet slapping noise that made him cringe as the transformation ended.

"Looks like someone had one too many protein shakes." Ben muttered as he tilted his head back to look at the Amazonian-like woman with hostility. "Just what kind of freak show are you?"

"You're one to talk, _Tennyson._ " the demon-like woman hissed venomously, a snake-like tongue slipping out past her lips to emphasize the word as she curled her fingers in a cool and cruel manner to examine her fine, spike-like nails. "The name is Vanity by the way."

"Can't imagine why." Ben narrowed his eyes. "What's a soul sucking demon like you want with a kid like me?"

Vanity allowed a cruel, sinister smirk to cross her lips before answering. "Power. Compared to all of the other pathetic, wand-waving, spell-casting nimrods in this realm, you're the most powerful, especially considering your skills in magic are downright laughable."

"Well excuse me for not going to college early." Ben frowned.

"Ah, yes, your alien cousin," Vanity purred with amusement. "Not to mention your witch friend back home. Once that device of yours is mine-"

"And who says we're just going to give it you, hmm!?" Skurd snarled angrily, slithering his tentacles protectively over the Omnitrix. "Nobody gets between me and _my_ deoxyribonucleic acid!"

"Um, what he said." Ben added as he tapped the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the activation button before Vanity could say something or even lift a finger, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that scrambled and warped his genetic code. His skin turned a dark green, patches of it turning a brighter color as it became soft and stretchable, almost like that of rubber. The feeling of his bones vanished altogether to instead be replaced by some sort of easily malleable, woody structure that acted similar to a skeleton; his legs began to twitch violently until they each split in two, becoming long tendrils that would allow him to skitter and stalk across the ground like a spider. Two fleshy mounds appeared on either side of Ben's head, pulsing and swelling with sticky juice until they became Venus Flytrap-like flaps with pointed teeth at the ends. His arms became long and rubbery, long fingers forming on each end with fleshy thorns appearing on his elbows, knees, shoulders, and chest. His head retained a similar shape as his eyes molded together into a single, green orb and a row of spikes formed on his skull; a green belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared around his thin waist, completing the transformation.

"Oh, yeah! Goin' green never felt so good!" Wildvine grinned cockily as the tables turned in his favor height wise, his stretchy, vine-like legs allowing him to tower over Vanity with ease. The succubus hissed venomously and drew back her fist, slugging the Florauna in the gut and sending him flying back into a nearby tree where he lay momentarily stunned, a diversion Vanity took advantage of; she thrust her arm downward and watched maliciously as glittering, cyan colored diamonds arched their way across her fingers and nails and turned them into wicked claws that could easily slice through even the thickest of objects.

" _Yah!_ " she yelled, swiping her claws at Wildvine; the Florauna whipped out one of his rubber-like arms like a grappling hook and pulled himself out of the way and into the branches overhead just as Vanity slashed at him, instead swiping halfway through the thick trunk of the tree. Growling with annoyance, the succubus sliced through the other half and rolled out of the way as the tree came crashing down with Wildvine managing to jump to safety at the last second.

"You'll have to do better than that!" the Florauna teased. "I've been fighting creeps like you since I was ten! You ain't got nothin' on me!"

"Famous last words." Vanity snarled as she picked herself up off of the ground and and stomped a foot down into the earth, a sick smile crossing her lips as the ground trembled and quaked slightly; Wildvine watched with interest and slight horror as rotting hands and arms punched out of the dirt and planted themselves down in the grass to haul up the rotting remains of skeletons dressed in decomposing armor and wielding weapons similar to those of the ancient barbarians that once ruled the lands of Ever After before the far more powerful magic users brought their reign to an end and eventual extinction. While a magic user herself, Vanity preferred what little pockets of barbarians remained in the isolated corners of Ever After to those of other, much more vain sorcerers, witches, wizards, warlocks, and mages not only because they easy to manipulate and bend to her will, but they were probably the best in bed (she had yet to test this theory with both a barbarian and another species to find out if this was true or not).

"Undead warriors, huh? Okay, that's actually kinda cool." Wildvine admitted as he skittered down the trunk of the tree and to the ground, grinning wickedly as the nearly two dozen warriors snarled and hissed before beating their swords against their shields and charging at him as fast as their leg bones would carry him. The Florauna didn't miss a beat and reached behind his back to pull off a couple of seed pods in his fingers and chuck them at the ground, creating a yellowed smokescreen of sorts that left the undead barbarians blind to where their opponent was.

Vanity watched with annoyance as the lead warrior scratched its skull with a confused finger before four, thin, green tendrils whipped out through the cloud of yellow dust and wrapped themselves around his rib cage and spine, pulling him into the smokescreen with a dying screech as the sound of breaking bones being beaten against the ground filled the air with loud snaps and crunches. The ground began to rumble and shake as fleshy, thorn cover vines erupted from the earth and slithered and ensnared several more members of the rotting army, squeezing and constructing them until their already weakened bones broke from underneath the intense pressure put on them.

One skeleton that was somewhat smarter than the rest gave a war cry and lashed out with its sword, slicing through one of the plant traps that kept one of his brothers captive, releasing the skeleton just before its bony body could be ground to pieces; a few more members of the army got the same idea and cut the rest of their comrades free regardless of whether they were dead or not.

"Hey, not cool, man!" Wildvine's voice came somewhere as the fog dissipated. "Have some respect for nature!"

"You're trying my patience, Tennyson." Vanity growled, closing her eyes for a second and reaching out with her mind; reading ones mind and perusing through their thoughts and memories as if they were books on a shelf was one of the simpler forms of telepathic magics to perform, but what she was after was far more complex and more fastidious. She had to admit that Tennyson had skill, dodging a swipe of her diamond claws that would have normally reduced someone else, no matter how battle hardened they were, to a bloody mess of guts and gore; if he proved to be too difficult for her endless droves of minions to deal with, she could always resort to trying to mentally convince him to hand over the powerful device fixed to his wrist.

"Dudette, you need to chillax." Wildvine's voice came from right behind her. Vanity whirled around just in time to receive an explosive seed to the face, sending her reeling into the remains of her army and destroying them in her attempts to wipe the slimy remains out of her face and eyes. The Florauna grinned as his skin returned to its darkened green shade and he pulled himself out from the sturdy trunk of the tree, having merged with it prior to the yellowed smokescreen fading away.

"Laugh it up while you still can, Tennyson!" Vanity hissed venomously, her entire arm coating itself in glimmering, cyan diamonds and clenched into a large fist.

"Oh, we will!" Skurd chuckled brightly as he oozed himself over Wildvine's right arm and tapped into a DNA sample of the Omnitrix, morphing the limb to become more rigid and box-shaped in addition to more colorful and turning into the arm of a Segmentasapien shaped very much like the barrel of a gun attached to a backpack of sorts that provided an endless supply of ammunition.

"Oh, yeah! The Bloxx-lobber!" Wildvine cheered.

Vanity blinked with mild surprise; clearly the booger-like parasite provided something more than a companion to banter around with at his leisure, a small detail she had overlooked. Not that she wasn't confident that she couldn't take him under her control within seconds. The only issue was that, in simple terms, her target was a plant and they were next to impossible to hypnotize, even if they had fully functioning eyes, a mouth, the ability to walk, _and_ the ability defend itself with explosive seeds, which was a much more annoying fact to the succubus as the Florauna taunted her with a 'come-at-me-bro' hand gesture.

" _RAAAGH!_ " Vanity yelled, lunging forward with her diamond tipped claws and forcing Wildvine to arch backwards to avoid getting sliced in half; this however, was exactly what Vanity was going for as she raised her other hand and clenched her fingers into a tight fist, tapping into the surrounding energies that flowed through the Enchanted Forest, and forming a solid form into her hand shaped like a jagged sword. With her new weapon in hand, Vanity swung her other arm at Wildvine and succeeding in slicing the Florauna in half with a wet squelching noise.

"Yes! Take that you alien freak!" the succubus cackled as both halves of the Florauna fell to the ground, limp. With a triumphant grin on her lips, Vanity reached forward with a now diamond free hand for the Omnitrix around one of the Florauna's halves only to be startled back when both halves began to tremble and squirm slightly, the fleshy, green material bubbling and oozing and sprouting tendrils that hooked around each other and intertwined together to bring both halves back together and heal the wound as if it were never there.

"How . . . _impossible!_ " Vanity hissed.

"Whatever you say, man." Wildvine grinned cockily as he aimed the Bloxx-lobber at her and fired off two explosive blocks that slammed into Vanity's gut and chest, propelling her backwards and through two trees before she finally slid to the ground with a groan; both of the ancient oaks she had been thrown through fell to the ground with a loud _crash!_ as the Omnitrix timed out mere seconds later.

"And that's another crazy lunatic down." Ben smirked triumphantly, dusting his hands off.

"Y-You'd . . . like to think that, w-wouldn't you?" Vanity coughed slightly as she pulled herself to her feet and twisted her head with a loud cracking noise; several open cuts and wounds dripped black blood onto the grass at her feet. Ben watched with a combination of horror and amazement as a low, crackling and slapping noise filled the air and the wounds began to close up on their own, healing over without even a scar and returning the succubus' skin to its flawless sheen with a cruel smile on her lips. "You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeve."

"Good thing I have sleeves of my own." Ben smirked as he made a move for the Omnitrix.

" _No!_ " Vanity hissed, summoning a spear constructed of the magical energies of the Enchanted Forest and hurled it Ben's head; the wielder of the Omnitrix quickly jerked his head to the side to avoid getting impaled as the spear embedded itself in the tree behind him, quickly followed by another spear that now framed his head between the two of them before they dissolved.

Skurd however, was actually thinking during this and turned on the Omnitrix to dial through the available roster before compressing himself down on the waiting activation button and encompassing Ben in a blast of green light. His skin began to blister and crack horribly, as if he was covered in a layer of mud that had spent too much time out in the sun as it turned a pale shade of green in color and revealed itself to be scales; the coating of flaky scales raced up his arms as they swelled and pulsed with shifting muscle and tissue, traversing smoothly across his shoulders and down his chest while his neck thickened and allowed three slits on either side to open up in his skin and suck in a wet breath. Consequently, Ben's nose was compressed back into his face as his skull elongated slightly and thrust his lower jaw out into a massive underbite while his teeth ripped through his gums and formed themselves into dozens of spike-like teeth that glistened in the light. Sharp fins pushed themselves out of Ben's well muscled arms as webbing formed between his claw-tipped hands as a spiky, green dorsal fin sprouted from his head and back, running down to his waist until it came to a stop at the waistline of a black and green loincloth of sorts that allowed his scaly legs to slide out from either side. Ben's forehead pulsed and bulged slightly like a massive zit that was about to explode until a long, wiry antennae with a small, glowing bulb at the end thrust itself out of his skull; the transformation ended as black collar of sorts formed over his upper body as a pair of large, bulbous tanks formed around his gills with the Omnitrix and Skurd at the center and on his breast bone.

"Whoa! Ripjaws got an upgrade!" the Piscciss Volann marveled, glancing at the large breathing device hooked around his neck; he sucked in a deep breath through his lungs and felt the cool water rush over his gills, creating a relaxing sigh from him for a split moment before Vanity chucked another spear at his head, just barely grazing the long antennae that sprouted from his forehead.

"Quick! Get on the defensive!" Skurd cried, flailing his tentacles wildly in panic.

"How do I exactly do that, Snot Pocket?" Ripjaws snarled, leaping back to avoid Vanity's incoming fist; the hand sailed harmlessly over the Piscciss Volann's head and allowed him to grab hold of her arm, digging his sharp claws deep into her skin, and heft her over his shoulder to flip her onto the ground. "Ripjaw's turf isn't even turf!"

"Must I do everything!?" Skurd huffed with annoyance as he oozed and slithered himself over Ripjaw's left arm and expanded it dramatically, covering it durable, yellow plating and forcing a piston of sorts to thrust itself out of the back of his elbow as millions of hypersensitive nerves formed in his arms, ready to fire off at a moment's notice and finally took the form of a Talpaedan's limb. Giving a toothy grin of satisfaction, Ripjaws thrust his arm downwards at Vanity's head, just missing as the succubus jerked her head to the side and let his fingers bury themselves deep into the ground. She grinned viciously before she realized her problems were only beginning as the Piscciss Volann's new limb pump up and down furiously, sending a small tremor through the ground that made it all but impossible for her to stand.

Thankfully for Vanity however, she was not limited to just her legs. With a pump of her wings, she was off of the ground and into the air, safely out of the reach of Ripjaw's fearsome teeth and powerful, jackhammer-like arm. This advantage however was soon taken away as Skurd returned Ripjaws' arm to its original form and crept his gelatinous body over the Piscciss Volann's other arm, turning his pale green scales into a glimmering cyan that thickened and hardened dramatically into the tough, crystalline surface of a Petrosapien's arm with an anchor of diamonds attached to a chain of crystals materializing in his strong fingers.

"Talk about a heavy weight." Ripjaws cracked as he swung the anchor around and around over his head before hurling it at Vanity and succeeding in hooking it tightly around one of her wings when she tried to unsuccessfully dodge getting hit with the blunt weight; with a yank of his arms, the Piscciss Volann easily pulled her down to the ground and pulled her towards him, opening his jaws wide and clamping them viciously around the main joint of Vanity's wing with a sickening _crunch!_ that made the succubus howl with pain before Ripjaws gave a twist of his head and sent her sprawling across the grass, spitting out a glop of dark gray spit out onto the ground.

"You taste terrible." Ripjaws joked as he wiped his teeth.

"And you have a spear through your shoulder." Vanity hissed as she sat up, wincing at her injured wing.

"I don't have a- _AAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ " Ripjaws roared in agony as Vanity summoned another wavering spear into her fingers and chucked it at him like a javelin, embedding the weapon deep into and through his shoulder and pinning him against the trunk of a tree. Blue blood dripped out of the wound as Ripjaws instinctively brought a hand up to it and gave a low hiss at the pain it brought to him.

"To bad you can't heal yourself. Unlike me." Vanity purred victoriously as she picked herself up off of the ground and stretching her injured wing with slight pain and the loud cracking noise that signified her bones were knitting themselves back together and torn muscle was repairing itself until the wounded wing was like new once more, as if it hadn't just been nearly bitten off by one of the galaxy's most vicious, aquatic predators. "Now are you going to hand over that device of yours or am I going to have get . . . personal?" she asked with an innocent, pleading manner.

" _Drop dead._ " Ripjaws glowered at her, a low growl escaping the cage of teeth that lined his mouth.

"I was hoping you would say that." Vanity grinned maliciously. "Time to browse your mind, reduce it to nothing, and take that watch of yours for myself. And to think, we could have had such a fun time together."

"Whatever," Ripjaws hissed. "Not like I haven't had my mind read before."

"That's right! You've got nothing on that scoundrel Servantis!" Skurd declared loudly. "Do your worst, foul beast! Nothing you say or do will stop us! We shall always come out on top!"

"Such a big ego for a tiny, talking _booger._ " Vanity grinned.

" _BOOGER!?_ "

"You must _hate_ that," Vanity drawled with mild amusement at the Slimebiote's reaction. "Whatever. Time to get down to business. And don't try anything, Booger Brain. Nothing you do will save you or your alien freak show of a friend from me."

"You . . . sure?" Ripjaws grunted as he grabbed hold of the spear and tried to slowly pull it out of his flesh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vanity raised a curious eyebrow before she was suddenly slammed into from behind and knocked to the ground, pinned there by a heavy weight and a low, warning growl in her ear that made her blood run cold. Moving her head slowly and as far as she dared, she looked to see a girl sitting on her haunches, glaring at the succubus with a hungry look that Vanity had only seen in large predators; her hunch was proven correct when she took in the details of girl's features, a pair of canine-like ears poking from under a thick head of dark auburn and chocolate brown locks that easily spilled onto her shoulders and framed her furry face and the pointed fangs that resided just behind her lips.

"You've got about three seconds to explain yourself before I tear you in half." Clawdeen threatened, baring her teeth and letting a low growl escape her lips.

"How about 'no'?" Vanity grunted as she flexed her wings and threw the werewolf off of her before climbing to her feet and dusting herself off, only to find that Clawdeen hadn't come alone. The succubus watched with curious fascination as thick, thorny vines slithered and crept across the ground and through the brush, strong creepers bursting out of the ground and curling around her legs and rooting her to the spot while the vines curled themselves around her wrists and arms; Vanity narrowed her eyes at a girl with soft, green skin and wild neon green and pink hair like the colorful petals of a carnivorous plant, if the sharp teeth that curved out past her lips was anything to go by.

"Where are your friends? Mine are all around." Venus smirked at her trapped prey.

"I have had just about enough of plants today," Vanity growled as gigantic claws that looked like they were better suited for a massive carnivore or some kind of gigantic herbivore that used them to bend tree branches down to within eating distance, sprouted from her fingers; with a quick movement of her arm, she had severed the strangling roots and moved to attack Venus while she was cringing at the slight pain the death of her 'children' brought her. Before Vanity could even touch the plant monster however, the ground started to tremble and rumble as something utterly massive came lumbering through the trees from behind Venus and came to a screeching halt before swinging its heavily armored tail at the succubus and sending her flying back as the large, purple _Ankylosaurus_ bellowed a warning before nuzzling Venus affectionately.

"Rise, my minions! Defend your queen!" Vanity demanded as she stomped a foot down into the earth a second time and summoned another battalion of skeletal barbarians that yelled battle cries and banged their swords against their shields in an attempt to scare their opponents. The indigo plated _Ankylosaurus_ roared and charged at the small platoon of soldiers before skidding to a stop and swinging its clubbed tail once more, taking out an entire line of undead warriors before driving another into the ground and into dust with a swift downward motion. Vanity watched with amazement as the heavily armored ankylosaur disappeared in a whirl of armored plating and fur to be replaced by a lavender tiger with a deep purple, striped coat that pounced on an unsuspecting warrior and crushed its skull between its jaws; the big cat whirled around as a soldier made an attempt to swing its sword at the tiger before it was slammed to the ground and its rib cage crushed.

"No!" Vanity screamed with frustration. "No, no, no, no!"

"Oh, yes." Clawdeen smirked as she tackled a decomposing warrior from behind and stomped down on its pelvis, shattering it into flakes of bone before tearing its loosely placed skull from its head and chucking it at the last skeleton. With no more undead barbarians to deal with, Clawdeen let out a long, low howl and turned to attack Vanity, dodging a swipe of the succubus' claws and tackling her to the ground; Skelita came racing out of the forest as the two wrestled around on the ground, glancing around to take in the situation before turning to Ripjaws aid and wincing at the spear buried deep in his shoulder that kept him pinned to the tree.

"Ben, are you alright?" Skelita asked the Piscciss Volann.

"No, I _like_ being impaled." Ripjaws grumbled sarcastically before catching sight of the slightly hurt expression on the skeleton's face. "Sorry. Being injured makes me sarcastic."

"So it would seem," Skelita noted as she planted a foot firmly against the trunk of the tree and gripped the spear tightly in her fingers; Clawdeen growled as she was thrown a fair distance off of Vanity and digging her claws into the dirt before thorny creepers erupted out of the ground and wrapped themselves securely around her ankles and wings, trapping her place as Clawdeen lunged at the succubus a second time and threw her backwards and into the ground where more vines and roots slithered across her, binding her to the earth. "This will hurt." Skelita warned Ripjaws.

"Bring it o- _AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ " Ripjaws screamed in agony as Skelita pulled the spear out of his shoulder before he could finish his sentence, wincing at the blood tipped blade before the shimmering weapon vanished in her grip with a small flash of light; glimmering crystals and diamonds sprouted all over Vanity's body in large spikes that sliced through her bindings with ease, letting her climb to her feet and raise a crystal covered arm to block a swipe of Jane's claws. Venus quickly grew a pair of vine-like whips from the palms of her hands that quickly ignited with a little methane and cracked them at Vanity, wrapping them tightly around her arm and pulling back to make her stumble towards her with Clawdeen pouncing on her back to finish the job of sending her to the ground.

" _¿Qué?_ What is this?" Skelita wondered.

"Yeah. They do that." Ripjaws grunted as he fell to his knees while holding his wound. "Thanks for warning me, by the way."

" _De nada._ " Skelita said as she helped the Piscciss Volann to his webbed feet. "Are you strong enough to fight?"

"Probably just enough to beat the ever living tar out of this witch." Ripjaws breathed heavily, his shoulder going numb with pain as he reached for the Omnitrix on his breast bone and slapped the waiting disk, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that scrambled and rearranged his DNA into something new. His skinny figure suddenly swelled in size and bulk as hundreds of muscles piled themselves on top of each other, sending his growing form upwards until he was more than twice the size of Skelita, his broadening shoulders dwarfing her; his fingers snapped and pulsed as thick veins popped out of his reddening skin, sending alien blood through him as his organs sloshed and oozed around inside of him, forming a second heart as another pair of eyes appeared above his own and turned a solid green in color. A row of dull spikes appeared on Ben's balding head as every last strand of hair on his skull was shed, save for a short, fuzzy beard and handlebar mustache on his upper lip. A loud crunching noise filled the air as his skeleton shifted and realigned to allow a second pair of smaller arms to burst out from his gigantic, original pair, still nothing more than fresh muscle and bone that was quickly covered by tough, crimson skin. Ben's toes melted together into a pair of firm claws as fleshy spikes appeared on his shoulders and a uniform consisting of a black undershirt with a green stripe down the middle, a pair of black pants, two pairs of black, finger-less gloves, and the Omnitrix and Skurd in the form of a belt around his waist, materialized on him, completing the transformation.

"Time to beat you four ways to Sunday!" Four Arms growled, socking his two fists into his two, open hands.

"You don't scare me," Vanity hissed as she rolled herself over and thus threw Clawdeen off of her as she popped back up onto her feet; her arms cracked loudly as their bones were reinforced and strengthened, swelling to massive proportions as dull green, armored skin took the place of her caramel shade while small, fleshy knobs and greasy hairs sprouted from her new limbs and dirty nails tipped her fingers. "You are nothing compared to me!"

"Then lets wrestle!" Four Arms narrowed all four of his eyes and clenched all four of his fists as he charged at Vanity, his feet pounding the ground as he drew back a fist and swung it at the succubus' head, only to have it caught by one of her new, burly hands; her hand caught his other fist and trembled slightly as they tried to hold them in place, quickly forgetting about the Tetramand's other set of arms until Four Arms drew back a third fist and plunged it deep into Vanity's gut with a sickening crunch that knocked the wind out of her and made her go limp in movement. Not missing a beat, Four Arms grabbed her hands and pinned her wrists together as he began to spin her around and around in a tight circle, building up more and more momentum until he finally let go, watching as she crashed through not one, not two, not even trees and a large boulder before she finally came to a stop, now battered and bruised greatly.

"Ready for round two?" Four Arms growled menacingly, ignoring the stabbing pain his shoulder as he charged after her; Vanity took one look at the severely irked Tetramand and the four ghouls that were chasing after him with equally vengeful looks on their faces and decided she had finally had enough for one day and promptly scrambled to her feet to run away as fast as she could, her wings too damaged to carry her to safety for the moment. "Come back here!"

* * *

M.N: _Ben's got himself into quite the predicament, hasn't he?_

F.N: _More like that succubus slut bit off more than she can chew._

M.N: _Dear, what have we said about swearing in front of Brooke?_

B.P: _Oh, don't worry about that, Dad. I've heard worse from other stories I've read._

M.N: _What!?_

B.P: _Uh, um, shouldn't we be checking on the Spring Festival?_

F.N: _. . . We will be discussing this later, dear._

B.P: _Yes, Mom._

M.N: _Ahem. Now then, Ever After High was holding a festival worthy of Wonderland-_

F.N: _Dear, you've already said that._

M.N: _I did?_

B.P: _Yeah, Dad. You did. Right before Ben beat the ever living pixie dust out of Vanity. Ooh, I can't to see how he defeats-_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke! No spoilers!_

B.P: _Sorry._

F.N: _Ahem. Anyways, the Spring Festival had finally come to Ever After High, filling the air with wonder and joy . . ._

* * *

Raven sighed happily and took in a breath of sweet, crisp, Spring air. The sun felt warm on her pale skin, giving her almost an unearthly, lavender glow as she braided together black and white streamers around one of the many trees that surrounded the Spring Fairest Festival; colorful tents were set up amongst food stands that allowed the delicious scents of carnival food to waft through the air as the amusement attractions were being slowly set up around the ever shifting crowd of students and staff alike.

"This has got to be my favorite part of Spring Fairest," she sighed. "Treeffiti! Decorating the trees!"

"As long as the streamers are biodegradable, I'm all for it." Venus added set her head against the trunk of a nearby tree; Raven cocked an eyebrow at this, watching curiously as Venus rapped a knuckle on the trunk a couple of times before nodding her head, as if listening to a conversation. With that being said, the witchling watched as Venus reached for the belt around her waist and pulled out a spray bottle filled with a strange liquid of some kind that she spritzed around the tree's roots, rubbing them with affection until the branches above suddenly burst into fully bloomed flowers!

"Whoa! You're like a plant whisperer or something." Raven laughed in admiration.

"I try," Venus smiled toothily and setting the bottle back in its place. "Though I have to ask, why black and white? Wouldn't pink or green be more suitable for Spring?" she asked, gesturing to her rather unusual hairstyle.

"Black and white is meant to represent winter-" Apple explained as she put the finishing touches on her own braid of streamers while Duchess Swan expertly pirouetted and danced around the trunk of her tree, of which currently had Sparrow Hood pinned to it and trapped by the colorful streamers.

"And a dash of floral color to show that Spring had sprung!" Maddie finished, popping into view from a branch overhead that let her wild, mint green, purple, and blue locks to hang wildly while keeping her ever present top hat somehow glued to her head, defying the law of gravity. "Ooh, this is gonna be so hexciting with you ghouls here this year! Or month or chapter, as the case may be."

"I'm just relieved that my parents still let me go to school here." Apple sighed with relief. "Of course, it took a band of bandits just to make them change their minds, but I guess you can't have everything ever after." she shrugged.

"Not to put a damper on things, but are you sure we'll be welcome here?" Venus asked, briefly turning hers and the girls attention towards a massive, purple elephant with a large, spiked collar around its thick neck as it slowly set up a heavy tent pole with its trunk under the careful observation of several hired hands.

"Believe me, after the few weeks you've been here, you're pretty much considered 'normal'." Raven reassured her fellow girlfriend. "Besides, if anyone causes trouble-"

"We'll be there to stop it." Apple nodded firmly, though Raven could sense a slight unease in her voice. "And if we can't-"

"Then Ben will!" Maddie laughed as she flipped off of the tree branch and expertly landed on her feet. "We just love finishing each others sentences, don't we?"

Raven was about to say something when she caught sight of something else that seemed rather out of place at the Spring Fairest Festival; upon turning her head towards it, she noticed that it was Dexter Charming sneaking through the bushes and large bouquets of flowers that seemed to have only sprouted that very morning with a Mirrorpad in hand. Despite his best efforts of going unnoticed, the young prince still drew a few confused or frightened stares as he slunk through the foliage and finally decided to hide in a bush that he immediately regretted hiding in; not only were the prickly branches tearing his good jacket, but he soon found out that the bush was full of some not so friendly ants that didn't take kindly to nearly being squished.

"Oh, good! You're here, Dexter." Blondie breathed with relief as she hurried over to the Son of Prince Charming with Humphrey Dumpty in tow carrying sound equipment in hand.

"Hey, Blondie. Thanks for g-giving me a second chance a-and everything, but can we-" Dexter winced as several of the ants started to bite him.

"No time!" Blondie cut him off as she quickly set herself up in front of the camera and made some final adjustments to herself. Dexter tried to protest or at least ask if they could move somewhere that wasn't going to make him look like he had Basilisk pox, but the Daughter of Goldie Locks wouldn't hear it as they were already pressed for time. With no other choice but to try and bear with the stinging insect bites and the ants in his pants, Dexter gave Blondie the signal to begin.

"Welcome friends to the Spring Fairest! Where you'll-" Blondie started.

"Oh, Blondie! Blondie!"

Blondie blinked and rolled her eyes behind her to see a girl with dark, mocha skin and wild, pink hair like that of fresh frosting pulled into a pair of low pigtails come rushing over to her side; the girl had a pair of round, red, owlish glasses that framed her deep, chocolate eyes and a black headband with a small, golden cupcake on top. Concerning other food related attire, she wore a single pink dress with glittering, yellow stripes like that of freshly sprinkled sprinkles and a small, black jacket with crisp, blue lines like that of fresh icing.

"Make sure to tell everyone about the Chef Showdown!" the Daughter of the Candy Witch smiled excitedly, showing off a small mixing bowl full of cooking utensils. "So exciting!"

"That's right Fairy Tale Friends!" Blondie smiled brightly, only mildly irked at being interrupted. "Lots to see and do at the fair!" she gestured towards the colorful carnival; Gus and Helga Crumb, a pair of small twins with white frosting hair eagerly waited in line for freshly popped dragon corn provided to them by one of the trained dragons beneath the school while the Brothers Grimm participated in a friendly competition at one of the booths that offered amusing and entertaining game until Headmaster Grimm himself won the game and proceeded to lightly rub it in his brothers face.

"Ha, HA!" Daring grinned triumphantly as he smashed a large mallet down on the small platform of the Beanstalk High Striker and succeeded in nearly reaching the top bell. "You're turn, Hopper." he grinned charmingly, handing the heavy mallet to the Son of the Frog Prince.

"Thanks, Daring." Hopper gulped nervously, taking a look at the high striker and blowing a strand of deep, red hair out of his face. With a grunt, he proceeded to raise the mallet above his head and try to get a higher score than Daring (something that he hoped would _really_ impress his crush) when none other than Briar Beauty walked by tapping away on her phone; the prince felt his arms go limp as the heavy mallet conked him on the head, dazing him slightly as he was engulfed in a puff of pink smoke and returned to his amphibious form. "Blasted!"

"Um . . . c-can I have a t-try?" a small voice squeaked nervously; Hopper, Daring, and the small crowd that had gathered around the Beanstalk High Striker to watch turned their attention towards the back where Jane gave a nervous wave and proceeded to walk through the small lane created for her and up to the carnival game, gripping the heavy mallet in her hands.

"Good luck, monster." Daring chuckled triumphantly, safe in the knowledge that his victory was secure.

Jane frowned slightly as she cast the mallet aside while simultaneously focusing on an image in her head. Her skeleton cracked and crunched loudly as her bones thickened and became far more durable than before while her posture forced her to hunch over; muscles tore through her arms, rippling underneath her violet colored skin and adding to her increasing frame. Her fingers and feet swelled with strength as her neck compressed slightly into her massively swelling shoulders while her brow sloped over her eyes, her teeth tearing through her gums. She suddenly felt an itching sensation all across her body as thick, coarse, shaggy fur sprouted all along her burly arms as her face pushed back and compressed into a rough, rubber mask; Jane's belly quickly bloated into a thick, leathery beach ball as a spiked, red collar formed around her thick neck completing the transformation.

With a grunt, the gorilla hauled itself up onto her feet and knuckles and raised a fist up into the air before cracking it heavily down on the small platform of the high striker; the small, but heavy weight almost instantaneously shot off of the ground and clanged loudly against the bell at the top of the Beanstalk High Striker, forcing a large, pink flower to bloom brightly for all to see. Daring watched with a slack jaw as the large, great ape disappeared in a whirl of purple fur and hair to be replaced by a heavily blushing Jane as she then proceeded to collect her prize, a small, stuffed dragon, and then scamper out of the sight of so many prying eyes and running past the Troll's Bridge Dunk Tank.

"You are the worst shot Ever After– yeah!" Sparrow Hood howled off key as he played a small rock solo on top of the dunking platform; Melody Piper narrowed her eyes at the Son of Robin Hood and wound up her pitch of the ball at the waiting target. "Melody rhymes with _Smell-ody!_ " Sparrow sang loudly before Melody finally lost her patience and chucked the ball at the waiting target, successfully plunging Sparrow down in the freezing tank of water and giving him a mild shock from his electric guitar.

"Jane Boolittle!" Blondie shouted over the noise of the carnival, trying to get the shape-shifter's attention. "Can we-" the reporter tried to ask before Jane instinctively morphed into a cat, picked up her prize in her teeth, and proceeded to dive into the crowd of festival goers to avoid being seen.

"Blondie, you might as well give up." Humphrey rolled his eyes. "You aren't going to get an interview from those monsters."

"That's because she's askin' the wrong ones," Clawdeen snarled slightly at the Son of Humpty Dumpty. "Jane's the last ghoul you wanna put in front of a camera."

"Oh, hi, Clawdeen!" Blondie beamed brightly. "Mind if we get an interview?"

"Sure. I don't mind," the werewolf shrugged. "But lets make this quick, 'kay? I promised Cerise I was getting' some mutton."

"Alright!" Blondie smiled happily; under Ben's request, she had held off on any attempts to try and interview the four monsters that had arrived and managed to receive safe passage to attend Ever After High as normal students. Though, the Daughter of Blondie Locks supposed 'normal' wasn't the appropriate word for it. The four ghouls would often draw stares from the student body, whether it be because of Venus' habit of growing a small garden in every nook and cranny she was allowed to, Clawdeen occasionally leaving a trail of shed fur wherever she went, Skelita's entire, physical appearance, or Jane instantaneously changing form under stressful circumstances often causing several interruptions in class that often involved minor damages to property or light startles. Thankfully, they had managed to adjust to their new surroundings quite well, and Blondie could say with no uncertainty that they had all made some friends here and there. "So how're you four all enjoying the Spring Fairest?"

"Meh," Clawdeen shrugged. "It's not as big as Scream Break back home, but it definitely looks interestin'. Food smells clawesome."

"Is Scream Break the equivalent of Spring Fairest for you monsters?" Blondie asked.

The werewolf nodded. "Yep. We got a carnival and everything, from tar pits and a Scarris Wheel to fried tarantulas on a stick and corn dogs, too!"

"Uh, how interesting." Blondie tried to hold back the small amount of bile in the back of her throat at the thought of eating fried, hairy arachnids on a skewer like one would eat a cone of cotton candy; thankfully for the intrepid reporter, something far more flashy and newsworthy caught her eye. "It looks like some students went all out for this year's Spring Fairest!" she remarked.

Indeed, it seemed five very hexcited girls had gotten all dressed up and decked out for the festivities, much to a wide variety of the fair's enjoyment. Lizzie Hearts had dressed herself up in a simple, red dress with a strapless black top over a pair of short, black pants decorated with white diamonds that barely reached to her knees while she wore a pair of red heels with bright, red roses. Briar Beauty had been sewn an outfit composed of a black and white dress with the thick, pink outlines of roses decorating it, a short train, and a pair of pink leggings that slowly faded into pitch black once reaching her knees and ankles; her hair had been dyed a multitude shades of brown, pink, and a single streak of teal with a collection of white, pink, and red roses positioned carefully in her locks.

Holly O'Hair, a girl and one of the two Daughters of Rapunzel with long, luscious orange hair that nearly touched the ground was dressed in single white dress with the blackened outlines of curling, winding branches and leaves, a pair of pink and lavender leggings that matched her purple pumps quite well, and a black top underneath if it all posed for the camera next to Lizzie and Briar with a flattering smile upon her lips. Standing next to and towering over them all thanks to her black pumps was Cerise Hood dressed in a black and white checkerboard dress colored a deep crimson on the inside with a white belt and black buckle around her thin waist; of course, the outfit also consisted of a red hood with a white, cherry blossom pin jammed carefully into the artificial of clothing and a pair of white leggings decorated with the black silhouettes of birds and flowers. The final one of the five girls was none other than Cedar Wood dressed in a wide, purple dress wrapped up in several pink ribbons like of a pair of lederhosen with pink leggings, knee high, leather boots, and her brown locks and curls now dyed a wide variety of pinks and purples to accent and highlight the few white flowers in her hair; if this didn't Ben's attention, nothing would.

"Look! We're on the Jumbomirror!" Holly pointed out excitedly, waving her arms above her head at a gigantic, golden mirror that had been convinced to hang right in the middle of the air for all to see and spectate the biggest events of the fair.

"You are all just spellingbinding!" Blondie gushed as she rushed over to the five highly fashionable girls for an interview. "Lizzie, can you tell us what inspired this Spring fashion fling?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Since we don't have 'Spring Fairest' back in Wonderland, I embraced this lovely holiday through my fashion designs." she replied simply.

"And these look amazing! No lie!" Cedar jumped up and down happily.

"I don't normally change my look," Cerise added with a wolfish smirk. "But this is big, bad, and bold!"

"It's bold alright." Clawdeen rolled her eyes; really though, she was itching for her sketchbook in the hopes of coming up with some fashion designs as well, already feeling a sudden flash of creativity from the surrounding festivities.

"And, take it from this reporter, the 'Fairest Five' make this fair just right!" Blondie sighed off. With that being said and done, Dexter promptly chucked his Mirrorpad at Humphrey and leaped out of the bush screaming at the top of his lungs and feverishly scratching at his ant covered body as he ran away to try and find some sort of relief; of course, this drew several odd stares along with a few frightened yelps as panic started to flow through the crowd at the thought of Dexter turning into the terrifying creature that was the Beast once more.

" _Quoi?_ Is he going to be alright?" Skelita asked as she walked up with a basket of fresh, steaming fries in her bony hands.

"Oh, he'll be fine," Blondie waved it off. "He's Dexter!"

"If he's Dexter, than why does it look like he's trying to imitate a spider monkey with its butt on fire?" Clawdeen wodnered as Dexter feverishly scooted around the ground to try and force the ants out of his pants while scratching rapidly at his already reddening skin.

"Okay, so maybe he could use some help." Blondie admitted as she made a move to try and help Dexter; the reporter however, was too slow as Cupid came rushing through the crowd, nervously biting her lip as she bent down to help Dexter to his feet and quickly lead him away from the festivities before he could cause a bigger scene than he already had.

Kitty Cheshire watched the whole spectacle with an ever present smile upon her lips, stifling laughter as she perched on the roof of a hastily constructed soda stand. When the tender was distracted from Dexter's little 'dance', she stealthily scooped a small amount of kitty litter from a 'borrow' bag and dumped it into an open soda cup, chuckling silently to herself as she made sure not to get any on her new outfit; upon noticing the "Fashionable Five", as Blondie had dubbed them, on the Jumbomirror, Kitty decided to become something of a sixth member of the posse and had changed her outfit into a wild array of jagged, black and white stripes, deep and light purple hues and shades, and of course decorated herself with a couple dozen roses her and there as well so as not to seem too out of place.

"Hello, dear."

Kitty hardly flinched upon hearing the voice she had been talking to but an hour or so ago when she had called to brag about her latest prank; unfortunately, 'accidentally' dropping two, sticky ice cream cones on Duchess Swan's face wasn't enough to impress the woman Kitty had idolized and practically worshiped her entire life ever since she was a small kitten, her mother the Cheshire Cat.

"Mom!" Kitty attempted to sound surprised.

"Sandbox litter?" the Cheshire Cat purred with a slightly disappointed tone as she absentmindedly licked her fingers and rubbed off an invisible stain upon her daughter's cheek; as much as the older, crafty feline behaved like it, she really was proud of her Kitty, reminding her of the constant pranks she would pull back in Wonderland High and on Alice during the reenactment of the story they shared. If only her daughter was somehow able to get on her level. Maybe it required a push? "Still so preschool."

"Mom . . ." Kitty whined with disappointment.

"Kitty, we talked about this." the Cheshire Cat lightly scolded her as she disappeared from sight and reappeared a few feet behind her perched on top of the soda stand's logo. "Go big!"

Not even the sounds of Hunter Huntsman spitting out a mouthful of kitty litter stained soda could brighten Kitty's mood as she frantically looked around the Spring Fairest Festival for something, anything that she could do to perhaps try and make her mother proud. A quick look at the roller coaster ruled things out as it was heavily guarded by a band of enchanted suits or armor, their wits about them and on their toes after _someone_ had tampered with the ride's mechanic's during a test run earlier that morning and nearly put Sparrow Hood in the emergency room had Ben thankfully not been around to see him go flying and turn into Astrodactyl to save him before he or his guitar could crash into the ground. This was, of course, the main reason he had volunteered for the Dunk Tank (other than the fact that he would be able to taunt everyone he wanted without fear of getting wet).

The sound cheerful laughter caught Kitty's attention and she turned to glance at the Fairest Wheel, a large, metal wheel with multiple carriages that went around and around at a nice, leisurely thanks to the somewhat bored troll that operated the thing but turning a crank with its great strength; a devious idea formed in Kitty's head the instant she laid eyes on the large, hairy brute.

* * *

Venus let out a slight sigh of impatience as she waited behind Briar, Cerise, Cedar, and Holly O'Hair in line for the Fairest Wheel; having sent Ben out to go get some of what he deemed to be the 'next best thing to Mr. Smoothy's', the ghouls had decided to entertain themselves with whatever the Spring Fairest Festival had to offer them until their boyfriend would return. Clawdeen had gone off in search of some of the mutton she had promised to find Cerise and Skelita had gone off to some dark, shady corner to quietly eat her fries in peace without the threat of anyone happening upon her and witnessing the unfortunately _disgusting_ way she ate things whenever she was actually hungry; Venus herself didn't know how skeletons ate whatever food they occasionally did partake in, but if the Ben had reacted was anything to go by, it was not pretty.

"H-Hey, Venus?" the plant monster was momentarily shaken out of her boredom by a slight tugging on her sleeve and turned around to see Jane almost instantaneously appearing right behind her, most likely having snuck through the line in an animal form of hers if the disappearing whiskers and tail were anything to go by.

"Yes, Sweet Mango?" Venus smiled warmly.

"I-I . . . I won this for you . . ." Jane gulped nervously as she held up a small, red, plush dragon with yellow wings and soft, toothy smile for your ghoulfriend. "I-I know it's kinda pathetic and I-I can take it b-back if you want, but . . . I thought y-you might like it and-" the shape-shifter was cut off when Venus rewarded her with a small, quick kiss on the lips and a tight, warm hug.

"I love it." Venus told her as she took the dragon from Jane. "Thank you."

"N-No problem." Jane blushed.

"Those two are really made each other, huh?" Briar smirked at the affectionate monsters that were unfortunately drawing rather disgusted or suggestive looks from the students.

"Ooh, I'm sensing a good fan fiction coming on!" Holly squealed excitedly as the Fairest Wheel attendant pulled the velvet rope that kept the line in check aside and let the first four girls onto the ride.

"I love a good Fairest Wheel." Briar smiled as she climbed inside of the basket.

"Briar, you love anything and everything hexciting because, you know . . ." Holly gave off a loud and obnoxious snore as Cerise and Cedar climbed in after them; Briar laughed nervously at the joke, uncomfortable with the fact that she would be destined to fall asleep for a hundred years. By then, all her friends would have forgotten her, if they weren't dead yet, and she would be nothing more than a memory for the few that were left alive.

"Cedar, Cerise, excuse me, Holly," Hopper Croakington III shook Briar out of her thoughts as he scooted past the three girls and came to sit between Briar and Holly with his arm around the former's shoulders. "Briar." he grinned goofily. "What do you say we take a _spin_ together?"

"Hopper! The cars were made to hold _four_ people, not five!" Cerise snarled.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Briar said smugly, holding up a hand counting down from five on her fingers.

"So, Briar, you, um," Hopper started to say as the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty held up three fingers going on two. "You look really enchanting and, uh . . ." he hesitated just as Briar finally reached one. "Oh, no!" Hopper cried as he was engulfed in a flash of pink smoke and turned into his amphibious form once more. "My soul is aflame, my heart is afire!"

"Told ya." Briar smirked knowingly as the small, little frog sitting on the edge of the Fairest Wheel car recited to her a small bout of poetry in the hopes of charming the love of his life while the troll that operated the amusement park ride began to turn the crank once more.

Unbeknownst to the girls, frog, ghouls, or even the troll current giving them all a nice spin, certain Cheshire was up to no good once more; Kitty chuckled mischievously to herself as she materialized on the back of the large troll with a small shaker filled to the brim with spicy, irritating pepper that she emptied the entire contents of into her hand. The cunning feline then tossed the jar away and blew as hard as she could on the pile of pepper in her hands before disappearing and reappearing a short distance away to watch the chaos unfold as the troll sniffed and tried to hold back the sneeze that was building up in his oversized nose.

Kitty pouted slightly as the troll relaxed and continued to turn the Fairest Wheel, wondering why her plan didn't work.

" _ACH-OOO!_ "

Correction. Her plan _did_ work. Kitty chuckled victoriously as the unlucky riders of the Fairest Wheel screamed and hung on for dear life as they buzzed around and around with the wind blasting at their faces; just when it seemed that the troll would be able to regain control of the amusement park ride once more, another sneeze would tear through his nose and send the Fairest Wheel spinning again even faster than before. Kitty fixed her gaze on a particular car housing four of the 'Fashionable Five' and a very unfortunate Hopper Croakington as the later nearly went flying when his little frog fingers slipped free of the car's railing, Briar being kind and quick enough to just barely grab his hand before he would be sent flying.

" _Help!_ " Cerise shouted loudly as she tried to simultaneously keep her hood in place and her firm, white knuckle grip on the railing of the car.

"You heard her, Jane!" Venus said, tucking the stuffed dragon she had been gifted from the shape-shifter under her arm as she tapped the Omnitrix fixed to her wrist and cycled through her limited roster before finding the best of the three transformations to chose from. "As Ben would say, 'It's Hero Time!'" she quipped as she slammed a hand down on the activation button and immersed herself in a flash of neon green light. Hard metal plating raced up her back and front, melting together into a single shield as her shoulders crunched and squelched loudly, broadening out while becoming rounded and massive; flexible, black tubing covered the skin between her elbows and shoulders. Venus' arms began to swell, metal plating taking the place of her skin as the plant equivalent of her bones and muscles fused together before sending out thousands upon thousands of sensitive nerve endings that connected themselves to the armor that now encased Venus in a tight, faint orange shell. Her hands trembled and splintered loudly as the suddenly changed into sharp, gray claws while a large piston formed on the back of her elbows, merging with her arms beneath the thick layer of durable armor. Metal plating enveloped Venus' head and formed something resembled a Greek Corinthian helmet as a pair of small, pointed ears slipped out from beneath the armor just as her feet tore through her boots and turned into hard, metallic claws. The Omnitrix appeared on her chest between a pair of slight bulges in her armor where her breasts might have been as patches on her chest, knees, feet, and wrists turned a fiery pink in color, completing the transformation.

Jane slammed a hand down on the beeping watch face of the Nemetrix, swallowing herself in a flash of blood red light that warped and changed her DNA into something new that the world of Ever After had never seen in all its days. Her shoulders and back swelled with muscle and tissue as her bones grew bigger and bigger a loud, unsettling cracking noise while her spine ground and cracked before a second set of vertebrae formed underneath it and pushed upwards, forcing it up and out into the open air where it quickly hardened into bony plates with two, sharp fins that spread outwards with a third sprouting up and curving back. A long, bony tail whipped out from the base of her spine, muscle and tissue quickly enveloping it before skin and more bony plating covered the top, a spike forming on the end as four more, stegosaur-like spikes sprouted along her tail. Her legs made a sickening, wet sound as they split into two, forming a second pair that quickly bloated with muscle and bigger bones; her toes melted together into two, razor-sharp claws as her heels ground and popped out as a third talon. Jane's body lengthened and became segmented as her arms split into not one, not two, but three pairs whose fingers quickly fused together into two large claws. Her head bulged outwards as razor-sharp fangs ripped through her gums and four, bull-like horns grew on either side of her head. The skin around her head turned a deep, blood red in color as her segmented underbelly flashed a light lavender with the back plates turning a dark purple. A long hollow horn sprouted from her skull as her tongue swelled to fit her massive jaws and separate into sensitive forks while a large, red collar with the Nemetrix at its center appeared around her thick neck.

"C'mon, Jane! Put some petal to the metal!" Wreckta Scale quipped as the Talpaedan pumped her arms furiously to run towards one end of the out of control Fairest Wheel; Tyrannopede let out a loud roar and followed after her, positioning herself just behind the sturdy, metal frame of the amusement park ride and ramming her head forward to try and grind down the ride to a more steady pace. Wreckta Scale followed suit and pushed her metal claws against the bottom of the Fairest Wheel as hard as she could, wincing slightly as heat began to build up due to the intense friction; though, now that the she thought about it, the gigantic Tyrannopede was probably experiencing slightly more pain than she was, due to her skull having a bigger surface area than her hands. That, and the fact that it was her _skull_ and not durable metal claws that could easily punch clean through the toughest rock.

"Kitty!" an ever familiar voice ruined the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat's moment; with a sigh, she turned around to smile smugly at Raven Queen. If looks could kill, the kitten would have been murdered twice over and then some from how stormy the witchling's irritated gaze was. "You gotta stop pulling all these pranks! Someone's bound to get hurt!"

"Hmm. Have you met me?" Kitty purred coyly. "'Cause, it's kinda my thing."

"But . . . you don't have to follow the same path as your mom!" Raven protested as Wreckta Scale and Tyrannopede finally began to make progress in slowing down the Fairest Wheel a little; the faint smell of smoke caused by the intense friction was mildly concerning however. "I mean, if you're a Rebel-"

"Ugh, _why_ does anyone have to be a Rebel or a Royal!?" Kitty cut off with an exasperated sigh. "I do what I want. And I want to be like my mom!"

"Really?" Raven sounded surprised.

"Sure." Kitty smiled dreamily. She's beautiful and smart and creates more chaos than anyone Ever After!" she sighed happily. "Someday, I'm gonna make her proud of me."

"Uh, okay?" Raven blinked.

"Laters!" Kitty smiled before her entire figure was engulfed in a sparkling light that left her pearly, white smile hanging midair for a split second before it too vanished. With a sigh of defeat, Raven watched as Wreckta Scale and Tyrannopede finally managed to bring the Fairest Wheel to a stop, accepting the buckets of water they had been given by a few of the more concerned carnival goers for their burning body parts as the unfortunate Fairest Wheel riders slowly climbed off of the ride, staggering and dizzy. The majority of the line in wait took one look at the delirious fairy tales stumbling about like tea drunken Wonderlandians and decided that there were most likely far more safe attractions to attend.

"Don't you just love Spring Fairest?" Apple sighed happily as she came up to Raven's right. "It brings out the best in everyone!"

"You could say that." Raven mumbled as Tyrannopede offered her massive head as a support for anyone who was too dizzy; despite being a gigantic, alien predator that easily dwarfed an elephant, the majority of the unlucky carnival goers accepted the offer and could be found leaning against her head as they caught their breath and tried to calm their nerves. The Omnitrix fixed to Wreckta Scale's chest timed out mere seconds later, returning Venus to the world. "Should we head over to the Chef Showdown?"

"Absolutely! Though, I wonder what's taking Ben so long." Apple mused. "Normally it doesn't _anyone_ this long, not even Cerise, to reach the Dark Forest and back. Especially if he turns into the Zippy-Speedy-Quicky-Guy."

"I think you mean Fasttrack." Raven corrected her before she caught sight of something odd; the witchling cocked an eyebrow as Tyrannopede gave a quick shake of her skull and drew her to her full height to look back out on the Spring Fairest, ignoring the yelps of protests as dizzy victims fell to the ground. The gigantic predator seemed to be entranced by something off in the distance in the direction of the Dark Forest, her large nostrils sniffing and flaring loudly as she then sampled the air with her long, slimy, forked tongue. With a loud roar, the Tyrannopede lunged its head downwards and picked Venus in its teeth before stomping off out of the carnival, making sure at least and try and avoid stepping on anyone its mad rush to leave the festival behind; Raven caught a glimpse of a curious Clawdeen and Skelita chasing after the gigantic animal. "Uh, what was that all about?"

"Must be a monster thing." Apple shrugged. "C'mon, lets go."

"Okay . . ." Raven relented; something felt off to her. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She kept that worrying little thought cooped up in the back of her head though as she and Apple headed over towards where the Chef Showdown would be held within minutes and where multiple chefs from all across Ever After (or at least Book End) competed against one another to try and create most delicious, mouth watering, page ripping dish they possibly could.

"Ooh, I wonder who the spellbrity judge will be?" Apple wondered eagerly until she and Raven caught sight of the empty and quite deserted, save for Madeline Hatter happily sipping a cup of tea with her pet dormouse, Earl Grey, while Kitty hungrily stuffed her face with a cotton candy and ice cream cone at the same time, relishing in the sweet tastes of both the treats and victory. "Where is everyone?" the princess wondered. "I know they wouldn't miss the Chef Showdown!"

"Wait . . . wait, w-we're . . . we're here." Holly moaned deliriously as she, Cerise, and Cedar stumbled up the stairs to the large, grand platform that the Chef Showdown would be held on with Lizzie supporting Briar right behind them, a slightly worried look on the Princess of Heart's face.

"Where have you all been?" Apple asked with concern, allowing Holly to use her as a support.

"Well . . . someone b-broke the . . . Fairest Wheel-" Briar tried to say before she suddenly grabbed an empty pot and promptly threw up the contents of her stomach into it, moaning even further as she leaned heavily against one of the counters that marked a cooking area on the platform; Maddie took pity on the reeling princess and dipped her hand inside her hat to pull out a small handkerchief to wipe her vomit stained lips with.

"We're looking at you . . . Kittys." Cerise tried to growl angrily at the two, spinning images of the Cheshire trying to act innocent before them before she promptly fell on the floor and curled up into fetal position to try and stop the world from spinning around her; it wasn't until Raven bent down to comfortingly rub her back and try to sooth her did a small smile and light blush cross her face underneath of her hood.

"Wow, hey! Lighten up!" Kitty frowned. "Gotta admit . . . it was really funny!" she giggled hysterically.

"The first chance I get, I am getting Ben to hurl you into orbit and see how _you_ like it." Cerise frowned from the floor before moaning in slight agony and holding her aching stomach while Briar once again threw up into her borrowed pan.

"Kitty, we could have been hurt." Cedar frowned, narrowing her eyes at the crafty cat.

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat rolled her eyes and disappeared in a sparkling light to then reappear before the small group gathered before her. "Look, if you all can't take a little . . . joke . . ." she trailed off when she caught sight of something unusually familiar out of the corner of her eye. Or rather _someone._ Squinting slightly to make sure she wasn't seeing things, Kitty watched as a tall, handsome boy with quail brown curls and piercing blue eyes dressed in a blue jacket with wild designs and a satchel over his back walked into the Spring Fairest Festival, admiring the bright colors and wondrous attractions while carrying a small, fluffy white rabbit in his arms.

" _Alistair?_ " Kitty whispered, disappearing once more to then reappear farther down the staircase for a closer look. "Is it you?" she wondered when the boy caught sight of her and eagerly waved a hand. Now confident that she was right, Kitty eagerly rushed at the Son of Alice in Wonderland and slammed into him, hugging him tightly and burying her head into his shoulder as she squeezed the life out of him.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Maddie bounced happily as she merrily skipped all the way down the stairs after Kitty with a surprisingly excited Lizzie just behind her; the Hatter eagerly crashed into Alistair and sent both him, her, Kitty, and the small, white rabbit in his hands crashing to the ground as Lizzie skidded to a stop next to them all and bent down for a closer look, her smile broadening when she found that it was indeed her long lost friend.

"Maddie! Kitty! Lizzie!" Alistair laughed as he climbed to his feet and briefly embraced all his friends once more with the rabbit still resting snugly in the crook of his elbow. "We found you!"

"Ooh, who is this?" a seductive voice purred with interest. The group of Wonderlandians turned to see a girl with deep, peach skin dressed in a ruffled, white tutu with white leggings, black slippers, and her white, black, and lavender locks pulled up into a large, plush bun on her head held in place by a feathered, swan headband; the sudden appearance of the mysterious boy and his disapproving rabbit was starting to draw a crowd of curious fairy tales, of which Duchess was quite eager to be at the center of.

"Meet our good friend Alistair Wonderland!" Maddie smiled broadly. "None other than the son of the famous Alice!"

"And is that . . ." Lizzie wondered, taking a glance at the small rabbit in Alistair's arms.

"Yep! It's Bunny!" Alistair grinned, holding his arms up to allow the small, fluffy rabbit to leap out of his hands and into the air, encompassing itself in a flash of purple smoke before emerging as a beautiful girl with short, white hair and a small, black top hat between a pair of floppy rabbit ears.

"Daughter of the White Rabbit!" Bunny gave a smug smile, bowing lightly to the astounded crowd; some of however, were more amazed than others.

"Whoa! You're a girl!" Sparrow exclaimed. "Sweet fairy fire!" he grinned as he eagerly strutted up to Bunny and began to show off and pose for her, flexing his muscles and giving a bright smile much to Bunny's amusement; Alistair however, was less than amused as he quickly pushed past Maddie and Lizzie to stand between the gloating thief and his friend.

"Dude, she's with me!" Alistair snarled, pushing Sparrow back before he realized what he was doing. "Uh, I-I-I mean, standing . . . right here . . . with me!" he corrected himself awkwardly, mentally berating himself for acting in such a manner.

"It's been such a long time, Alistair," Lizzie sighed happily. "Since we last saw each other in _Wonderland_." she smiled dreamily.

Maddie however, and quite ironically, seemed to be the only actually giving any sort of form related to rational thought at all at the moment. "Wait a scoodle!" she exclaimed, shaking her head and giving herself a rather unfortunate eye cross in the process. "How did you two get here!?"

"I'd like to know that myself!" Headmaster Grimm's rough and oddly gentlemanly voice cut through the amazed crowd as he pushed past several students to stand over and intimidate the small band of Wonderlandians with his stern gaze and not-so impressive mustache; his brother, Giles Grimm was but a few stumbling steps behind him, quickly scooting his glasses back up his nose for a better view. "All the portals to Wonderland are sealed!" he added gruffly at having his power challenged.

"We found a way through." Alistair explained.

" _Impossible!_ " Headmaster Grimm snarled, jamming an accusing finger at the Son of Alice in Wonderland.

"Well . . . except for _that_ one that was left open," Giles remembered as he scratched his bearded chin in thought. "You know, to let a _little_ bit of wonder flow in from Wonderland." he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder in an attempt to clam him down and least make him look more presentable to the gathering crowd.

"Oh, ah, right." Grimm cursed under his breath when he remembered the very entrance his brother was referring to; he was mentally berating himself for not pushing harder on the subject towards the Grand Coven to seal off every last one of the entrances and exits and portals to the contaminated world of Wonderland, but of course, that idea was shot down the instant he brought it up. No matter how hard he had protested and argued and threatened and even whined against the council, they had remained firm in leaving at least _one_ blasted portal open for some odd reason that they didn't bother to share with the headmaster that for some other odd reason his brother actually seemed to know but refused to tell him. One of the many reasons he had placed the Babble Spell upon his brother in the first place and locked him in the archives underneath the school in the first place.

"Young man, I do not know what kind of trick you are trying to pull, but you are _not_ supposed to be in this world!" the Headmaster spat angrily. "Ancestors knows we need another Tennyson around causing mischief and tricks and other nonsense and tomfoolery!"

"Who?" Bunny raised a curious eyebrow.

"Lets just say that a _lot_ has happened since we last met!" Maddie giggled.

"Like what?" Alistair wondered.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

"Come back here! I got four fists, no waiting!"

Everyone briefly turned their attention away from the two, out of place Wonderlandians to see and quickly make a wide space as a woman with caramel skin, a large pair of bat-like wings, and a long tail tipped with a spade-like growth came hurtling through screaming at the top of her lungs as a large, burly Tetramand stomped after her with the intent of tying her into a knot; chasing after the both of them was a werewolf, a skeleton, a plant monster, and a sleek, lavender cheetah with indigo spots and a spiked collar around its neck. With a grunt, Four Arms launched himself through the air and delivered a painful anvil drop to Vanity's spine, crushing her into the ground as the ghouls and cheetah dog piled on top of him, pinning the slippery succubus to the ground.

"What the- What is the meaning of this!?" Headmaster Grimm roared angrily.

"I'm kicking this incubus slut's butt, what does it look like?" Four Arms as the ghouls climbed off of him as he drew to his full height, dwarfing everyone around him as he hauled Vanity up by the wrist. "And for your information, _this_ is what a incubus looks like." he added, holding Vanity up for the Headmaster as a smug grin crossed the Tetramand's face.

"Enjoy this moment while you can, _Tennyson_ ," Vanity spat angrily. "Because you will rue the day you met me!"

"Hmmm, yes. A little late for that, now isn't it?" Skurd chuckled from Four Arms' waist, startling Alistair and Bunny out of their initial shock, amazement, and slight fear. With that being said, Skurd oozed his gelatinous body over the arms currently holding the succubus in place as his tapped into the Omnitrix's extensive genetic database and pulled a sample out, turning everything from the elbow down into a stiff, barrel-like appendage with three, stiff fingers that gripped Vanity by her thin waist tightly.

" _Bomb_ voyage!" Four Arms cracked as he raised his Bombardian arm towards the sky and fired it off high into the way, shielding his eyes with a hand and watching as Vanity soared higher and higher into the air before the Miniboom finally exploded in a small, fiery cloud and sent her flying off towards the horizon.

"I'll get you for this, Tennyson! I'll get you!" the succubus cursed, her voice dwindling the farther away she got.

"Glad that's over with." Clawdeen dusted off her hands.

"You can say that again," Four Arms agreed as Skurd shifted himself off of the Tetramand's arm and returned it to its original form; it was then that the small band of heroes finally noticed that they were, quite literally, the center of the attention. "Uh, did we just miss something?"

"W-Who . . . Who are you?" Alistair marveled at a loss for words.

"Name's Ben Tennyson, Wielder of the Omnitrix." Four Arms replied, folding his top pair of arms over his chest as he shook both Alistair and Bunny's hands with the other set. "Hi, how ya doin'?"

"I haven't heard about your fairy tale." Alistair raised a suspicious eyebrow as he shook Four Arms' hand, wincing at the amount of pressure put on his fingers by the Tetramand's strong grip.

"I'm not from around here, kid." Four Arms chuckled lightly before a loud beeping filled the air, drawing Alistair's attention towards the Omnitrix fixed securely to the Tetramand's waist. "Wait for it." he added, holding up a finger before the beeping finally reached a climax and swallowed the bulky, four-armed alien in a flash of green light. His tough, crimson exterior softened and turned a bright peach in color as the massive amount of muscles that surrounded his buff arms and iron abdominals decreased dramatically while his sturdy skeleton crunched and snapped loudly, decreasing in size until he stood about even with Alistair. A fifth finger sprouted on each of his hands as his two, strong claws split into five, fleshy toes just as the lower set of arms that gave Four Arms his name were loudly slurped back into his body with a loud, sickening, crunching noise that made everyone's nerves stand on end; the short beard and handlebar mustache that decorated his strong chin and upper lip disappeared to be replaced by a head of shaggy, brown hair as his four, green orbs molded back together into a single pair as a black and green T-shirt with a white number 10 on the front, a pair of brown pants, green and white sneakers, and the Omnitrix materialized on him, Skurd appearing on the watch-like device fixed firmly to his wrist.

"There we go." Ben grinned before immediately hissing in pain and holding his shoulder.

"Ben? What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"Ah, nothing. Just a little sore." Ben lied.

"He got stabbed through the shoulder, dear girl! Do not believe his deceiving lies!" Skurd exclaimed, earning a mild look of annoyance as several gasps of surprise and shock radiated throughout the crowd; it was a well known fact made clearly obvious within merely days of meeting Ben that he was notoriously hard to wound, even fatally injure. Whoever had actually managed to only land a blow but a severe wound to him was deemed incredibly dangerous or at the very least, to be avoided.

" _Si._ I removed the spear from his shoulder myself." Skelita confirmed, earning a startled yelp when Bunny caught sight of the skeleton.

"Sorry." the Daughter of the White Rabbit quickly apologized.

"Oh, don't worry your teacups about her! Happens all the time!" Maddie beamed brightly.

" _Si._ Maddie is quite correct. My appearance does take a little getting use to." Skelita agreed.

"This is fascinating and all, it _really_ is, but can someone kindly explain to me what in the name of the ancestors is going on here?" Alistair piped up, his mind reeling and leaving him confused; as if the Cheshire Cat's mind boggling riddles weren't enough, now there were four rather unusual and admittedly elegant monsters attending Ever After High in addition to a rather remarkable shape-shifter that seemed to have some sort of magical way of charming several members of the female species quite easily, if the way all four monsters, Raven, Apple, Cerise, and even Maddie were frantically fusing over his wound, even as it began to already heal itself.

"What is going on, is that we already have one troublemaker here and do not have room for two," Headmaster Grimm responded with a grumpy tone. "We already put up with _this_ one."

"You're just mad that I beat you at Wonderland Chess." Ben smirked.

" _Regardless,_ " the Headmaster frowned, narrowing his eyes at the smug smirk upon Ben's lip and only mildly lightening his mood when the Omnitrix wielder winced slightly when Apple cautiously touched the wound in his shoulder and instantly jerked her hand away, looking at the small amount of blood that tipped her fingers with a look of awe, curiosity, and fear. Raven meanwhile, gently set her hand over the wound and closed her eyes, uttering a silent spell under her breath as her palm glowed a faint purple in color; Ben's pained expression lessened slightly, turning into one of mild relief as the stabbing pain in his shoulder went numb. Raven however just seemed relieved that the spell had worked and hadn't turned Ben into a chicken man. "You are not supposed to be in this world! You're no better than _him!_ " he added, jerking a finger at Ben.

"I think you're gonna be a _lot_ nicer to me," Alistair smirked smugly. "After I show what I've got in here." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the satchel on his back that Bunny had taken the liberty of already digging into.

"Oh, really? And what exactly is that?" Headmaster Grimm scoffed with a sarcastic eye roll.

"Oh, I dunno. Just the _Storybook of Legends!_ " Alistair smirked triumphantly, holding out the ancient book for all to see as eyes widened, jaws dropped, and gasps radiated throughout the air. Needless to say, the Headmaster was quite surprised.

* * *

Ginger Breadhouse groaned blinked blearily at her surroundings, taking her glasses off of her face and giving them a good clean; when she had asked Madeline Hatter and Lizzie Hearts for helping in finding a source of Wonderland water, she never suspected that the very source of the water she desperately needed for her the Chef Showdown, the Well of Wonder, would actually manage to trick her into leaning too far over the stone edge and plunge down into the cool, rainbow stained waters that swept her through and along currents that twisted and turned at impossible angles. The ride had been so stomach churning, so wild, so _wondrous,_ that she could have sworn that she was seeing things; she almost could have sworn that she had seen a boy and girl holding hands being swept through the nearly infinite tunnels and tubes just like her!

With her thoughts empty and her wits about her, Ginger gingerly placed her glasses back where they belonged and took note of her surroundings, noticing that she had landed in a large, metal teacup hanging from a rusted chain next to a derelict shack that stood poised and proud on top of a narrowly tall mountain top. The sky above her was a faint, sickly yellow in color and the land around was wilted and barren of anything that seemed even close to being alive; what little vegetation managed to gain a foothold in this place was withered and dry, begging for any sort of moisture available as the faint cawing of crows echoed in the distance. Ginger peered off towards the distance, quirking an eyebrow when she saw a faint, pink and purple glow off in the distance, noticing how the sky actually took on a healthy glow off in the distance and how ancient trees seemed to tickle it with their branches. It was then that Ginger actually realized where she had ended up.

"Oh, my fairy godmother! I'm in Wonderland!" she gasped.

* * *

M.N: _To be continued . . ._

B.P: _Do we really have to end it there?_

F.N: _I'm afraid so, dear._

B.P: _Aw. But I really hoping to get to the part where Ben and Maddie-_

M.N and F.N: _BROOKE! No spoilers!_

B.P: _. . . sorry._

F.N: _I think it's time to bring in your brother, dear._

B.P: _No! Not him, please! He'll drive me off the page until I'm crazier than Maddie!_

M.N: _I'm afraid it's for your own good, dear. Perhaps you'll be able to pick up a few pointers._

B.P: _I bet Ben wouldn't criticize how I read . . ._

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **Sorry to disappoint some of you, but this has got to be a two parter! Hey, _Haunted_ was a three parter, and it was at least _twice_ as long as Spring Unsprung is. Plus, I** **couldn't stand not getting this out before the big Thanksgiving break and just not getting it out in general. I love posting for you guys!**

 _ **And so do I!**_

 **Ugh. I forgot you were here.**

 _ **You didn't forget, silly! You just didn't remember!**_

 **. . . I am _so_ confused. Regardless, comment, review, suggest and request down below!**

 _ **Not just yet, silly! You still gotta make the list!**_

 **Oh, yeah. Either way, a reader asked me to list all of Ben's aliens in order from most powerful to least (in my opinion), so here we are:**

 **1\. Alien X**

 **2\. Atomix**

 **3\. Clockwork**

 **4\. Gravattack**

 **5\. Feedback**

 **6\. Way Big**

 **7\. Humungousaur**

 **8\. Diamondhead**

 **9\. Rath**

 **10\. Four Arms**

 **11\. Ghostfreak**

 **12\. Big Chill**

 **13\. Swampfire**

 **14\. Lodestar**

 **15\. Whampire**

 **16\. Armodrillo**

 **17\. NRG**

 **18\. Shocksquatch**

 **19\. Upgrade**

 **20\. Jury Rigg**

 **21\. Grey Matter**

 **22\. Brainstorm**

 **23\. Chromastone**

 **24\. Jetray**

 **25\. Eye Guy**

 **26\. XLR8**

 **27\. Fasttrack**

 **28\. Upchuck**

 **29\. Eatle**

 **30\. Cannonbolt**

 **31\. Whampire**

 **32\. Frankenstrike**

 **33\. Ball Weevil**

 **34\. Ripjaws**

 **35\. Buzzshock**

 **36\. Arctiguana**

 **37\. Crashhopper**

 **38\. Astrodactyl**

 **39\. AmpFibian**

 **40\. Bloxx**

 **41\. Blitzwolfer**

 **42\. Bullfrag**

 **43\. Echo Echo**

 **44\. Heatblast**

 **45\. Kickin' Hawk**

 **46\. Terraspin**

 **47\. Wildmutt**

 **48\. Wildvine**

 **49\. Water Hazard**

 **50\. Spidermonkey**

 **51\. Mole-stache**

 **52\. Toepick**

 **53\. Ditto**

 **54\. ChamAlien**

 **55\. Pesky Dust**

 **56\. Stink Fly**

 **57\. Nanomech**

 **58\. The Worst**

 **59\. Walkatrout**

 _ **Hasta Luego!**_

 **Stop stealing my lines, woman!**


	18. Spring Unsprung Pt 2

**And here we are again! Welcome back one and all to another chapter of _Once Upon a Tennyson!_**

 _ **Yay! Yay! Yay!**_

 **Easy, Maddie. Try and tone it down a little, please?**

 _ **Never after! I gotta a cannon and I'm not afraid to use it!**_

 **Curse you _Pinkie Pie._ I shall have my revenge!**

 _ **That'll have to wait until later, silly! The walrus can't deny the enviable feast that lies within the oysters he walks with!**_

 **Sorry, my Riddlish is a little rusty. What the Sphinx does that mean?  
**

 _ **It means, you scoodle brain, that we have reviews to answer!**_

 **You know the world is ending when Maddie actually the one that's on track. Oh, well. On a side note, thank you for getting us to _600 reviews!_ We can't thank you enough, guys, gals, and miscellaneous species for taking the time to tune and to listen to all the complete nonsense we have to say. Well, Maddie says complete nonsense, I actually say something that's worth listening to.**

 ** _That's what you think!_**

 **Quiet, you. You still need to rest until you're sober enough off of your tea that your not gonna take my head anytime soon.**

 ** _NEVER!_**

 **Why do I even bother to try and stop her during these review celebrations? oh, well. Onto the review answers!**

 _ **Yay!**_

 _ **Linkonpark100 –**_ **As much as I would like to, it would be completely unfair to the narrators. It would blow their tiny minds (except maybe Brooke. She's a little more open that her parents)!**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **If and when Ben and friends return home, I'm not quite sure how. That's in the far, far, far,** ** _far_ future, so it's something I push off until the last second since it's not that hard to rectify and change if necessary. I like the suggestion though; Hokestarr's gonna wanna try making a fairy berry smoothy (hopefully _not_ made from real fairies). As for a holiday themed chapter, I've got an idea in mind . . .**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **I don't think Ben would react wildly (after all, he knows from personal experience that even a princess can deadly back home). As for your aching face, I suggest some Cheshire Smiling Cream, for those Cheshire's that just aren't able to keep their constant grins in place for fear of sore muscles.**

 _ **Wolfslick –**_ **Glad you liked it!**

 _ **Zak Saturday –**_ **Yeah, our favorite chess piece friend won't be appearing for a while. And as much as "fan fable" works, it's apparently called fan fiction canonically; talk about a wasted chance.**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **Trust me, I would have loved to incorporate more Maddie into this-**

 _ **Me, too!**_

 **But it probably be put in at inopportune times and places that made absolutely no sense. Belive me, there will be more Maddie farther down the road.**

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin –**_ **Thank you for the wonderful gift (finally, a chair that's both comfy and fits my size! And it comes with food and drinks, too!). About your little pet . . . is it normal for it to try and eat my hand? I mean, I'm not exactly feeling any pain over here thanks to my tough skin and all, but it's kinda starting to get annoying. That being said, kindly leave my room before I Tetramand Cymbal Clap you through the wall; I've got enough troublesome roommates thank you very much!**

 _ **Mr. Nibbles can't help it if he's hungry!**_

 **I wasn't referring to 'Mr. Nibbles'. And that is definitely _not_ what I'm calling him. Or her. Or it. Another thing I'm sure of is that I'm _not_ checking what gender it is.**

 **StrongGuy159 – Thank you, _mi amigo!_ Enjoy part 2!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Oh, don't worry about Apple. She'll be hearing about this** ** _quite_ soon XD Glad you liked the OC as well (you can thank _maverick2000_ for that); and your little curiosity about Ben could definitely work in my favor (meaning it'll be fun to write). Also, thank you for the villain ideas. I LOVED them!**

 _ **I did, too!**_

 **You, you try and contain Mr. Nibbles or whatever we're gonna name it.**

 _ **It's almost like its our child and we're its parents!**_

 **Memo to me. Memo to me: hide your tea set.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Okay, yeah, that makes a** ** _lot_ more sense now. Now that that's out of the way, this guy has a very high prospect of coming into the story at one point or another (not as soon as the villain from my last chapter, but close enough). Also, despite your suggestion/request, I refuse to address events such as these for fear of controversy and biting comments that may follow if I give a biased statement or of something similar composition, no matter how horrible the event (though trust me, I feel just as bad as you do for what happened).**

 _ **If you ask me, that guy could scare the bark out of a dogwood tree.**_

 **So, you don't like him?**

 _ **He's one sour cup of tea, that's what he is!**_

 **I'll take that as a yes.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Hmmm. What if I took the myth of the Greek Achilles (this actually works, since Cupid's in Ever After and it's a place of fairy tales and myths) and reworked it bit; essentially, he could be this nearly unstoppable steam work gladiator-like golem that roams the lands of Ever After searching for evil to destroy, having been created to fight and kill anything it deemed a danger to the destinies the inhabitants of Ever After were supposed to follow; this will help flow into a little idea I was given by** ** _Codecrash_ about what would happen if there were forgotten fairy tales locked away by the Grimm brothers and their ancestors seeking revenge? Something to think about. As for Brooke reappearing after _Spring Unsprung_ . . . she probably won't appear _everytime,_ but definitely some more.**

 _ **Dragonsaurus Rex –**_ **Okay, yes, technically speaking** ** _Archaeopteryx_ was a bird, but it's proven with hard evidence that most, if not all small theropod dinosaurs had feathers covering their bodies at point in their lives; to be honest, I get a little irked whenever something as little of a detail as this doesn't let someone enjoy the chapter as much, mostly because it's really not important to the plot whatsoever.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **I'm glad you like my writing style. I'll admit that I was a little worried that going back and forth in time like that would horribly confuse people, but I'm glad it didn't deter you from reading! And . . . well . . . she's kinda . . .** ** _cute_ and . . . oh, what am I saying? I ain't taking this no more!**

 ** _Not taking what anymore?_**

 **I'm not taking this kinda abuse anymore! I don't care if you're my eternal tormentor or not, I am a Sphinxin' Tetramand for crying out loud and I will not let myself be dominated or demeaned by a Hatter who's less than twice my size!**

 _ **My new, special mallet gives out funny electric sparks whenever it hits things.**_

 **You win this round . . .**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **While I can't say what her brother will be like (yet) I do have to say that Brooke is one of my favorite characters. And if anyone can help Brooke get her own story, it's Ben. And yes, there are both demons in Ever After and lines to be drawn between certain feline related females.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Hmmm. When you put it that way, it's not a bad idea. Especially considering how Apple's own mother seems to have some sort of attraction towards him, no matter how mild. As for Maddie telling Ben of Brooke's little crush . . . ;)**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **I always did strive to make sure I got just the right combination of awesomeness, hilarity, and freaking sweetness mixed just right; too much of one thing and not even Upchuck won't find it appetizing.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Unfortunately, I already have an idea for what will happen to the Forever Knights. While it won't involve the Cheshire Cat, I can say it will involve a certain fairy tale character that everyone knows quite well.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I like the bookball idea a lot, I was actually trying to figure out a way to get Ben on the bookball team without switching the seasons again (there's only so much that the Well of Wonder can do). As for the Queen of Hearts idea . . . I'll think about it. Regarding Faybelle's look, I'm thinking it's something about fairy physiology where the young have quick, fairy wings to be more agile and fast to avoid predators and enemies while the more powerful adults have the gigantic bird wings to shield themselves with. That's my theory anyway.**

 **Guest – Actually, no. There's only so much one can do with being impaled through the shoulder. And contrary to what you may or may not think, I _do_ take the time to read all of my reviews and feedback from my viewers. It's just that not all of what they say or suggest will be taken into consideration.**

 _ **Soos –**_ **Don't blame yourself, Soos. I mean sure, the one-eyed freak is driving me up the wall while Maddie and I silently plot against him (he crossed the line, if you didn't know), but it's not your fault. I'm sure he would have found out eventually. Regardless, all four of my hands are tied right now. And yes, Bill will probably turn you inside out.**

 _ **Bill Cipher –**_ **Of course, you realize this means war. And for the last time, I ain't no human! I'm a Tetramand and proud of it! I will tear out your eyeball and going bowling with it with my bare hands! Oh, and the destruction of keyboard? Not really an issue. Lets just I have my connections and ways of getting a new one ):)**

 _ **. . .**_

 **Maddie? We're talking to Bill here. Aren't you gonna insult his mother or something?**

 _ **. . . *sniff***_

 **Oh, Maddie. Come on, it's not that bad. We can still get- _WHOA!_**

 _ **My tea! My precious Wonderland tea! Aaaaa-aaaa-aaaah!**_

 **And this was my favorite shirt, too. * _sigh*_ Look, I promise we'll get Bill for this, okay? You'll be the one to personally tear that top hat of his off and shove it down whatever kind of throat he has.**

 _ **Promise?**_

 **Promise. Anything you'd like to say to Bill?**

 _ **Nothing that will be entirely censored.**_

 **. . .okay. What _I_ have to say to you, you one-eyed, triangular, madness swallowing, steroid chugging freak of interdimensional nature, is that I will _never_ let you take Maddie away from me _or_ Ben! And that I'd rather throw myself into a black hole than spend time with that freak of nature that's probably your sister in law or something, you son of a * _censored*._ Oh, and guess what? I AM NOT A HUMAN! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 _ **The toy soldier meets the general!**_

 **Translation: prepare to meet your maker, Bill. We might not be able to help directly, but we. Are. Coming. For. _YOU._**

 _ **Deal with it, you demon idiot! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

 **That's my girl.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **With the Cheshire Cat, you never can tell, that's for sure.**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **You know, that's actually not a bad idea. Well done.**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **I think I can arrange an appearance of Mole-Stache :)**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Yeah, Vanity's quite a looker. Despicable and wicked, but definitely beautiful. And yes, I am going to have a field day with the alternate personalities that can and will be brought to the table; not so much in the OC villain yet, though. It's a little (a lot, really) earlier for that again.**

 _ **To answer your question, I just take it as a compliment! I love people telling me I'm mad! It's what makes me . . . me! And sorry, but it's next to impossible to teach anyone outside of Wonderland to break the fourth wall, barring getting thrown into the event horizon-scoodle-doodle-thingy ol' Paradox had to go through. And no, Daddy hasn't met Jigsaw yet. But I think he'll like him just as much as I do!**_

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **You know what I have to say to that!?** ** _*censor*_ you, Bill Cipher!**

 _ ***several rude hand gestures* The sun has set on the dog's day!**_

 **What she said. And Bill's got _nothing_ on Alien X! He's a close second, I'll give him that, but he's got nothing!**

 _ **cajilig18 –**_ **Thank you, my good sir (or ma'am).**

 _ **TerrorKing10 –**_ **Interesting villain, to say the least. This actually shares many qualities with Vanity, the villain from the previous chapter, and I was actually hesitant on even continuing further with this, but I'm glad I did. In spite of her actual appearance (which I now don't mind) she's definitely unique among the villains and should be more than enough to give both Ben** ** _and_ Jane a run for their money.**

 _ **guest –**_ **It'll probably still be similar to how it was in** ** _Spring Unsprung,_ but you never know . . .**

 _ **fantasylover4ever –**_ **It's a definite possibility!**

 _ **Deadpool –**_ **It's nothing personal, Deadpool, really it isn't. I love your wisecracks and breaking the fourth wall, but I already have more than enough characters breaking the fourth wall; first a hatter, a pink pony, a reviewer, and a one-eyed, interdimensional demon, and now you. I don't how much more of this I can take . . .**

 _ **Zachery Hance**_ **– All in due time, my friend. All in due time.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Yes, I believe you spelled those correctly. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for me getting the genders right; as for Darling, she won't officially appear until** ** _Way too Wonderland_ and afterwards, but I can guarantee that something is bound to happen XD**

 _ **Smokescreen2814 –**_ **Oh, great. Now even more characters breaking the fourth wall!**

 _ **maverickmoxery2000 –**_ **Thank you for the additional info on Vanity; I'm too the point where I've got so many good villains I'll have to create a separate document just to house all their applications! As for your idea of the 7 Deadly Sins idea, bring it on! I'm to the point where I know have three groups of villains conspiring against Ben, not counting his own enemies that looking to even the score a little. Regarding Wonderland, I'm pretty sure it's like a pocket dimension, sort of like how the Null Void is connected to Ben Prime's world. As for when the ghouls get alien species similar to their own species, I imagine it will not be a fusion; if Clawdeen were to turn into a Loboan, she'd probably keep her fur color and nothing more, no matter how similar the species are physical appearance wise; after all, hyraxes, elephants, manatees, and dugongs are all related and they look absolutely** ** _nothing_ alike.**

 _ **luciayshadow -**_ **. . . my mind . . . she is a blown! The only slight issue I have with your whole Hexico adventure (which I love) is that there are** ** _far_ too many OCs for it to work properly; adding OCs into a story is like baking a cake: you add too much water to the mix, and you end up with something that resembles a very messy cake (I don't do a lot of baking, but I'm pretty sure that's how it works). What you're suggestion involves too many OCs that most likely only appear once for it to be safe; if you can lower the number to perhaps three (villain included), then this could work out; I'm sensing that while all your OCs share some hold on the whole idea, they don't share as big as a roll as the villain and owl man the ghouls are searching for in the first place.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **It is unknown if the fairy tales will receive Omnitrixes of their own, as that is off into the very far future.**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I like what I see here. Although, could you perhaps tone down his powers a little bit? I understand he's supposed to be the King of All Dragons, but you're making him sound like a freakin' god! Even if he** ** _does_ have a weak spot, Ben's not gonna be able to safely defeat this guy without going Alien X, something I absolutely refuse to do without a good reason (Rule number one when writing Alien X: only bring him out during either a very short mistransformation or destruction of the universe crisis).**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **We'll see the other ghouls soon enough, my dear friend. As for the chapter . . . well, here it is! Regarding the nightmarish dreams the ghouls might have . . . let sleeping ghouls lie, as they say . . .**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Vanity possesses the ability to read minds and peruse through memories, allowing her to know such details with little issue; the only problem is that it doesn't work on inorganic beings such Chornosapiens, Galvanic Mechamorphs, Petrosapiens, Crystalsapiens, or plants, such as Methanosians and Floraunas.**

 _ **Wonderlandian –**_ **That it shall be, I guarantee it!**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **Are you sure you weren't mad in the first place? ;)**

 _ **Da999 – Aw, thanks! I love making people smile!**_

 **And thanks to everyone that wished Raven a Happy Birthday!**

 _ **Are we done?  
**_

 **Yep. I believe so.**

 _ **Good! I wanna get back to the chapter! Things are getting good!**_

 **You can say that again. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! And I am still accepting applications for more OC villains!**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **Once again, stealing my lines. _Not cool._**

* * *

B.P: _Mom, Dad! You can't do this!_

F.N: _It's for your own good, dear. If you ever want to become a proper narrator like your brother, you have to learn to spot spoiling the story._

B.P: _But, Mom!_

M.N: _Mind your mother, dear._

B.P: _Dad!_

T.P: _Hey, Mom! Dad. Brooke._

M.N: _Nice to have you back, son!_

B.P _. . . Hi, Turner._

T.P: _I take it sis is having a little trouble understanding the whole concept of being a narrator again?_

F.N: _I'm afraid so, dear. Would you mind setting an example for your sister?_

B.P: _Mom!_

T.P: _Brooke, I know you like to give everyone a Happily Ever After and skip to the good parts, but it's really important to slow down sometimes and take the story at a steady pace. Otherwise you might miss references to future or past events!_

B.P: _. . . I hate you so much . . ._

T.P: _As the stereotypical dude would say, "That really harshes my mellow"._

B.P: _Stop using references to stories I have never read!_

M.N: _Brooke! Please be quiet and let your brother show you what his studies have taught him._

F.N: _And be sure to pay attention as well._

B.P: _. . . I bet Ben wouldn't criticize how I narrate . . ._

T.P: _Ahem. Continuing where we last left off, Ginger Breadhouse had taken a tumble down the Well of Wonder and had miraculously ended up in Wonderland . . . or at least, what was left of it._

F.N: _See, dear? Those are the kind of things you might miss if you rush._

B.P: _. . . Yes, Mom . . ._

* * *

Eventually, Ginger had managed to safely get herself out of ancient, cracked teacup she had landed in, using a long, durable strand of red licorice she kept tucked away in her pocket to nibble on whenever she was nervous; eating candy to calm herself down came naturally to her, considering she was the Daughter of the Candy Witch. Once she was safely on the small patch of ground that the top of precariously perched spire provided, she cautiously approached the derelict shack that took up a majority of the top of the tower she was on and pushed open the old wooden door, the hinges groaning in protest after finally moving in years.

The inside, while comparatively small to the gingerbread house Ginger had grown up in, the ceilings were high and spacious and the walls were curiously rounded contrary to the standard, clear cut squares and rectangles that made up the outside. The floor that may have been a friendly blue in color had wore away to a dull gray with only mere patches of its former self left after years of rot and decay and a large variety of vines and creepers had slithered and snuck their way into shack's interior, growing out of discarded teacups and kettles that sat neatly stacked on shelves or placed perfectly on a few of the still standing tables; the others were either falling apart or had been tipped over onto the floor, as if they had been pushed aside in a mad hurry. A counter that held up an ancient, rusted cash register stood guard in front of a large bay window that gave Ginger a good view of the curiously parched landscape down below.

Looking around, Ginger noticed a set of stairs that sat off to one of the walls opposite of the main door that curved up and back across the ceiling before stopping at a closed trap door; intrigued, the witch cautiously walked up the stairs and took a deep breath before she placed a foot on the part of the steps that ran literally vertical to the wall. Before she knew what was happening, Ginger was standing upside down on the stairs from the ceiling with only her hot pink pig tails to signify that the laws of gravity were still somewhat in order while she shakily made her way to the trap door and turned the gilded knob sitting there.

The hatch creaked open and Ginger pulled herself through, finding herself at the end of a short hallway that split off towards three rooms; the first revealed itself to be an old bathroom that hadn't been used in a long time if the presence of cobwebs, mildew, and actual dust bunnies that quickly skittered under the bathtub when Ginger walked by were anything to go by. The second room was a bedroom of sorts with a bed that would have comfortably held two had it been placed on the floor and not on the ceiling. In fact, all the furniture in the room seemed to be miraculously standing on the ceiling, despite the almost devoid feeling of magic that Ginger sensed from this place.

Shaking her head, Ginger made her way to the final room at the end of the hall, somewhat relieved to find that everything seemed to be normal in this one; the furniture was all properly on the floor and despite years of neglect, it seemed to be in remarkably good condition, age wise. A bookshelf with only one row of books and shelf after shelf of teacups, teapots, and dishes sat in one corner facing the door while a rug covered the middle of the floor. A comfortable reading chair stood next to a small crib colored a wild and dizzying array of colors and patterns that would have made most fairy tales ill. Stepping in for a closer look however, Ginger found that whoever had been living in this room had left in a hurry, as the teacups and kettles on the shelf were either smashed, broken, or laying on their sides while only a small selection of the books had been disturbed. The lamp that may have once stood tall and proud behind the reading chair lay broken and undisturbed on the floor, a side table lying next to it with several items lying broken with it.

Upon closer inspection, there were exactly three of them. The first two were a pair of broken teacups that may have once held liquid if the stains inside and on the floor were anything to go by, with one of them big and one of them smaller, as if it were meant for a baby. The third object on the floor, made Ginger catch her breath when she realized it was a picture of two little girls sitting around a miniature tea party with a small, baby dormouse and a couple of stuffed animals acting as other guests. The first little girl had wild and curly mint green, blue, and purple locks underneath of a comically, oversized top hat that slid snugly over her eyes; despite this, a happy smile was upon her lips as she poured her partner a cup of steaming tea. The other little girl had frighteningly pale, almost white skin, deep purple and black orbs for eyes, and long, black and purple hair that reached down to her waist.

"Oh, my fairy godmother," Ginger whispered as she set the broken picture back in its resting place on the floor. "I'm in the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe."

A sudden bang came from downstairs and Ginger felt her blood run cold; silently and quickly, she left the abandoned nursery behind and scurried towards the trapdoor that led up to the upper level and jumped through and down to the floor, tucking into a ball to soften the landing as she didn't bother to use the stairs. Dusting years worth of dust off of herself, the Daughter of the Candy Witch looked down at the floor to see that a door that hadn't been there before was indeed there before her very eyes. What frightened her even more however, was that the door was slowly creaking open like the lid of a coffin that one of the vampire's Ben had talked about lived in. While he had assured them all that the particular vampire he was talking about was a strict vegetarian and fainted at the mere sight of blood, Ginger was quite certain that there were many, _many_ other vampires that slayed their hunger by drawing victims of their bodily fluids.

She half expected such a blood-sucking vampire to slither out of the door and hunker down in the shadows to stalk her relentlessly until she had succumbed to exhaustion and resigned herself to death; instead the shining, white helmet of a knight with a fluid, blue plume sticking out of the top muscled his way through the door and into the Tea Shoppe, drawing himself up to an impressive and intimidating height. Ginger drunk in all the details, taking note of his broad, round shoulders, strong hands and legs, and the image of a proud, white stallion on his chestplate as his heavy footsteps thumbed loudly across the old, wooden floor when he started to approach her.

Unsure of whether or not to treat this newcomer as a friend or foe, Ginger felt her survival instinct kick in and chose the 'flight' option of the two and send her scampering under and behind the counter as the knight tried to approach her. Undeterred by this, the knight switched paths and headed straight for the counter with his hands poised and ready to grab her; Ginger frantically looked around for something to help and caught sight of an old rolling pin that she quickly picked up and wielded like a club.

"D-Don't come any closer, or I'll hit you with-" she warned when the rolling pin she had been holding suddenly and inexplicably exploded into a cloud of colorful, giggling monarchs! "Butterflies?" Ginger blinked with surprise.

"Do not be afraid." the knight finally spoke as he slowly approached her; now that she actually looked at him, Ginger realized he had been holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture in an attempt to show that he was friendly and not going to hurt her.

"Who are you?" Ginger asked.

"I am known as the White Knight." the suit of armor introduced himself, bowing to her. "Loyal Protector of Wonderland."

"Protector of Wonderland?" Ginger marveled.

"Indeed." the White Knight nodded gravely. "I bring a warning. I was under Wonderland and saw the Cheshire Cat switch the Storybook of Legends for a cursed one." he explained as he picked up a book on the counter and opened it up, only to recoil with mild surprise as a blast of hot fire leaped for his face until he closed the pages.

"A . . . cursed book?" Ginger raised an eyebrow.

"A grave risk is headed for Ever After High!" the White Knight nodded as he opened up a breadbox and released a flock of squawking parakeets into the Tea Shoppe that quickly left through one of the many holes in the roof.

Ginger bit her lip with fear. "Oh, so how do I warn my friends? How do I tell Ben?"

The White Knight took a slight pause at the mention of the new name. "Any problem in Wonderland can be solved with the right riddle." he said as he walked over to a hat stand and picked up an old, beaten top hat that shivered and quivered in his grip for a second before it suddenly sprouted wings and took off towards the rafters. "We just need to find it."

Ginger scratched her chin in thought. "A riddle . . ." she hummed, looking around the Tea Shoppe for anything that could have even resembled a clue or riddle; having not been born in Wonderland, she wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, an inscription, a sign, something. After a few minutes, she sighed, exasperated at the fact that if there _was_ a riddle hidden somewhere, she would most likely not find it due to the dirt and dust that covered everything. With this idea in mind, Ginger turned around to grab a dishrag off of the stove handle behind and gasped with surprise when found a series of Wonderlandian symbols engraved on the spot just above the handle. "I think I found something!"

"So it would seem." the White Knight nodded with approval as he stooped down for a closer look.

Having taken a class on how to read Riddlish and Wonderlandian (she could never hope to speak it like Raven could), Ginger peered closely at the words. "Treat this portal to discover, a bridge from one oven to another." she read. "What does that even mean?" she wondered.

* * *

Raven felt slightly faint, her breath shallow and caught in her throat as she palms began to sweat; she not normally a nervous person, even under the most extreme of cases (something from her mother that actually came in handy on multiple occasions involving public speaking and the likes), but being in the presence of the Storybook of Legends was more than enough to get her riled up. She could practically feel the raw magic and energy pulsing from within the covers, the sheer power of the book was almost unlike anything Raven had felt in her training years of dark magic, with only a few exceptions being potentially stronger. Not only was the presence of the book's power almost overwhelming, but the fact that it was actually _here_ and no longer lost meant bad news for her and every Rebel in the crowd; taking glances at Hunter, Ashlynn, and Cerise, she could tell that they were all thinking the same thing. Even Ben was slightly put off by the book's presence, though it may have been just getting use to the fact that she had managed to successfully numb his shoulder wound without accidentally blowing his Omnitrix-dialing arm off.

"After all this time, the Storybook of Legends just . . . _shows up?_ I can't believe it!" Raven was at a near loss for words.

"Now everyone can sign!" Apple clapped happily as Alistair handed the ancient manuscript to the Headmaster with a smug and satisfied smirk on his face; Raven sighed and pinched her brow in exasperation at the princess.

"I take it you're not overly excited?" Ben whispered to Raven as Apple eagerly rushed up to Alistair and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight in a warm hug that Bunny did not seem all too happy watching.

"Have the girls here, like, never seen a boy before?" she mumbled to herself.

Alistair blinked with surprise as Apple finally let go off him to walk back over to Ben and hug him as well, taking great care not to stain her fingers with his crimson blood any more than she already had. "Well, Alistair, my good man, _you_ are the real hero." Daring Charming grinned warmly, flashing his pearly whites as he clapped the Son of Alice in Wonderland on the shoulder proudly.

"But . . . what was the Storybook of Legends doing in Wonderland?" Blondie voiced the question that the majority of the more rational fairy tales were thinking; Briar gulped and rubbed her arm uncomfortably. She had, indeed, thrown the Storybook of Legends down the Well of Wonder in the hopes of it being forgotten, forever lost and never to be found so that she would not have to follow her destiny. Sleeping for one-hundred years did not exactly sound appealing to anyone, especially Briar Beauty, who regularly jumped out of her bedroom window to go hang gliding, of all fairy tales.

"It doesn't matter what happened last chapter!" Apple smiled happily as Headmaster Grimm leafed through the book's pages, his surprised and suspicious expression getting angrier and more furious by the second. "it's back! And Alistair brought it to us!"

"Ah, it was nothing." Alistair felt his face turning a bright red from embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, yes," Grimm growled angrily, interrupting the moment as he clapped the book shut with a stern glare and a snort of his nostrils. "This would all be wonderful, except this is _not_ the Storybook of Legends!" he declared loudly; stunned and shocked gasps radiated out through the crowd while Raven was a little sorry to say that she had actually been sighing with relief. "This is simply a tired, old book of riddles." he announced, tossing the book over his shoulder and into Apple's hands while he crossed his arms over his chest in silent fury.

" _WOW,_ that is hatastic!" Maddie tried to lighten the mood a little; the Hatter was only met with annoyed and peeved glares from everyone, even Apple and her fellow Wonderlandians of all people. Only Ben, the ghouls, and Rebels within the crowd weren't disappointed, mostly because the former had almost absolutely no idea what the hex was going on. "I mean, c'mon, people! Who doesn't heart a good riddle?"

"Riddles make my _cabasa_ hurt." was all Skelita offered as she massaged her skull.

"It was the Storybook of Legends! It was!" Alistair protested in his defense.

"I saw it, too!" Bunny chimed in.

"Not cool, my man. Not cool." Daring shook his head sadly, leaving with a huff to return to the festivities that the Spring Fairest had to offer; the rest of the crowd followed suit, throwing Alistair annoyed and angered glares his way until only Apple, Raven, the Fairest Five, the Wonderlandians, the ghouls, and Ben were left standing together.

"Hey, we're telling the truth!" Bunny protested.

"Yeah!" maddie agreed.

"Off with all of you!" Lizzie declared.

"Don't cough a hairball, people?" Kitty scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Forget it. They're not gonna listen." Alistair sighed. "They don't know us like you guys do."

"Will _someone_ kindly explain the Sphinx is going on here!?" Clawdeen roared loudly with frustration, making Jane shrink slightly and hide behind Venus out of fear; the werewolf was rather notorious in the halls of Monster High as someone not to tick off at any expense, and the final that was kept on her at Lumber Headquarters explained this little fact in full detail, as well as the multiple injuries and threats she had made during such bouts of fury that were only calmed down by either Ben or the sudden appearance of a generous amount of meat.

"I think we _all_ have some explaining to do." Alistair sighed before he caught sight of the gaping hole in Ben's shoulder. "Um, I know we just met and all, but shouldn't you get that looked at?" he wondered, pointing towards the wound.

"Probably." Ben shrugged, thankful that his shoulder had been numbed. "Won't matter anyway, though. A few uses of the Omnitrix, and it'll be as good as new."

"Ben, you should still get it looked at." Venus scolded him. "I may be able to grow you some healing herbs, but it couldn't hurt to at least get it bandaged up so you don't become infected. Who knows what kind of diseases that slutty succubus has been carrying." she shivered with disgust. Ben sighed and surrendered, knowing full well what the ghouls were capable of when their minds were set on something (his eighteenth birthday had proven that quite well), and accessed the Omnitrix as Skurd slide aside and allowed Ben to cycle through his roster before finding a suitable alien and slamming a hand down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a flash of green light. His bones cracked and splintered loudly as they were hollowed out and lengthened while his shifting skeleton forced him to hunch over slightly; his skin turned a deep crimson in color as gaping slits opened up between his cartilage-based skeleton, rendering his nose useless as it shriveled up and molded together with his changing face. Ben's fingers fused together into three, long claws as his toes molded together into two sharp talons with a third thrusting out from his heel bone and acting as a grasping mechanism while his mouth widened across his face, forming thick, yellow lips that housed curved, needle-like teeth, two of which curved up from the lower jaw and over his upper lip. His eyebrows hardened into yellow crests that arched upwards above his pure, green eyes as a lizard-like tail sprouted from the base of his spine. The transformation finally completed with the appearance of a yellow membrane that formed between his tail and wrists as a pair of black briefs, a set of green wrist and ankle cuffs, and a green belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd attached to it appeared around his waist, completing the transformation.

"Hopefully this won't take too long. I haven't gotten to enjoy the festival yet!" Jetray sighed as he bent his legs and raised his arms in preparation for takeoff; Alistair and Bunny merely starred at the Aerophibian while Maddie smiled with amusement at their expressions. Before he could take off however, Clawdeen rushed out right in front him and cut him off.

"What is it, Clawdeen?" Jetray raised an eyebrow.

"Lad, you've just been impaled _through the shoulder_ by a demon!" Skurd rolled his beady little eyes.

"What the Slimebiote said." Clawdeen agreed. "I'm going with you."

"At least she didn't call me the dreaded nickname." Skurd quivered slightly at the mere thought of it.

"The Aerophibian sighed. "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?" he wondered, though it was more like a statement.

"Nope. You'll have a better chance of making Maddie sane."

"Fat chance!" the Hatter giggled madly.

Jetray heaved another sighed. "Alright, alright. Just hold still." he grumbled as he gave a flap of his wings, now really thankful that Raven had numbed it so he would feel little to no pain when he moved, and jumped up onto Clawdeen's shoulders, using his wings to steady himself. Once his talons that dug themselves securely into her shoulders without actually cutting through her flesh, he gave a flap of his wings and lifted off into the sky back towards Ever After High and towards the healer's office to get his bad shoulder looked at.

"I think you owe us an explanation." Bunny rubbed her temples as she watched the Aerophibian and werewolf fly towards the school. "This is maddening, and that's really saying something come from me."

Maddie giggled with a broad smile once more. "Don't worry, Bunny! We'll have everything explained to you in two shakes of a jabberwock's tail!" she smiled brightly, hooking her arms through Alistair and Bunny's and leading them off to go grab some snacks to talk over with Kitty and Lizzie in tow, eager to catch up, and Raven the remaining ghouls following suit to fill in any holes that would most likely be left over from the Hatter's utter nonsense. This left only Apple to stand behind and glance at the book in her hands, wondering what was to become of her if the real Storybook of Legends wasn't found in time.

* * *

T.P: _How was that?_

F.N: _Simply marvelous, dear!_

M.N: _I'm so proud of you, son!_

B.P: _Woo-hoo._

F.N: _Now, Brooke. You should be paying attention!_

M.N: _Notice how your brother drops subtle hints as to what may have happened or will happen in the future_ _ **without**_ _giving away any spoilers?_

T.P: _Well, in all fairness, it took me a while to not give away the ending . . ._

M.N: _Oh, don't be modest!_

B.P: . . . _You disgust me._

T.P: _Hey, this wasn't my idea, alright?_

B.P: _What?_

T.P: _If I could, I would at least try not to make the story as crushing as it gets later on, but my hands are tied!_

F.N: _What are you talking about, dear?  
_

T.P: _Oh, um, just giving Brooke some pointers!_

B.P: _Uh, yeah! That's it. I'm learning_ _ **so**_ _much more than before!_

M.N: _Wonderful! Shall we continue?_

T.P: _Yes, lets. Ahem. Meanwhile, at the most anticipated event of the Spring Fairest Festival . . ._

* * *

The Chef Showdown was in full swing as eager patrons quickly found seats to view the judging while simultaneously hoping for a chance to sample whatever leftovers would be left after the judging; of the participating princesses, all but Apple seemed confident in winning, with Cerise choosing to submit an old Riding Hood family dish, Duchess deciding that a Swan Lake Angel Food Cake would better her chances of winning, Holly hoping that her Tower Teacakes would win her the competition and Raven going with the simple treat of cool, delicious, watermelon pops. Based on how several of the patrons watching the competition were drooling slightly, all of the submitted dishes looked delicious.

Deciding she had enough time to relax a little bit before the judging began, Apple to a curious look inside of the book of Wonderland riddles that had somehow been mistaken for the Storybook of Legends; Apple heaved a sigh at the apparent continuing loss of the ancient tome, wondering just how her life would play out if she wasn't able to follow her destiny. She didn't want to disappear, she didn't want Raven to disappear, she didn't want Ben to disappear, she didn't want _anyone_ to disappear. What would become of them if they weren't able to sign the book? Would she still be able to have her happily ever after with Ben?"

Apple chose to distract herself with the book in hand. "The link it breaks, the darkness creeps, but what will grin where all shall weep?" she read, the princess suddenly feeling both very scared and confused at the same time; her head suddenly hurt, as if she had just been hit in the head with one of Lizzie's flamingo-shaped croquet mallets, and she hissed slightly as she felt something deep within her core flip inside of her.

"Good luck, Apple!" Ashlynn came up behind her to give her friend some support before the competition.

"I don't need luck." Apple scoffed with a haughty tone, carelessly dropping the book into Ashlynn's hands without care. The Daughter of Cinderella blinked with surprise at her best friend forever after's words, but merely shrugged it off as last minute jitters as she backed into the stands with the book in hand to take a seat beside Hunter.

"Hello, fans!" Blondie's bright smile greeted them all on the two, large, Mirrormonitors overhead that allowed both sides to see commentary for the competition. "You're just in time for everyone's favorite Spring Fairest Festival event, the Spring Chef Showdown!" the blonde reporter smiled brightly, earning excited cheers and applause for the contest to start.

Raven grinned eagerly, hoping that her watermelon pops would win the Showdown for her, when she suddenly noticed something amiss. "Oh, no, where's Ginger?" she wondered worriedly. "She's gonna miss the competition!"

Apple snorted with amusement. "Whatever after." she rolled her eyes. "My chances of winning just got better."

Raven blinked in surprise at the princess's reaction. "Apple . . ?"

Curiosity had once again the best of an unfortunate fairy tale, or this case two; Ashlynn had cracked open the book of Wonderland riddles, silently perusing through the outlandish and strange words with Hunter curiously peering over her shoulder with interest as the two of them waited for the spellebrity judge to show up and start the contest. The Daughter of Cinderella jerked slightly in her seat, shuddering as a cold feeling like that of a chilling, vile serpent slithering down her throat and burrowing itself into the put of her stomach filled her, at first making her on edge before an eerie sense of calmness fell over her; a lazy look over to her left revealed a somewhat similar reaction. Not that she cared for the huntsman anyway. She just couldn't be bother to reciprocate any feelings that may have still lingered between the two of them. As far as she was concerned, it was over.

"Hey, check this out." Ashlynn droned sleepily, lazily handing the book over to Daring.

The prince raised an eyebrow and opened the book to a page, his eyes screwing up as he peered at the words. "Reading rhymes, marking time, to the Topsy Turvy Mountain you climb." Daring read aloud to himself, unaware that Poppy O'Hair and Humphrey Dumpty were stealing peeks over his shoulder; the three of them swiftly jerked in surprise as they shivered and writhed in their seats, feeling like a cold, damp fog had suddenly enveloped them and wrapped them up in a blanket of chilling feel. Now visibly shaking, Daring quickly clamped the book closed and scooted it Cedar's way as he hugged his knees to his chest and frantically took in his surroundings with panicked eyes.

"Huh?" Cedar wondered, opening the book to the second page. "The serpent, it lies, the apple it beckons, all bridges and ties will be severed without question." she whispered to herself before she moaned slightly and closed the book, suddenly feeling incredibly cold and slightly ill as something squirmed and flipped around inside of her. Maybe some food would help? Believing that to be the case, the Daughter of Pinocchio closed the book and left it on the table in front of her, getting up from her seat to go and find something to calm her queasy stomach.

"What's everyone looking at?" Venus wondered as she watched Cedar leave.

"I believe it has something to do with that book." Skelita remarked, looking down at the old book left behind at Cedar's seat.

"Sh-Should we take a look?" Jane asked, slightly uneasy about something. What it was though, she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Couldn't hurt to take a look." Venus shrugged as she stood up in her seat and bent over as far as possible to grab the book in her fingers and just barely manage to pull it back up to her seat; the plant monster opened it and flipped through multiple pages as Jane and Skelita looked over her shoulder at the bizarre and almost alien words before them. Granted they had seen alien languages before (Skelita could understand Sotoraggin and Lorna understood the whistles and clicks of the Humpbackus from the planet Molluskus, but neither could speak a lick of it as they lacked the necessary local organs to do so), but ancient Wonderlandian seemed to be something of a lost language to them. They finally found a riddle that seemed to be in a language they understood.

"The curtains close-" Venus began the first verse.

"The lights go out-" Skelita continued.

"Lives you fill with woe-" Jane added.

"Control you are without?" Venus finished.

Apple watched with a satisfied smirk as Not-so-Little Jack Homer shook his head with disappointment at her Swan Lake Angel Food Cake and scribbled a note down onto his clipboard as he moved onto the next dish, the Daughter of the Swan Princess looking someone had seriously ruffled her feathers; the teasing smirk on Cerise's face didn't help matters.

"What have we here?" Not-so-Little Jack Homer smiled with surprise as he came across Holly's impressive stack of divine looking pastries and promptly took a sample of one. "These Tower Teacakes are outta this kingdom!" he declared with satisfaction as he hungrily licked his fingers.

"Ooh! I think I'm next!" Raven said excitedly; Apple narrowed her eyes at her roommate. Oh, how she loathed her now, wanting to make her pay for all the trouble and panic Raven had put her through, making her fret and worry over disappearing without a trace and being the most selfish fairy tale Apple had ever come across. The witchling needed to pay for her sins, no matter how small it might have been. A sly grin crossed the princess's face as she grabbed a dishrag and carelessly

tossed it over Raven's head, faking innocence.

"Oops! Would you be a doll and get that?" she asked with what most people would figure to be a recited monologue. "I am such a butterfingers!"

Raven raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior, but then again, Apple was rather odd herself. Not as mad as Maddie and the other Wonderlandians, with the sudden addition of Alistair and Bunny, or as weird and downright bizarre as Ben and his ghouls, but she definitely fit into that category. Somewhere. With a shrug, Raven bent down and reached for the cloth, oblivious to a soft, shaking sound from behind her as she stood back up and handed Apple the discarded dishrag with little more than a thought.

"Thanks, Raven. You're the best." Apple purred slyly.

The witchling would have been more concerned about Apple's behavior had the judge not suddenly shown up. "Wicked Watermelon Pops!" he exclaimed hungrily. "Just the refreshing thing I need after tasting all these treats!"

"Help yourself." Raven smiled, scooting the tray of watermelons a little closer with an eager smile upon her lips; Not-so-Little Jack Homer hungrily took a Wicked Watermelon Pop and bit off a small peace, savoring the sweet, cool taste of the juicy fruit skewered on the stick.

"Mmmm! Juicy . . . sweet . . ." he drooled, although that may have just been the watermelon's juices dribbling down his chin. "Actually . . . a little hot . . ." he noted before he suddenly screamed in agony and started to run around in panicked circles, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he quickly ran off in search of something to help him cool his burning throat down.

"But . . . there wasn't anything spicy in there at all!" Raven protested, completely confused and baffled as to what had just happened.

"Oh, that's a shame." Apple shook her head with mock pity. "Looks like you got _burned_ on that one." she smirked, lazily rolling her eyes back behind her; Raven followed her gaze and felt her face screw up into one of utter confusion when she caught sight of a canister of Dragon Fire Jalapeno Salt sitting on the counter in plain view . . . almost as if it had been recently used by someone.

"Apple . . . it can't be . . ." she muttered quietly to herself in disbelief.

"Better luck next time." Apple smirked as she sauntered off; before Raven could follow after her in the hopes of figuring out what was wrong with her friend, a loud roar broke out over the Chef Showdown and she turned around just in time to see a large grizzly bear with deep indigo fur and a spiked collar around its neck rise up onto its hind legs and smash the table in front of it with its front paws with ease. The bear roared again and lumbered down to the kitchens, ignoring Raven as it hungrily started to feast upon the discard and leftover contest entries with gusto; any attempt by passerby to grab a treat or disrupt the hungry grizzly bear was met with a low roar, a mouthful of bone-crushing teeth, and a powerful paws tipped with large claws.

"Raven, what happened?" Holly asked worriedly, making sure she kept a safe distance form the massive grizzly bear.

"You're not going to believe this, but I think Apple just . . . _cheated_." the witchling said in disbelief.

"Um, what about that?" Holly asked, pointing to the hungry grizzly bear behind Raven; the witchling turned around to the massive carnivore suddenly vanish in a whirl of shaggy fur and sharp claws to reveal Jane sitting on the floor and licking the back of her hand like a coat. The shape-shifter then reached with one of her legs to scratch an itch behind her ear before hungrily licking her chops and sniffing the air. Raven got a bad feeling as a hungry grin crossed her face and the sound of bleating sheep filled the air and before the witchling knew it, Jane was changing once more; light purple fur sprouted all over her body, covering every inch of her as her frosting covered clothes started to slowly vanish away and out of existence. A loud cracking and crunching noise filled the air as her skeleton rearranged itself, her spine lengthening out farther and farther until a long, feline tail had sprouted from her vertebrae, already cracking back and forth at the promise of a good hunt while muscles packed themselves tightly into her haunches and chest, building up incredible leaping and pouncing power. Wicked claws tore through her fingers, reducing them to strong, firm paws as her shoes ripped and the back of her shirt tore to accommodate her swelling figure. Her skull ground and crunched together as teeth tore through her gums, barely even fitting into her mouth until her head caught up with the rest of her, sensitive whiskers sprouting from her face as her ears rotated to the top of her head and blotchy spots suddenly speckled her short coat, ending the transformation when a spiked collar appeared around her neck.

"Should we do something about that?" Holly gulped as the powerful leopard growled slightly and regarded the two scrawny princesses with mild interest before crouching down low to the ground and silently stalking away in search of more suitable prey.

"What, take on what's probably the deadliest beast in the entire animal kingdom and risk both the wrath of Ben and Venus while simultaneously trying not to get torn limb from limb?" Raven summed up. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to keep my organs where they belong: inside of me."

"Fair enough." Holly agreed as a loud scream of fright and panicked bleating filled the air, followed by a savage and heavily discouraged growl; once they deemed that the big cat's cover had been blown and its hunting plan ruined, they went on their way in search of Apple. As if the princess's odd behavior and Jane's sudden and rather frightening feralness wasn't bad enough (Lilly Bo Peep was currently holding off a lavender feathered and indigo striped _Velociraptor_ from eating her flock of sheep with her shepherd's staff), other fairy tales seemed to be acting rather odd as well.

"Whoa! Woo-hoo!" Humphrey Dumpty cheered from atop of a stone wall with a pair of greased roller skates fixed to his feet and a jetpack fastened to his back.

"Humphrey Dumpty! Uh, isn't that kinda . . . dangerous with, you know, your story?" Cerise wondered, trying to convince the Son of Humpty Dumpty to safely climb down to the ground to avoid injury.

Unfortunately, he chose to ignore the Riding Hood. "Check it out! I've got a jetpack!" he exclaimed excitedly. " _I'm unbreakable!_ " Humphrey declared as he thrust his thumbs down on the activation buttons positioned on the handlebars and felt the device rattle and shake on his back; Cerise felt her hands go to her mouth as Humphrey shot off like a bullet, zooming along the wall until he finally, fatally fell off the side and took the ground with a loud _crash!_

"I'm okay!" he called from the other side.

Cerise cringed slightly until a multitude of unholy screams cut through the air, bringing pain to her sensitive ears as Raven and Holly glanced around wildly for the source of the noise. A handful of screaming and panicking maidens with hair styles that looked like they had been put through a weed whacker drew seemed to be the source of the noise. Looking closer, Raven was able to see that the girls also had several shallow cuts and scratches on their arms, shoulders, and faces, as if they had been relentlessly slashed at by some madman; the witchling unconsciously shifted her gaze to her own, covered arms and hugged herself slightly, knowing full well what the innocent girls had been put through.

"Come back!" Poppy's voice demanded. "I'm not done yet!"

"For the last time, Poppy, I don't want a hair cut!" Briar snarled as she ran; Holly's sister shared the same aqua colored eyes and strawberry blonde hair, save for the fact that it was _much_ shorter than Holly's and was dyed a vibrant purple on the right half with a pink bandanna tying it all together. She was dressed in some rather simple clothing consisting of black leggings, a pink dress decorated with gray, braid-like designs, a black top and shoal, and a pair of pink high tops with a pair of razor-sharp scissors clutched tightly in her hand and a wicked grin plastered on her small, red lips.

"Oh, come on, Briar! How about a trim?" Poppy grinned madly. "I could do your makeup as well! Your pretty face could also use some beautiful cuts, too!" she cackled.

"That is _not_ my sister." Holly gulped, taking several cautious steps back with Raven, Cerise, and Briar following suit.

"Then who is she?" Cerise asked, her breath sharp and quick and ready to fight if she had to protect herself or her friends.

"Someone who wants to hurt us, that's who." Raven replied, mentally pleading that she wouldn't have to resort to using her dark magic to save them; it was a well known fact throughout the school that the wtichling's ability to cast spells and perform the tricks and trades of the dark arts were not very good and often ended in horrible disasters regardless of whether or not they were being used for good. She had been lucky that she had managed to remember the correct spell and channel the right amount of energy into numbing Ben's arm long enough for him to get to the healer's office with little issue. Raven wasn't sure however, if she could count on the phenomenon happening a second time, though.

Fortunately for Raven, it didn't come to that; at that very moment, the ground rumbled and trembled loudly as a wide fissure opened up between Poppy and the princesses, half a dozen thick and thorny tendrils and vines erupting out of the earth and thrashing and cracking the air the air. A thick root lunged downwards and wrapped itself around Poppy like a python, lifting her off the ground as she began to hack and cut away at her restraints with her scissors.

Unfortunately for Raven, Cerise, Briar, and Holly, the plants didn't seem able to distinguish friend from foe as more shoots and tendrils sprouted from the ground and slithered and crept towards them; fanged trappers blossomed from the tips of the shoots and snapped hungrily at them.

"Uh, just out of curiosity, can't one of Ben's ghouls controls plants?" Cerise wondered.

"Venus." Raven nodded.

"Someone say my name?" the aforementioned plant monster purred from her comfortable seat from atop of her plants; the thick tendril lowered her down to the princess's level with a cruel smile upon Venus' lips.

"I did." Raven spoke up. "Thanks for the save and all, but do you mind calling off your friends?"

"Please?" Briar added as one of the hungry trappers snapped at her.

"Why would I do that?" Venus asked coyly. "My children are hungry and require food."

"Wouldn't they prefer some corn dogs or something?" Holly gulped as the creepers and vines slithered closer, wrapping around one her ankles before she managed to shake it free.

"Disgusting." Venus scoffed. "My children, while not picky, will not resort to eating some revolting slop. They prefer their meat alive and kicking. Much like you in fact . . ." she grinned hungrily. "Care to stick around for lunch?"

"No, thank you!" Briar yelped as she swiftly turned on her heel and ran in the opposite direction with the others hot on her heels.

"Lunch time, my children!" Venus gave a shrill whistle. The plants hungrily moved after the fleeing princesses, spawning more and more of them with increasing hunger at a rapid rate and shooting out thorny creepers and roots that burst up from the ground and make swipes and cracks to try and catch the girls off guard; they finally managed to succeed, a particularly strong root whipping out and tightly grasping around Raven's ankle and sending her falling to the ground.

"Help!" Raven cried as she fought to try and pry the tendril off of her ankle while the rest of the hungry garden quickly converged on her, wrapping themselves tightly around her and lifting her off of the ground as they quickly restrained her, pinning her wrists behind her back and her legs together while wrapping a thick root over her mouth and silencing her. The more the witchling struggled, the tighter the roots constricted her, slowly crushing the very air out of her lungs until it was actually starting to hurt to take a breath.

"We have to save Raven!" Cerise came to a halt upon hearing her friend's pleas.

"What are we supposed to do against _that!?_ " Briar exclaimed, thrusting a finger at the hungry forest.

"Maybe if we get Ben-" Holly started to suggest.

"No time!" Cerise snarled; the more she watched Raven squirm and attempt to fight back, only to be smothered by the hungry plants, the angrier she got. She couldn't just stand there as her friend was slowly having the life crushed out of her to then have her gorgeous, ivory skin punctured and ripped around by fangs and thorns, to have her precious blood drained from her and beautiful face reduced to a bloody mess. Cerise something flip and somersault inside of her, a hot, almost unbearable feeling slithering throughout her core as her breath became quick and ragged, her senses heightening to almost superhuman levels.

With a loud howl of rage and fury, Cerise charged at the starving jungle and launched herself at Raven, slamming into the witchling and causing the plants to falter and bow underneath her additional weight; she didn't care if Holly, Briar, and maybe even Poppy could see her (although that last one seemed to be personally dealing Venus herself) as she savagely sank her fangs into the flesh of one of the vines and bite it clean in half, tearing away at the creepers with her teeth and ripping them off of Raven with her claws. Her breath was hot and raged, her eyes a vibrant amber in color; Cerise was not entirely in contorl, but she didn't care in the slightest as she snapped her head down towards Raven's head and bit deep into the fleshy vine covering Raven's mouth. Their lips almost grazed each other before Cerise jerked her head and tore the vine away and raising her claws and slicing through the bonds that held her wrists captive before she grabbed the oddly startled and blushing witchling in her arms and dove away to safety, racing past Holly and Briar without a second thought and not stopping until they were to the front steps of Ever After High. By then, Cerise had calmed down long enough to realize what she had done and what she had been doing before she set Raven back down and shrank back within her hood, quickly drawing it over her face to hide the deep, crimson blush that stained her cheeks.

"Are . . . you okay?" Cerise asked a few awkward moments of silence.

Raven nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm f-fine." Cerise replied, resisting the urge to blush under her hood at the witchling's concern for her; she supposed it was no longer much of a secret that Raven made Cerise feel . . . different. Somehow, being around Ben and Raven made her feel special, like she could be whoever she wanted to be and not have to live a constant lie or hide in the shadows all the time for fear of her heritage being discovered. Ben made her feel loved and fully embraced her wolf side without question, treating her with as much care and trust as her own mother often would, though in a completely different way; Raven made her feel all warm inside, like she was finally safe and secure. Cerise was mentally berating herself however: how could she possibly love two people at the same time? And of different sexes, as if that wasn't bad enough.

"Cerise . . . wait . . . up!" Briar panted as she and Holly stumbled up to the pair, breathing heavily and resting on their knees.

"My thighs . . . are on fire!" Holly gasped for breath.

"Having . . . that much . . . hair will . . . do that to you . . ." Briar remarked. "What the hex happened back there, Cerise? It's like you . . . I dunno, completely flipped your crown or something!"

Raven caught sight of the way Cerise was nervously biting her lip, gnawing at the flesh with a pointed fang; curiously, the witchling found this little gesture oddly pleasing to watch. "I guess she saw me in danger and couldn't stand to leave me behind." she shrugged.

Holly and Briar seemed satisfied with that answered and straightened up, wincing at their burning muscles. "What the hex is going on with everyone?" Holly wondered. "First Jane loses control of her shape-shifting abilities or whatever, Venus has gone from nature-loving ghoul to savage monster, and Poppy's starting to behave like some kind of psychopathic murderer."

"Maybe Apple knows," Raven suggested. "This all seemed to start with her."

With little other option left, the four fairy tales quickly scurried up the steps up Ever After High and ducked in through the doors, desperately searching the empty halls for any sign of Apple until a group of panicked students led by Cupid and a bandaged Dexter rushed past them; the prince had his arms and face covered with gauze and based on the way he walked uncomfortably, he most likely had some underneath the rest of his clothes for the horrible bites he had suffered.

"Daring!" Cupid exclaimed as she and Dexter came to a stop upon finding the later's older brother nervously tapping his fingers and glancing around with fear as Apple leaned against a nearby lock with boredom plastered on her face. "Oh, I'm so glad we found you! There's a totally vicious dragon attacking people at Book End! You have to slay it!"

Upon hearing this, Daring panicked and screamed in a manner very much like that of a little girl. "Oh, my crone!" he exclaimed with fear. "Thanks for the warning! If anybody needs me, I'll be in here until it's safe!" he whimpered, quickly opening a locker and stuffing himself inside before closing the door behind him; confused at Daring's odd behavior, Cupid rapped a knuckle on the metal door and jumped back slightly when a startled scream came from within.

"Does your brother have allergies or something?" Cupid wondered.

"With the exception of dragonweed, no. And I'm pretty sure the side affects only make his smile less charming that usual." Dexter responded, scratching his crown in confusion at his brother's bizarre behavior.

"Why don't you get _Ben_ to do it?" Apple suggested with a sarcastic manner.

"Someone say my name?" Ben said as he came strolling up to the group from another hallway with Clawdeen no less than two feet by his side; a thick shoulder brace sat comfortably underneath of his shirt, giving his chest and arm a noticeable bump so as to allow his shoulder to heal. Despite the healer's use of magic and Ben's advise that a few uses of the Omnitrix strapped to his wrist would have it fixed within a matter of a few hours, Clawdeen was letting Ben anywhere out of her sight.

"There's a dragon attacking Book End!" Cupid explained.

"And _Daring_ f all people is too scared to fight it off!" Dexter added.

Ben tapped his chin. "Dragon, huh? I think I might need Jane-"

"No time!" Cupid interrupted, pushing Ben towards the nearest window and grabbing his wrist and smacking a hand frantically down on the Omnitrix, only barely missing Skurd as he quickly oozed from side to side to avoid getting squished.

"Hey, watch the merchandise!" the Slimebiote whined.

"Stop that!" Clawdeen barked with a low growl, making Cupid flinch slightly.

"Sorry." she apologized. "It's just . . . a lot of really weird stuff is going on lately."

"Like what?" Clawdeen raised an eyebrow.

"It's like everyone's flipped through their crowns or something," Dexter explained. "On our way here, we caught Hunter defacing a tree and shooting at a flock of birds and Ashlynn was being as lazy as a troll."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Ben raised an eyebrow.

"She was eating _meat._ "

Ben blinked with surprise. "Okay, something is _definitely_ wrong." Ben frowned as he tapped the Omnitrix on his wrist and cycled through the available transformations.

"What are you going to do?" Dexter asked.

"I'm gonna first deal with that dragon and then take a look into this." Ben replied as he selected Astrodactyl. "With any luck, I'll be able to enjoy what's left of the carnival by the time this is all over." he said as he slammed a hand down on the activation button and swallowed himself in a flash of green light that scrambled and twisted his genetic code into something new. Ben's bones and skeleton snapped and crunched with excruciating noise as he got smaller and smaller, shrinking down to about the size of a small child; a layer of short fur sprouted all over his body, becoming slim and smooth enough to be mistaken for skin as darker spots formed on his arms and face like freckles. His toes ground and shifted into stubby paws with three digits as tissue and muscle formed slightly on his arms and legs and more packed on his stomach, giving him a slight potbelly. His ears drooped like liquid, becoming long and pointed as they rotated like liquid steel on the top of his forehead while hie eyes became round and moved farther apart while his nose snapped and cracked loudly, pushing back into his face. Ben's top jaw crunched as it was thrust forward, allowing his front teeth to grow bigger and longer as a green and black jumpsuit formed on his body and white gloves appeared on his hands; a big, blonde mustache puffed into existence on his face as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on a large belt around his considerable waistline.

"I say, why is that this thing is always on the fritz whenever trouble arises?" Mole-Stache sighed with annoyance as he flexed his luxurious mustache and formed them back and above his head into a pair of furry helicopter blades; with a quick movement of his facial hair he was off into the air and out a nearby window. Clawdeen sighed and rushed after him, fearlessly jumping over the window sill and to the ground below after the rodentoid alien.

"Now _that_ is what I call hair." Holly admired.

"Not the time, Holly." Raven frowned as Cupid and Dexter, having informed the proper hero of their plight, left in order to go get the special cream transcribed to the later for his insect stings. "Okay, that's it." the witch narrowed her eyes at Apple.

"Oh, goody. It's Raven Mean and Holly O'Square." Apple purred with a sarcastic manner, shoving Daring back inside of his locker when he took a cautious peek out at the two girls.

Raven gasped. "You _did_ cheat, didn't you!" Raven accused Apple.

"Maybe I did. So what?" Apple scoffed. "Like anyone is gonna believe you four over me?"

"This isn't you, Apple!" Briar protested.

Apple ignored the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty. "Whatever. I've just got the most _wicked_ idea . . ." she grinned in a manner very much like that of a crafty, hungry fox eyeing a flock plump, clueless chickens just waiting to be picked off one by one; with that being said, Apple strutted off without a second glance behind her.

" _Ahhhh!_ Wait for me!" Daring cried as he rushed out of his locker after Apple.

"I think I like this version of Daring better." Cerise noted with a smirk. "He's less showy."

"Regardless, she's right." Raven sighed. "No one is going to believe us."

"I do." Cerise folded her arms over her chest. "As if that whole 'Venus trying to eat us' thing wasn't bad enough, I've seen other things. Something's making everyone act totally upside down."

"Well, we better find out why and fast." Holly pounded her fist into her hand for emphasis.

* * *

The wind buffeted at Mole-Stache's face as he flew through the air, flying high over the school grounds of Ever After High and taking slight note of a sudden infestation of prickly creepers and vines that had taken over a section of the Spring Fairest Festival grounds; despite this, Clawdeen had run right through it, dropping down to all fours to duck under and avoid the tendrils and roots that lashed out overhead before she jumped back up to her usual stance and effortlessly leaped over them without pause. Anyone else Clawdeen's size that didn't posses the super speed, agility, and sickle-like claws that Kinecelerans, Citrakayahs, and Parae Cortarix were renown for would have difficulty moving through such terrain, but not the werewolf.

This moment of undying admiration for his ghoulfriend was quickly torn away from Mole-Stache when a loud, voracious roar rattled the very air and made the rodentoid falter slightly in his flight as he came closer to Book End; the closer Mole-Stache got to the village however, the more fearful he became when he realized that the roars and snarls that echoed forth from Book End were rather familiar in sound.

"I say, this is getting to be rather unusual." he remarked.

"I wouldn't call it that," Skurd mumbled as Mole-Stache finally arrived and alighted down on the ground, shifting his malleable mustache back into its original, bushy form. "However, I would like to point out that the beast seems to be wearing a rather familiar item."

The rodentoid took a good, hard look at gigantic dragon currently trying to shove it head through the front window of the Glass Slipper to get at the small crowd of helpless shoppers trapped inside; the beast was only a little bigger than a school bus and still able to swallow a knight whole with large, fanged jaws from which several barbels and fleshy whiskers hung from the bottom jaw and a pair of dexterous and flexible tendrils with hollow, bony protrusions on the ends. It sported two pairs of horns on its skull, two shorter ones forming just behind the jaws with a second pair on the head. The most noticeable detail however, other than the fact that it walked on its wings and had a row of sharp spikes running down its back to the base of its tail, was that the dragon was entirely covered in durable, thick, metal arm with a strong, molded ball of spikes at the tip of its tail acting as a weapon. That, and the spiked collar of the Nemetrix was fastened around its neck.

"Jane. It had to be Ms. Boolittle." Mole-Stache sighed. "And what's even worse is that she's Metalwing!"

"Would you prefer it to be _your_ natural predator." Skurd mocked him.

"I withdraw my earlier statement." Mole-Stache gulped as he took a deep breath and formed a pair of fury fists out of his mustache to then smash into the ground, drawing the Brynjaak's attention. Sensing an easier meal than the cowering customers inside of Ashlynn's shoe store, Metalwing turned her attention toward the deliciously plump rodentoid standing defiantly at the end of the street from her; with a low growl, the Brynjaak suddenly attacked, opening its jaws wide and blasting out a stream of freezing water from within. The pressurized stream of water slammed full force into Mole-Stache, sending him bouncing back and crashing into Clawdeen just as she arrived on the scene.

"Ow!" the werewolf grunted as the rodentoid rolled off of her and rubbed his aching skull. "Alright, where's this overgrown- _is that Jane!?_ " Clawdeen exclaimed with surprise when she caught sight of the Brynjaak roaring with fury and charging straight towards them.

"Indeed. It would seem something is affecting Ms. Boolittle's sound mind." Mole-Stache hummed with thought before Metalwing was suddenly upon them, sending Clawdeen sprawling with a crack of her tail as the Brynjaak plunged her head downwards at Mole-Stache with her jaws wide; with a grunt, the rodentoid flexed his luxurious mustache into a pair of strong hands and managed to catch the life threatening jaws just before they closed around him, pinning him to the ground as he struggled to keep Metalwing's jaws from closing around him.

"If it is not too trouble, my good lady, some help would be much appreciated!" Mole-Stache grunted.

"Yeah, yeah, give me a sec." Clawdeen grumbled as she held her throbbing arm and climbed to her feet; knowing full well that even her claws and teeth would not be able to hold a candle to the Brynjaak's durable protective covering that she noticed to be crafted out Prypiatosian-B armor pieces, she tapped the Omnitrix fixed to her wrist and slapped the activation button without looking as she was engulfed in a flash of yellow light, knowing full well that any one of her three current transformations would at least be able to get her boyfriend out of the tight spot he was in. Her fingers cracked and squelched as their bones fused together with each other, morphing the five digits into a sharpened blade as her wrist and armed flattened and widened out with a loud hissing noise similar to that of a compressed airbag, quickly hardening into a metal-like exterior similar to that of a Biosovortian; a small, pentagon-shaped notch was cut out of her arms in the elbow joints as a second blade popped out of her elbow. Clawdeen's skin turned a dark gold in color while her dagger sharp points and blades turned a bright white while black patches etched themselves across her arms. Muscles and tissue built themselves up underneath her quickly hardening skin as her skull pushed back and split into three, rounded horns with each of her two, now entirely yellow eyes sitting on one horn as the Omnitrix appeared between them while her bust swelled slightly; a purple jumpsuit with a golden trim appeared on her figure, completing the transformation.

" _Now_ would be the right time for CuttngEdge." the female Parae Cortarix stated as she glanced over her sharpened blades in admiration.

"I don't suppose you would willing to give us a hand then!?" Mole-Stache cried as Metalwing was slowly progress in inching her saliva-stained jaws towards him.

"Oh. Right." CuttngEdge realized sheepishly. The Parae Cortarix dashed forward at a speed that wasn't quite as quick as a speeding Kineceleran but far faster than than even the fastest drag race car, more than enough to slam right into Metalwing's side and slice through a small portion of the Prypiatosian-B armor that covered her vulnerable skin while simultaneously pushing her across the road to smash into the front of a small cafe that had been abandoned in the rampage and destroying it.

"Skurd! Give Mole-Stache the upper 'stache!" Mole-Stache quipped as he climbed to his feet.

"And away we go!" Skurd cried gleefully as he oozed and slithered his gelatinous body over Mole-Stache's malleable mustache, tapping into the Omnitrix's genetic database and pulling out an old favorite; pliant hairs began to compact and harden into small bumps and lumps that quickly blackened and hardened into thick, heavy rocks as the ends of his mustache shifted into a pair of durable balls of hot rock that allowed hot lava to seep between the cracks, sharp spikes thrusting out of the rocks and turning them into a pair of flaming mace as hot fire licked over the edges.

"Fire in the hole!" Mole-Stache cried as he thrust his Pyronite covered mustache forward at the Brynjaak and succeeded in bashing her in the side of the head before giving her a quick uppercut to the jaw; with a growl of annoyance and a shake of her head, Metalwing was back on her feet and severely ticked off. She gave a loud roar of anger and intimidation before opening up her wings and giving them a quick flap, creating a gust of wind that scooted Mole-Stache back a few feet before the Brynjaak swung her tail like a club and managed to catch both him and CuttngEdge in the gut, sending them flying farther down the road and obliterating a fruit stand in the process.

I suppose in this case, fighting fire with fire is not the best option," Mole-Stache groaned. I would appear it just makes situation all the hairier!"

"Please, would someone be so kind as to put me out of my misery?" Skurd groaned.

"Why bother?" CuttngEdge grunted as she hauled herself up to her feet and sharpened her blades together. "I'll just cut 'er down to size!"

"Nobody ever listens to the Slimebiote." Skurd sighed wearily as Mole-Stache slapped the Omnitrix fastened to the belt around his considerable girth and encompassed himself in a flash of green light. His wrists bloated to the size of basketballs as his fingers cracked and hardened, turning into large, black claws as the blubber from his hands traveled up the length of his arms, expanding and growing and swelling to massive proportions on his shoulders; his belly suddenly exploded outwards, and it would have been funny had there not been the ever frightening presence of a hungry Brynjaak. His legs crunched and cracked heavily as they became shorter than before while his toes became bony and sharp, now black claws to support his growing weight on his as his skin began to harden in certain areas, piling up into layers on his shoulders, back, thighs, and wrists; durable, yellow armor that could withstand the most corrosive of acids and lava now covered him protectively as his kin paled to a chrome white while the top half of him turned a pitch black. His neck ground and snapped loudly as his head was compressed into his shoulders, his mouth widening to fit appropriately over his wide face as his eyes moved farther apart. The final part of the transformation was the addition of the Omnitrix and Skurd on his chest and the sudden flexibility of his spinal cord.

"Time to roll out!" Cannonbolt rumbled.

"Make it stop!" Skurd cried indignantly before the Arburian Pelarota heaved himself up onto his small feet and curled up into a tight durable ball that quickly revved up and spun in place to build up speed before shooting off like a bullet, barreling straight at the Brynjaak and colliding with the beast square in the chest, knocking her flat onto her back; Metalwing roared with anger as it fruitlessly flapped its wings and tried to right itself.

CuttngEdge chose that moment to zip forward and plunge her arms down and behind her, racing the Brynjaak's belly and slicing through the metal clamps and rods that kept the armor fastened into place with ease before zipping up to Metalwing's head and kicking her several dozen times in the before retreating, only to receive a feeble, vengeful blast of water to the back from the Brynjaak. Metalwing screeched as she managed to flap her wings enough to lift off the ground, sending Cannonbolt tumbling away as the beast snorted with annoyance and narrowed her eyes at her prey.

"She looks hungry." Cannonbolt remarked.

"Once again, stating the obvious, dear lad." Skurd grumbled.

"I think we have bigger problems than that, Booger Face." CuttngEdge frowned, pointing with a sharpened blade at the Brynjaak overhead as it was suddenly swallowed in a flash of crimson light, a second transformation beginning. Jane's arms were sucked into her sides like they were spaghetti noddles as her legs lengthened before slowly melting together into a single limb. A sickening cracking noise fille dthe air as her leg bones bent in almost a hundred different places, the rest of her body becoming more flexible with every passing second while her violet skin began to blister horribly until it exploded into thousands of diamond-shaped scales; her long belly turned a bright white in color, turning into larger scales perfect for moving along the ground while black stripes slowly materialized onto her person. Her head bulged outwards into a reptilian snout as six, fleshy growths sprouted from her skull while her eyes split into a second pair. A loud grinding and crunching noise filled the air as her teeth grew into thin, sharp fangs and her tongue split in two at the end. The final transformation was the addition of the Nemetrix around her neck and a loud, wet, splitting sound as nearly a dozen curved blades split outwards from the bones that made up her neck, forming a hood of sorts.

"Oh, that's not good." Cannonbolt rumbled.

"Just out of curiosity, how _did_ your sweet, little girl acquire such a powerful device without going mad?" Skurd wondered.

"Not the time, Skurd!" CuttngEdge yelped as she narrowly a swift movement of the Vortex Viper's tail. With a loud hiss, Slitherhole rushed at the Arburian Pelarota and Parae Cortarix , her bladed hood crackling with energy before she lunged forward; CuttngEdge and Cannonbolt braced themselves for impact, only to watch as the gigantic snake launched herself over them and slithered through a tear in the fabric of air above them with a loud crackling sound before the hole closed up behind her.

"Slitherhole. Why'd it have to be Slitherhole?" Cannonbolt grumbled under his breath, frantically searching for any sign of their opponent. Before the Arburian Pelarota could react, the air sizzled and crackled to his left as Slitherhole reemerged into the world, slamming full force into him and knocking him down to the ground; the Vortex Viper quickly wrapped him up in her coils, slowly constricting and squeezing him as she released a static charge from the bladed hood on her neck and gave Cannonbolt a mild shock that dazed hi slightly. Unfortunately for CuttngEdge, the charge extended to her like a conduit, her metal exterior and skin amplifying to a dangerous degree, to the point where she slumped to the ground in an unconscious state.

"Can't . . . break free!" the Arburian Pelarota grunted as the breath from his lungs was slowly squeezed out of him. "Not . . . strong . . . enough!"

"Then allow me!" Skurd exclaimed as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix fixed to Cannonbolt's chest and swallowed the both of them in a blast of green light. His soft, pale skin began to darken in color and harden in texture until it was a durable, silicon exoskeleton that was solid all the way through his body, only interrupted by his blood veins as they solidified into pink, crystal-like tubes that ran throughout his entire body and connected with the gem-like crystals that began to sprout and grow all over his body, popping out of his arms, knees, shoulders, back, and head and acting something similar to solar panels that absorbed the sun's energy and provided him with fuel to move; his fingers cracked and ground as they were replaced by hard crystals while his toes fused together into a single digit. Ben's eyes twitched violently until they were suddenly popped together into a single eye as his jaw jutted outwards into a hard, crystal structure. A green and white jumpsuit materialized on his person as gauntlets appeared on his wrists and thighs and the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his right pectoral, completing the transformation.

"Holy, moley! It's Chromastone!" the Crystalsapien marveled at his new form.

"Just gawking, dear boy, and start fighting! Our very lives depend on it!" Skurd berated Chromastone.

"Right. Sorry." he apologized as he grunted and pushed his hands against the strong coils of Slitherhole, prying them off of him with slight difficulty until he was finally free enough that he could fly up and out of harm's way before descending back down to the ground; the Vortex Viper hissed venomously at him and lunged her head forward at him, slamming her against the energy shield he had hastily erected and splattering a mouthful of venom all over it.

"Hah! Try Chromastone on for size!" the Crystalsapien seemed to grin as he lowered the shield and drew back a crystalline fist, slugging the massive serpent in the throat before ducking once more to dodge another swipe of the Vortex Viper's jaws; panting heavily, Chromastone quickly dived under Slitherhole and around to her backside, firmly grabbing hold of her tail and waiting for just the right moment to dive out of the way with the tail in hand as the Vortex Viper turned around to try and bite him.

"Ugh. What did I miss?" CuttngEdge groaned as she came to, carefully rubbing her head with a bladed hand as her Omnitrix timed out in a flash of golden light and returned Clawdeen to the world.

" _Knot_ much." was Chromastone's reply as he pulled Slitherhole's tail underneath of her head before jumping over her neck and dashing away a short distance before leaping over her coils and ducking swiftly under her head; before the Vortex Viper could comprehend what was happening, Chromastone gave an almighty tug on the end of her tail and successfully tied Slitherhole into a firm, tight knot.

"Sorry about this, Jane." the Crystalsapien apologized as he drew back his fist and slugged the Vortex Viper in the face with a sickening _crunch!_ and watched as Slitherhole went limp and fell to the ground; the Omnitrix and Nemetrix simultaneously timed out in their respective blasts of green and red light, returning Ben and Jane to their original forms as Clawdeen rushed over to Ben with worry.

"Are you okay, Ben? How's your shoulder?" the werewolf asked frantically, grabbing him by the arm and looking him over carefully.

"Clawdeen, I'm _fine_." Ben jerked his arm away from her. "Besides, I think we've got bigger issues to deal with. Such as why Daring is suddenly a coward, why a massive jungle has suddenly sprouted in the middle of the fair grounds, and why Jane has just suddenly tried to turn me into lunch again for the second time since we started dating."

"The lad makes a point." Skurd nodded. "A remarkable feat, I might add."

"Whatever," Ben rolled his eyes before a something caught his attention, a loud, smacking down that one might make as they were messily eating some sort of juicy, sweet food; Clawdeen seemed to hear it too, and by then Skurd was curious as well. Pausing only to stoop down, pry Jane out from the slime trap that kept her firmly pinned to the ground, and cradle her in his arms, the three of them made their way towards the sound, finding none other than Cedar Wood casually sitting underneath of a large oak tree on a bench with a teacake in hand.

"Cedar!?" Clawdeen blinked with surprise. "Did you just sit here _eating_ while Jane was tearing Book End to pieces?"

The wooden puppet stopped in midchew before swallowing and shaking her head. "No, I didn't." she replied.

"Did that teacake come from the Chef Showdown?" Ben wondered, his stomach growling fiercely at the sight of food.

"No." Cedar said once more, taking another bite of her treat.

"Yes, it is, it's gotta be! Where else-" Ben paused in midsentence to stare at Cedar as if she had just grown a second head. "You . . . just told a lie."

"No, I didn't." Cedar argued.

"Yes, you did!" Clawdeen accused.

"No, I didn't!" Cedar shot back.

"Yes, you are! You're doing it right now!" Ben pointed out, shifting Jane's weight in his arms slightly until a worried glance from Clawdeen persuaded him enough to lie her down on the bench next to Cedar in order to keep him from throwing his shoulder out. "Okay, now I _know_ something's wrong."

"But what?" Skurd wondered. "I believe that is the question."

Before they could delve even further into the situation at hand, a blood curdling scream echoed out through Book End and the school grounds, seeming to emanate from Ever After High's dormitories at such a level that Clawdeen was painfully covering her ears to try and block out the sound.

"Let me guess: we're gonna go investigate." Clawdeen deadpanned.

"We'll at least check it out." Ben nodded before turning to Cedar. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with you, but can you please watch Jane while I'm gone so I can figure out what's wrong with you and everyone else?"

The Daughter of Pinocchio seemed to glare at him. "Why should I?"

"Because, I care about you and everyone else and it would really mean a lot to me if you watched over someone I care deeply about-"

Cedar scoffed. "Why should I care about _you_? It's not like I love you with all my heart and want to spend my entire ever after with you and start a family with you when I become a real girl. Because I don't want any of that!" she argued.

Ben and Clawdeen blinked owlishly in surprise, sharing a look with one another before Ben pinched hi brow with frustration and tapped the Omnitrix fixed to his wrist, cycling through the roster before he found a suitable transformation. "Cedar, I gotta go right now. But when everything is all said and over, we're gonna have a little about this, okay? I promise." he added before he slapped a hand down on the activation button and engulfed himself in a flash of green light that warped and changed his genetic code. His hands bloated and swelled as extra muscle and tissue wrapped themselves around his bones and enhanced his strength significantly as his bones grew larger and stronger to support his growing weight; his fingers cracked and splintered loudly as they molded together into three, large claws that turned a frosty blue in color while his shoulders shifted back slightly. Ben's back cracked and crunched loudly as it hardened and solidified into a tough, black shell that forced him onto four legs as a white carapace encompassed his chest and stomach, now fully protecting him. His toes tore through his shoes, now a pair of large claws as four, blue dorsal fins sprouted from his back while his skull bulged outwards slightly into a rounded, bear trap-like shape that allowed several of his quickly sharpening teeth to curl over his bottom lip; several fleshy growths and barbels formed on his bottom jaw as black markings etched themselves across his icy blue face and the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on chest, completing the transformation.

"In the meantime, Cedar . . . just chill out." Arctiguana advised, a wisp of frozen vapor escaping his mouth as Clawdeen climbed onto his back and held on tightly as the Polar Manzardill sucked in a deep breath and blasted it back out into a concentrated beam of frozen vapor that formed ice crystals that froze upon making contact with the surrounding air, forming a sturdy ramp by which Arctiguana took a running start at and launched himself off like a snowboarder, creating new ramps and slides and shoots whenever need be as he made his way towards Ever After High.

" _I don't care!_ " Cedar screamed after the Polar Manzardill. After not receiving a retort or comeback, she angrily took a bite of the teacake in her hand and rudely shoved Jane off of her when the shape-shifter's head dozed off onto her shoulder.

* * *

Apple silently slunk along the edge of the hall, trying to remain as inconspicuous and natural as possible; although, now that she thought about it, stumbling upon the kindest, sweetest, fairest of them all slinking around like some kind of slippery, crafty weasel was about as unnatural as she could possibly get. Thankfully for the princess, the halls of Ever After High were relatively empty and devoid of any students or teachers due to the Spring Fairest Festival, despite the fact that a series of rather unusual event that sent a sweet adrenaline rush up Apple's spine had all but over taken the festivities, of which included a menagerie of purple-colored animals, the sudden appearance of a carnivorous jungle, Holly O'Hair suddenly turning into a psychopathic hairdresser hellbent on carving her initials in fairy tale's scalps, Daring Charming becoming the very definition of cowardice, Ashlynn Ella suddenly turning into a filthy, meat eating slob, Hunter becoming a nature hating huntsman, Cedar Wood unable to tell anything but the truth, Humphrey Dumpty turning into some kind of wannabe daredevil, and Apple didn't even _know_ what had happened to Skelita.

A small, cruel smirk of amusement crossed her blood red lips at the thought of such chaos; nobody would ever believe the Wonderlandians or Raven about her or anything else that was going on, and with the most wicked scheme buzzing around in her mind like a swarm of angry wasps, today was going to be simply spelltacular. For her at least.

The only issue, as she cracked open the door to Lizzie's dorm and silently slipped inside, hoping to the ancestors that there wasn't some kind of loony, Wonderland security system that would turn her hair a hot pink and her ears into a pair of griffin wings, was there was actually only one way her little scheme could possibly fail: Ben. Apple felt her face screw up with annoyance at even the mere _thought_ of the name as she eagerly swiped a stack of books off of a desk with a sewing machine positioned on top and found nothing beneath it; with what had to be the most powerful device on his wrist that Apple had ever seen, both magical and mechanical, he would be able to change his form at a mere flick of his wrist and turn into some kind of hideous monstrosity that would able to end her plans with little trouble.

That left the princess with one of two options as she stole a peek under the floor rug and made her way to the closet: either try to turn Ben to her own, malicious and sinister craft . . . or eliminate him. Knowing full well that he would not only be able to defeat her but even _kill_ her should it ever come to that in an almost infinite amount of ways with that ever troublesome device on his wrist, she would have to go with the former option; giving up on the floor, Apple made her way to the closet and flung it open, digging through the numerous dresses, shoes, undergarments, and other clothing assortments until she finally reached the near back and found an old, red book tucked behind a pair of stacked shoes boxes. Upon opening it, Apple was greeted with a sparkling, shimmering holographic map between the pages, showing a grand, olden forest and a blinking, red arrow in the middle of the book.

A mad, delighted giggle caught her attention and Apple slammed the closet door shut before taking a quick look around the dorm Lizzie shared with that ever annoying and pompous Swan Princess; satisfied that there would be nothing to trace her towards the break in, Apple made her way to the window and promptly jumped over the edge with the book clutched tightly to her chest just as Lizzie Hearts and Maddie came walking into the room, oblivious to the princess's whereabouts. Unfortunately for Apple, her plan to have Daring catch her or cushion her fall had failed miserably; the formerly charming prince was currently cowering in terror at the sheer sight of what had to be most disgustingly adorable squirrel in all of existence as it tried to offer him an acorn, incognizant of her frightened pleas and screams for him to catch her.

"Daaaaaaaring? _Daaaaaaaaring!?_ " she screamed at the top of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut as the ground came shooting up towards her at a terrorizing pace.

 _ **THWACK!**_

"What was that?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Your girlfriend, that's who." a familiar voice replied; Apple cracked open an eye and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that she was currently not a splattered mess of bodily fluids and broken bones smashed on the ground below and was in fact only in mild pain upon the domed shell of a Polar Manzardill with a werewolf riding behind the first fin. For once, the princess was happy to see Arctiguana and Clawdeen as the Polar Manzardill aimed his head down and breathed out an icy vapor to construct a frosty ramp for him to slide down towards the ground and land safely next to Daring.

"You okay, Apple?" Arctiguana asked, a chilling breath escaping his jaws as the princess dismounted; Daring promptly screamed with fright and scooted away a few feet, though whether he was still frightened of the little squirrel at his feet or the sudden arrival of a confused Polar Manzardill, an irked werewolf, and a furious princess was up to debate. It could very well be a combination of both.

"Fine, Ben." Apple replied, resisting the urge to give him a rude snark; if she wanted the hastily forming plan in her head to work, she had to play her cards _very_ carefully.

"What were you doing falling anyways?" Clawdeen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I slipped while . . . reaching for a bird." Apple lied without much effort; sensing that the Polar Manzardill and werewolf were not buying it as much as she wanted to.

"Reaching for a bird?" Clawdeen starred at her with disbelief.

"Of, course! You know how I can't resist my . . . _pretty_. . . little bird friends." Apple forced the word out past her lips. "Daring, could you come here for a sec . . . please?" she turned to the trembling prince, nearly spitting up her lunch upon having to say the last word; the formerly charming prince whimpered and never took his eyes off of the adorable squirrel, his bottom lip quivering with fear as the animal hopped closer.

"Oh, for Sphinxin' out loud . . ." Arctiguana grumbled under his breath before he opened his jaws and shot a short blast of frosty breath at the squirrel, freezing it on the spot; Daring flinched at the sudden flash freeze and quickly scooted back towards Apple, hiding behind her like some kind of security blanket.

"Daring, where was that _thing_ I asked you to hold for me?" Apple asked.

"Wh-Wh-What thing?" Daring gulped nervously.

" _The_ thing." Apple frowned with frustration.

"Oh! _That_ thing!" Daring realized; fearing the princess's wrath, he reached inside his Ever After High Letterman jacket and pulled out a safely tucked away book from within that he held out at arms length to Apple, as if the old manuscript would bite his fingers off.

"Hey, isn't that the riddle book Alistair brought with him?" Arctiguana wondered as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world with a calculating look on his face.

"That's right! He can be taught!" Skurd exclaimed.

"You're just saying that because you didn't notice it either." Clawdeen allowed a small smirk to cross her face.

"I shall not dignify such abuse!" Skurd huffed, folding his little tentacles over his chest and turning away from the werewolf with annoyance written all over his slimy, green face.

"Take a look at this." Apple gave off a hidden, sinister smile after she flipped through the book to a certain spot and showed it to both Clawdeen and Ben.

"What kind of jibberish is this?" Ben scoffed. "Look upon these words and well you must listen, control of the beast you have lost from within." he read over a passage; Apple's maniacal smirk grew deeper as Daring cowered behind her, trembling as Ben and Clawdeen shuddered and shivered for several seconds, clutching their throats as if they were choking on something or hugging themselves tightly as if they were freezing, despite the warm, Spring weather. Within seconds however, the quivering stop and Apple's smirk broadened into a full blown smile upon catching sight of the sinister look in both of their eyes.

"How you feelin', Ben?" Apple grinned as Daring dared to peek out from behind her.

"Just like new." Ben smirked; he suddenly ducked low as Clawdeen suddenly snarled and swiped at his head with her razor-sharp claws, missing and giving a surprised yelp as Ben lashed out with his leg and knocked out the werewolf's own legs out from underneath, knocking her to the ground where he than planted his foot down on her chest, pinning her to the spot. "You're pathetic, you ugly freak." Ben glared at her with a grin.

Clawdeen bristled viciously and growled, showing her fangs as she suddenly jerked her entire body and sent Ben stumbling back off balance while she flipped herself over onto all fours and snarled threateningly at Apple and Ben; once she was satisfied that they wouldn't bother to come after her, the werewolf put her nose to the air and took a sniff, her tongue lolling out of her mouth at the scent of nearby prey, already jittery and nervous as well, not to mention woolly. With a low growl, she off across the grounds towards the scent, diving into the woods and disappearing from sight.

"'bout time she left." Ben muttered under his breath before turning to face Apple. "You need anything else, beautiful?"

"Not from the likes of you," Apple scoffed. "At least, not yet."

Ben smirked. "Excellent. Let me know when the fun can begin." he told her. "And in the mean time . . ." he trailed off, rudely flicking Skurd aside as he accessed the Omnitrix and randomly selected an alien before slamming a hand down on the activation button and engulfing himself in a flash of green light. His skin started to blister and crack horribly like mud drying in the hot, blazing sun as a loud crunching noise filled the air while his bones compressed tightly against each other until they were liquidated into a thick, hot soup; his organs, flesh, and muscle tissue quickly followed, melting into hot magma that seeped and flowed through the cracks that started to form on his skin, separating different sections into floating islands of hot, magma rock. Ben's head started to smoke as his hands swelled and his toes tore through his shoes, melting into two, firm claws just as his head burst into hot flame, completing the transformation as the Omnitrix and a manically-rubbing-his-tentacles-together Skurd appeared on his chest.

"Time to make the world burn." Heatblast rasped with a twisted grin before he bent over Apple to look directly at Daring. " _Boo._ "

" _AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!_ " the cowardly prince cried, turning tail to run as Apple rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of his shirt, easily restraining him from running away.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! That never gets old!" the Pyronite cackled, wiping away a tear of hot magma that dropped to the ground with a loud hissing noise; a blood curdling scream from overhead briefly caught all their attentions, only deepening their virulent grins further as Heatblast thrust his hands down and shot off like a smoking rocket towards the Spring Fairest Festival grounds and leaving Apple and a terrified Daring behind. It took him mere seconds for him to cross the distance and plunge downwards into a fiery comet, plunging to the ground in the middle of the fair with a fiery explosion, blasting everything outwards within a good twenty foot radius.

"Nice fair you all got here." he quipped upon catching sight of the dazed and confused carnival goers. "Could use some remodeling though. Like this!" he added, thrusting a hand out and firing off a stream of hot coals at a popcorn stand; the kernels of corn almost instantaneously popped into fluffy pieces of popcorn before being baked alive and incinerated into ash as the tender fled the scene while his stand quite literally melted into a smoldering pile of wood and twisted metal. The Pyronite then raised up his other hand and aimed it at the Beanstalk High Striker, aiming for the top and working his way down as he melted the attraction into a smoking, metal soup.

"See? Isn't that much better?" he smirked as the fairy tales fell into full on panic mode and began running around in a maddening frenzy.

"Yes, yes! Run, you fools, run! It makes it all the more fun for us!" Skurd cackled

"Shut it, Booger Face! I do the talking." Heatblast snapped viciously as he aimed his flaming hand at a fleeing group of fairy tales and chased them off with a stream of fire, hot flames licking at their heels like starving wolves. The sudden clattering of metal caught both of their attentions and they turned to see a small platoon of about six enchanted suits of armor all wielding shields and swords or battle axes rushing towards them; both Pyronite and Slimebiote shared a look with each other.

"Ready for some real fun?" Heatblast hissed.

"Lets get started." Skurd chuckled maliciously as he slithered and wrapped and oozed his gelatinous body around the Pyronite's left arm and tapped into the genetic samples of the Omnitrix; the rocky exterior of Heatblast's arm softened greatly, the hot magma cooling and solidifying and molding with the rock to form a smooth skin that quickly tore and ripped apart into long, thin stripes that wrapped themselves around each other to firm a crudely made arm with exaggerated fingers made of single strips and a black and green arm brace to hold it all together.

"Then lets _wrap_ this up." Heatblast chuckled darkly as he thrust out his new Thep Khufan limb and watched as the flexible fingers snapped forward and swiftly wrapped around the left arm and upper torso of the lead knight; the Pyronite then jerked his arm back and pulled the suit of armor towards him where he opened his mouth and fired out a jet of hot flame at the enchanted warrior, his eyes screwing up with amusement as the helpless knight flailed and melted into a thick, smoking puddle of liquid metal.

With a dark smirk, Heatblast cast the unmoving suit of armor aside before converging on the remaining five with a frightening vengeance; the Pyronite punched clean through a knight's chest before throwing the metal carcass into its brother, slamming the both of them into the ground. He then whirled around and fired off another fiery, hot blast of breath at a third knight, melting its legs to the ground before he whipped his Thep Khufan fingers at the head and wrapped his extendable fingers around its neck, tightening his grip and tearing the helmet clean off with little effort. Heatblast then turned his attention to the final knight, smirking as he quickly bobbed his head to the right to avoid the downward thrust of the ax coming his way before easily jumping up over the sideways swipe the enchanted suit or armor made at him; before the benevolent suit of armor could raise his shield in time, the Pyronite kicked it square in the chest before kneeing it in the groin area and finally decking it across the face with his Thep Khufan arm and grabbing its helmet in hand before melting it off from the mere touch of his fingers.

"Now that," Heatblast chuckled at the charred remains of the enchanted knights littering the ground around him, Skurd returned his arm to its original form, and the Omnitrix timed out, returning Ben to the world. "Is what I call a good warm up."

"Indeed." Skurd snickered darkly. "Ready for more?"

"Always." Ben grinned as he tapped the Omnitrix and engulfed himself in a flash of green light, his genetic code warping and morphing into something new. Ben's skin began to blister and itch horribly as thick, shaggy fur started to sprout all over his body while his frame cracked and crunched loudly, his body gradually growing taller as his bones thickened and his posture forced him to hunch over slightly. His jaw crunched loudly against itself as it jutted out into an ape-like fashion while his lower, canine teeth curved out over his top lip, joined later by a few more crooked teeth; muscles and tissue packed themselves onto his arms and chest, his figure swelling dramatically as small, metallic bumps formed on his wrists. Ben's fingers grew thicker and stronger, becoming more adept to smashing things as his feet changed drastically with his big toe jutting out at a forty-five degree angle. His brow pushed down, thick and heavy, giving him a permanently irked look on his face as a metallic, three horned prong suddenly sprouted right between his eyes and a heavy, green belt formed around his waist, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing in a blast of green light and completing the transformation.

"Time fer some _shock_ an' awe, eh!" Shocksquatch grinned as he crashed his fists together and gave a small static charge from his fur; before the Gimlinopithecus could begin smashing and crushing and obliterating everything in sight like he was currently enjoying, a series of loud screeches and hoots echoed out through the air, interrupting his fun.

"Ah, geez, eh! Give me a break!" Shocksquatch griped as he jogged off towards the source of the noise; oddly enough, something inside his cold, twisted, blackened heart beat warmly upon hearing the racket made.

* * *

Apple strutted through the Enchanted Forest with that oh-so satisfying smirk of satisfaction upon her lips as her hips rocked from side to side and the ground and possibly a fairy cake was slowly eaten up under her crimson pumps. Daring trembled besides her as usual, flinching at the slightest of bird song or rustling in the bushes that only turned out to be yet another squirrel or rabbit; this Chicken Little act was more than annoying for the princess, but she was willing to tolerate after accomplishing the near impossible and becoming so close to her goal.

"So, um . . ." Daring hesitated as he tapped his fingers together anxiously. "I'm kinda scared to ask, but what's this big plan of yours?"

"The well." Apple merely replied.

"Well? Well, what?"

Apple rolled her eyes. The Well of Wonder, duh!" she exclaimed with exasperation. "I heard Maddie say that Lizzie had the only map to it. So, I stole it from Lizzie's room!" she smirked proudly, holding up a red covered book with a black and white checkerboard back; she flipped open the pages to the middle of the book and was greeted with the familiar, shimmering hologram of the Enchanted Forest and a blinking red arrow that slowly moved through the woods, indicating their path. "Everyone knows that the magic, the wonder, the life of our world comes from Wonderland through that well."

" _Aaaaaahhh!_ " Daring suddenly yelped, clutching his foot tightly while Apple glared at him at being interrupted so rudely. "I-I stubbed my little toe."

"Anyway . . ." Apple rolled her eyes. "You and I? We're going to plug up that well for good!" she grinned venomously.

"But that will . . ." Daring gasped with realization. "Destroy the fairy tale world!"

"Wow, you catch on fast . . . not!" Apple mocked him before grabbing the front of his jacket and dragging him along. "Now come on!" she growled, oblivious to the presence of Raven, Holly, Briar, and Cerise silently stalking after her through the underbrush of the forest, hoping that the princess and her cowardly prince wouldn't notice them; with the way Daring kept on flinching at every little thing however and Apple having grown to ignore it, this would most likely not be a problem.

* * *

M.N: _Oh, yes!_

B.P: _No, no! Apple White is the future queen! Her whole life is about protecting the fairy tale world! We can't let that happen!_

T.P: _She . . . kinda has a point, Dad._

B.P: _We're narrators! We're part of this world, too!_

F.N: _Narrators can not interfere._

B.P: _And Ashlynn and Hunter! They love nature! And what about Humphrey? If he continues this, he'll end up cracked and sunny side up for sure! AND WHAT ABOUT BEN!? He's supposed to be the universe's greatest hero and the only chance Ever After has against-_

M.N: _Brooke! Why don't you just take us to the next scene, okay?_

B.P: _No, but-_

M.N: _Brooke!_

T.P: _Sorry, sis. Our hands are tied right now. R to be more specific, our words and whatever lips we may possess._

B.P: * _sigh* Meanwhile, in Wonderland, Ginger finished baking the pie with the message with the message warning her friends about the cursed riddle book._

F.N: _Perhaps a smidge less sarcasm next time . . ._

* * *

Ginger gulped as she wiped her sweaty brow and took a good, long look at the pie sitting on the table before her; the White Knight stood just behind her, wearing a flowery, pink apron that would have been comical and rather hilarious to laugh at if the situation were not so dire. The two of them shared a quick look with the other before Ginger took the pie in her oven mitt covered hands and moved over the oven, pulling down the door and sliding the pie in before closing it again and biting her lip for hope.

"I hope they get my warning before it's too late." Ginger rung her hands with worry as a flash of bright, pink light came from within the oven; a quick look inside revealed that the pie had vanished without a trace, as if it had never been placed inside.

"That does look like a good sign." the White Knight nodded with approval as he undid his apron and set it back on the table. "Very clever of you to figure out that the riddle required baking."

Ginger smiled brightly, a light blush coming to her gingerbread face. "Well, cooking just comes naturally to me! What doesn't would be cooking with Wonderland rules; do cooking books normally babble on endlessly about an infinite amount of recipes until you close them.

"Yes . . ." the White Knight replied as he straightened himself up. "Now then, I believe it would be best to figure out how to get you home."

"But . . . how?" Ginger wondered. "I got here by falling down the Well of Wonder, but . . . I'm not sure if I can go back that way."

The White Knight rubbed his metal chin in thought. "There . . . is another way out. It's unknown by many and only known to a few and dangerous at its best, but it _will_ bring you back home."

Ginger got a very determined look upon her face as she untied her apron and cast it aside on the counter. "Whatever it is, lets do it. No arguments."

The knight seemed to smile at this. "A maiden who is not afraid of the unknown? A very admirable trait."

Ginger smiled and blushed once more. "So . . . what is this way back home?"

The White Knight seemed to deflate slightly, adopting a more serious tone and posture than before; he only gestured for her to follow him as he made to leave the tea shoppe. Ginger followed and found that a white, chess pieced stallion was waiting outside, its legs fused together and to a circular pedestal and shimmering, silver armor protecting it.

"Wonderland is not as wondrous as everyone might think," the White Knight explained as he helped Ginger onto the back of his steed and gave a snap of the reins; the white horse whinnied and promptly hopped off of the teetering spire that held the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe above the wasteland, ignoring the frightened screams of Ginger as they fell until they finally landed.

Ginger took a deep breath as she tried to still her jittery nerves. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Wonderland is much darker than you might like to believe." the White Knight explained as he rode his stallion across the barren, dusty wasteland; for as far as Ginger could see, the plain was flat and devoid of almost any life, save for a few, wiry jabberwocks and vultures that circled over head. Tall acacia trees that had been dead and lifeless for years on end were devoid of any leaves and dotting the barren wasteland in small pockets, empty riverbeds slithering their way through the choked soil, their bottoms littered with the dried remains of fish bones and small puddles of a blackened liquid the bubbled and oozed.

"What happened here?" Ginger whispered.

"The Evil Queen." the White Knight replied. "Wonderland is choked full of raw magic and energies that would be unstable to most, with the exception of the native inhabitants. As such, there are dark and powerful energies that would all but destroy anyone else that is not of Wonderland, of madness, or of a . . . certain bloodline."

"But what happened?" Ginger wondered.

"When the Evil Queen first arrived here in Wonderland to enact her horrible curse, she attempted to play with the dark and unstable power of Wonderland's dark magic, a suicidal act for most. The results were . . . frightening, to say the least . . ."

Ginger gasped. "Did she . . ."

The White Knight shook his head. "No, thankfully she did not. Rather, another individual was subjected to the horrifying Orb of Madness and transformed beyond safe recognition. This allowed the Evil Queen to destroy nearly all of Wonderland before it and its allied forces were able to stop and contain her; the war had been won, but the damage had been done. Wonderland rests of its last legs with the curse waiting to strike and finish her off, and we . . . we are helpless to do anything about it."

Apple grinned eagerly as a shimmering, golden image of a well suddenly materialized on the pages of the book in her grasp, glancing up to look around for the treasure she had been searching for. "According to the map, it's right . . ." she paused and looked at her surroundings in confusion; she had dragged Daring a good distance into the forest to a wide, rounded trench that cut a deep swath through the Enchanted Forest, as if some sort of massive ball attached to a chain had been pulled through the dirt or a massive, tubular object had been slammed down into the earth to allow such a thing. Unfortunately, there was no well to speak of.

"This _Wonderland_ stuff is so annoying!" Apple growled with irritation in a manner similar to that of a feral bulldog. "I mean, really, is it that hard to just have a normal map that shows you where-" she continued to rant until Daring fearfully tapped her on the should. " _WHAT!?_ " she snarled.

Trembling at her temper, the prince merely pointed behind her; Apple raised an eyebrow but dared to take a peek behind her and felt a malicious smile cross her blood red lips when she caught sight of the ancient, stone wall Well of Wonder that had materialized out of thin air right behind her. "Perfect." she smirked.

Daring gulped. "So, um . . . I don't have to do anything dangerous, do I?" she asked worryingly.

"Nope." Apple replied simply. "Since you've turned into Coward Charming, I thought ahead and brought some help." she told him. "Ashlynn . . . Hunter!" she called out; it was a few seconds before the pair appeared, a cruel smirk on Hunter's face as he crushed several flowers heartlessly underneath of his feet and plucked a butterfly out of the air only to crush it between his fingers, his heart beating faster as he relished in the sweet _crunch!_ of the insect's exoskeleton. Ashlynn herself did not look any better, her strawberry blonde hair messy and tangled, a jungle of snarls, while mud and filth caked her body and ragged dress; the princess didn't care in the slightest as she happily feasted upon a greasy burger before turning around and pressing into Hunter's face, only to have him peel it off and crush it over her head, letting the grease, ketchup, mustard, and other condiments drizzle all over her face.

"Time to get our evil on." Apple snickered.

With that being said, Hunter heaved a heavy ax over his shoulder and rushed right at the nearest tree, hacking his ax right through the thick trunk in one quick swipe before he began to carve and hack away at the rest of the tree, lopping off branches and peeling away bark and sending wood chips flying in all directions until there was nothing left but a massive, wooden wheel resting and waiting on the tree's stump.

"Apple!"

The princess startled slightly at the sound of her name and turned to see Raven standing on top of the gorge with Cerise, Briar, and Holly by her side; with a grunt, the witchling slid down the enbankment and turned to face Apple with a pleading expression. "Apple, this is so not you! You would never do anything to hurt Ever After High!"

Apple feigned an innocent tone. "Oh, poor Raven! So, naive." she shook her head. "You're about to find out how wrong you really are."

A loud belch caught their attention and they all turned their attention towards Ashlynn as she pulled out another greasy burger from a fast food and Hunter as he stood proud and tall with his trusty ax by his side. "Ashlynn!? Hunter!?" Holly gasped with disbelief. "You guys love nature . . . I can't believe you're doing this!"

"Believe it!" Ashlynn snorted as she carelessly tossed her half-eaten burger over her shoulder and dropped her bag of greasy treats; before anyone else could stop her, the person turned towards the forest and let out a series of loud screeches, howls, roars, and caws that sounded distinctly like a variety of animals all rolled into one, frightening beast. A sudden rustling came from the forest as a large, burly ram with a massive pair of vine encrusted horns came charging out of the bush and rammed its head into the gigantic, wooden wheel Hunter had hastily constructed. The wheel rumbled down the hill and circular gulch, nearly running over Briar and Daring as they just barely dove out of the way as it ran up the other side of the valley and shot up high and back into the air; time seemed to freeze for Raven as she watched the wheel tumble through the air, spinning and turning numerous times as Apple watched with a hungry, eager expression until the wheel finally slammed down on top of the Well of Wonder.

"Or for crying out loud!" Apple snarled when she noticed that the plug was resting only lightly on top of the Well of Wonder; it would have taken more than one person, but if she didn't act fast, the plug could have been effortlessly pulled out.

"Quick! We still have a chance!" Cerise cried as she dashed towards the well.

"Oh, no you don't, eh!" a deep, gruff voice yelled; the Riding Hood came to a screeching halt as she looked around for the source of the sound until a shadow from above that was getting eerily larger and larger as the precious seconds ticked by drew attention. Looking upwards, she watched as Shocksquatch came soaring out of the trees and into the sky, his fists clenched tightly as an alarming amount of electricity crackled and snaked through his fur as the Gimlinopithecus reached the climax of his jump and came crashing back down onto the Well of Wonder, landing on the plug with a thunderous _BOOM!_ that resonated loudly throughout the forest and sent out a discharged of energy all around him.

" _AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_ " Cerise cried as she was struck, her nerves burning and on fire as the electricity coursed through her before finally stopping; she suddenly felt weak, like she couldn't stand on her legs any longer as she felt them give out and send her falling backwards until something caught her and prevented her from landing painfully on the ground. Looking up through her blurry vision, she found it to be Raven pulling her close against herself and allowing her to use her as a support.

If anyone had been distracted otherwise from the plugging of the well, they would have noticed two figures materializing out of thin air in a shower of shimmering, sparkling light on a branch on a tree overlooking the whole scene. "Oh, such chaos. Aren't you enjoying this, kitten?" the Cheshire Cat gave her daughter a cheeky smile.

Kitten nodded and gave a satisfied smile as her mother petted her head lovingly; inside however, she was having second thoughts. The words of Alistair, her long lost friend that had been trapped back in Wonderland while she had been lucky enough to escape, claimed that while pranks were appreciated every now and again, not all of them were funny. At first, the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat had been deeply hurt by this, more so annoyed when she received angry glares and stern looks after the Fairest Wheel incident, but now that she was able to witness the product of her actions . . . she was wondering if she was taking this too far.

Watching Apple White let loose for once and surprisingly act like a cunning villain rather than a mocking wannabe was amusing, she would admit, and watching Daring cower and tremble at everything in sight after he had hurt Lizzie by cheating on her with Duchess was just as satisfying. But watching hunter swing his ax at an adorable bunny (thankfully missing), watching while Ashlynn stuffed her face with the meat she swore she would never eat even if her life depended on, watching as Shocksquatch grinned toothily at the shocked look on Raven's face and cackled darkly at the fact that he had won . . . something inside her did a flip upon seeing that.

"Okay, that's it!" Raven snarled determination, lying Cerise carefully down on the grass before she ran up to the Well of Wonder as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world; the wielder of the Omnitrix didn't bother to make a move as he simply stood on top of the wooden plug that blocked the well while Raven, Holly, and Briar struggled to try and move the firmly wedged plug out pf place.

"Yeah. Good luck with all that." Ben rolled his eyes.

Raven gritted her teeth and glared at her boyfriend; it really hurt her to see him like this, looking down upon her and not lifting a finger while she tried to prevent the destruction of her world. It hurt her even more that someone she loved, someone she deeply cared for, saw her now as nothing more than scum beneath his shoe, finding her lower than dirt and not even worth his time . . . almost like . . .

"Well, I guess you've forgotten that I can do magic." she glared at him, opening her palm and wiggling her fingers over her open hand as a light, purple ball of power and energy formed.

"Actually, Raven . . . I think _you're_ the one who's forgetting things." Apple smirked with a crafty smile that made the witchling shiver uncomfortably; how could someone so sweet and kind be just as terrifying?

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Raven shot back; all confidence she had however, instantly evaporated when the Well of Wonder, plug and all, suddenly vanished before her very eyes, flashing out of existence and to some place new far, far, far away and out of her reach; Ben simply dropped to the ground and silently backed up the embankment of the shallow gorge.

"Like the Well of Wonder never stays in one place very long." Apple replied smartly as she casually strolled to the side of the valley.

" _Agh!_ " Briar cried with disgust. "You won't win, Apple!"

Apple smirked. "Well, this has been fun and all, but . . . charm ya later." she smiled as she cast a look above her; Ben grinned as he slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix and felt his DNA rearrange and scramble into something new. A coating of light, blue fur raced over his body, covering him from head to toe as his spine arched and forced him down onto his hands just as his fingers modled together like hot candle wax into three, form digits designed to grasp and swing as his toes lengthened and became, strong digits as well; Ben's skin flashed a dark blue as his shoulders swelled slightly and became muscled and furry as his chest expanded and tissue and muscles piled themselves onto his body. His skeleton crunched and snapped loudly as he was compressed down to the size of a large dog, his spine arching and cracking loudly before a long, prehensile tail snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking back and froth with anticipation as several special organs formed at the base of the appendage. His lower jaw was thrust outwards as warm fur covered his face and his eyes split into two more green pairs while the shaggy hair on his head flipped up to form a pair of furry horns. The most dramatic and most noticeable change however, was when a pair of identical arms to his original pair suddenly burst out of his sides from underneath him, flexing and moving on their own accord as two, green sashes formed across Ben's chest with the Omnitrix at the center, completing the transformation.

"Ook! Ook!" Spidermonkey chattered as he fired off a strand of sticky webbing from his tail at a tree branch overhead before he threw himself off of the side of the gulch and down to Apple's level, the strong, sticky silk acting like a bungee cord of sorts. "You should know by now, Raven, not to monkey with the monkey! Ook! Ook!"

"Face it, Raven. You've lost." Apple smirked as the Arachnichimp hooked his four, wiry arms around her upper chest and arms.

"Oh! Wait for me!" Daring cried as he rushed after them, a hand upon his crown to keep it on his head.

"We'll find the well . . ." Cerise groaned from the ground, her body no longer feeling painfully numb, like one would feel if they hit their funny bone.

"Gonna be hard without this!" Apple smirked as she pulled out the very book, Lizzie's map, that had led her to the Well of Wonder in the first place.

This finally seemed to make Raven snap. "Why, you little, good for nothing, son of a-" she swore as she rushed at Apple, fully intent on tackling her to the ground and holding her there until she got some answers.

"Raven!" Holly warned.

"What!? We can't let them get away!" Raven protested as Spidermonkey stuck out his tongue at her and pulled himself, Apple, and a terrified Daring up and away before the five sinister fairy tales retreated and away and into the forest.

"I think we've got bigger problems." Holly gulped, pointing towards the ground where the Well of Wonder had been moments before. Raven turned to where she was pointing and gasped as a sickly, gray color started to bubble up from the ground and creep its way across the grass; the surrounding flowers consequently began to wilt and droop over as the gray mess oozed and slithered over the ground, growing bigger and bigger with every passing second. "The wonder – it's drying up!"

"Without wonder . . . our world will cease to exist . . ." Cerise whispered with worry as Briar helped her to her feet.

"Not if I can help it." Raven frowned. "And the only way we're gonna stop this is to figure out what's wrong with Apple! Come on!" she gestured for the others to follow her as she ran back towards Ever After High with the other hot on her trail and gray, bubbling mess of wonderless ground started to spread out slowly like syrup, picking up the pace as it began to ravage the land.

* * *

M.N: _And so, Apple White's plan to the block the Flow of Wonder into the world of Ever After High, has worked all too well._

F.N: _Ooh, I'm getting shivers up my spine!_

B.P: _This is insane! We can't let this happen!_

T.P: _Um, Mom? Dad? I kinda have to agree with Brooke on this one._

B.P: _If they don't unplug the well soon, Ever After's doomed! They're doomed! We're doomed! Everyone is doomed! Doomed, doomed, doomity-doom-doomed! DOOMED I TELL YOU!_

T.P: _Uh, what she said._

F.N: _Brooke, as narrators, we aren't allowed to interfere with the story._

M.N: _Your mother's right. The farthest we can do is occasionally interact with the Wonderlandians._

B.P: _But-_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke!_

T.P: _Sorry, sis._

B.P: * _sigh* Please, pull through Raven . . . please . . ._

* * *

Despite the fact that Venus' 'children' were now taking over the rest of the Spring Fairest Festival and hungrily trying to devour anything within reach, Jane had mysterious disappeared and was off stalking Lilly Bo Peep's flock of sheep once more, Skelita was no where to be found, and that there seemed to be some kind of shadowy, wolf figure stalking the edge of the Enchanted Forest and alleyways of Book End, the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe remained bright, cheery, busy, and most importantly, mad.

"Don't worry, Lizzie, we'll find your book . . . somehow." Maddie promised her friend and future queen with a sigh; the Hatter, plus Princess of Hearts, white rabbit, and Wonderland were all sitting somewhat glumly around a table in the Mad Hatter's tea shop, wondering what they could possibly do. With the disappearance of Lizzie's prized book and their friendship with Kitty Cheshire hanging by a thread, there wasn't much to look up to at the moment. Thankfully, however, salvation came upon the sound of creaking wheels.

"Oh! Dad!" Maddie smiled brightly when a large, black top hat was placed upon her head; the Mad Hatter was a tall, slim man with a wild and goofy grin on his face, dark and light, curly, auburn hair on his head, a satin pink suit complete with an over-sized, toned, purple collar, a white shirt, and several green buttons. He wore dark pants and shoes along with gloves the same color as his collar, white cuffs, a light blue bow ties, and what appeared to be a pair of earrings in his left ear.

"It's nice to see a familiar face." Alistair allowed a small smile at the Mad Hatter's antics.

"Whistle, cradle, up top, down sideways, shake and to the moon!" both Hatters exclaimed as they did a series of odd and bizarre movements that could only be described as a Wonderland handshake that ended with Maddie returning her father's hat to his head.

"The train runs on tracks, birds on the air, and we believers must always take care!" the Mad Hatter recited as he picked up a cake, bounced off of his elbow, and onto the table; a tray of cupcakes, four empty teacups, and a steaming pot of tea soon followed.

"He's right." Alistair nodded. "A little food will totally help us think."

* * *

B.P: _Wait, no! This isn't right! There's no pie! Ginger baked her message in a pie._

M.N and F.N: _Brooke . . ._

B.P: _Maddie! Maddie can hear us!_

T.P: _Uh, sis, I don't like this whole thing any more than you do, but-_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke, no!_

B.P: _I'm sorry, I have to do this. Maddie! Ginger baked a message for you in a pie! It's somewhere in the tea shoppe! Hurry!_

M.N and F.N: _Brooke!_

* * *

"Thank you, young narrator!" Maddie thanked seemingly nothing above her before slamming her hands down on the table to look around the tea shop for the pie that her friend had told her about; knowing the other narrators, the Hatter could suspect that her friend was going to be in big trouble, but if she was willing to break such rules, then it must have been important. Maddie's sights soon set on Duchess Swan as she prepared to eat a chocolate goose pie on table in front of her.

"Whoopsie!" Maddie giggled as she stole pie from Duchess seconds before she could stuff her face.

"Hey!" the Swan maiden protested.

"Hat-tastic!" Maddie laughed as she proceeded to run around the tea shoppe in a manner very similar to a hyperactive chimpanzee, swiping pies from customers left and right without concern; to Bunny, it made her dizzy just by watching the energetic Hatter run around faster and faster, gathering more and more pies until she had a decent, wobbling stack on top of her head. It made Bunny wonder just how Ben was able to put up with her maddened friend, considering he was not of Wonderlandian heritage. This thought also made Bunny's head hurt at the mere thought of beings from other planets existing beyond the atmosphere of Ever After and then hundreds upon thousands upon millions upon billions, upon infinite amounts of alternate realities and parallel worlds, such as the one where Ben was from, where beings just as stranger as her existed, but fairy tales were nothing more than stories and nothing else.

"Why did you do that, Maddie?" Lizzie wondered as her friend dropped her collection of pies down on the table and grabbed a knife.

"Ginger baked us a message," Maddie replied. "The voices told me so."

"As much as I'd like to argue about your 'friends' . . . what would the point be?" Alistair wondered.

"You mean you don't hear them, too?" Maddie paused slightly as she cut open a pie.

"I hear them sometimes." Lizzie said. "They always seem to be arguing over one silly thing or another."

"Maybe I'm just not mad enough." Alistair shrugged; during his childhood, he would sometimes catch his mother seemingly talking to no one in particular, often arguing with them but occasionally having a pleasant conversation as well, as if she were talking to some of her friends and nothing more. Eventually, he had been introduced to the voices he had grown to know as the narrators. He unfortunately was not able to hear them and assumed his mother to be insane due to her maddening encounters with the Cheshire cat, but everyone else in Wonderland seemed to be able to hear them to, so he simply dismissed them as fact. Alistair had yet to hear them for himself though.

That little issue however, seemed pretty small right now compared to the mountain of pies sitting in front of them; it was only when his face was suddenly speckled with some of the pie's sweet juices did he realize that Maddie had smashed her face into the pie itself and was eating in a fashion very similar to a starving pig. Sharing a look with Lizzie, Bunny, and Alistair, they copied the Hatter's movements and took a pie each that they messily and hungrily dug into.

After what seemed like hours of stuffing themselves silly however, there was nothing to show for it other than the sticky stains on their faces and horrible belly aches; Madde let out a loud belch that seemed to rattle the entire shot as Lizzie pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and used it to wipe her face clean. "We've eaten . . . every single pie! And no message!" Alistair groaned.

"I'm _so_ full . . ." Bunny moaned.

"The fishing net is full to bursting!" Maddie added, leaning back in her chair and promptly falling over. "What I wouldn't give for Ben to be here!"

"You've made it very clear that you love to eat pie," the Mad hatter said as he came up to their table with yet another pie in hand. "I found one in the kitchen that your really must try! _Hoo hoo hoo!_ " he chuckled at his own little rhyme just as the tea kettle let out a shrill whistle similar to that of an airhorn going off drew his attention away.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Maddie smiled brightly.

"You think this is the one?" Alistair wondered.

"I do hope so." Lizzie moaned, burping slightly. "Pardon me."

With little other choice, Maddie took her knife and dipped it into the pie's crust, cutting a thin line; the line quivered slightly and suddenly formed into a mouth complete with a full set of teeth, tongue, and voicebox. "Um, what do I do?" the pie spoke in an oddly familiar voice. "Do I just start talking? Test . . . test . . . oh! Guys! This is Ginger!"

"Ginger?" Lizzie starred at the pie in disbelief.

"Ever After is in danger!" the pie continued. "There's a riddle book and it's cursed! You have to find it! Now what? Do I . . . is that it?"

"I _knew_ something was up with that crafty calico!" Bunny growled with annoyance, pounding her fist into her open palm out of frustration.

"She must have switched out the Storybook of Legends for the riddle book!" Lizzie realized.

"That's not important right now." Alistair frowned. "What do we do?"

Maddie tapped her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, Venus was the last one with the riddle book . . ."

"Then to . . . Venus . . . we go!" Alistair declared as he got up from the table and rushed to the tea shoppe's door.

"Thanks, Dad!" Maddie called behind her as she followed after her friends.

"You're welcome, dear!" the Mad Hatter shouted. "But, uh, what did I do?" he wondered.

That little thought was left to fester on its own as the small band of Wonderlandians rushed through the town of Book End and back towards the Spring Fairest Festival, Maddie skipping merrily all the way while the others pumped their arms and jogged as fast as they could, somehow still not able to keep up with the Hatter despite her somewhat slow choice of gait; they were almost there when a gigantic, green root suddenly slammed down onto the earth, blocking their path into the fair grounds.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Venus purred as a thick, thorny tendril held her suspended above their as she lay on her stomach.

"Venus, please! You need to let us through!" Lizzie pleaded.

"Maybe . . . my children are rather hungry." the plant monster tapped her chin with thought.

"That's not what I meant!" Lizzie screwed her face up with irritation. "Let us by now or it's _off with your head!_ " she threatened.

"Let me think about that . . . no." Venus replied, turning over onto her back to look at them from an upside down perspective. "I have orders from Apple herself to not let anyone she doesn't approve of by . . . and as far as she's concerned, you're nothing but plant food to me." she smirked hungrily. "I _might_ spare you and Maddie though . . . my master would find you both more than appealing. And if not . . . I'm always available."

"What about us?" Alistair narrowed his eyes.

"My children are always hungry." was Venus' response.

Lizzie felt her blood boil as she clenched her palms tightly, digging her fingers and nails deep into her pale skin to the point where it might have actually drawn blood, if all of it was rushing to her quickly reddening face; Maddie felt a bright grin cross her face as she, Bunny, and Alistair quietly backed off, knowing full well what was to come. " _OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!_ " Lizzie screamed as she rushed right at Venus; the plant monster's cunning grin immediately dropped as she snapped her fingers and watched as a dozen, cracking creepers erupted out of the ground between her and furious Princess of Hearts. Her confident smile dropped however when Lizzie clenched her fingers like claws and rushed at the nearest plant, slicing her fingers across the stalk before moving the next one and the next one faster than Venus could comprehend and faster than her minions could react; by the time she was able to finally set her sights on Lizzie, the Princes of Hearts had leaped as high into the air as possible and held two of her fingers together as she came back down in front of the thick vine that blocked their path. At first nothing happened until the gigantic stalk trembled and suddenly exploded in a wet, green eruption that sent Venus reeling and leaving Lizzie miraculously unscathed as the creepers behind her crumbled to the ground, having been sliced like sushi.

"Uh . . . wow . . ." was all Alistair could say; he knew his friend was temperamental, but he didn't know she could be _this_ deadly.

"Now then," Lizzie coughed as she straightened her dress and hair before becoming furious once more and turning to a dazed Venus, kicking her in the stomach and planting her foot firmly on her chest. "Kindly tell us where the riddle book is, or the next hedge I trim will be _you_." she threatened.

"Cedar . . . Cedar knows where the book is!" Venus trembled slightly.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Lizzie nodded as she ran into the Spring Fairest grounds with her friends right behind her, giving the plant monster only mild pitied looks as they ran past and came to a screeching halt; the entire fair grounds had been overtaken by beanstalks, massive thorns covering their vines and roots as they burst forth from the ground and wrapped themselves tightly around anything within reach. Fanged trappers tipped several of the tallest stalks, corrosive saliva dripping from their maws as they occasionally snapped at the air to try and catch a passing dragon or bird. What hadn't been overtaken by the living jungle had been melted or burned to a smoldering, smoking mess or covered in sticky webbing; several helpless fairy tales had been stuck to such webs and wrapped up like a spider's catch, their movements massively restricted by the strong silk.

"Whoa . . ." Bunny whispered with surprise.

"I knew Ben and his ghouls were powerful, but this . . ." Alistair marveled.

"While it is rather impressive, I believe we have bigger issues." Lizzie whispered to them in a low voice. "I believe we are being watched." she pointed towards the thick creepers and roots that provided hundreds of hiding places from which any multitude of savage beasts and monstrosities could be hiding in; now that Bunny was actually looking, she could have sworn she saw a pair of golden eyes watching from the darkness.

"Okay, I know I'm normally not one to say this, but nobody make any sudden movements." Maddie advised; the Wonderlandians simultaneously agreed to keep as quiet as possible so as not to aggravate the hungry plant's attention or encourage the hidden predators to attack, find Cedar, find the book, and reverse the curse as quick as possible. This plan quickly fell apart when Bunny unwittingly changed into her rabbit form to ride in Alistair's arms to try and create as little noise as possible; with a loud, feral roar, a brown blur charged out of the undergrowth and rushed at Alistair, slamming into him and knocking him down to the ground.

" _Oof!_ " Alistair grunted as he roughly struck the ground and felt hot breath on his face; rolling his eyes to look, as he believed turning his head would end up with him losing his nose, he came face to face with a pair of sharp, golden eyes, a set of sharp fangs fully capable of tearing flesh from bone, and a mane of earthy brown hair. Clawdeen growled lowly at him, studying him for a few seconds. In those few seconds, several things happened at once; Alistair took note that the werewolf's normally golden eyes were tinted with a venomous purple; Bunny instinctively dove into the thick brush pile created by Venus' plants; and Maddie pulled a massive mallet out of her hat and swung it full into Clawdeen's side, knocking the werewolf off of her friend and sending her rolling across the ground. She did not get up.

"Come on! Follow Bunny!" Maddie exclaimed as she grabbed Alistair's hand and pulled him off of the ground, practically dragging him towards the snarled mess of vines and roots and slipping through an opening that Alistair just barely managed to squeeze through; Lizzie and Bunny were already waiting, their faces tinted a glowing green from the sun shining through the plant flesh above them.

"Wonderful. Now they know we're here." Lizzie sighed.

"Well, things can't get worse than this, I suppose."

Maddie slammed her forehead with frustration, briefly giving herself a set of crossed eyes as she regarded the mallet in her hand. "You schoodle brain! You just doomed us all! Ben says that's the one thing you never say in these kind of situations!"

"What are the odds that something like that will happen though?" Alistair scoffed slightly; he quickly found his answer when a flash of crimson light briefly flashed from outside and the ceiling of creepers and vines overhead quivered slightly before being easily ripped away. The Wonderlandians were briefly blinded by the bright light until a massive shadow cast over them, blocking out the warm sunlight and sending shivers down their spines when they caught sight of what was standing over them. The monstrosity mostly resembled a gigantic, flightless bird with deep purple feathers, a naked neck and a serrated beak fully capable of tearing through flesh; a set of razor-sharp talons tipped the feet, four eyes enabled it to see with the sharpest of vision, a pair of broad wings tipped with claws only made it more formidable, and the calculating look on its face made it clear that it was highly intelligent for an animal.

"Nobody . . make . . . any . . . sudden moves." Lizzie whispered. "It's vision is based on movement."

"Are you sure about that?" Alistair whispered as Bunny trembled in his arms, burying himself into his chest in the hopes that the massive predator would not see her as a bite-sized snack.

"I do not," Lizzie hissed. "I am just hoping that I am correct!"

" _ **SCREEEEEE-EEEEEEEAAAAH!"**_

" _Ahh!_ " Alistair yelped as he rolled to the side with Bunny clutched close to him just as the Omnivoracious drove its head down to try and stab his head on its beak; the Omnivoracious screeched and flared her wings, opening her beak wide and snapping it shut just millimeters away from the Son of Alice in Wonderland's face.

"Heads up!" Maddie cackled; the Omnivoracious' attention was briefly drawn away from Alistair and his bite-sized friend just as the Hatter swung her mallet and connected it to the predator's face, knocking it a far distance away and onto its side.

"Quick! While it is-" Lizzie cried as the Omnivoracious screeched feebly and flapped its wings in an attempt to right itself before it was suddenly and swiftly swallowed in a flash of crimson red light; Jane could feel her body growing, expanding, growing bigger and bigger as her back swelled and split her shirt right down the back, her arms and legs becoming larger and larger as hundreds of muscles, tissue, and sinew packed themselves tightly onto her limbs. Her skull cracked and groaned as the jaw bones thrust forward farther and farther until they were quite literally torn away from the rest of the skull, of which softened and fused together with the muscle and tissue that surrounded her head; her jaws then pushed themselves past her skin, thrusting out into the open air as the teeth sharpened and fused with the bones while they hardened further into a tough, horny beak. Her fingers and toes molded together into single, long dexterous digits that quickly lost any rigid structure they may have had until Jane's entire skeleton, with the exception of the spinal cord, disappeared and vanished altogether, leaving a soft, squishy body that was turning a dark red in color with brown spots dotting her body. A loud squelching nose filled the air as two pairs of long, rubbery tentacles covered in rows of serrated suckers thrust themselves out of her sides in an almost horrific manner, curling up to support her immense weight while rows of dull, fleshy spikes formed on her back and head just as two hollow tubes, siphons, formed on either side of her head, allowing Jane to breath comfortably in her new form as the Nemetrix appeared around her thick neck in the form of a spiked collar.

"Run even faster!" Lizzie cried as the Vicetopus hauled itself off of the ground gave a low, wet, hungry growl; the Princess of Hearts scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could with Maddie warding off the hungry cephalopod with her mallet while Alistair clambered to his feet and grabbed the back of Maddie's shirt to drag her away as the Vicetopus lashed out a tentacle and slammed it down on the spot where she had been moments ago.

Running however, only made Vicetopus more hungry as she reared up onto her back, four tentacles and lashed out with the first four and managed to hook two of them around Lizzie and Alistair's ankles, slamming them roughly onto the ground before tossing them back up into the air; both the Wonderland and Princess of Hearts screamed with fright as the ground came racing back up to them, only to be caught in midair by the Vicetopus with their arms pinned tightly to their side, the pressure put on them only increasing as they struggled. Bunny had managed to escape the first swipe of the tentacles and quickly hopped towards the safety the nest of brambles and creepers that Venus' garden provided, only to be suddenly and unexpectedly tackled to the ground and grabbed by the back of her neck with a set of sharp teeth by Clawdeen; the werewolf gave a low, warning growl that told her any attempt to change back would be met with instant death.

This left only Maddie left to ward off the remaining tentacle of Vicetopus, giving her heavy hammer mighty swings to ward it off; the Vicetopus lashed out with her tentacle, missing as Maddie cartwheeled out of the way and giving a horrible screech of pain when she smashed the sensitive tip of the tentacle with her mallet.

"Back up, Calamari-for-Brains! I've got a hammer and I'm not afraid to use it!" Maddie cackled madly.

A sudden slow clapping caught her attention and she turned to see none other than Apple approaching her with a smirk on her face; Daring was cowering next to her, flinching in fear when Hunter suddenly clenched his fist and made a move to slug across the face, only pausing a mere inch away from his cheek with a low chuckle. On the other side of Apple was Ashlynn munching on a fistful of french fries with Ben's arm wrapped comfortably around her waist, going so far as to grope her ass while doing so and watching the stunned look on Maddie's face with amusement.

"Your skills are quite admirable for you to get this far, Maddie, I'll give you that." Apple smirked as Poppy appeared from the princess's right, cutting and slicing her way through the snarled mess of roots and vines with her razor-sharp scissors while Cedar approaching from the left. "But in the end, you've failed. Just like everybody else."

"As Daddy always says, 'It's not over 'til the fat Hatter sings'!" Maddie yelled as she gripped her mallet tightly and rushed at Apple with a furious look in her eye, her hammer raised above her head and ready to bring it down on the princess's head; Apple merely yawned and rolled her eyes towards Ben, giving him an approving nod. Ben grinned and paused briefly to give Ashlynn a quick kiss on the cheek before he slapped a hand on the Omnitrix's activation button, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that scrambled and twisted his DNA into something new. The soft skin of his head began to hard into a cool, organic, substance comparable to that of plastic as his joints became more rigid and stiff the more the red in his fingers traveled up his widening arms; his limbs swelled and bulked up to a considerable size, becoming cubular in shape as his shoulders rounded and smoothed out to tapper swimmingly into his short neck and arms. A loud cracking noise filled the air as Ben's jaw jutted outwards as his brow became thick and heavy, becoming greatly pronounced as it turned yellow and several bony knobs formed all along his changing body. The colors red, yellow, and blue flashed across his skin as a loud crunching noise filled the air when his legs suddenly compressed and compacted into limbs less then half of their original size; his hands swelled to over-sized proportions as the rest of his features became blocky and cube-like in shape, the transformation ending as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared upon his chest.

"Then consider this the encore, Hatter." Bloxx said in a gruff voice as he lunged in front of Apple at the last second and raised a hand to block the first swing of Maddie's hammer, sending bits and pieces of him clattering all over the place; the wound easily healed as Bloxx swung a fist forward and plunged it deep into Maddie's gut without missing a beat, kncoking the wind out of her and sending her stumbling back. Faster than the Hatter could react, the Segmentasapien was upon her, morphing and reconfiguring his body to envelope her in a tight ball made of his body that restricted any movements.

"Apple!"

The princess groaned with annoyance and turned to see Raven, Briar, Cerise, and Holly running towards her and the small group gathered, Raven's anxious expression only worsening when she saw the tight spot Maddie the other Wonderlandians were in. "Ugh, Raven, I really don't see why you're so upset." Apple scoffed at the witchling. "You never wanted to follow your destiny anyway!"

Raven sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down before speaking, a tactic her father had taught her that usually worked in such stressful situations. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but what I _do_ know that Apple White, the awesome Apple White that I know and love would never, _ever_ want anything to happen to the school she loves.

Apple merely yawned with boredom. "Apple, you have the best story ever after!"

"You're all about protecting this world, not . . . this!" Briar gestured behind her; the ebbing, draining of Ever After's wonder and life was upcoming and fast, turning Venus' vines and tendrils into sad, wilted stalks that drooped and piled up limply on the ground as the world around them turned gray and devoid of any life. Anybody that the gray mist enveloped and pulled into its dreary world of misery wilted and slumped just as well, exhausted and tired beyond belief yet unable to reach for slumber's sweet grasp and release, forever stuck in a half-dream nightmare.

"Please, Apple?" Cerise pleaded.

"Apple, you can end this. Just give us the map." Raven begged as the gray fog swept faster over the fair grounds, attracted to itself from all opposite sides until there was but one, small patch of untouched ground left for it to claim and overtake.

"Uh . . . nah." Apple decided; the first to go was the Vicetopus, her tight grip going slack and weak as she released Lizzie and Alistair and slumped to the ground, a mound of jiggling, gray jelly. Clawdeen and Cedar fell next, the former releasing her firm hold on Bunny as her jaw went slack and posture fell, her knees going weak as Cedar lost control of all movement and clattered noisily to the ground, devoid of any movement and nothing more than a lifeless puppet as the miserable, gray fog quickened its pace. Bloxx and Skurd were next, the Segmentasapien falling apart and releasing his hold on Maddie as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world, allowing him to slump down to the ground without a care. The wonder draining wave went faster and faster, sweeping over Ashlynn, Hunter, Cerise, Holly, Poppy, Briar, Daring, all fell to the gray fog until it was only Apple and Raven left.

"You lose. I win." were Apple's last words before the lifeless, gray fog swept over the both of them.

Ever After had been lost.

* * *

M.N: _But did Kitty Cheshire really want the joke to go this far?_

B.P: _Of course not!_

T.P: _That was a rhetorical question, Brooke._

F.N: _And you're still grounded!_

M.N: _Continuing . . . And so, the Spring Fairest . . ._

F.N: _. . . Had fallen to despair and sadness, for the Well of Wonder had run dry._

* * *

"What's going on?" Alistair asked quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Maddie was visibly shaking with fear, hugging herself tightly on the ground as she fought back tears. "Th-The wonder . . . it's . . . _gone_ . . ."

"I guess . . . it doesn't affect us 'cause we're from Wonderland?" Bunny suggested quietly.

"But how? How did this happen?" Lizzie wanted to know.

Maddie didn't wait for her friends to begin speculating as she climbed to her feet and rushed towards Raven, hopping over Ben's limp form and grabbing her best friend forever after's shoulders and giving her a good shake. "Raven! What happened?"

"The well . . . Apple . . . did this . . ." Raven rasped, as if her throat were parched and dry.

"Apple!?" Maddie rasied an eyebrow of disbelief.

The Daughter of Snow White smirked venomously; even in her weakened, depressed state she had a reason to smile. "You're too late . . ."

"I'll show you who's late!" Lizzie snarled angrily, wrapping her hands around Apple's throat and mildly throttling her out of anger; for the destruction of her home, for the misuse of her culture, for the loss of her friends, and maybe even for some things she wasn't aware of just yet, but that all fell into the reasons why the Princess of Hearts was shaking Apple like a rag doll until two books fell out of hidden pockets sewn into her dress.

"Lizzie! You can stop!" Bunny calmed her friend down and pried her fingers off of Apple's neck, allowing the princess to breath once more. "We have the riddle book!"

"Then . . . can't we just destroy that?" Lizzie wondered, already feeling slightly guilty about her actions. "Won't that stop this!?"

"We can't be sure of that, and we may need the book later." Alistair hummed. "No, this is a riddle . . . and we need to find the answer. _Fast._ "

A sudden shower of sparkles all caught their attention briefly as Kitty materialized before their very eyes, a sheepish grin on her face as she briefly took in the dreary, miserable surroundings that had once been the bright and colorful Spring Fairest Festival. "Uh . . . hey, guys."

"Well! _You_ must be _loving_ this." Lizzie huffed, folding her arms over her chest out of annoyance.

Kitty sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. "No . . . no. Not hexactly." she sighed. "I mean, I like a good joke, but this . . . this has gone too far." she gulped, stooping down to place a hand on Ben's chest; his heartbeat was dull and faint, as if he were half dead but still alive, if the way he groaned and blinked blearily at her touch was anything to go by; she felt a sad smile cross her lips as he lolled his head over to regard her, the corners of his mouth turning upwards slightly in a dark and welcoming sneer at the mere sight of her.

Alistair narrowed her eyes at the crafty feline before sucking a breath and heaving it out as a sigh. "Kitty . . . first things first. Do you know how to reverse the Topsy Turvy Curse?" he asked seriously.

Kitty shook her head. "Uh-uh. But I know who does." she said before cupping her hands over her mouth and shouting to the sky, her voice echoing and forlorn in the miserable state of Ever After. " _MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_ " she yelled. "Mom! I have to talk to you . . . _now!_ " she insisted with a stomp of her foot.

A slight twinkle of light from behind Maddie and Lizzie drew her attention, and if she peered close enough she could just see a bright, crafty smile hanging in midair for all who were able to see. "All of you!" Kitty narrowed her eyes at her mother's fangs, her patience wearing thin; the rest of her mother soon followed in a shower of sparkling, shimmering light from the feet up until the fully amused, cheery smile of the Cheshire Cat's face could be seen.

"What's got your fur up, little one?" she purred, absentmindedly glancing at her claws.

"You." Kitty snarled, vanishing in a similar shower of sparkles and rematerializing before her mother. "You sent a curse to my school!" she pointed an accusing finger at her mother.

"I thought you, of anyone, would love this!" the Cheshire Cat grinned. "I mean . . . the chaos!? It's spelltacular!"

Kitty gritted her teeth. "No, it's not." she frowned. "Ever After High is my favorite place with my favorite people in the whole world. And if we don't change this . . . all of our stories will be lost. Forever."

The Cheshire Cat raised an eyebrow at this.

"That's no joke." Kitty glared at her mother. "You have to tell us how to reverse the curse."

The Cheshire Cat was bristling inside at her daughter's words, wondering how in the name of Charlie's over-sized top hat she could say such things. Wondering how her daughter could defy her teachings and order her around like the Queen of Hearts herself (the one person the Cheshire Cat actually listened to and obeyed without question on the rare occasion). Perhaps she needed to be taught a lesson in humiliation? Yes, that seemed like the perfect little, chaotic plan to bring forth.

"All right." the Cheshire purred as she teleported away once more and reappeared on the steps of the Chef Showdown contest in a shimmering, sparkling light. "I'll play you for it." she grinned wickedly before vanishing once more.

"Bring it." Kitty hissed without hesitation.

"All right." the Cheshire cat said once more as she reappeared on top of the Chef Showdown's main tower that had erected at the center of the platform to provide a little privacy between the baker's for the competition that seemed so far away, when this whole mess had once started what seemed an eternity ago. "How about this: _if_ you can make it to me, then I'll tell you what you want to know." she purred coyly as she swiped her arm through the air, aiming at the ground; the small kitchens for the Showdown faded away in a shimmering, pink light as the glowing, taunting face of a cat appeared on the floor made of brightly glowing pink, white, black, and blue tiles, beckoning for them to be stepped on.

"A puzzle . . ." Maddie gulped.

"Come on, Kitty, we got this!" Alistair said confidently.

Kitty was trembling slightly; she remembered playing these kinds of games with mom back when she was but a kitten in Wonderland, being forced to play the game over and over and over again, and she had never been able to succeed in beating her mother, not even once. The farthest she ever made was halfway across the board before she knocked herself out, ending the game and making her mother the winner once more what seemed to have been the infinite time since she had been forced to play the game from such a young age. Even when she had the help of Wonderland friends, she had never been able to beat the game.

"Uh . . . okay?" she gulped. "Well . . . Bunny? Try that first tile. Right in front of you." Kitty directed her friend while simultaneously holding her breath; the Daughter of the White Rabbit nodded and sucked in a deep breath before taking a tentative step forward and relaxing greatly when the tile turned green beneath her feet.

"Keep going, Kitty. You're doing it!" Alistair encouraged her.

Kitty nodded. "Oh, okay . . . um, Lizzie? You step on that one." she directed, pointing at another tile in front of her friend; the Princess of Hearts did so without hesitation, gasping with surprise when the tile glowed a warning red in color and gave off a loud buzzing noise, freezing Lizzie on the spot. A quick rap of Maddie's knuckle upon her head confirmed she had been frozen solid.

"Ha, HA! Wonderful!" the Cheshire Cat cackled. "Who's next?"

Kitty growled with frustration. "There has to be some logic to this! Bunny, step diagonally to the right." she directed her friend.

"Running out of chances, little one." the Cheshire Cat purred when the tile glowed red and froze Bunny to the spot as well, leaving only Kitty, Maddie, and Alistair left.

"C'mon, Kitty." Maddie urged her. "Time to end this catfight."

But . . . but . . . I-I . . . I don't even know what the rules are!?" she freaked out loudly, grabbing her hair and yanking on with frustration, collapsing on the ground into a sobbing heap; Maddie and Alistair shared a look without each other, knowing full well what Kitty was talking about. Like her friend, they had been dragged into the Cheshire Cat's sick game, forced to play as their friend's chess pieces in a game that defied all logic and reason, devoid of any rules whatsoever that it was aggravating, even by Wonderland standards.

"Kitty . . . come on." Alistair put on a hand on her heaving shoulder. "Whatever this is, we'll figure it out."

"Together." Maddie added.

"Th-Thanks." Kitty sniffed. "But . . . we've done this so many times. Alistair, you're the smartest out of all of us, and you couldn't figure it out. Maddie, you're the most mad, and even it didn't make a lick of sense to you. I've got the most experience out of us all and I'm _still_ stumped. How are we supposed to beat my mom if we haven't even come close in the past.

Alistair scratched his chin in thought; as much as he hated to admit it, Kitty had a point in all this. They had been through this multiple times, trained over hundreds of hours, tried strategy after strategy, and they still hadn't come close to beating the Cheshire Cat at her own game, only coming so far as halfway before they had been beaten. If they only had something new to bring to the game, something the Cheshire Cat could have never anticipated . . .

"What we need is a game changer." Alistair hummed.

"Yes, but what? It's not like we can just suddenly adapt to whatever my mom throws at us. We've tried that and it's never worked." Kitty sniffed.

Maddie beamed brightly, her smile broad and madder than Kitty had ever seen. "I think I know just what we need!"

"What!?" Kitty and Alistair asked desperately.

"Ben!" Maddie replied.

Kitty blinked, feeling a slight blush cross her face at the name. "Yeah, it would be nice to have him give us a hand, but he's-"

"That's easy enough to fix!" Maddie cackled brightly, clambering to her feet and rushing down the steps of the Chef Showdown back towards her collapsed boyfriend; the Cheshire Cat raised an eyebrow at this, having never seen this tactic before as the Hatter propped Ben up off of the ground and knelt down to his level, a familiar, crafty smile upon her face. And before the cunning calico could understand what was happening, Maddie had leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, cupping his face in her hands before sliding them around his neck and hugging him close to her, cozying up to him as she kissed him passionately. Kitty and Alistair were watching stunned surprise, the former with a deep blush on her face as she watched her friend and roommate make out with her boyfriend right in front of her.

As she did however, the strangest thing happened; the dreary, depressed expression on his face was slowly brightening, his eyes widening and becoming more lively as he closed his eyes and savored the Hatter's comforting touch against him; his skin returned to its healthy, pale glow as his slow, tired movements became quick and fluid and full of life more as he wrapped his arms around Maddie and hugged her close to him, scooping his arms underneath of her and effortlessly climbing to his feet and lifting her off of the ground without breaking contact for several harrowing minutes before Maddie finally ended it and cuddled her head up to him.

"What the . . . how did she . . ." Kitty was flabbergasted.

"A Wonderlandian's Kiss! Of course!" Alistair slapped his forehead with realization. "Think of it like True Love's Kiss, but slightly different in the fact that can only break Wonderland curses, no matter how strong, powerful, or violent they are." he explained upon seeing Kitty's confused expression.

"But . . . I thought those we're a myth?" Kitty blinked owlishly.

"Most Wonderlandians regard it as nonsense, which is really saying something, but there are firm believers out there." Alistair said. "And now we have proof! We just needed someone mad and in love enough to try it!"

"Well, it's nice to back and everything, but what the hex is going on?" Ben asked as he walked over to the pair with Maddie being happily carried in his arms. "And why are Bunny and Lizzie suddenly doing really good impressions of ice sculptures?"

"Long story short, the wonder has dried up from Ever After and has left only us Wonderlandians unaffected, you being the one exception thanks to Maddie," Alistair explained as the Hatter giggled happily in Ben's arms. "And in order to reverse the curse and return everything to normal, we have to beat the Cheshire Cat at her own game.

"The only problem is that we've lost at this game every time . . ." Kitty said sadly.

Ben nodded and set Maddie back down on the ground, the Hatter pouting slightly as Ben walked up to the colorful board and examined it, taking in every detail and taking note of the two frozen statues that had once been Kitty and Lizzie before they had taken a wrong step. "Hmmm. You're mom said the only way to win was to get to her, right?" he asked.

"Yes . . ?" Kitty nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"Did she say you had to touch the board?" Ben asked.

"Well . . . no." Alistair admitted before it suddenly dawned on him. How could have not seen it before after all these years!? It was so simple, it was maddening that they had over looked such a small, tiny, flaw in the Cheshire Cat's crafty, cunning plan!

"Well, that's easy to fix." Ben smirked as he turned to the Omnitrix after flicking Skurd aside whenever he tried to block his partner from accessing the watch and turning it off, cycling through the aliens until he found Stinkfly; before he could slap the activation button however, Kitty placed her hand upon his, lowering it down to his side with a look that Ben had only a few times during the most dire of situations. "Kitty, what are you-"

"I have to do this on my own." Kitty said firmly.

Ben raised an eyebrow, but nodded and put his hand down, backing away as Kitty turned to face her mom with a determined look in her eye and an impish smile upon her lips as she disappeared in a glimmering light, her pearly whites vanishing last; the Cheshire Cat blinked with surprise at this, wondering what sort of tactic her daughter was employing now. Wondering if she had actually been coward enough to run away like she sometimes did when she was kitten, the feline searched frantically around for any sign of her daughter, realizing a moment too late what was happening when she caught sight of the smug grin on Ben's face.

"You never said I had to go _across_ the board," Kitty's voice said smugly from behind her. "Just get to you." she smirked; the Cheshire Cat growled with frustration and turned to face her daughter with an annoyed frown on her face. Upon catching sight of the dark look, Alistair, Maddie, and Ben all shared nervous looks with each other, Ben's hand instinctively reaching for the Omnitrix in case he had to make a quick save of Kitty before the Cheshire Cat's irritated frown turned into a broad smile.

"Kitty, where did you learn to be so devious?" she wondered, hugging her daughter proudly.

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that." Kitty smiled.

"I'm so _proud_ of you!" the Cheshire Cat cooed lovingly, nuzzling Kitty affectionately. "Read the last riddle of the book _backwards._ That'll undo the curse." she explained with a proud smile. "See you all on Parent's Day!" she added to Ben and the other Wonderlandians before turning to Kitty, winking, and disappearing a shimmering shower of sparkling light once more, the last remaining thin the prideful smile upon her lips before that too vanished; the game board vanished along with her, the icy sculptures that were Bunny and Lizzie unfreezing and allowing the two girls to breath once more.

"Parent's Day?" Ben gulped.

"Ben? How are you-" Lizzie started.

"This isn't over yet." Alistair interrupted as he dug out the book of cursed riddles from his satchel; Maddie promptly stole the book from Alistair's hands and sat down on the steps to turn to the last page and begin reading the final riddle backwards as the Cheshire Cat instructed.

"Tonight darkness-" Maddie began.

"The to answer the-" Lizzie chimed in.

"Is where, but-" Bunny read over the Hatter's shoulder.

"Curious the light-" Alistair added.

"To riddle from?" Kitty finished reading, having teleported back down to her friend's level to make sure the spell had worked properly.

"Did that even make any sense?" Ben wondered; evidently, it _did_ make sense as Ben took a look at all his fairy tale friends and ghouls that had been affected by the riddle book's dark curse suddenly jerk with surprise, their dilated pupils becoming full and bright once more as they looked around in confusion at their new, dreary world with worry. The Nemetrix timed out and returned Jane to her normal, albeit depressed, form as Hunter wiped a small amount of mud-stained ketchup from his girlfriend's head and turned to glare accusingly at Ben before he suddenly recoiled with disgust and worry as Ashlynn promptly held her stomach and heaved out every last bit of her stomach contents on his hunting boots and the ground beneath them.

"Apple . . . are you . . . you?" Ben asked with concern, approaching one of the girls he held dear to him.

The princess seemed deeply ashamed at what she had done, what she had been forced to do as she shied away from Ben slightly until he took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze; Apple looked about ready to break down at all the mayhem, all the havoc, all the destruction, all the _chaos_ she had caused; and forcing Ashlynn to go against her principles, forcing Hunter to destroy something he cared deeply about, forcing everyone that had been involved in this sick and twisted plan of hers to go along with her. "What . . . have I . . . done . . ?" she wondered with an echoing, trance-like tone; Ben and the Wonderlandians seemed to move so fast to her, as if she had been thrown of time and was forced to watch everything in high speed motion.

"We'll explain everything later, Apple." Ben promised, giving her a comforting hug. "Right now, we gotta return Ever After to normal."

Nodding, Lizzie took out her precious book and opened it, relaxing a great deal when she saw the ever familiar, shimmering, blue hologram materialize across the pages; this time however, the Well of Wonder did not seem to be located deep within the Enchanted Forest it so often traversed, but atop a large, jutting cliff hundreds upon thousands of feet above the valley of Ever After that the school looked over. "Hey! That's Grimm's Peak!" Kitty realized, pointing at the top of the glimmering hologram to a small, red, blinking icon that represented the Well of Wonder. "But, it looks like it's . . . plugged?"

"How are we going to unplug it?" Maddie wondered.

Ben grinned as he glanced down at the Omnitrix upon his wrist. "I've got us covered. All I need is a ride to Grimm's Peak and I'll do the rest."

"Kitty?" Bunny turned towards her friend expectedly.

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat nodded and held out her hands, a warm feeling crossing her face when Ben took her waiting fingers without hesitation; Maddie then took Ben's hand as Alistair, Bunny, and Lizzie all quickly joined up and held their breath out of desperation as Kitty closed her eyes and focused on the energies within not only herself but the friends that she held dear to her, the friends that she held dear to her heart, focusing upon their energies and their hearts as she felt the familiar feeling take over her, swallow her, and control her, allowing itself to be guided by the Cheshire as she, Ben, and her Wonderland friends were teleported out of existence for a brief second,warping through time and space with relative ease until they small crashing back out into reality.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself the others still holding hands just a few dozen feet away from the Well of Wonder at the very top of Grimm's Peak, the wooden plug jammed firmly into its top like a cork glowering darkly at them, as if daring them to try and unplug the Flow of Wonder it so desperately guarded fiercely.

"Are you sure you can handle this, Ben?" Lizzie asked as Ben tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster until he found the alien he needed.

"You have no idea what I can handle." Ben gave her a joking smile.

"Truth be told, neither does he!" Skurd cracked as Ben slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix and swallowed himself in a flash of green light, feeling the familiar feeling of his DNA being warped and changed and shifted into something new, the likes of which Ever After had never seen before in all its days. His bones cracked and groaned loudly as they grew larger and thicker, hundreds upon thousands of small support beams forming inside of his bones to strengthen them as his arms swelled and bloated in size; his skeleton crunched loudly as it grew bigger and bigger, increasing Ben's frame until he was more than twice his original size. Thick nails covered the tips of his fingers as his toes shrank back into his foot, becoming more elephant-like in appearance and structure as a powerful, reptilian tail sprouted from the base of his spine. His neck grew slightly longer relative to his body size, his skull cracking loudly as it was reconfigured and his lower jaw was thrust out slight while thick, brown, armored skin covered his body, lighter plating covering his strong chest and stomach. A pair of black briefs and a green sash with the Omnitrix on it materialized on his body, completing the transformation.

With a grunt, Humungousaur reached up with a heavy hand and began to climb the slope, focusing his mind on himself while he climbed as he felt the mild changes begin; his skull pulled back slightly into a sharp, bony crest while his shoulders broadened, the plating splitting and cracking loudly as a row of dull, bony spikes rose out from his firm spine and ran all the way down to the base of his tail. The most noticeable change however was his size as he grew bigger and bigger, his legs becoming as thick as tree trunks and his arms becoming stronger and beefier with every passing second until he absolutely dwarfed the Wonderlandians beside him as he reached the top of the peak and looked over the dull, gray world that had once been Ever After, ignoring the powering rain and lightning laced clouds that raged and thundered overhead

"As a wise Hatter once said, 'Let there be wonder'!" Humungousaur quipped as he reached down with both hands and curled his fingers over the lip of the plug, giving it an almighty tug and pulling it out with a loud _pop!_ A column of bright, glorious light shot forth from the Well of Wonder and into the heavens above, parting the gray clouds away as the bright sun returned ti shine down on Ever After while the well gave an almighty roar and overflowed with a bountiful harvest of color, rainbow water that cascaded down Grimm's Peak and to the world below. Kitty watched with a small smile on her face as the Flow of Wonder swept over Ever After, returning the bright colors and wondrous atmosphere as bird song and dragon calls once again filled the air; with a cunning smile, Kitty vanished in a flash of sparkling light to reappear upon the Humungousaur's shoulder; the Vaxasaurian didn't even realize she was there until she leaned over and gave him a small peck on the cheek, a deep blush crossing both of their faces as they watched the life and wonder of Ever After return.

Some distance away, undetected by even Humungousaur's high vantage point, the White Knight strolled out of the Enchanted Forest, looking out upon the wondrous world of Ever After and inhaling a sweet breath of fresh air that he hadn't experienced in a long time. The sound of leaves crunching underfoot made him turn his attention behind him as Ginger came jogging out of the forest, her eyes brightening happily when she looked out upon Ever After, her home, once more.

"Thank you for getting me home." Ginger sighed happily; was it just her, or did Ever After look a lot more beautiful than she remembered?

"It was my duty," the White Knight merely replied with a bow. "And my honor." he added. "But please, tell no one of how we got here. Something's are better left unsaid." he asked her kindly; the Daughter of the Candy Witch smiled and eagerly hugged her new friend tightly, barely able to wrap her arms around his thick, heavy armor as he effortlessly lifted her off of the ground and wrapped his arms around her.

"I promise." she smiled before running off back towards Ever After High; about halfway down the hill, she paused and looked behind her to see the White knight standing there in the golden sky of the rising sun, the wind gently whipping his blue-feathered helmet as he stood there tall and strong. If anyone was worth enough of being Wonderland's protector, it was him. With this in mind, Ginger continued to run back towards the Spring Fairest Festival, hoping she hadn't missed anything.

Had she stayed a little longer, however, she would have seen the White Knight take off his helmet . . . and found out that he had some unusually long, platinum blond hair with blue streaks tied into a small bump that cascaded down his back in curls.

* * *

Headmaster Grimm was furious to say the least.

His jaw was also his slack, his eyes were wide with horror, and his mind was blown to smithereens as well, but mostly he was furious at the sheer amount of destruction that had been laid waste to the Spring Fairest Festival grounds; gigantic, beanstalk vines and creepers sprouted haphazardly out of the ground, their fanged trappers and maws only kept in line by Venus as she fed them a steady supply of corn dogs and fried mutton to keep them from trying to eat the remaining carnival goers. The broken remains of colors tents and stalls, games and rides, food stands and carts were lying in broken piles upon the ground, destroyed beyond repair and even still smoldering and smoking after what seemed hours ago.

As if that weren't bad enough, several of his students seemed to be recovering from some sort of mysterious illness or accident of sorts; Ashlynn was holding a bucket in her hands, her face queasy and sick as Hunter kindly wiped off layer after layer of grime and filth from her face with a stack of napkins he had managed to salvage from the carnival's remains and combed out the grease and condiment stains that had managed to get in her hair; Apple was practically beside herself with worry, her only foundation right now being Raven as she held the trembling princess and comforted her with a loving, caring touch that Cerise was oddly watching with an irked expression. Daring himself had taken a huge blow to his pride and was currently trying to save whatever was left of it by releasing students that had been trapped in mysterious cocoons of silk and webbing. Holly and Briar were filling in Skelita on what had been happening the entire time ever since the skeleton had suddenly and swiftly reassembled herself from under a destroyed popcorn cart, having fallen apart and being left lifeless on the ground ever since she had read from the cursed book.

" _MR. TENNYSON!_ " Headmaster Grimm roared angrily when the bane of existence and all five Wonderlandians suddenly appeared back in the fair grounds in a flash of sparkling light.

"Oh, no. This can't be good." Raven shook her head as the furious headmaster marched up to her boyfriend to chew him out.

"What is the meaning of . . . _this!?_ " he gestured wildly to the massive scale of destruction that surrounded him. "I knew you were trouble the moment I saw you, but did anyone listen? No! Nobody ever listens to me, even when I'm right, and I was right about you being trouble from the-" Grimm started to rant heavily.

"I hate to burst you're bubble, dude, but I didn't have anything to do with this." Ben interrupted. "At least, not of my own free will anyway."

"What nonsense are you babbling about?" Headmaster Grimm snorted with annoyance.

"I can explain, Mr. Grimm, sir," Alistair stepped forward. "When we brought that fake Storybook of Legends knockoff to Ever After with us-"

"Which we did _unintentionally_." Bunny added sternly.

"Right. _Unintentionally_ brought the book with us, it turned out to be a cursed riddle book that turned anyone that read from its pages into their complete opposites," Alistair explained. "Daring became a coward, Cedar could suddenly lie, Venus, Clawdeen, and Jane were turned into uncontrollable monsters, and even Apple and Ben were turned into evil counterparts of themselves. They had nothing to do with any of this."

"So what you're saying is that it's _your_ fault?" Headmaster Grimm raised an eyebrow.

Alistair frowned. "No, that's not-

"But _you_ were the ones to bring the book with you." Headmaster Grimm cut him off. "If you had stayed in Wonderland like you were _supposed_ to, none of this would have happened."

"Chose your next words carefully, Grimm." Ben threatened, folding his arms across his chest.

"Your empty threats don't scare me, Tennyson." Grimm scoffed,

"I wasn't talking about myself." Ben smirked, pointing to the right of him where Kitty stood with a quickly reddening face that could have been comparable to an erupting volcano. With a deep, snarl, the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat marched up to Headmaster Grimm and grabbed him by the ascot around his neck, yanking his head down to her level.

"Now listen here, you," she hissed. "None of my Ever After friends, none of my Wonderland friends, not even my _boyfriend_ had anything to do with any of this! If you _need_ someone to pin your petty excuse on, blame my mom! She was the one that set this whole thing up _and_ the one that helped us reverse it!"

"Ms. Cheshire, I must inform you that-" Headmaster Grimm started to warn her about how her actions would most likely get her a detention until Ben, for once, cut him off.

"I have an idea." he cut in. "How about we make a bet? If I can clean up this whole place and make it look like brand new, as if this whole mess never happened, you just drop the subject and enjoy whatever is left of this nice day. Because I, for one, have not gotten to experience a single lick of it."

The Headmaster, surprisingly agreed to this. "And if you fail, I can put you and your little trouble making friends in detention until you have managed to work off all the damages to the fair grounds."

Ben gave a smug smile as he took the headmaster's hand gave it a good shake. "Dude, I love those odds." he smirked as he tapped the Omnitrix and found the alien he was looking for before he slammed a hand down on the activation button, immersing himself in a blast of green light that warped and changed his genetic code. His gut and chest exploded in size and bloated outwards into a perfect sphere of flesh as his arms and legs were absorbed by the ball of muscle and tissue; his skin cracked and split as it hardened into a thin, metallic sheen colored a deep bronze as black markings etched their way across the perfect sphere before Ben's legs came jutting back out as black tubing of sorts before the ends suddenly swelled in size and shape, becoming something that resembled a bell while his arms were thrust back out, mirroring his legs as his wrists bloated into large balls with his metallic, jointed fingers poking out at the ends. His head popped back out of the top, now bronze and black around the face with emotionless, green expressions that remained unmoving as his head flattened before a sudden growth that resembled a windup key-like sprouted from his skull; a hexagonal, glass panel opened up on his chest, the Omnitrix forming at its center as green, glowing gears materialized behind the pane of glass, completing the transformation.

"A golem?" Headmaster Grimm cocked an eyebrow.

"Clearly you do not recognize a Chronosapien when you see one." Skurd rolled his eyes.

"Well. Here goes nothing." Clockwork grunted as he grabbed the windup key-like protrusion on his head and turned it counterclockwise with a loud, grinding noise from within himself; the Headmaster watched with disbelief as the key suddenly began to spin backwards, slow at first before gaining speed until it was nothing but a blur. By then, Clockwork leaned back as far as he could fired off a beam of bright, hot, green energy from the glass pane on his chest, watching at it soared higher and higher into the air and finally came to a stop almost half a mile or so above; by then a shimmering, green dome of energy and light sprouted forth from the beam and fully encased the Spring Fairest Festival grounds.

The headmaster watched with a stunned expression as everything within the dome froze on the spot, be it birds pausing in midflight overhead or discarded trash blowing in the breeze, it all just stopped as if someone had just hit the pause button the remote; after a few moments though, the movement returned, at least to all the students and other living beings in the area. A few precious moments after that however, and things started to take a turn for the weird as the smoldering debris and ruins of the carnival started to tremble and quiver before suddenly moving on their own accord. The Headmaster could do nothing else but watch with a slack jaw as the ruins and piles of discarded junk reassembled and repaired themselves, reconstructing back into the familiar colorful tents that dotted the grounds, the sweet smelling food stands that offered numerous, delicious confections for one to eat, and the wondrous, amusing games and rides that once excited hundreds of students looking for a relaxing evening.

"Did you know he could do that?" Apple asked Raven as the monstrous jungle that had been spawned forth by Venus shrank and grew smaller, fading back into the ground as they were reversed back to the younger age of dormant seeds for Venus to pick up at her leisure.

"No . . . although Clockwork does look familiar." Raven admitted as the Chronosapien righted himself and ceased control of the time stream within his grasp, knowing full well that any further meddling with it would result in a disaster he did not want o deal with; within the span of a few seconds and the loud, echoing ring of a hollow, bronze bell, the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world, a smug grin on his face.

"I believe we had a deal?" he smirked.

The Headmaster mere gaped. "What . . . h-how . . . why didn;t you do this ages ago to repair the damage you caused to the school!?" he demanded furiously.

"I distinctly remember you turning down the offer, dear boy." Skurd coughed.

"You . . . _did_ say that, Headmaster Grimm." Apple confirmed. "Ben offered to repair all the damage after the dragon attacks, but-"

Headmaster Grimm sighed wearily. "Fine, fine. You win this round, Tennyson, I'll grant you that. Now kindly do me a favor and leave me alone to enjoy the rest of my evening in peace."

"Dude, that's all I've wanted to do all day." Ben rolled his eyes as he turned on his heel to go sit by the fountain everyone else had chosen to relax and group up by.

"Oh, and Tennyson?"

"Yeah?" Ben turned with a suspicious look.

"If you . . . uh, would be so kind as to repair the damage to Ever After High once you have had your fill of the festivities?" the Headmaster asked in an uncomfortable manner, not use to asking the person he hated on such an extreme level for help.

"I think that can be arranged." Ben nodded coolly. "Spell ya later."

"Yes, well. Enjoy your evening." Grimm nodded before he turning on his heel wheel away a cart of won carnival prizes and stealing back one his brother had been trying to smuggle out for his own collection; the two brothers glared threateningly at each other for a few seconds before bursting out into goodhearted chuckles and strolling off to spend the rest of the evening together.

"So, you're sure the _real_ Storybook of Legends is still in Wonderland?" Apple asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Positive." Alistair nodded.

"If . . . it _is_ in Wonderland, how are we going to get it?" Cerise voiced the question everybody was thinking, but nobody wanted to say; basically addressing the elephant in the room.

"Woo-hoo!" Maddie cheered happily as she danced merrily about in the rainbow water fountain, kicking up sprays of water in all directions as she enjoyed the Flow of Wonder that had been absent for too long for her liking; Ben got a goofy grin on his face and crept up behind the Hatter, grabbing her from behind and grappling her, trying to tackle her to the ground before Maddie grabbed him by the arm and effortlessly judo flipped him over her, slamming him into the bottom of the fountain with a loud _splash!_ Maddie soon followed after Ben grabbed her ankle and dragged her down with him, the two of them laughing until Kitty, despite the fact that cats were not fond of water under most circumstances, promptly cannonballed into the fountain and soaked them both, the three of them laughing.

"You know what?" Venus coughed uncomfortably. "It's a beautiful Spring day and we're at the most fangtastic fair ever."

"Which I still have yet to experience." Ginger piped as she came walking up to the group with a relieved smile on her face.

" _Que?_ What are you getting at?" Skelita wondered.

"What do you say we worry about Wonderland tomorrow?" Holly suggested.

"Sounds spelltacular to me." Ben grinned as he shook himself dry, pelting everyone with water from the fountain in the process; everyone else quickly agreed and divided up amongst themselves to attend the many attractions the Spring Fairest had to offer for them all, deciding to set aside whatever differences or trials or tribulations they might have had to simply spend some time together and enjoy everything Ever After had to offer them.

* * *

The change in magical energies was slightly alarming to say the least. She wasn't sure what the source was, but here in this world, this world of clear cut glass and cold stone walls that housed her securely with nothing more than a ring of powerful tomes, spells, and seals to keep her trapped, even she could sense something was amiss.

She had been picking at one of the seals to her prison, tediously scrapping away at it like she had been doing for the past ten years or so, when the familiar ebb and flow of magic that she could sense beyond the glass wall that kept her trapped suddenly ceased altogether, leaving her greatly confused. Curious, she had summoned whatever energy reserves she had left and managed to pull her sense together to allow her sense the world beyond her prison to find it devoid of the usual wonder and life she was use to.

At first, she actually suspected the pathetic spawn had managed to do the impossible and conquer the wretched fairy tale world she had been forced to call home, but a closer inspection revealed to her that the spawn was just as powerless and unstable as she had left her, weakened like the others. The two great senses of power she had sensed before were gone as well, dwindling so low to the point where she wouldn't have even noticed them had she not been combing the world carefully.

And then, almost as soon as it had stopped, the flow of magic, power, energy, and life that she knew like the back of her hands came rushing back in greater quantities than ever anticipated, nearly shattering senses before she was able to stabilize herself once more; the two powerful sense of power were once again at maximum power and, upon closer inspection, there reveal to be a third, more faint power upon the hundreds that littered the land, the faint trace of a resent user of magic.

With schemes and plots already forming in her head, she withdrew her senses and collapsed down on the floor of her prison to rest; the daily grind of wearing away at the seals and locks could wait for a while. After all, she had nothing but time to look forward to.

* * *

F.N: _But that, is a story for next time._

B.P: _So . . . you guys still mad at me? I mean, it did have a happy ending?_

F.N: _Of course, we are. What you did was wrong._

M.N: _It doesn't matter that it had a happy ending, you broke the rules!_

T.P: _I don't know who to side with now . . ._

F.N: _You're not allowed to be_ _ **in**_ _the story. We just_ _ **tell**_ _the story._

B.P: _I was totally helpful, okay? I kinda think I saved the show . . . and the fair._

T.P: _I'll, uh . . . I'll just let myself out. Gotta get back to school . . . gotta study for finals and everything. Toodles!_

B.P: _When are you guys gonna let me narrate!?_

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **Whew! That was a long one! I hope I never have to write another one of those again!**

 _ **Promises, promies, Creaty!**_

 **I'm _still_ not responding to such a ridiculous name. Either way, long story short, December is a busy month for us all, regardless of whether we're Normies, monsters, fairy tales, aliens, or alien tormenting Hatter's who cant' take a hint. To make a long explanation shorter, updates will not be as fast as they usually were in the month and new year to come; this does not mean I am not working my ass off to get a new chapter posted up for your guys, but I like to make sure that all of my chapters are of the highest quality possible. No expense spared for you guys!  
**

 _ **Finish up the chapter already, silly! Mr. Nibbles is hungry again!  
**_

 **I am still not referring to that abomination by that name or any name until I know what gender and what kind of species (if any) it is! Regardless of several unwanted house guests, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego! _ARGH!_**

 _ **Bad, Mr. Nibbles, bad! Stop trying to lay eggs in Creaty's head!  
**_

 **Still not answering to that name! Oh, sweet mother of Galvan Prime this hurts!**


	19. Four Mercenaries and a Golem

_**Hiya, everyone! Maddie here and-**_

 **Hey, hey, hey! _I_ do the intros, not you! You just provide colorful commentary and antagonize me at every turn while simultaneously flirting with me every chance you get!**

 _ **And yet, you still love me!**_

 **More like tolerate. Either way, onto the reviews!**

 _ **Yay!**_

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **That deal with Sparrow might not be for a while, considering I have** ** _so_ much to cover and cram into my chapters, but it's definitelyhappening. This is a chance too hilarious to pass up!**

 _ **Zak Saturday –**_ **People liked this chapter and all before it, I have feeling they'll be looking forward to** ** _Way too Wonderland_ as much as you are.**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Dude, words can not describe how perfectly awesome this is! There's one small change I'd like to make, but I think you'll see what that is soon enough XD And am I really that scary for you take this long to submit a villain to me? I mean, I know I can easily crush a human skull like an egg with one squeeze of my Tetramand fist, but Maddie isn't scared me (then again, she's mad as a, well, a Hatter).**

 _ **morganoth –**_ **To be honest, I don't have the slightest idea what species "Mr. Nibbles" is, as Maddie calls it (I refuse to call it by any name until I know what gender and species it is). One of my reviewers (who kindly broke the fourth wall and ended up camping out in my Underworld dorm from the previous chapter) gifted me with a new, hovering office chair and "Mr. Nibbles". After a while, he just became part of the Underworld family I am forced to endure through.**

 _ **Oh, don't pretend you don't love us!**_

 **Moving on . . .**

 _ **TerrorKing10 –**_ **Patience is a virtue, young grasshopper. It may be some before you see a familiar face once more.**

 _ **Doing your wise Kung Fu Master impression again, huh, Creaty?**_

 **Still not responding to that name.**

 _ **ImmaSupa Stargirl –**_ **I don't like this guy . . . I** ** _love_ this guy! I'll have to change his backstory a tad in order for him to properly fit into Ever After, but he's definitely in. As for an Ultimate AmpFibian, that will unfortunately not be possible as Ben does not possess the Ultimatrix anymore.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy -**_ **You fool! You've doomed me! It's bad enough I'm dealing with three (arguably four) fourth wall breakers, but I'm also dealing with a sick interdimensional demon hellbent on adding me to his Throne of Human Agony or whatever he calls it! You've doomed me, I tell you! Doomed me!**

 _ **Hero-Time10 –**_ **First off, let me just say that I love the name. Second, I like your villain idea, but I think I'll edit his look a little bit to make him more . . . whimsical, per say. More like he belongs in a magic drenched world a bit more, so I'm thinking of making him similar to Brand from the League of Legends franchise; take a look at what I mean and let me know what you think. If you don't like it, all keep Grant the way he is.**

 _ **storygirl99210 – Thanks, storygirl99210! It was fun, too!**_

 **I'll bet it was. Moving on . . .**

 _ **Da999 –**_ **Thank you! And yes, at least one of the O'Hair sisters will be joining the harem. And also yes, Whisp will be returning.**

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze -**_ **. . . it would seem I am not the only one having issues with fourth wall breaking characters. If you ever have any trouble, just give me a call. Lets just say that I've got friends in low places . . .**

 _ **fantasylover4vr –**_ **Actually, Giles is already in the story. He just doesn't appear as much as Headmaster Grimm does, since he balances his time between co-Headmaster and acting as curator and librarian for the magical archives (at least, that's what I think his position is). I have no plans to do the ball, but** ** _Way too Wonderland_ is a definite must for this story in the future. And agreed on Hunter and Ashlynn: those two are not only cute together but absolutely made for each other.**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **Trust me, I hope to try and update as quickly as possible while still bringing the quality of chapters that I am known for and strive to make.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **Thank you! Sorry if "T.P" was confusing, but it is none other than the OC character of Brooke Page's older brother, Turner Page.**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Who says there has to be one? ;)**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **To be fair, it's unknown what species of monster Jane currently is (some suspect a witch doctor, but I like my shape-shifter idea better), but I do see your point for the O'Hair sisters; although, I suspect only Holly might have this suggest ability, considering she's the one that actually has the long hair to work with.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I don't know what it is about having Bad Apple come out that so hexciting to write and read about (maybe because it's so hilarious and that we all know that, despite her sweetness and kindness and general fairest in the landness, that Apple is indeed the unintentional villain of EAH), but with the mirror idea? She'll become a reality.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **I think you've been hanging around the Wonderlandians for too long. Regardless, there will be a Christmas special coming soon, though whether it will appropriately posted around Christmas or not is up to debate, simply because the holidays are hextic for everybody.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Alright then, Achilles is in! As for your many list of speculations, there may be some, there may be not. We'll just have to see whatever tumbles out of my head! I'm sure things were cleared up on both ends of the spectrum regarding Cupid, but it's something I've been meaning to explore; what I wouldn't give me to a Chronosapien . . .**

 _ **Isom –**_ **You'll have to be a bit specific about whatever suggestions you mad. I'm pretty sure Maddie's little 'pet' gave me brain damage or something. And yes, I am pretty sure it is not a parasitic egg.**

 _ **Mr. Nibbles is just hungry, that's all!**_

 **Right. Sure. Whatever. Just keep that thing away from me. As for your suggestion to kill it, I would like more than to do exactly that, but not only is Maddie keeping me from doing that with a pair of really big, adorable puppy eyes that I absolutely can not refuse no matter how hard I try, such a vicious beast will probably come in handy later. You'll see why later.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Of course, my good man (or woman).**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Ben gets nothing from kissing Maddie but a happy moment and I don't he would be able to talk to the Narrators, let alone know of their existence; that is, if he doesn't turn into Jigsaw or Alien X. I'm still on the fence about anyone outside of the Wonderlandians and Professor Paradox even knowing of their existence just yet. Also, I don't recall ever taunting you about your poor writing or anything relating to it. Granted, it's a tad hard to understand at times, but I really don't care. I just enjoy getting reviews from you and everyone else!**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **I'll give him a rework; his physical appearance and the majority of his abilities will be kept, if not toned down. Regardless, the Japan line (as I am dubbing it) will most likely appear once this guy makes his appearance. As for Darkflame, I was hoping to save him for a more intense moment, but I'll see what I can do.**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **Regarding your narrator question, according to the wiki, Brooke lives inside the Mirrornet and attends Narrator High (don't ask me how this is possible), so that explains most of it. And yes, Maddie** ** _loves_ Ben and has for quite some time; they actually got together during the time she stole his one and only shirt and dragged him into the pocket dimension inside of her hat (chapter 14, if I remember correctly).**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **I can assure that should the Evil Queen try to steal Ben, Brooke will be furious beyond use of words. As for a dream . . . well, we'll see!**

 _ **Zachery Hance –**_ **Thank you, my good man!**

 _ **Soos –**_ **I'm sorry to say that Bill seems to want to make you his personal yo-yo once he's turned you inside out or something, Soos. Regardless, we're working on gathering as many resources against Bill but, like I said earlier, our hands are really tied over here. We'll do our best to make sure** ** _senor nacho chip_ crumbles, though! Oh, and tell Stan to stab an Eyebat for me. And that I know the combo to the vending machine . . .**

 _ **A Soos promise is a Soos promise, no matter how small!**_

 **What she said.**

 _ **Bill Cipher –**_ **Why you one-eyed, walking, talking** ** _/censored/censored/censored/_ tortilla chip! How dare you make me look like a fool (we all know that Daring does it better)!? _I WILL HAVE YOUR EYEBALL ON A STAKE!_**

 _ **Not if I get it first! I want his eye as a bowling ball! And his hat, too!**_

 **Can't we just stab his eye on a stake first and _then_ use it as a bowling ball?**

 _Maybe. I'M ANGRY RIGHT NOW!_

 **. . . you don't say. What I don't get is how the triangular freak is able to actually get here when he's supposed to still be trapped in Gravity Falls. How can he not get to the rest of a single _world_ and yet jump to a parallel _universe?_**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Someone else actually mentioned I make a Predator-like species, but taking one look at those monstrosities is making me have second thoughts; I'm not sure whether it's the mouthparts or the blood lust appetite to eat their prey alive.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **It is unknown how Maddie will react when not insulting said one-eyed nacho chip, but she thankfully manages to keep herself from doing those kind of things in the story and in my dorm as well; I swear, it's like she's too different Maddies in one.**

 _ **Maybe I am!**_

 **Please. I'm still dealing with the fact I have a reviewer that won't leave my dorm no matter how much I threaten him, a hyperactive horse the size of a dog, and a fourth wall breaking assassin that refuses to say the "K-word".**

 _ **Ernest P Worrell –**_ **You'll just have to see!**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **It ain't the end of the world unless I (or Bill Cipher apparently) says so!**

 _ **Erebor –**_ **Lizzie actually has that 'weird power' in the actual cartoon, the ability to slice objects in half with a mere flick of her finger; it's like she has swords for fingernails.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **I have been getting a few requests to add a few more monsters to the harem, but seeing as how Ben is in Ever After and not back home and it's kinda hard to fall in love with someone you've never actually met face to face, I'll see what I can do. Astranova is at the top of the list (for obvious reasons. Come on, she's an alien, Ben turns into aliens. It's a match made in heaven or whatever the cosmos hold).**

 _ **Riddle Master – Thank you, young reviewer! The answers you seek in the order of the questions you asked them are me, of course, Cupid, Apple, Cerise, Lizzie, Daring, Dexter, Hunter, Ashlynn, Bunny, and Cedar (I hope I got those right!).**_

 **Yes, well, regarding Darling and Ben, I can guarantee it will happen. Of course I'm gonna pair Ben with what is perhaps the most badass girl on the show!**

 _ **Dragonsaurus –**_ **All in due time, dear reviewer. All in due time.**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **Yes, I kinda figured that the absolute opposite of good, controlled monsters would be monsters that were voracious monstrosities hellbent on destruction and chaos. And seeing as how arguing with Kitty (or really anyone from Wonderland) is all by futile, I don't think it will be questioned too much.**

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-N0-Kishin –**_ **If it's not suppose to drink Wonderland tea (especially near a Hatter)** ** _WHY_ did you send it to my room of all places!? THIS IS THE WORST PLACE THAT THING COULD BE!  
**

 _ **Stop referring to Mr. Nibbles as an 'it'! He has feelings, too!  
**_

 **The only thing that thing feels is hunger, Maddie, hunger for _MY FACE!_**

 ** _NaruFuu Forever –_ true, the Orb of Madness is a unique element that I am implementing into this story to make the arrival of a rather unique villain all the more interesting, as well as a certain canon villain, too.**

 _ **Rexy –**_ **Yes, Raven's dreams will be become more like premonitions (which explains how she suspected something was coming when she dreamed about Ben); the dream about the Evil Queen is too good to pass up!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Sorry if Skelita's fate wasn't clear enough; like the rest of the ghouls, she was reduced to a more primal nature, which was basically getting turned back into a pile of lifeless bones at the mercy of the ages. And technically, Maddie was already a part of the harem (she and Ben got together inside of the pocket dimension inside of her hat).**

 _ **Forget that! I gotta new mallet! Woo-hoo!**_

 **Great. Now she's _twice_ as dangerous. Which I guess is a good thing, considering who we're going up against. And now that I think about it . . .**

 _ **Hey, what the scoodle butt do you think you're-**_

 _ **THOOM!**_

 **In simple terms, I just used by new Reality gauntlet and merged your two mallets gifted to you from our lovely reviewers and fans into one, all powerful hammer quite capable of shattering the very fabric of the universe if the wielder uses enough force; seeing as how it's you, I don't think we'll have to worry about that.**

 _ **Are you saying I'm weak?**_

 **Far from it. I just know you're more likely to drive that thing into Bill's face than the universe. Either way, I hope you know what you're getting into; I imagine having ones face functions rearranged is not pleasant, so welcome to the Bill Cipher Kill Force (BCKF)!**

 _ **We're still working on the name . . .**_

 _ **Grimlock –**_ **I can imagine that the sudden switching of season is confusing, so in simple terms, every time the seasons rapidly change it is due to a back splash from the Well of Wonder, a sort of moment when the well overflows and allows a little extra wonder to flow into Ever After; any time that happens, almost anything can happen, including the sudden changes in seasons and weather. And yes, Cupid and Dexter's relationship will grow more as the story progresses, Hunter will want to turn Adwaita into turtle soup (probably the only form of meat he'll be willing to chug down), and Faybelle, Duchess, Darling, and Rosabella will be appearing more as the story continues.**

 _ **JoJo knd –**_ **I like the idea of your OC villain, but what exactly makes him a villain? Why is he going to fight Ben? I need reasons in order for him to work well.**

 _ **DoomsDay2015 –**_ **First off, the username is both amusing and slightly disturbing: will the world end in 2015!? XD Either way, I like Morgg. He's like that bratty, geeky kid that you just want to pummel and give a wedgie to and, compared to all the other mighty villains that have been submitted, this one definitely stands out. Especially since he's similar to Billy Billions (who I find to be one of the most amusing Ben 10 villains to date).**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **I like this guy, he reminds me of Nocturne, one of my favorite champions from League of Legends. What can I say, I really like the dark and creepy stuff. Plus, this guy seems like he could even give Zombozo a run for his money!**

 _ **Raidentensho –**_ **I've never heard of Kamen Rider OOO, so I wouldn't now. Maybe!**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Uh-oh. Looks like Hades is angry with you. If you welcome calming down your uncle, I think I can be of service; we're pretty close acquaintances and he does (oddly) owe me a favor or two as long as I keep this work going. As for the gifts against everyone's favorite lemon-flavored Dorito, as you call him, I think these'll suit us just fine (pun** ** _totally_ intended). With Maddie's universe shattering hammer, my new, more potent reality bending powers, and your new gifts to us, ol' Cipher doesn't have a clue what's in store for him.**

 _ **I'm gonna fry him alive!**_

 **Not before I barbecue him!**

 _ **Deadpool –**_ **Damn you, Deadpool. You fourth-wall breaking idiot!**

 _ **Hey, what's the haps, four-eyes?**_

 **Go away! Get in the closet! Hide under the bed! I don't care where, just get out of my sight! I have enough problems with a Hatter, a reviewer that won't leave, a brain-eating alien that Maddie insists on treating like a child with us as the parents, and a one-eyed nacho chip hellbent on making me his four-armed court jester for all eternity! I do not have time for a fourth-wall breaking mercenary!**

 _ **Hi, Deadpool! Want to join me and Mr. Nibbles for some tea?**_

 _ **Pass the sugar and don't skip on the lumps, Teacup!**_

 **I'm running an insane asylum here . . .**

 _ **RedGargoyle09 –**_ **The only issue I have with this OC is just how are they a villain? And what do they want with Ben of all people? Other than that, she's an interesting character.**

 _ **Curtis Payne –**_ **Those are questions that will be covered in due time,** ** _mi amigo._ Trust me, the brother/sister relationship Ben shares with Ghoulia is too adorable for me to pass up for long.**

 _ **The Gear of War –**_ **As I explained previously, all in due time.**

 _ **Pinkie Pie –**_ **Great.** ** _Now_ I have a hyperactive horse coming over, too!**

 _ **On the bright side, you got a couple of chapters before she comes, four-eyes. Pass the sugar, Teacup.**_

 **For once, you actually make sense.**

 _ **Know there's something you don't see every day! No, bad, Mr. Nibbles! Stop trying to eat Mr. Deadpool's hand!**_

 **Once again, running a nuthouse.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Yeah, sorry about the misuse of Spanish; I use Google which is unfortunately not always correct, so apologies for that. And no, you're not the only one who likes a Coward Charming and Bad Apple (I myself enjoy writing them as well XD). And to be honest, I'm pretty sure all the Apple-haters out there (I you're out there. I can hear you breathing!) loved that part; Parent's Day seems to be becoming a rather anticipated chapter, so looks like that ones gonna be thrown into the works as well!**

 _ **Hey, four-eyes! You're stalling!**_

 **Okay, that's it!**

 _ **Wait, what are- put me down you four-armed meathead!**_

 **Into the closet you go!**

 _You can't do this! Who'll insult you? Who'll entertain Teacup? Who'll the viewers laugh at!?  
_

 **In the order you asked, Maddie, me, and once again, Maddie. Now stop hittin' on my girl and stay in the closet until you're needed!**

 _ **. . . so I'm your girl?**_

 **Forget everything I just said.**

 _ **Can't! I got it all on recording! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

 **Oh, for the love of Galvan Prime, what have I just done!? Well, while I try to convince Maddie destroy said tape, enjoy the chapter! As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **Get back here!**

"Pass me the wrench."

Robecca sighed and dug around in the toolbox sitting on the floor next to her before pulling out the desired item and setting it in Kevin's waiting hand; the Osmosian took the wrench and slid his arm back under his car as he tightened up some bolts that had been loosened during his last, high speed chase. Ever since Ben had up and suddenly disappeared, he had pulled himself out of retirement to join the Plumbers once more, mostly under Gwen's insistence that he do something actually useful and worth his time than lounging around the secret lair they had found and furbished inside of Hex's extensive library and book collection at Friedkin University; the Anodite halfbreed herself, despite the disappearance of her beloved cousin, had been forced to stay behind to continue her studies until the next break popped up.

A high pitched whining drew away Robecca's attention and she turned to give a sad smile as a familiar, Anubian Baskurr padded up to her and lay down next to her, resting its head on her thigh; the animal, very similar to that of a large dog with hairless, dark blue, armor-plated skin divided by black grooves, spike-like hair running from her head to the tip of her tail, and a light blue collar with a golden, bone-shaped dog tag around its neck, whimpered and cuddled her head up to Robecca, the equivalent of a grin crossing her face as the android scratched her behind the ears.

"Good girl, Zed." Robecca praised her quietly; unfortunately, even the comforting presence of Khyber's former hunting partner did not put her processor at ease as she sank back into depression once more; out of all the ghouls that had been left behind ever since Ben suddenly disappeared once more, Robecca had been hit the hardest, with the disappearance of both her two, beloved ghoulfriends and their shared boyfriend. She didn't blame the former's vanishing through a faulty Null Void projector on Rook in any way, knowing that the Revonnahgander had never forgiven himself for such an accident to occur and had spent all his free time paying Professor Hokestar to transport him and his Mr. Smoothy's store to all of the surrounding dimensions to try and locate Venus and Jane and, to a lesser extent, Ben as well.

Of course, things amongst the ghouls had taken a turn for the worst without Ben to all keep them in line. Avea was more crabby and quick to temper than before, often severely injuring the villains they detained and captured and sending them on a quick trip to the medical bay before shipping them off to their respective cells, Twyla spent more and more time in the shadows and Lorna at the bottom of Monster High's pool to the point where it would often be days on end before someone saw them, and even then it would only be the vanishing image of pale hand reaching out of the shadows for food or the flicker of a fin behind a waving garden of seaweed, and Frankie was beyond stressed out trying to hold everyone together and keep what little spirits were left high.

"Robecca, I need the screwdriver!" Kevin suddenly yelled from underneath of his car, having been calling for her attention for the past several minutes as he groped around for the tool himself.

"Sorry!" Robecca apologized as she handed Kevin a flathead and watched as he quickly drove a few lose screws back into place before tightening them with a relieved sigh. With that done, the Osmosian wheeled out from under the car and stood up, grabbing an old rag to wipe off his greasy hands and an oil stain on his cheek.

"I think we better take a break." he suggested. "No offense, Bec, but you're not really focused enough to help me with my oil change."

"None taken." Robecca sighed as a jet of hot steam escaped her ears and briefly engulfed her head while she stood up as well, scratching Zed behind the ears to put the Anubian Baskurr's concerns at ease. "Sorry, luv, I guess I'm just still bent out of shape-"

"About Ben?" Kevin guessed as he tossed the rag on the hood of his car and cracked his back. "Join the club. We may not show it, but everyone's worrying their heads off over his disappearance. Heh, kid just doesn't know how to stay out of trouble." he added as a joke to try and lighten the mood; nobody laughed.

"Where do you think he could have gone?" Robecca wondered.

"Dunno. My bet is that he's in some freaky dimension or whatever." Kevin shrugged as he made his way towards the door of the hanger of Plumber Headquarters; Zed obediently followed her master as Robecca fired off her rocket boots and followed to, flicking the lights off on her way out as the three of them moved towards the elevator at the space station's center and climbed into the waiting car before the doors closed and moved them up several levels. "I mean, if Gwen said she scanned the entire universe for him and didn't find him, then he's not here."

"But . . . the universe is everything, luv. It's infinite, always expanding." Robecca raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Kevin shrugged. "But it does have an end. Saw it myself once when me, Ben, and Gwen were going to go stop Aggregor at the Forge of Creation."

"I suppose . . . that makes sense." Robecca nodded; she herself knew very little about Celestialsapiens and their habits and behavior, other than the fact that they actually existed and were not myths, contrary to Rook's prior knowledge, and possessed the ability to warp the fabric of the universe and space/time itself with but a thought after millions upon millions of years of evolution since they first evolved at the birth of universe itself. Such a thought made her processor hurt, but then again, so did taking a few punches to the head.

"You wanna stop by the Smoothy? I'll buy." Kevin offered his one of his two gearhead buddies; while Rook was one of if not the best mechanic Kevin had ever had the pleasure of meeting, he had to say that Robecca's almost superhuman ability to remember and memorize hundreds of repairs and procedures was uncanny. Not to mention, the robot liked to tinker just as much as the Osmosian did, the two of them forming a sort of mutual bond and respect for each other ever since Ben's absence.

Before Robecca could give a reply however, the Plumber badge she kept locked away nice and safe within her body hatch buzzed, signaling a call; she carefully slipped her hand under her shirt and finished around for the opening to the hatch, glaring smugly at Kevin as the Osmosian watched awkwardly until she managed to open the hatch wide enough to pull out the vibrating device and answer it.

"Hello? This is Plumber Agent Robecca Steam." the robot recited.

"Robecca! We need backup!" Spectra's panicked voice came from the other end; the sound of steady blaster fire could be heard from the other end, among the usual sounds of destruction. "I repeat, we need backup!"

"What's goin' on?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow as Zed growled venomously.

"It's Rojo!" Spectra grunted, interrupting the call briefly to give a battle cry as blaster fire that sounded alarmingly close to her Plumber badge followed. "She's hunting us!"

"Hunting you?" Kevin sounded confused. "Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the bounty hunters usually go after Ben?"

"Ben's not here, luv." Robecca rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Right." Kevin remembered sheepishly. "So, uh, what does she want?"

"Mine or Nefera's Omnitrix! Either one!" Spectra shouted from the other end. "Send backup, quickly! She's a _lot_ more heavily armed than last time! _Agh!_ "

" _Spectra, a little air support would be nice!_ " Nefera yelled from the other end.

"Gotta go!" Spectra signed off before the line went dead, filling the elevator with silence once more.

"Looks like a change in plans." Kevin sighed, cracking his knuckles as he canceled the previous order given to the elevator and pressed a second button for a different floor. "I still don't get why old Squid Face would even bother with the Omnitrix anymore."

Robecca shrugged. "At the moment, luv, I hardly thinks he even _cares_ about it anymore, which is really saying something after how long he's tried to pry it off of Ben's wrist. My processor suspects that he's either a complete loon and out for revenge, with the gain of an Omnitrix being a bonus, or he thinks that we'll be much easier prey compared to Ben."

"Old Calamari Beard finally wised up, eh?" Kevin cracked a slight joke; Robecca allowed a small smile to grace her metal lips as the elevator doors dinged open and led them out onto an open platform. With Zed taking the lead, the two of them rushed down the nearest hallway and took a sharp left, leaping over a group of smaller Plumber technicians as they did one of the multitude repairs needed to the space station, due to a certain evil geneticist trying one too many escape attempts that landed him in a solitary confinement sphere in the darkest recesses of the Plumber prison. The three of them eventually found the location they were looking for and all attempted to try and get through the door first at the same time; this resulted in them becoming tightly wedged, with the door frame scrapping loudly against Robecca's skin until the three of them finally managed to slip through and land in a heap on the floor.

"You could have just knocked, you know." a voice told them; Robecca looked up from the floor and shook her head to clear her vision to see a tall, well built boy with bright blue, intelligent eyes that seemed to sparkle and shimmer like circuits and sharp, blonde hair that ended with bangs hanging just barely over his face. He wore an old, purple football jersey with a yellow number three on the front and a pair of tan cargo pants with pockets that clinked and clattered whenever he moved. A tool belt filled with alien tools and devices sat tightly clipped around his waist and where his right hand should have been was instead a large, chrome and black gauntlets with a green port in the palm and sharp, metallic claws for fingers.

"Well excuse for being in a hurry, Coop." Kevin grumbled as he picked himself off of the floor and dusted himself off. "Wouldn't want to interrupt your latest make out session with your ghoulfriend now would we?"

"Function L0V31 has not been activated as lately as you would like to believe." a second, computerized voice buzzed; a girl about a head shorter than Cooper's impressive frame walked out from behind a large device aimed at a target board on the far side of the lab they were currently in, sauntering over to them with a somewhat jerky movement. She had pale, chrome skin with fluid, ball-socket joints far more complex than Robecca's and more sensitive and flexible wrist joints as well. She had long, flowing black and blue hair pulled into a luscious ponytail that reached her slim shoulders and bright, dazzling optical sensors like the night sky inside of her cranium capacitor.

"Elle? I haven't seen you for a while, luv." Robecca smiled brightly upon seeing the more sophisticated robot once more. The two of them had briefly met their their small time at the Plumber Academy; seeing as how the two of them functioned differently than biological lifeforms, they simply had all the data and information uploaded into their respective processors and data boards, a procedure that gave them more than enough time to talk with one another and find out that despite them being of varying degrees of technology, had much in common.

"Approximately one-hundred twenty Earth rotations," Elle corrected her, waving her finger in front of her as the shimmering, blue image of a clock appeared from the projector lenses on her forehead between her slim, metallic eyebrows and wide, starry eyes. "But who is counting?"

"This is nice and all, but Spectra and Nefera need backup if I remember correctly." Kevin coughed, cutting the conversation short. "Is that hunk of junk safe?"

"Hunk of junk broken! _FIX! FIX! FIX!_ " a red creature covered from head to toe in rust-colored fur with black rings and stripes around its eyes and tail respectively; five surprisingly human-like fingers sat on each foot and hand, the ones on the feet more adept to gripping than holding. The animal wore a black and green aviator's with a pair of yellow-tinted goggles on its head. The scrappy creature had a pair of spiked, imp-like ears under its aviator's cap and had a smart and mischievous gold-colored eyes with sharp teeth protruding out from the upper jaw and below a comically, large nose. A furry, black, ringed tail frisked about excitedly while Rivet bounced about excitedly.

Cooper shrugged and ignored the little, imp-like creature. "We're still in beta after we did some rewiring. It's a wonder Blukic and Driba actually managed to get this dinosaur working."

"Where are they anyway?" Robecca asked as she, Kevin, and Zed bravely stepped in front of the experimental teleportation device; Rivet began to excitedly hammer and pound away at the buttons with extreme vigor until Elle grabbed a hold of the back of his uniform and tossed him over her shoulder where he landed in a pile of discarded and semi-destroyed test dummies.

"Doing repairs to the main core. Animo's Technobugs did more damage than they wish to admit." Elle replied as she made some final adjustments to the teleporter while Cooper grabbed the white gauntlet like device on his hand and touched his fingers to two sensors on the wrist, allowing the gauntlet to unclasp from his hand and let itself be rested on the table Cooper had previously working at before being interrupted.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I did say it was still in beta." Cooper warned them.

"Hit us with your best shot." Kevin smirked as he crouched down to the floor and touched a hand down between his feet, focusing for a split second as the cool metal crept and inched its way up his fingers and arm, across his shoulder and chest until he was covered from head to toe in a durable shell of glimmering, metal exterior; Zed barked with agreement and growl threateningly, crouching down into a pouncing position while Robecca nodded and gave the pair a thumbs up.

"Call us if there are any malfunctions." Elle suggested them. "That is, if you are able to." With that being said, Elle pressed a button on the side of the teleporter and promptly slid a pair of protective eyelids over her optical sensors while Cooper fumbled with a pair of goggles; the long, pointed end of the teleportation device sizzled and crackled with a dangerous amount of energy as it hummed and warmed up and finally fired off, striking the robot, Osmosian, and Anubian Baskurr full on and engulfing them in a bright, green energy before separating and splitting them down into atoms and sending them away from their current location at light speed.

"Are they gone?" Elle wondered as the protective lids slid back out of the way of her optical sensors.

"Readings indicate they reached the target location safe and in one piece." Cooper answered, glancing at a computer console towards the back of the teleporter. "I think it's safe to say that we can move out of beta and into gamma for the necessary fine tuning before we can send this to the Magistrata."

"I believe that can wait." Elle purred in a seductive, computerized voice. "Activating function L0V31."

"I think you just blew out my memory banks." Cooper smiled as he embraced the ghoulfriend he loved dearly, regardless of whether she was artificial or not; after all, if Ben could love a robot that was far more primitive compared to Elle, why couldn't he?

If only Rivet would stop singing sappy, off-key romance songs at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Contrary to what both Cooper and Elle might have been feeling at that moment, Robecca and Kevin were feeling the exact opposite as they and Zed were teleported in the middle of downtown Bellwood and were immediately met by blaster fire that forced Robecca to duck for cover as Kevin morphed his hands into a pair of blades and deflected the blaster fire off of him.

"About time you showed up!" Nefera grunted as she deflected blaster fire from Rojo as the mercanary sniped at her from atop the remains of a smoking car that had been inadvertently destroyed; the bounty hunter had spiky, crimson hair with a gray face helmet that cupped and sheltered most of her face, leaving only room for her piercing red eyes and sharp, black lips. She wore a slim, black bodysuit with glowing, pulsing red lines tracing their way up her legs and arms to join with the multiple spikes that sprouted forth from Rojo's body and interlocked with a white skull on the front of her chest.

"Hold still, Bandage Face!" Rojo growled. "Vilgax's got a price on your head that I aim to claim!"

"We kinda figured that out when you _nearly blasted my head off!_ " Nefera shouted as she deflected the latest round of blaster fire with her shoulders and rushed at Rojo, swiping at her with her katana blades and forcing the bounty hunter to leap over the swords and jump back to avoid getting slashed; now having the upper hand, the mummy quickly slid her katana blades back into their sheaths as she activated the Omnitrix strapped to her wrist and immersed herself in a flash of Nile blue light that warped and scrambled her DNA into something new. Nefera's tan skin began to blister and crack horribly, as if she was covered in a layer of mud that had spent too much time baking out in the sun as it turned a pale shade of pale, almost white gray in color and revealed itself to be scales; the coating of flaky scales that were quickly being covered in a thin, sheen of wet slime raced up her arms as they swelled and pulsed with shifting muscle and tissue, traversing smoothly across her rounded shoulder and down her chest while her neck thickened and allow three slits on either side of her neck to open up and suck in a wet breath. Consequently, Nefera's nose was compressed back into her face as her skull elongated slightly and thrust her lower jaw out into a massive underbite while her teeth ripped through her gums and formed themselves into dozens of spike-like teeth that glistened in the light. Sharp fins pushed themselves out of her lean arms as webbing formed between her claw-tipped hands as a long, flowing dorsal fin sprouted from her head and ran down to the waistline of a black and Nile blue loincloth of sorts that allowed her slim, scaly legs to slide out from either side. Her forehead pulsed and bulged slightly like a massive zit that was about to explode until a long, wiry antennae with a small, glowing bulb at the end thrust itself out of her skull; the transformation as a black collar or sorts formed over her upper body as a pair of large, bulbous tanks formed around with gills that smoothly transitioned into a black and Nile blue trimmed top with the Omnitrix at the center of her breast bone.

"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew." the Piscciss Volann hissed venomously, clamping her steel bending jaws shut just an inch from Rojo's face.

"Looks more like I'm having fish sticks tonight." Rojo smirked.

"Nefera behind you!" Spectra warned.

"The name's Piscesca!" the Piscciss Volann corrected the ghost; unlike Lilith, who had been done in by criticizing fans and press, she had been forced to change her name out of sheer embarrassment at coming up with a ridiculous name in comparison to Ben's. Granted the name 'Four Arms' was not very clever compared to some of his other, more catchy names, but there was only so much could do with a burly, four-armed alien that could easily tussle with a woolly mammoth with two arms tied behind his back. Regardless of what her name was however, Piscesca ducked in the nick of time as a hot beam of unstable energy fired over her head and into the store beyond, blowing it up into a fiery explosion that would have normally made a Piscciss Volann gasp for breath from the extreme heat had the new breathing devices been implemented into her current transformation.

"Don't just stand there! Give us a hand!" Spectra yelped as a second woman with more healthy looking skin in comparison to Rojo, blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and identical, yellow armor to her boss slashed at her with a pair of glowing, orange energy claws that loudly sliced through the air with a loud whistling noise; the ghost avoided them at all costs, the bleeding slash marks on her ankles that had sliced through several of her decorative chains being more than enough reason to do so.

"Way ahead of you." Kevin smirked as he rushed at the yellow woman, Amarillo, and swung his sharpened, bladed hands out at her, forcing her to bend over backwards to avoid the metallic edge as it missed her chin by a mere inch before she swung back up and swiped at Kevin with her energy claws, succeeding in dashing him across the face and tearing away at his metal exterior.

" _Ow!_ " Kevin growled with annoyance as he swiftly compressed and shifted his left hand back into a fist and swung it forward, connecting it with Amarillo's jaw with a loud _crack!_ as she stumbled backwards, disoriented; Zed took the chance to rush forward and past her master, bounding into the air and tackling the yellow mercenary to the ground with a savage growl, fearlessly clamping her bony jaws around the woman's armored shoulder and tearing away the spiked shoulder pad with ease as Amarillo struggled to get the Anubian Baskurr off of her.

"Good girl." Kevin grinned smugly.

"Bad dog!" Amarillo snarled, managing to deck Zed across the face and shove the Anubian Baskurr off of her with a low whimper of pain before she sprung at Kevin, low and parallel to the ground, attacking his legs with a swipe of her energy claws and tripping him up; the Osmosian fell to the pavement with a grunt and quickly rolled over on his back to block and parry a swipe at his face by Amarillo once more.

"You're losin' your touch, kid!" Amarillo grinned as she applied more pressure behind her claws.

Kevin grunted and struggled to maintain his hold. "Not a chance!" he barked angrily, shoving up and pushing Amarillo off of him just in time for Zed to slam into the bounty hunter from the side and send her sprawling across the road; the Osmosian quickly climbed to his feet and shifted his hands into a pair of large mallets that he clanged together before rushing at the mercenary with anger, swinging one of his arms and connecting with her frail body to send her flying the front of front window and wall of a nearby flower shop, decimating it in the process.

"I love me some collateral damage." Kevin smirked as he charged at his adversary.

Robecca was having slight more difficulty than either Kevin or Piscesca, up against a third woman with earthy brown skin, navy blue hair, cold green eyes, and a suit that was all but identical to her other two partners, with the exception that it was colored a dark, vibrant blue and that she had chosen a sizzling, red power sword for her weapon; a pair of laser blasters sat clipped to her belt as well, allowing her to attack from close range and a safe distance away, something that worked against Robecca despite her ability to easily outmaneuver the woman, Azul, and fly.

The android had mere seconds to jerk her head to the side to avoid a downward strike that could have easily sliced her in two, the crackling energy blade of Azul's power sword sinking deep into the pavement of the road beneath her feet before the mercenary pulled the blade out and swiped it at Robecca's head, forcing the robot to bend over backwards to avoid getting hit.

"Easy, luv! I don't wanna hurt you!" Robecca cried as she activated her rocket boots and blasted off of the ground to avoid a third swipe of the power sword.

"Funny. 'Cause that's _exactly_ what I want to do to you." Azul snarled.

"Trust me when I say that the feeling is mutual." Spectra frowned as she slammed a hand down on the activation button of her Omnitrix and encompassed herself in a flash of bright, purple light. Her translucent figure flickered and blinked furiously before it solidified greatly, the heavy weight of flesh and bones weighing her down as her wrists bloated to the size of basketballs while her fingers cracked and hardened, turning into large black claws; the blubber from her hands traveled up the length of her arms, expanding and growing and swelling to massive proportions on her shoulders. Her belly suddenly exploded outwards in comparison to her previous figure while her legs crunched and compressed heavily against each other until they were mere stubs of their former selves with bony, black claws tipping them and supporting her weight. Spectra's skin began to harden in certain areas, piling up into layers on her shoulders, back, thighs, and wrists; durable, purple armor that could withstand the strongest of acids and lava now covered her protectively while the top half of her ivory body turned a pitch black in color, a stripe slithering down between her widening eyes. Her neck ground and snapped loudly as her head was compressed into her shoulders, her mouth widening to fit appropriately over her wide face as her teeth sharpened slightly into dull fangs. The final part of the transformation was the addition of tight, black, bikini-like clothing over her slight, feminine figure with the Omnitrix positioned squarely between her dull breasts.

"Cannonball!" Rollchelle bellowed in a deep, feminine voice that would have some laugh had the Arburian Pelarota not swiftly curled up into a tight ball and come plummeting back down to the ground; Azul had less than two seconds to react before she dove out of the way and rolled across the road, deactivating her power sword and pulling out the dual pistols clipped to her belt to fire off at Rollchelle while Robecca retreated some distance away.

Azul gritted her teeth as she continued to fire off at the Arburian Pelarota's unbreakable shell with no effort whatsoever, the blaster fire bouncing harmlessly off of her armored plating and ricocheting into the surrounding area; cars whined and screamed as their alarms went off moments before they exploded, street lamps sizzled and cracked as their light bulbs were shot, and the few trees the city had planted for decoration and air purification purposes shattered in a shower of splinters and caught flame.

"Hold still!" Rollchelle grunted as she suddenly uncurled and swung at Azul with a set of dagger-like claws that could have left gouges in a brick wall had the blue mercenary not jumped over the swing in the nick of time and managed to kick the Arburian Pelarota in her wide face as she backflipped onto her feet and continued to fire at her exposed face with little effort.

"Eat hot lead, freak!" Azul screamed.

"You do know I have armor, right?" Rollchelle deadpanned before she folded up on herself and rushed at Azul; the bounty hunter jumped up and over the rolling ball of death, sniping at the armored plates that encased her in the hopes of getting lucky when she was suddenly slammed into from the right and slammed to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

"Watch it!" Rojo snarled at her, picking herself up and firing her blaster off at Piscesca as the Piscciss Volann jammed her claw-tipped fist into the hood of car and tore it off to act as a shield before she gave a warbled screech and chucked it at Rojo; the bounty hunter ducked as the car hood spun through the air above her and sliced clear through the trunk of a small tree, crumbling to the ground with a loud screech.

"Sorry, boss." Azul grumbled, rubbing her skull.

"Just don't let it happen again, bitch." Rojo growled as she charged back into battle just as a white news van with the words "Channel Three" printed on the side in bold, slanted, golden letters so that it would be able to see from blocks away; the side of the van opened up and two figures hopped out, the first being what most would assume to be an average human man just trying to do his job while lugging around a big news camera on his shoulder. The second figure however, was anything but human with five, golden eyes on his olive green face, tendrils and barbels on his chin, fin-like ears, gills, dozens of wart-like lumps dotting his slime-coated body, and the sticky tentacles that he had instead of regular hands. The pair of glasses that he wore on his face and the crisp, black suit with a red tie and blue handkerchief stuffed in his left breast pocket suggested however, that the clearly alien creature may have, at one point, been human.

"Will Harangue here, live on Channel 3," the slimy alien spoke in a loud and nerve grating voice. "Where the latest threats to public safety, none other than the menace that is Ben Tennyson's own monster spouses! One questions why we even allow such vile and clearly _dangerous_ creatures to roam free in country, endangering lives and costing millions in property damage in their attempt to be showboating vigilantes."

"Seriously? Three psychopaths are firing lasers at us while we defend ourselves and you're calling _us_ the bad guys?" Rollchelle frowned as she unfolded herself and swung a bloated hand at Azul, managing to deck her across the face and stumbling before the Arburian Pelarota curled back up into a ball and rammed into the mercenary, flattening her to the pavement and knocking her into unconsciousness.

"Thus furthering proving my point about the monster and alien menace festering beneath our very feet!" Harangue ignored the Arburian Pelarota. "It is our duty as citizens and _rightful_ owners of the planet Earth to rise up and defend ourselves against such monstrosities!"

"Says the guy who is not only an alien himself, but allied himself with the Incurseans once they exiled _our boyfriend_ and sent the entire world tumbling into a state of fear." Robecca grumbled before she suddenly cried out as she was slugged across the face from the side and sent sprawling across the ground, her metal skin gaining several new dents and bumps as she finally came to a stop with a groan and rolled her optical sensors upwards just as a set of spiked, armored boots stomped down in front of her face. Robecca looked upwards to see a fourth woman with skin nearly as pale as Rojo's with cold, brown eyes like frozen earth and long, flowing, green hair that was shaved off on one side and swept over the other side; the woman wore an identical, armored outfit to the rest of the members of gang, save for the fact that it was the color green, like that of lush grass in the afternoon sun.

"Venus . . ?" Robecca groaned, her mental processors confusing the image of her beloved ghoulfriend with this heartless mercenary that bared so much resemblance to her.

"Name's Verde, bitch." the bounty hunter smirked as she stomped her spiked boot down on Robecca's back and planted her face into the pavement. "Any final words before I beat you into scrap metal and steal Vilgax's oh-so precious watch for 'im?" she growled as she drew back a pair of orange, glowing gauntlets on her hands that were clenched like fists.

"Cleo-wrap-tra . . ." Robecca moaned as she tapped the Omnitrix fixed to her bronze wrist and slapped the activation button without looking, engulfing herself in a flash of golden light. Her bronze plating crumpled and groaned loudly as it was compressed and crunched together loudly, her entire body screeching in protest as she was squeezed; for a split second, Robecca thought she was going to die until her delicate fingers fused together and suddenly sprouted small, brown pebbles at their tips. She watched with amazement as the pebbles traveled up her fingers and swallowed her hand, growing into large rocks and stones that made their way up her swelling arms and became large, tough boulders that made her entire shoulder width and bulk. Her body jerked and jostled as rock and stone took over her physiology, punching through her metal exterior and fusing together into tough plates that turned a variety of shades of brown and tan in color as sharp spikes jutted out of Robecca's fore arms and shoulders; her head was squished down into her body slightly, her brow becoming thick and heavy as her ankles and feet exploded in size and were turned into a pair of rocky pillars that roughly transitioned into her thighs and hips. The transformation ended as a pair of black and copper shorts, a top that covered her rocky bust and tapered into a thick collar around her neck, and a pair of thick braces around her wrists materialized on her, the Omnitrix appearing on her breastbone.

"Whoa! Check me out!" the Basalt exclaimed in a deep, graveled voice as she effortlessly climbed to her feet and pushed Verde off of her, towering over the woman by a good four feet as she examined her new form. "I think Ben already has this one; what did he call it? Rocks?"

"Sounds right to me." Kevin grunted as he threw Amarillo threw the air and managed to land her on top of Verde, sending the both of them tumbling into a tangle of arms and legs; Zed barked in agreement, coming to sit patiently by her master's side as he took a shallow breather.

"Come on, ladies! We've got cash to earn!" Rojo barked angrily as she kicked Azul's unconscious form out of annoyance.

"Yes, boss . . ." Amarillo and Verde groaned as they hauled themselves to their feet.

"If I may ask a quick question before I resume pounding you, but why do you listen to her when she treats you so badly?" the Basalt wondered.

"Because she pays us." Amarillo growled. "Plus, we like to cause as much destruction as she does."

"Then get to it! I'm not paying you to have a stupid tea party with a rock monster!" Rojo roared as she fired at Piscesca. "Damn it! How hard is it to make a fried seafood platter!?"

Kevin sighed and pinched his brow. "You see the nutbags that we're dealing with here?" he turned to glare coldly at Will Harangue as the cameraman turned to focus his attention towards him, much to Will's chagrin. "You really want these psychos running free on the streets?"

"Hey! Stop giving the public a biased statement!" Will griped angrily, stepping back into view of the camera that Kevin was stealing away from him.

"Says the guy who is quite literally being the father of all hypocrites right now." Piscesca gurgled as she ducked under Rojo's blaster fire and grabbed a fallen lamp post, biting the long, metal rod in half with one movement of her steel bending jaws to make it easier to lift, and swung it like a baseball bat, slamming it into Rojo's side and sending her rolling across the pavement, her gun clattering a good distance away. Before the Piscciss Volann could finish Rojo off however, the Omnitrix attached firmly to her breastbone beeped and finally timed out in a flash of Nile blue light, returning Nefera to the world.

"Voltage." Nefera cursed before she slammed into from behind and to the ground, Verde standing over her with triumph.

"Hah! We got one!" she smirked. "Extra pay tonight!"

"Just cut off the stupid watch before I fill you bitches full o' holes!" Rojo snapped angrily.

Amarillo frowned as she made a movement to slice Nefera's hand off with her energy claws. "I beginning to think the rock monster has a point. I can't believe we're takin' this much abuse for money."

"It's five thousand an hour," Verde rolled her eyes. "Plus an extra one thousand for if we're the ones to get the watch ourselves; seein' as how I caught her and you're takin' the watch, that's at least five hundred split between us." the green bounty hunter calculated.

"Aren't you a little too good with numbers to be in this line of business?" Nefera grumbled from the ground at simultaneously being defeated and having her new dress ruined.

"Someone has to count up the money," Verde shrugged. "Rojo may be as mean as a wolverine, but's about as dumb as one as well. Plus, she's _really_ good in bed."

Nefera blinked in surprise at that. "Wait . . ."

"Verde, what did I tell you about keeping you filthy trap shut!?" Rojo growled as she rushed low across the ground and managed to grab her blaster to whirl around and fire at Kevin; the Osmosian quickly erected a sturdy shield out of his right arm and shifted his left limb into a long, sharpened blade. Like a valiant knight charging into battle, he rushed at the bounty hunter and rammed her with his shield, knocking her blaster out of her hands with a swipe of his bladed arm as she was knocked to the ground and pinned there by Zed, the Anubian Baskurr growling menacingly in her face.

"What do we do? Save the boss or get the money?" Amarillo wondered, hesitating just an inch from Nefera's wrist.

"How about getting off of my friend!?" Rollchelle growled, appearing behind the both of them and grabbing them by the back of their heads and slamming them together, knocking the both of them out and sending them crumbling to the pavement; the Arburian Pelarota hauled Nefera to her feet as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Spectra to the world, a satisfied smirk on her violet lips while the Basalt that had once been Robecca lumbered over and deposited Azul's unconscious form onto the pile of fallen bounty hunters.

"You gonna quietly, or is this gonna get louder than it already is?" Kevin asked Rojo with a smug look on his face; the bounty hunter growled and gritted her teeth, glancing at the fallen bodies of her gang and the triumphant grins on Spectra and Nefera's face before turning back to stare Zed right in the eyes and, to a lesser extent, Kevin as well. She knew she was cornered, outgunned, and down right humiliated, especially with the cameraman zooming in her on face, as if to further make Kevin's point; if only there was some way to even the playing field a little . . . a suddenly honking noise caught her attention and she rolled her eyes back to just barely see a yellow school bus with little kids plastering their faces up against the window at the sight of the battle come driving by.

Opportunity.

"Not a chance, shithead." Rojo hissed, grabbing Zed by the neck with her hands and shoving the Anubian Baskurr off of her before throwing her at Kevin, sending the both of them falling to the ground as she scrambled to her feet to pick up her blaster and level it at the school bus as it drove past; one pull of the trigger was all it took as she fired and took out one of the front tires, melting it into hot, molten rubber that instantly sent the vehicle swerving all over the road. With a satisfied smirk, the bounty hunter ran up the road towards her waiting hoverbike and kicked it into high gear, the engine roaring loudly and spewing out exhaust as she turned around to mock them all. "Later, suckers!"

"She's getting away!" Spectra shouted.

"We've got bigger problems than that!" Nefera yelled, pointing towards the school bus full of children as the bus wildly swerved around the road, heading for a s steep incline just half a block away and closing.

"I hate it when the bad guys play dirty." the Basalt grumbled under her breath as she charged after the runaway school bus like a freight train, her pillar-like legs pounding against the road as she struggled to catch up with the run away vehicle; the bus was almost near the steep drop when the Basalt remembered what Ben had used his own version of the form for. With a grunt, the Basalt thrust a hand down into the road and watched as a cracked appeared in the pavement, widening into a deep fissure that ran under and past the run away school bus until it was head far enough to allow several large and sharp rocks to thrust out of the earth's crust and act like a cushion or sorts to stop the bus just in time before it was sent tumbling over the edge.

"I knew there was a reason I was gonna call this one Terraquake." the Basalt stared at her fist with bemusement; she smiled sheepishly and gave a friendly wave at the school bus as the kids cheered for her and continued to do so as she grabbed the back of the school bus and pulled it back a safe distance from the drop with minimal effort.

"Nice save." Kevin nodded as his tough, metal exterior slithered and melted away.

"Thanks." Terraquake gave a crooked, rocky smile that slowly turned into a deep frown. "I don't think our efforts were entirely appreciated though." she narrowed her eyes; Kevin followed her gaze and felt a frown of his own arch its way across his face as he watched Harangue frantically ranting and raving in front of the camera like the hypocritical madman he was, something that was slowly grating Spectra's nerves.

" . . . A publicity stunt to keep the threatening name of Ben Tennyson alive in our trembling hearts! That's right, loyal viewers, these villainous creatures are nothing more than lying, cheating scam artists that determined to suck our precious funds dry as much as they want to suck all our blood and bodily fluids! And Tennyson is their ringleader! The _great_ Ben 10 is letting his foul choice of spouses have the control over us law abiding citizens while he gathers more power and control over us-" was as far Harangue got before a pair of thick, rocky fingers curled strongly around him, pinning his arms to his sides and easily lifting his squirming form off of the ground until he was eye level with Terraquake.

"Take. It. Back." the Basalt snarled, narrowing her golden eyes at the newsman.

"I would if it weren't all true!" Harangue spat, struggling to get free. "Now let me go! This violates my right to freedom of press!"

"And yet, you chose to waste it on spreading rumors and lies and lining your pockets!" Spectra snarled, getting right in his face and making him cringe slightly in Terraquake's tight grip. "Despite Ben's best efforts to protect the ones he loves and the universe at large, you continue to berate and conspire against him, even though he's done nothing but good! You want to know where you would have been had Ben not received the Omnitrix in the first place? Dead. You want to know where you would have been if Ben didn't stop the Highbreed invasion? Dead. You want to know where you would have been if Ben didn't stop Aggregor? Dead. You want to know where you would have been if Ben didn't return after Incurseans ejected him into space? Dead. You want to know where you would have been if Ben didn't stop Maltruant in the nick of time and prevent him from recreating the universe in his own image? _DEAD AND NONE EXISTENT!_ " Spectra yelled straight Harangue's face.

"And you're point, Death Breath?" Harangue frowned. "Seriously, have you undead creeps not heard of a breath mint?"

"That you are nothing but a lying conman that gives reporters a bad name!" Spectra screamed in his face, blowing his fleshy tendrils and growths back from the sheer blast of her already wearing thin temper. "You don't care at all about the public's safety! All you care about is garnering more ratings by badmouthing my boyfriend instead of doing your job right!"

Harangue smirked. "You're just jealous that I'm an anchorman-"

"A very _bad_ anchorman." Spectra interrupted. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have three criminals to imprison and a fourth to track down."

"What should I do with him?" Terraquake asked, holding Harangue like a toy.

"Toss him." Nefera shrugged as she finished setting the cuffs on Verde, Azul, and Amarillo; seconds after the mummy suggested that, the Basalt swung her arm and sent Harangue screaming flying simultaneously up into the air and onto the nearest roof top some thirty to forty yards away. "I didn't mean literally!" Nefera cried.

"Who cares? Slam dunk!" Kevin grinned, high-fiving the Basalt after he found out that the grumpy newsman had landed in the birdbath of a roof top garden and was currently getting pecked and attacked by a flock of pigeons that didn't take kindly to having their morning bath disturbed; the Omnitrix timed out seconds later and returned Robecca to the world in a blast of golden light.

"Hey, Elle? Can you stop making out with your boofriend long enough to teleport Rojo's gang up? And tell the technicians to try and keep tabs on Rojo while they're at it; she got away again." Spectra spoke into the Plumber badge she had earned at the Plumber's Academy while slipping the new, experimental blaster Blukic and Driba had given to her to her belt.

There came a muffled groan from the Plumber badge. " . . . weren't making out!" Cooper's muffled voice came from the other end.

"Lies! Lies! Lies! They make out big time! Big! Big! Big!" Rivet's voice crackled loudly in Spectra's face.

Nefera rolled her eyes as a slight blush crossed her face. "Please. After everything we've done with Ben, we know the sound of two lovers getting nice and cozy all too well."

"Too much information, thank you very much!" Kevin exclaimed, clapping his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the innuendo-filled words that assaulted his ears and made him feel uncomfortable in general; Zed whimpered and covered her ears with her paws as well just as crackling, green flash of light encompassed the three, unconscious bounty hunters and divided them down into their most basic of components and make up before teleporting them up and away.

"You know, you could learn a thing or two from Ben, Kevin." Nefera smirked. "To think, he has all us, and you only have Gwendolyn . . ."

"As if I haven't heard that one enough from Gwen already . . ." Keving rumbled under his breath, slapping his face in his palm, knowing that he might actually have to take a leaf out of Ben's book for once on how to actually charm a girl of any species. "Either way, me and Bec were goin' for a smoothy run. You up for it?" he steered the conversation away from his love life.

"As long as they've got Booberry Fusion, I'm all for it." Spectra shivered with anticipation at relaxing after a long battle with her favorite frozen beverage; the thought made her wilt slightly though, remembering how much Ben loved Mr. Smoothy's and the countless hours they shared together there just wasting time that wasn't spent on saving the universe on a weekly basis. Somehow, a trip to their favorite restaurant just wasn't the same without Ben trying to make them all laugh by sticking straws up his nose and doing a derpy impression of Vilgax for their amusement or acting like a trouble magnet and attracting one bounty hunter or another after his or their heads.

As the five of them walked down the road towards the nearest Mr. Smoothy's, Spectra kept a close on her fellow ghoulfriends; while she had only lost Ben, which in itself was a devastating blow, they had both lost someone very close to them as well. Robecca was very forgiving of Rook for failing to save both Venus and Jane from getting sucked through the malfunctioning Null Void Projector, despite the many hours she had spent crying out her oil tanks in the hall closet and creating a slippery, black mess for the Plumber cadets to clean up while the cleaning droids were down for maintenance, but Nefera had been giving the Revonnahgander the cold shoulder for nearly two weeks straight for losing Whisp, only speaking to him when absolutely necessary and trying to avoid him at all costs; this confused Spectra as she thought the genie and mummy were only very close friends, but this was quickly put to rest when she remembered their first official date with Ben that had nearly gotten them all kicked out of Pakmar's restaurant (which was still miraculously standing, somehow).

The ghost was so busy watching Nefera and Robecca that she all but phased right through the later without even realizing it for a split second when the robot stopped in front of a store window, hovering a few inches above the sidewalk on her rocket boots as she starred intently through the glass; floating back to see what had caught Robecca and now Nefera's attention, Spectra found that the two of them had stopped in front of a toy store with a display in the front window.

The display was decorated in various shades of green and black with a sign advertising the latest arrival of the newest Ben 10 action figures and toys; the sleek, plastic figures of Four Arms striking a powerful pose and Phobos (now with three different sets of shadow weapons and five all new catch phrases) standing in front of the latest collection of Ben 10 comic books only briefly caught Spectra's attention until she realized what Nefera and Robecca were really starring at. Sitting neatly in a row at the front of the window were small plushies of several of Ben's aliens, but there were also stuffed versions of Ben himself, Frankie, Lorna, Twyla, Jinafire, every single one of them was sitting there starring blankly back at them with their big, adorable, black eyes.

Spectra had been starring at the display with mild surprise and interest for so long, hardly believing they themselves had become as popular as Ben was so quickly, that she hardly noticed Nefera and Robecca's absence until the bell to the toy store ringed cheerily and the two of them came walking back out with a bag clung tightly in each of their grasps.

"Did you two . . ?" Spectra started, only to stop when she saw Nefera pull out a small, plush version of Ben out of the bag and hug it closely to her chest, closing her eyes as she held the toy close to her; the small toy had soft, brown felt for Ben's hair and an adorable, mouthless face along with a cute outfit nearly identical to that of Ben's, even going so far as to include a tiny version of the Omnitrix itself fused tightly to his wrist and a small, red creature dressed in a black and green aviator's outfit complete with a tiny pair of goggles, a striped tail, and large, pointed nose; Spectra stole a peek into Nefera's bag and noticed a second plushie lying inside, this one being of a girl with pale, pink skin and deep blue hair and pointed ears that wore a pink and blue top that exposed her midriff, a pair of baggy, black pants, and a pair of pointed, golden shoes on her feet.

The ghost looked up in time to watch as Robecca pulled out a Ben plushie of her own and slipped it into her body cavity before reaching into her bag and pulling out two more toys; the first had bright, green skin had long, flowing, neon pink and green hair that was shaved off on one side and swept over the other side of its mouthless face and wore a small, blue vest over a tight black top and miniskirt with a pair of carnivorous pumps on feet complete with little fangs and small vines curling up around its legs and arms, a perfect rendition of Venus with a small, green, carnivorous plant sitting comfortably in her lap. The second was a pale, purple figure with wild black, purple, and pink curls pulled into a ponytail that was dressed in a blue top with feathered sleeves, a blue miniskirt, and ragged black leggings that ended where blue braces that resembled a coiled snake and a tribal marking of some kind wrapped around its legs and connected with a pair of blue sandles; the figure held a small walking stick in one of its hands with a small, voodoo sloth cling to her back through the use of Velcro.

"Lets go get those smoothies." was all Robecca said as she closed her body hatch and tossed the shopping bag into the nearest garbage can without saying another word while hovering down the sidewalk after Kevin, who had only noticed their recent disappearance mere seconds ago. Nefera quickly followed, her firm grip on the Ben plushie never faltering or leaving her chest as she caught up with Robecca; Spectra watched them go to catch up with Kevin and Zed before glancing back at the display in the toy store window.

Without a second thought the ghost phased through the door of the toy store.

* * *

Cerise hated being watched.

She supposed that it was slightly her fault that she chose to eat breakfast with Ben, Apple, and pretty much every one else that had been under the cursed riddle book's spell, but she didn't really care either way as she dug her fangs deep into the leg of mutton in her grip before tearing it away and chewing. Cerise supposed that her dislike of having people starring at her came from her heritage and that the fact that prying eyes often meant trouble, but it could also be the fact that she was sharing a plate of mutton with a werewolf without batting an eye.

"C'n you pass the steak sauce?" Clawdeen asked hungrily as she gnawed the last scraps of meat off of a bone; Cerise happily complied, handing the werewolf a small packet as she shifted her legs and heard a slight, pained grunt from beneath the table.

"Sorry, Jane." Cerise apologized.

"D-Don't worry about it." Jane said from underneath the lunch table; the shape-shifter already felt bad enough about all the terror she had caused, savagely attacking the helpless fairy tales and acting like a mindless, vicious beast fully intent on sustaining herself off of their flesh and bones to provide herself with sustenance.

"You sure you're comfortable down there?" Ben asked with concern, bending back to look under the lunch table to see the shape-shifter hunched over a small plate of tropical fruits; unable to cope with the sudden attention directed towards her, Jane had opted to hunker down and hide under the lunch table to eat her lunch in the privacy that her ghoulfriend, boyfriend, and other friends provided with their legs.

"F-Fine, Ben." Jane told him as she popped a grape in her mouth and chewed; a slight cracking noise caught her attention and she turned to see a long, green vine slither down underneath the table in her direction, a pair of sweet, juicy mangoes hanging from the end just waiting for her to reach out and pick them. The shape-shifter blushed and reached for succulent fruits, her red blush increasing even further when she picked the mangoes and heard a low, seductive moan that she was pretty sure only reached her's and Ben's ears (and maybe even Cerise and Clawdeen if the way they shared a look at each other and glanced at Venus curiously).

" _¿Disculpe me?_ Ben? Could you help me, _por favor?_ " Skelita asked her boyfriend, scooting a plate of breakfast potatoes, a cheesy omelet, and a pair of breakfast tortillas.

"With what?" Ben asked.

"I believe I have figured out a solution to my . . . _problema._ " Skelita said. "If you could turn into Heatblast, _por favor?_ "

"Uh, sure." Ben raised an eyebrow as Skurd slid aside to allow Ben to tap the Omnitrix secured tightly to his wrist, cycling through the roster until he had selected the glowing Pyronite symbol and slammed a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light; gasps of surprise and fear radiated throughout the Castleteria as Ben's code was manipulated and scrambled into something new. He felt every last shred of his physical being vanish and become somewhat free, heating up and growing hotter and hotter as he became pure energy that the Omnitrix focused back into a more stable shape. Ben watched as simple hands and single-toed feet formed on the end of his limbs while. Black braces appeared on his hot, red arms and legs, a belt and pair of shorts attached to black straps materializing on his body. Th transformation was only half complete however, as black pieces of metal began to wrap themselves around him, tightening and groaning as they formed movable pieces for his arms and legs, forming a jar-like containment suit that bent over his head and attached to the front with a lock of sorts. Bolts popped out of the shoulders and hands, metal supports appearing on the lock and a large handle appearing on the tightly sealed lid. Three slits in the grill plate allowed limited vision as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on the lock.

"And, once again, this thing isn't working right." NRG sighed wearily.

" _Suficientemente cerca._ " Skelita shrugged. "Now if you could cook my food, _por favor?_ "

The Prypiatosian-B was thoroughly confused as he shifted his considerable, metal bulk on the seat and aimed the grill of his suit down towards Skelita's breakfast and fired off a bright, red beam of radioactive energy at the plate, eliciting several yelps and screams of fright from the Castleteria's patrons until the food upon Skelita's plate was reduced to nothing more than a smoldering, pile of ash. With that done, the skeleton thanked NRG and took the plate back, picking up a spoon and scooping up a small amount of ash before slipping it past her jaw bones with a satisfied purr.

"I think I am missing something here." NRG scratched the top of his suit out of confusion.

"It is quite simple really," Skelita said after another mouthful of ash. "Ashlynn's dragons actually helped me figure it out; it would seem that reducing my food to its most basic of components allows me to eat without any unsettling images to be forever burned into ones mind."

"Well . . . I . . . suppose that is a relief." NRG shrugged as the Omnitrix beeped and timed out in a flash of green light, returning Ben to the world.

"Please. It is a blessing!" Skurd exclaimed dramatically.

Apple cracked a small smile at the Slimebiote's eccentric attitude, something that slowly turned back into a nervous frown as she turned her attention back towards the apple slices on her plate, picking at them with her fingers; she knew it was unmaiden-like behavior to play with ones food, but that was the least of her concerns with everything that had been happening over the past few days. Students and fairy tales in the halls would glance suspiciously at her, whispering in hushed and low tones so that she wouldn't be able to overhear them, occasionally stepping out of her way as if she were infected with some kind of horrible, high contagious virus that they were afraid of catching. It took only a day for the princess to figure out that they were actually _scared_ of her.

Was this what Raven had to put up with every time she simply tried to walk down a hall towards her next class? Was this what she had to deal with every time she changed in the maiden's locker room after Grimmnastics? Was this what the witchling had to go through every single day of her life? Looking back on their years together, ever since they had known each other in Nursery Rhythm School, Apple had always remembered the little witchling sitting at the edge of the playground all alone and away from the other fairy tales, sitting underneath a tree and picking flowers, only to have the beautiful plants wilt and burst into dark, purple fire in her fingers. Whenever Apple happily skipped up to her and gave her a friendly hug, the witchling squirmed and fought in her tight grip before scampering away to hide at the top of the Jungle Grimm, barely even noticing how all the other children screamed and ran away every time she got within five feet of them. And even when Maddie came to attend their school together following a long and rather worrying disappearance on Raven's part, the witchling only seemed more jumpy and skittish than usual, only finding comfort within her Hatter friend and running away as fast as possible when Apple, Daring, or anyone else approached her.

Apple turned her head to look at the witch as she in the seat next to her, glumly picking at her expensive omelet, caviar, and glass of Fairy Wine, which seemed to be the only thing Raven had actually taken part of eating; considering that the past few days had most been enveloped in silent hysteria leading into the weekend, Raven had chosen to wear a far more simpler outfit than to the dark, black and purple, feather-sleeved, lung crunching dress that she normally wore during a school day consisting of a deep purple sweatshirt with a silver raven stenciled on the front, black jeans, and silver sneakers that hugged her feet more comfortably than the heels she normally wore during school hours. How did the witchling put up with this kind of abuse every single day of her life?

"Why are they starring?" Apple whispered.

"You mean other than the fact that I just turned into living nuclear reactor to fry my skeleton ghoulfriend's breakfast to dust?" Ben grumbled sarcastically as he took a sip of orange juice and set it back down on the table to look at Apple with a rather grim expression on his face. "Look, Apple, I hate to break it to you, but not every day is gonna be 'fairest of them all'. Especially not after what we did."

"B-But . . . we did mean to do it!" Apple protested.

"Sounds familiar." Raven mumbled under her breath, swiping one of the princess's apple slices and taking a crisp, crunchy bite; Apple would have normally applauded the witchling for such a dastardly act, no matter how small or ridiculous it might have been, but now did not seem the most appropriate of times.

Ben sighed. "They might know that Apple, they might not. But the point is that they're still scared, and until they see proof that we're actually sorry for what we did or were not in control of ourselves at the time, they're still going to cringe and wince every time we move so much as a finger.

"Once again, sounds vaguely familiar." raven repeated, flickering her gaze to Apple.

A glimmering, sparkling light shimmering and wavered in the air in an empty seat to Ben's right as a pair of sparkling, white fangs materialized out of the air and gave a bright smile before the rest of Kitty Cheshire appeared as well with a tray of bacon, a boiled dragon egg, and some catnip in hand; the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat had also gone for a more casual look, choosing to wear an open, periwinkle hoodie with a black T-shirt underneath with a white paw print on the front, a black miniskirt decorated with white and gray yarn ball designs, white leggings, and a pair of black and lavender high tops.

"How're my sisters from other litters doing?" Kitty smiled brightly as she made herself comfy in the seat next to Ben.

Clawdeen huffed. "Forgive me if I ask you to jump off a cliff," she warned with a threatening manner. "I'm not exactly _fond_ cats, if you catch my drift."

"Oh, come on! Not all cats are bad!" Kitty protested out of annoyance.

"Toralei tried to get me and my ghouls expelled just because she didn't make the fearleading team." Clawdeen explained, tearing off another mouthful of mutton as Venus managed to coax Jane out from under the table. The shape-shifter was currently sitting on Venus' lap, quietly taking bites of her fruit while trying to ignore the new found stares sent her way.

"If it makes you feel any better, _I'm_ happy to see you." Ben smiled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you actually make a decent pillow."

Kitty felt her face warm up slightly. "Glad I could be of assistance," she purred. "I'm always available for any other . . . _tasks_ . . . you might have for me." she added, scooting closer to Ben; to those that had blatantly ignored Apple turning to the dark side, Venus turning into a hormonal driven man-eater, and Ben and Skurd behaving like a pair of thieves for hire and focused more on the romantic side of things would have noticed the crafty Cheshire taking a liking to a certain watch wielding, alien shape-shifter that had been dumped in her world without reason. Kitty wasn't sure why she had taken such a liking to Ben and so quickly, too; perhaps it was because of all the _delicious chaos_ he caused, whether or not it might have been intentional or not. Either way, she couldn't deny that it was _immensely_ to watch him make the Headmaster pull his own hair out.

"Maybe later." Ben rolled his eyes. "For now, I just want to enjoy breakfast."

"As long as that breakfast doesn't include the 'M-word', count us in." Hunter chimed in as he and Ashlynn walked up to the steadily growing group of monsters and fairy tales with two trays in his hands stacked to the brim with all sorts of fruits and veggies; the Daughter of Cinderella was carrying a bucket in one hand and placing her other on her boyfriend's shoulder to help her around, as she had tied a spare piece of cloth over her eyes to blindfold her.

"Okay, I know I'm probably not the only thinking this, but what are you doing?" Raven wondered.

Hunter grimaced. "Lets just say that Ashlynn's stomach is angry at her." was all he said as he helped seat Ashlynn down in an empty seat before sitting down next to her himself and sliding her tray of breakfast in front of her.

"Stomach still upset after eating so much-" Kitty started to guess before Hunter all but practically lunged across the table to clap her hand over her mouth to silence her; Ashlynn moaned and felt her stomach somersault.

" _Don't. Even. Say. The word._ " Hunter rasped through gritted teeth. "She's at the point where even the mere mention of . . . it . . . makes her queasy."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Ben asked, feeling the need to scoot a few inches away just to be on the safe side.

"Other than a few, small psychological issues here and there, she'll be fine." Hunter reassured him as he slipped back into a more comfortable position beside Ashlynn. "You want me to feed you?" he asked his girlfriend.

"N-No, thanks, Hunter. It's really sweet of you, b-but I want to try on my own." Ashlynn told him with a determined, yet cautious tone as she patted around for a fork and managed to find one; once she had managed to curl her fingers around the utensil, she picked it up and cautiously tapped around for her plate so as not to accidentally stab Hunter in the hand like the last several times. The princess finally managed to stab a slice of pineapple and pop it into her mouth without much trouble, much to Hunter's relief.

"Uh, should we move to another table?" Cerise wondered, glancing at the plate of mutton she was sharing between Clawdeen just as the werewolf took a deep swallow.

Ashlynn shook her head while she chewed. "As long you don't mention it and I can't see it, I'll be fine." she promised them as she popped a grape into her mouth; satisfied that he wasn't going to get stabbed any time soon, Hunter resumed eating his own meal, hungrily digging into his tofu eggs and ham with gusto. The group sat in silence, picking at their food and trying to avoid the odd looks and hushed whispers sent their way every time Skelita ate another spoonful of ashes or Apple so much as looked up from the table; the whispers only turned into snickers and giggles when Daring walked into the Castleteria with a confident strut and cocky, charming smile on his face until he realized that every one was laughing at him. Given the fact that he now had one of two choices, to either go without breakfast or join the rest of the fairy tales, ghouls, and Ben that had been affected by the riddle book for a meal, the prince chose the later and swallowed his pride.

"Nice of you to join us common folk, Charming." Ben smirked.

"Yes, well . . . I . . . didn't have much option, now did I?" Daring coughed uncomfortably as he took the last available seat; the Son of Prince Charming attempted to take part in his morning breakfast, but this was quickly made impossible when a troop of maidens walked past the table with trays in hand and snickered gleefully, briefly mocking him with silent, exaggerated screams of fear. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm a laughing stock!"

"That's an understatement." Kitty snickered.

"I need to build up my image!" Daring exclaimed with realization and woe before he practically reached across the table and grabbed Ben by the shoulders, immediately eliciting a warning growl from Clawdeen. "Quick! I know this is unbecoming of a future king, but how do I do it!? How do you do it!?" he asked in a panicking manner as he shook Ben like a rag doll.

"F-First st-op sh-shaking m-me!" Ben cried until Clawdeen smacked Daring upside the head and bared her teeth at him, making him shrink back in his seat; now that he wasn't seeing three different Darings at once, Ben gave him an answer. "Second, show them who you really are. Be-"

"Heroic!" Daring finished. "I know! I'll find the biggest, meanest, baddest, most frightening monster of them all and slay it for all to see!" he exclaimed, pounding his hand into his fist for emphasis before he scrambled out of his seat and towards the Castleteria doors.

"That's not what I was going to say!" Ben yelled at him before pinching his brow with a sigh. "This is not going to end well."

"Know Daring, no." Raven agreed with a shake of her head.

"Sh-Should we stop him?" Jane wondered.

Ben scratched his chin in thought. "In my experience, no. He'll probably come crawl and/or screaming back to us so that we can fix his mess. At the very least, he'll learn a valuable lesson out of this." he hummed before he realized something. "Aaaaaaand, now I sound like Rook."

"I did wonder why your intelligence level seemed to have jump several levels." Skurd tapped his chin (if he had one, that is). "I was beginning to think I had ended up in an alternate dimension that actually had an intelligent life form to converse with!"

The wielder of the Omnitrix ignored the Slimebiote's biting comment and instead took a long sip of his orange juice, savoring the sweet, tangy taste it provided for him; he paused for a moment, lowering the glass and glancing around the lunch room out of suspicion. His 'Hero Sense', as it had been dubbed a few times, was acting up, that moment where he felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck and his fingers get a tingling feeling that was similar to pins and needles but oddly different that warned him that something was not right. Despite the somewhat relaxed atmosphere, everything seemed in place and relatively safe without any sign of destruction or chaos to report.

That usually meant something was wrong.

"Oh, hi, sweety!" a warm voice called out.

Apple nearly choked on the apple slice she was nibbling on and whirled around in her seat to see none other than her mother, Snow White IV, waving from the doors to the hall with a bright smile; the queen had ditched her royal robes in favor of wearing a simple, white shirt that contrasted quite nicely against her crimson, gold-trimmed skirt that reached down to her knees. Golden pumps decorated with small apples sat on her feet and a much smaller, more travel oriented crown sat on her raven black hair as she carried a set of textbooks and a ruler in her hands.

" _Mom!?_ " Apple's eyes nearly bugged out of head.

" _Vanity!_ " Ben exclaimed, scrambling up from the lunch table and slamming a hand down on the Omnitrix without looking at which transformation he had dialed in. Deep orange fur sprouted all over his body, as if a bomb filled with hair had suddenly exploded inside of him and forced all of the fur to the surface of his skin; his skull ground and cracked as his lower jaw was thrust outwards into a massive underbite, his canine teeth growing huge and perfect for ripping through flesh while patches of skin grew over his eyes and sent him into a world of darkness as they eventually became no longer useful and withered away, fresh bone replacing the gaping holes that had previously been his eye sockets. Ben's ears melted back into his head, becoming little more than mounds of skin that became useless and unneeded as a row of slits opened up on his thickening neck, forming into gill-like structures. His shoulders and arms swelled with tissue and muscle as he was forced down onto them like a second pair of legs while his fingernails ripped through his fingers and turned into sharp, menacing claws. His leg bones cracked and snapped as they were forced into the hind leg structure like that of a dog while a patch of sharp, pointed quills formed on his back between his shoulder blades; a thick, green collar appeared around Ben's neck as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared in a sudden burst of green light, completing the transformation.

"Oh, this can't be good." Raven bit her lip as she pushed herself up from the table.

Snow White IV gulped nervously and took a few cautious steps backwards as the snarling Vulpimancer slowly stalked forwards, its thick lips drawn back to show the cage of razor-sharp fangs sitting in its strong jaws; the Castleteria's patrons watched with fearful silence, their horrid scent of fear nearly blinding Wildmutt's senses as he kept his sensitive nose and hearing trained on the glowing image his head built for him in front of him. He could smell her fear rolling off her body in waves, hear her heart beat thumping faster and faster and pounding louder and louder by the second until her pulse reached an all time high and she bolted as fast as she could.

This was of little concern to the Vulpimancer however.

With loud, reverberating bellow, Wildmutt bounded forward after Snow White with his paws pounding the floor as she screamed for help; it was fruitless however, with her heels tripping her up and slowing her down. Within seconds, Wildmutt had pounced upon her and tackled her to the ground, slamming her roughly into the floor and pinning her shoulders there as he stood over her, glowering ominously at her as she whimpered and trembled.

" _Ben!_ What are you doing!?" Apple yelled, beating her fists against Wildmutt's thick hide; the Vulpimancer turned his attention away from the queen underneath him and made a series of snarls and whimpers accompanied by a quick hand gesture or two, as if that explained absolutely everything.

Apple sighed. "I have no idea what you're saying." she said before crouching down to speak to Skurd. "Please tell me you speak . . . whatever it is Ben is?"

"Vulpimancer, my dear girl." Skurd corrected her. "Unfortunately for you, the beasts have a language so garbled, not even the Omnitrix or any Universal Translator can decipher it. They also, unfortunately, are incapable of speaking anything but their native tongue."

"Apple, dear, can you please tell your boyfriend to get off of me?" Snow White pleaded, only to receive a faceful of Vulpimancer breath and slobber as he roared at her.

"Ben! Stop yelling at my mother!" Apple scolded Wildmutt.

Once again, the Vulpimancer made a second attempt to communicate, this time through deep growls, grunts, and a loud, low roar followed by a quick movement of hand gestures that Apple still couldn't decipher.

Apple gave up on trying to understand the Vulpimancer and simply placed her hands against his side and pushed with what little strength she had, grunting feebly as she tried to move Wildmutt off of her mother; of course, Wildmutt didn't move an inch. "Come . . . on, Ben! Get . . . off!" she grunted weakly. The Vulpimancer looked at her oddly and raised a hand to slap the Omnitrix disk on his collar, encompassing himself in a blast of green light as the Omnitrix was deactivated and Ben returned to the world on all fours on top of Snow White; the queen was trying to hide a slight blush crawling across her face.

"Apple, you can stop." Ben said; Apple let her arms go slack against Ben and found that even after he had returned to his original, human form, she hadn't managed to make a dent in getting him to move.

"Ben, _why_ are you attacking my mom?" Apple wondered with a sigh.

"Because this isn't your mom," Ben frowned, briefly turning his gaze towards Snow White to glare at her. "This is Vanity, that demon I was fighting during the Spring Fairest Festival, that is trying to make a second attempt at me."

"Dear, I have no idea what-" the queen started to say.

"Shut it." Ben cut her off. "Why are you even bothering to disguise yourself as the queen again? You know that didn't work last time, and it's not working now."

"What do you mean last time?" Apple wondered.

"Trust me when I say you do _not_ want to know." Ben shivered before returning his attention towards the squirming queen underneath of him. "Will you stop moving and just change back already? You're not fooling anyone!"

Skurd coughed uncomfortably. "Uh, I hate to point this out now, dear boy, but there is the . . . off chance that this is _not_ that foul seductress we encountered before."

Ben was about to argue when he paused to consider the possibilities, ignoring the growls and snarls of protest coming from behind him as Clawdeen fought against Hunter, Raven, Venus, and Skelita in her attempt to try and leave the Castleteria; now that he thought about it, there was a _slight_ chance that the woman he was currently sitting on was in fact Snow White herself, which not only made things awkward and embarrassing, but also put Ben into a heap of trouble, depending on how forgiving the queen might be. That is, if this _was_ the queen. Off the off chance that woman he was sitting on was in fact Vanity . . . well, he wasn't sure what would happen. On the bright side, it might help rebuild his reputation after the Spring Fairest mess. But that was only a guess.

" _Mr. Tennyson!_ "

Ben froze; he knew _that_ voice all too well. He rolled his eyes up to see the Headmaster standing over him in all of his pitiful mustache, plump potbelly glory with a severely irked expression on his face and his arms folded crossly over his pudgy chest. " _Kindly_ explain to me why you are currently on top of her majesty Ms. White?" he frowned.

"Well . . . uh . . . this is Vanity!" Ben protested feebly, hoping he was right and had not just made a massive mistake.

Headmaster Grimm raised an eyebrow at this. "Then, you are aware that Ms. White is to be acting as the new Kingdom Management and Princessology teacher while Mrs. Her Majesty The White Queen is off vacation and will be acting as a second teacher upon return?" he replied; Ben seemed to pale considerably at these words and looked at Snow White closely, watching as she remained perfectly still beneath him. Looking a tad closer, Ben could sense an air of regalness and power from her, something she knew that Vanity was all too full of, but also . . . perhaps humbleness? Gratitude even?

"Oh, uh, would you look at the time! Gotta go!" Ben exclaimed as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before selecting Fasttrack and slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light that warped and changed his genetic code into something new. His skin softened and flashed a light purple in color as both a thing, sheen of slime coated his entire body and deeper, mottled spots appeared on his figure; his spine cracked and crunched loudly as he was forced to hunch over slightly while his bones ground and shifted, reducing his arms and legs to stubby, shorter versions that now harbored four digits each just as the fingernails were slurped back into the bone as a long, skeletal tail whipped out from the base of his spine, quickly becoming enveloped in muscle and tissue before soft, purple skin covered that as well. His skull ground and compressed slightly, becoming more and more shaped like a bear trap as his eyes split apart and formed a second pair that quickly molded together to form a single, green orb. A row of spikes sprouted from his vertebrae as a longer spike thrust itself out of his head and curved back slightly while his three eyes flashed red, green, and blue respectively. The final change was the addition of a green and white collar around Ben's neck and the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared in a flash of green light on the front.

"Good enough I suppose." ChamAlien sighed; before anyone could stop him, he clenched and relaxed the chromatophores in his skin and quickly vanished from sight, camouflaging himself effortlessly into his surroundings. The queen grunted slightly from the floor as the weight on top of her quickly vanished as the sound of wet, scampering feet slapping against the floor reached everyone's ears.

"Your majesty, are you alright?" the Headmaster asked as he helped the queen to her feet.

"Perfectly fine. Just jittery." Snow White replied as she readjusted her crown.

"My sincerest apologies then, I don't know what's gotten into that scoundrel-"

"I am sure it was purely accidental." Snow White IV shrugged it off as her daughter handed her the books that had been knocked out of her hand. "If it will put your mind at ease, I will talk with Ben myself."

"Your majesty are you-"

"I am perfectly capable of defending myself, Milton. There is a reason, after all, that I am not being accompanied by my royal guard." Snow White interrupted. "Now then, if you will excuse me, I have a classroom to find and I believe you have duties of your own to attend to."

"Y-Yes, of course, your majesty." the Headmaster flinched under Snow White IV's cool gaze, a look that she had been practicing and perfecting that instilled a mixture of fear and respect in her subjects when her kind attitude and beautiful looks didn't cut it when things needed to be done; she had used the look on her own husband on several occasions, each time resulting in a somewhat amusing outcome as the king scrambled to try and please his wife for fear of suffering her invisible wrath. Needless to say it also worked on headmasters and sent Grimm running back to his office, if for no other reason than to not incur her majesty's concealed anger.

" _So . . ._ you're gonna be teaching here?" Apple asked after awhile.

Snow White smiled and gave her daughter a small hug. "Of course, dear. Don't worry about any special treatment or things of the sort; you're my student, and I'm you're teacher."

Apple sighed with relief at that; while she still had yet to see any proof of this being true, she could at least rest well in the fact that her mother wouldn't be embarrassing her on a 24/7 basis, calling her the private, awkward nicknames only parents called their kids to show affection and to push their buttons or being cut slack just because she was related to the teacher. And she hated to dread the moment her mother would bring up any mortifying stories or secrets that she would simply end her chapter if they ever got out. This of course, drew another question to light. "But why are you my teacher?"

Snow White sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're father was worrying himself sick over your well being over here, what with your shape-shifting boyfriend and his monster friends stalking about; really, I'm only here to put his mind at ease." she explained. "That, and running a kingdom can get boring after a while."

Apple could now breath a lot easier now. "That's a relief."

" _That,_ and I wanted to see Ben again . . ." Snow White smirked with a calculating smile that Apple had seen all too often on Kitty Cheshire's lips. "He's gotten a lot more handsome since we last met . . ."

" _MOTHER!_ "

* * *

Cedar held her breath and bit her lip as she peered out from behind the thick, leathery book she was reading. Save for the quiet flicking of pages being turned and the gentle sliding books being put on and taken off of shelves, the LiFairy was absolutely silent; and from her spot in a corner of the book filled room that allowed her a full view without being spotted right away, she could also confirm that Ben was nowhere in sight.

This little thought however, was quickly forgotten when she took into account the chance that Ben had simply activated the Omnitrix and turned into an alien either small enough to avoid being caught by anyone not looking for him or an alien that was capable of using incredibly stealthy tactics without hope of being seen; Cedar really hoped neither option was in use as she ducked back behind the thick manuscript to hide. The Daughter of Pinocchio felt her wooden palms get sweaty (she wasn't entirely sure how that was even possible) and wrinkle the pages of the book she was simply starring at in the hopes of looking busy and not being disturbed, her heart (whether she had one or not) was pounding in her chest, and her breathing quicken as she reflected on what was perhaps the most embarrassing moment to happen her life so far.

She couldn't believe that she had actually _confessed_ her love, her secret crush _on_ Ben _to_ Ben; technically speaking, she hadn't actually confessed it outright, but with the way the cursed riddle book had affected, twisting her inability to tell a lie into only being capable of telling lies, that little, dark secret she had tried oh, so hard to keep bolted up inside her under lock and key. But of course, Cedar's little problem had once again ruined her reputation and social life.

This of course, wasn't the only time this had happened. Back in her Nursery Rhythm School days, which had been plenty awkward with her being sculpted as a teenage girl compared to a bunch of little princes, princesses, and other fairy tales that only reached up to her wooden thighs, she had always been excluded from learning secrets that her friends would tell each other and giggle childishly over simply because she was incapable of keeping them secrets; granted, she had been quickly excepted into the group once all of the waist-high toddlers and preschoolers had gotten over the fact that one of their classmates had been gifted with a much bigger body than them, but this was mostly only because she was a giant compared to everyone else. Cedar could easily reach things everyone else had to stand on a stool or two to get or a kick a ball clear across the playground that would have normally only skidded along the ground when anyone else tried it. Back in those days, she was almost a super hero.

And now, now she was the short, awkward, fumbling over her words wooden puppet that couldn't keep her trap shut no matter how hard she tried.

Cedar deflated slightly at that thought, slumping in her chair and folding the book over her lap to rub her eyes. Now that she thought about that out loud, it sounded a lot more cruel than she intended, though she didn't doubt for a second that it wasn't true; how could Ben possible adore or come to love someone like her, someone who didn't have soft, smooth skin, someone who couldn't keep a secret, someone who was so clumsy she tripped over her own two feet every morning? And that didn't even concern all her troubles. How could she compare to his ghouls or other girls that seemed to be silently vying for his affections? She didn't have actually skin to touch or caress or soft lips to kiss softly and lovingly or really anything physically attractive that Ben might like.

And now he knew her secret, her hidden passion for him.

"This day couldn't possibly be any worse." Cedar sighed.

"Careful. In my experience, any time _anyone_ says _anything_ like that, the cruel hand of karma comes to screw them. Believe me, I would know."

Cedar yelped and nearly fell out of her chair as a flat, rounded head materialized out of thin air just to her left, less than an inch away from her face; three eyes colored red, green, and blue appeared soon after followed by a short horn and a row of spikes that ran all the way down the quickly appearing spine and tail. Four stubby legs swiftly materialized out of the air afterwards, slimy purple skin covering the strange creature until a human-sized, lizard-like being had final emerged around Cedar, resting on the back of the chair.

"B-Ben?" Cedar gulped nervously.

"ChamAlien, actually." the Merlinisapien corrected her. "But, yes, it is me."

"And his lovable, handsome, rugged, and dashing sidekick, Skurd the Slimebiote, the Greatest and Single Most Important Organism in the Universe!" Skurd chimed in, striking a heroic pose from his position on ChamAlien's collar; the Merlinisapien rolled all three of his eyes at this.

"Ignore him. He never says anything worthwhile." ChamAlien told Cedar.

" _SSSSSHHHHHHHH!_ " the two Evil Step-Librarians hissed, throwing chilling stares at the wooden puppet and Merlinisapien; ChamAlien frowned gave Cedar a look that told him he would be right back before he fluidity and effortlessly disappeared into thin air, the specialized chromatophores in his skin allowing him to blend in with minimal effort and silently slink away Cedar, through the maze of bookshelves and chairs, and up to the front desk where the two librarians were looking around frantically for him. With a low, venomous hiss, ChamAlien flashed a bright and vivid red arched with dazzling, yellow stripes and marked with blinding blue blotches that startled the Evil Step-Librarians to the point where they were helpless to defend themselves as the Merlinisapien leaped upon them and tackled them to the floor behind the desk; a wet, slithering noise caught their attention as a long, black barb slid out from the tip of ChamAlien's tail. Both librarians had approximately five seconds to react before the Merlinisapien quickly stung them, stabbing them each in the arm for less than a second before slithering away and leaving both drugged librarians to pass out on the floor as he slithered back to Cedar.

"Wh-What did you do to them?" Cedar gulped.

ChamAlien shrugged. "Nothing much. Just knocked them out for the next hour or so." he explained. "ChamAlien's venom will just give them a killer headache; that is, if I don't sting them again."

"So, you put them to sleep?" Cedar summed up.

The Merlinisapien nodded as the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light and returned Ben to the world and the Omnitrix and Skurd to his left wrist. "Pretty much. Now we can finally talk without being interrupted."

Cedar swore her heart nearly stopped. "T-Talk?"

Ben sighed and rolled his eyes, grabbing another chair to sit down in front of the wooden puppet in. "Cedar, I've been trying to find you for the past few days. I . . . think you owe me an explanation."

"That's an understatement." Skurd mumbled, earning a flick upside the head from Ben.

Cedar gulped and nervously twiddled her fingers as she tried to figure out what might be appropriate to say to her crush. Or for that matter, what to say that wouldn't totally and absolutely embarrass her once more and cause a scene in the Lifairy that would embarrass her even further. That look he was giving her, that calculating and patient look that had been hardened by years of battle experience, years of loss and victory and had been softened by love granted to him and the love he granted to others close to him, made her shiver slightly; the wooden puppet hoped to one day have those endless, green pools trained on her with love and affection with his strong, lean arms wrapped comfortingly around her and sheltering her from anything the dark side of the world might throw at her.

"I-I . . .I . . . Ben, well, uh, you see . . ." Cedar fumbled over her words before sighing miserably and resting her head in her hands; she felt a slight touch on her shoulder and looked up to see Ben leaning forward with a hand on her and a kind smile on her face. "I . . . for once, I don't know what to say." Cedar whimpered, her face turning a deep mahogany in color.

Ben tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe . . . you don't need to say anything."

"Huh?" Cedar raised an eyebrow, completely confused.

"Just trust me on this," Ben told her as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through his roster before selecting the alien he was looking for. "Just . . . don't freak out, okay?" he added as he pressed a hand down on the activation button and swallowed himself in a flash of green light, scrambling and twisting his DNA into something new. His skeleton cracked and splintered loudly as it softened and became the equivalent of jello inside of him as his muscles went lax and his skin paled a bright white in color that was quickly arched and decorated with large blotches and spots that etched themselves to create white lightning patterns on his body. Webbing began to form between his arms and legs while his skin stretched over his frame like a wet, paper bag that quickly divided itself into three, bell-like segments that draped over Ben's now boneless body as a pair of long, slimy tentacles slithered out of his back and forcing his original pair of arms to edge downwards slightly. His eyes became black and beady as his head smoothly transitioned into his neck while the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on the area that would have been his mouth, completing the transformation.

"Now hold still." AmpFibian gurgled, slithering his tentacles forward to gently place them on Cedar's temples; the Daughter of Pinocchio shivered slightly at the cold, clammy touch the tentacles presented for her.

"Am . . . am I suppose to do something?" Cedar wondered as she closed her eyes; she wasn't sure if she was supposed to do that or not, but it just seemed right, like it was something she was suppose to be doing.

The Amperi gave a mouthless grin. "Just think. Think about what you were trying to say earlier." he explained. "I'll do the rest."

"Yes, and I'm sure this is the easy way out." Skurd drawled.

Cedar ignored the Slimebiote's biting comment and sucked in a deep breath to calm herself down and concentrate her thoughts; she wasn't sure what exactly was suppose to happen with an alien jellyfish's tentacles wrapped around her head, but she trusted Ben that he wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt her. With a second breath for confidence, she began to think about how she felt about Ben, those stomach churning, heart pumping, palm sweating feelings that would always well up within her whenever Ben looked at her, gave her a kind smile, even talked to her. Her heart always fluttered whenever they were together; she hadn't been lying (for how could she?) when she had openly claimed how hot and dreamy he looked. She wanted to have those soft, strong hands holding her petite, wooden fingers and have his strong, lean arms wrapped around her in a hug, to have that goofy grin directed at her and those eyes that sparkled like emeralds looking at her with kindness.

"Wow . . . I didn't think you felt that way about me." AmpFibian said softly after a while.

Cedar gave a small smile as she grabbed the Amperi's tentacles and pulled them off of her head. "I-I . . . bet you think it's stupid . . ." she laughed lightly.

AmpFibian once again gave her a mouthless smile. "I wouldn't be too sure about-"

 _ **BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**_

" _That_ doesn't sound good." AmpFibian gave a mouthless frown.

"Once again, stating the obvious, dear boy." Skurd sighed as the Amperi pulsed and pumped his body to push off of the floor and swim through the air towards the LiFairy's doors to find out just what was making all the troublesome noise and leaving Cedar all alone once more; as she watched the Amperi leave, she felt a burning desire inside her, a determined feeling slinking its way into her mind. With a stern glare and a tight lipped frown, Cedar grabbed the book off of her lap and slammed the pages shut, creating a loud echo throughout the LiFairy as she ran after AmpFibian, not wanting to let the small, almost microscopic moment they shared together disappear. As she dashed through the nearly empty halls of Ever After High, the dull, booming noise that resonated throughout the school and ground increasingly got louder and louder, becoming thicker and and more heavy as she followed their sound to the school's main doors and peered outside to see what was making all the racket; now that she did, she really wish she didn't.

Towering at a good twenty or so feet and steadily lumbering its way towards the school was a monstrous, gigantic, metal golem that easily dwarfed an elephant to the point where it could have comfortably ridden on one like a knight on his horse. Its shoulders were broad and massive, easily bigger than a grown man with metal arms and legs as thick around as tree trunks; massive fingers dotted the one of the hands while the other was constructed more like a heavy gauntlet with five long, bladed fingers that clutched tightly around a massive, circular shield with a spike at its center and the handle of a large broadsword that looked like it was better suited for felling trees. Hissing hoses snakes forth from multiple ports set in its metal skin accompanied by multiple bolts, caps, and rivets that rattled in their sockets from the golem's steam powered engine hidden deep within its chest cavity that released a powerful of steam from a small dent or fracture in its tough, metal plating; compared to the rest of the frightening body however, the head was perhaps the most amusing. It was small compared to the rest of the golem's body, nothing more than a Greek-like helmet with bronze feathers forming a proud plume on top that shadowed the two, glowing, green spots that were the horrifying creation's optical sensors.

And of course, it was chasing after Daring Charming.

" _Mr. Charming!_ " Headmaster Grimm yelled crossly, pushing past Cedar and the doors on his quest to find out what was disturbing him from his work. "Just _what_ do you think you are doing!? I expect this kind of childish behavior from Tennyson-"

"Hey!" AmpFibian protested.

"But you are a future prince and heir to-" the Headmaster continued on, ignoring the Amperi.

"I'm sorry, old man, but now isn't the time!" Daring yelped as he quickly ducked behind the Headmaster and trembled fearfully under the awesome power of the golem as it approached the front steps of the school; as it set one heavy, metal foot down on the Troll's Bridge, the stone structure groaned and protested underneath of its weight, shaking dust and pebbles lose form the ancient bridge with every step until it was finally across with the bridge barely intact. Despite the fact that multiple fairy tales and students had finally taken notice of its presence and were running towards Ever After High for safety, the golem ignored them and continued its endless march.

"Alright, bub. That's far enough." AmpFibian gurgled when he realized that the golem was getting too close for comfort; with a quick pump of his gelatinous body, the Amperi flew low across the ground and landed in front of the upcoming golem before slamming all four of its wet tentacles into the ground and delivering a powerful discharge from his specialized muscles into the earth and up into the golem. The gigantic, metal warrior shuddered and clanked as its metal exterior amplified the shock to a frightening degree, rattling and clunking loudly before it finally shuddered to a stop, leaning heavily on its broad sword for support before it shivered and rattled again to rise up, training its cold, lifeless gaze upon the Amperi before him.

"I am Achilles of the Ten Blades." the steam powered warrior announced in a cold, lifeless, fluctuating vice that was devoid of anything relating to an emotion. It made Cedar and several of the other students shiver uncomfortably as she was quickly joined by Apple, Raven, Cerise, Kitty, Clawdeen, Venus, Jane, and Skelita; Hunter and Ashlynn were noticeably absent, though Cedar noted she had heard a series of foul, sickly moans coming from the healer's office.

The Headmaster coughed uncomfortably as he stepped out from the crowd of frightened students and up to the hulking metal golem that he had to tilt his head back to just look at. "Yes, well, I am Milton Grimm, Headmaster of Ever After High." he introduced himself in the gentlemanly and dignified manner he always used when trying to receive grants and donations towards expansions and new programs for his school. "I am sure that you have heard of me?"

Achilles seemingly seemed to blink in response, cocking its head slightly as it studied the headmaster very closely. " _Yes._ " was all it replied before it swung its massive broadsword at the headmaster with a motion so fast that no human could have ever had the chance of reacting so quickly; fortunately for Headmaster Grimm, AmpFibian was anything _but_ human and managed to swiftly wrap his tentacles around his legs to pull him to the ground just as the sword sliced through the air where Grimm's head had been seconds ago.

"No thanks needed." AmpFibian seemed to smirk.

Headmaster Grimm frowned as he sat up and dusted himself off. "You're right. I wasn't going to thank you."

"Dude, I just saved your life! One more second and you would have been short a head!" the Amperi protested.

The Headmaster sighed as he stood up to further brush himself off; as much as he hated to admit it, AmpFibian had a point. "Fair enough, I suppose." he relented with a sigh before returning his attention back towards Achilles. "And as for you, just what the hex was that all about!?"

The great steam golem blinked once more and briefly studied the stout, angry man before him. "I am merely completing the mission that I was programmed to finish since I was first activated." was his response (if one could call the golem warrior a 'he' in the first place).

"And just _what_ might that have to do with killing me?" Headmaster Grimm asked coolly, tapping his foot impatiently.

The steam golem blinked and shakily raised his arm to rest his massive broadsword onto his heavy shoulder with a loud _clank!_ and rattling noise. "I am merely following my prime directive: to preserve and ensure that the Storybook of Legends lives on and that destinies are followed accordingly."

"I repeat myself," the Headmaster snarled, his patience wearing thin as the Omnitrix beeped and timed out in a flash of green light, bringing Ben back to the world by Grimm's side. "Just _what_ does that have to do with killing me?"

"My sensors indicate that you have failed in your duties as Headmaster of this educational establishment," Achilles replied. "Thus your inability to hold power o-o-o-over these juvenile offspring are a threat to my prime directive. Meaning that you are ex-ex-expendable ." the golem stuttered over several words like a broken record. Without another word, the metal gladiator raised up a heavy foot and stomped it down, creating a small tremor that briefly distracted both Ben and Grimm long enough for Achilles to swing his sword again, his processing unit guaranteeing that he would not miss a second time; this was quickly proven wrong however when a shimmering, purple shield erected itself over Headmaster Grimm and Ben and deflected the sharpened blade with a loud _clang!_

"Stay away from my boyfriend!" Raven yelled angrily, her hands pulsing with crackling, purple fire.

Achilles' pulsing, green eyes seemed to glow brighter and narrow as it shakily planted the blade of his broadsword in the firm, stone path beneath him with little effort. "Target acquired," it droned before swiftly reaching over its shoulder to pull out two throwing knives that could have sliced a man in half with one throw. "Exterminate. Exterminate."

"This is starting to feel like a bad sci-fairy movie." Kitty muttered before yelping and instinctively flashing away in a glimmering light as Achilles chucked the duel pair of blades with extreme force and swiftness right at Raven's throat and chest, a move that most people would not have any hope of dodging; the witchling was unable to erect a shield in time without endangering Ben and the Headmaster and clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the pain and hoping that the golem's aim was off.

 _ **Clang! Clink!**_

Raven cracked open her eyes to see Cerise standing in front of her with her fingers clenched tightly like claws in front of her face and the witchling, her breath short and ragged from having to move so quickly; with both Raven safe and Achilles momentarily distracted, Ben quickly activated the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a flash of green light. His soft skin cracked and split loudly as it was compressed and crunched together loudly, his entire body squelching in protest as he was squeezed; for a split second, Ben thought he was actually going to die until his fingers fused together and suddenly sprouted small, brown pebbles at their tips. He watched with fascination as the pebbles traveled up his fingers and swallowed his hand, growing into large rocks and stones that made their way up his swelling arms and became large, tough boulders that made up his entire shoulder width and bulk. His body jerked and jostled as rock and stone took over his physiology, punching through her soft skin and flesh and fusing together into tough plates that turned a variety of shades of brown and tan in color as sharp spikes jutted out of Ben's fore arms and shoulders; his head was squished down into his body slightly, his brow becoming thick and heavy as his ankles and feet exploded in size and were turned into a pair of rocky pillars that roughly transitioned into his thighs and hips. The transformation ended as a pair of black and copper shorts, a top that attached to a thick collar around his neck, and a pair of thick braces around his wrists materialized on him, the Omnitrix appearing on him breastbone.

"Lets rock!" Rocks growled in a low, gravely voice as he crashed his rocky fists together while Raven dropped the shield to cautiously reach for Cerise; the Riding Hood barely moved the witchling rested her hands on her shoulder, only letting a short breath escape her lips when Raven's fingers brushed past a cut she had suffered in her swift movement to defend Raven.

"Cerise . . . y-you're bleeding." Raven noted, starring at her finger with worry before turning her eyes towards the almost invisible slice in the red fabric of Cerise's hood that draped over her shoulders.

"We've got more important matters." was all Cerise murmured.

An uneasy silence filled the air for a approximately two seconds before the air shimmered and wavered directly above Achilles and was expelled outward in a flash of glimmering light to reveal Kitty dropping out of the air with her claws spread wide and her crafty grin traded in for a vicious, fang-toothed smile as she dropped out of the air and landed directly on the golem's head, digging her claws as deep as possible into his metal plating and blinding him.

It was like a switch had been flipped; one second, the two sides had been facing off each other, one uneasy and unprepared to defend itself while the other was merely studying its wide variety of targets to either obliterate or beat into submission depending on their importance to his prime directive, and the second it was complete and utter chaos as both sides reacted.

With a loud roar, Rocks charged forward and slammed a massive, boulder-covered fist into Achilles' chest, sending him reeling back and reaching for his broadsword to steady himself as the Basalt drove a second fist into him, this time into his metal gut, while Kitty buzzed around his head in a periwinkle and black blur, constantly flashing in and out of existence to slash at Achilles' optical sensors or pound her fists against his metal helmet. Not one to be out done by a crafty cat and a walking pile of rocks, Daring unsheathed his sword and took a deep breath to still his frightened nerves before charging forward with the blade raised over his head as he dove in front of the Headmaster to just shifted and block a third swing of Achilles' broadsword.

"Headmaster, I'm afraid I must ask you to run!" Daring shouted bravely, clutching his sword in both hands as Rocks received a swift uppercut to his jaw that sent pebbles flying as he stumbled back; with the Basalt stunned, Achilles reached up to tear Kitty away from his face, just barely managing to grab her by the tail and hurl her at Apple, the two of them colliding and rolling across the floor in a tangle of arms and legs as the great steam golem tore his sword out of the ground and clutched the handle tightly.

"Quake in fear, fleshling. Step aside." Achilles demanded, yanking his sword out of the ground and expertly flipping and twirling it around in his blade-like fingers with great skill that made Daring gulp and tremble slightly; the Headmaster took one look between the steam golem that was trying to kill him and the brave prince standing between him and it while other members of his school's population stood in the wings waiting for the right time. Seeing that he had no part in this battle other than to get to some place safe and, for once, put trust and faith into his students, both wanted or otherwise, and pray to the ancestors that things could be all right by the time he returned with a small battalion of enchanted suits of armor to back himself up.

 _Come on, Daring. This is your big moment,_ he thought to himself. _It's time to stop acting like a prince, time to stop acting like a self centered fool and focus on becoming a hero._ Deep within him, the son of Prince Charming knew that he should have slowed down and taken some thought into how he was going to rebuild his ruined reputation instead of rushing out with a half baked plan to try and find the biggest, baddest, strongest monster he could find just to slay it and prove he was once more a hero and not the coward that everyone had come to mock and make fun of. He knew that despite his efforts, he only made himself look like a bigger fool than before, going so far as to even endanger other fairy tale's lives just to prove that he was still as prideful and charming as ever; of course, it had been pure chance that he had found the great steam golem slightly deactivated and resting against a large tree, but it had been his own fault for kicking it in the foot and disturbing it, triggering the destiny preserving program buried deep within its twisted, metal mind. _He_ had been the one to do this, and _he_ had to be the one to fix it.

"I shall smite thee!" Daring declared loudly in as big of a threatening and confident voice as he could muster; Apple managed to untangle herself from Kitty just in time to see the prince bravely and almost foolishly charge at Achilles, only to duck beneath a quick attempt to ram him with the golem's shield and to lean far back over a large swing that just barely grazed his nose before rushing forward and whirling around in tight circle to build up momentum and slash at Achilles' knee cap. The prince succeeded in slice off a pressurized bolt in the joint, allowing a small jet of steam to escape and blast him in the face long enough for Achilles to raise up a foot to try and squish him.

"Heads up!" Rocks yelled as he drove a fist into the ground and watched as a small fissure split the ground apart and forced up a small rock spike from deep within the earth's crust that just barely halted the golem's attempt to crush Daring before the prince rolled out of the way; the sharp rock was almost easily crushed under Achilles' feet with a loud clattering noise as Daring retreated.

Clawdeen felt a deep, guttural growl build up in the back of her throat as she watched the Basalt and golem duke it around, trading blow for blow with almost an uneasy match; Rocks crashed his fists together over Achilles' head, only to be kicked in the gut and deck across the face before getting slammed by the golem's shield and forced onto his hands and knees to rest. "Time ta jump in!" she yelled, dropping down to a bent posture that involved both her arms and legs before lunging forward with a deep snarl.

"Defense protocol: initiated." Achilles droned as he raised up his shield to block Rocks' incoming fist and raise his broadsword just in time to keep Clawdeen from successfully leaping onto his face; instead, the werewolf landed on the blade, glaring angrily at the hulking, steam golem before jumping right at his face just as Achilles swiped his broadsword out from under her and pulled it above Clawdeen, smacking down on top of her head and chucking her down to the ground where she groaned and held her throbbing temple. The werewolf yelped and rolled out of the way of the golem's mighty feet before latching onto one of his legs and scrambling up his body and back towards his shoulder.

"Warning! Warning! Infiltration in progress!" Achilles' systems exclaimed threateningly.

"No shit, you tin can!" Clawdeen growled as she drew back her fist and slugged Achilles in the face, succeeding in cracking the left optical sensor in his head before she was thrown off by a deep, rattling clunk that shook Achilles' entire metal frame.

"I think we're wearin' him down!" Rocks grinned cockily as he managed to grab hold of Achilles' shield and tear it out of his metal grip, throwing it over his shoulder where it embedded itself in a nearby tree's trunk; the triumphant grin across the Basalt's face however was quickly wiped off when Achilles' lowered his arm down at Rocks' chest, firing off his clenched fist and sending the Basalt flying across the courtyard and deep into the earth.

"Scratch that . . ." Rocks groaned as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world with a flash of green light. "He's back up!" he hissed as he sat up and watched the steam golem slowly approach him, his heavy metal feet slamming into the courtyard bricks and sending out small tremors; Achilles' snagged hold of his lost shield as his arm, attached to a long, thick cable, snapped back into place and pulled his shield along with it, once again making him all but invulnerable.

"My, aren't we testy?" Skurd chuckled as Achilles stomped closer and closer.

"You know, if I go, you go with me, right?" Ben hissed, sitting up and holding his aching, injured shoulder; most of the deep, internal damage to his muscles and tissue had been repaired by the healer's magic and a few uses of the Omnitrix, leaving the skin heavily scarred and bruised. The wound however, had reopened upon taking a big blow from the great steam golem and was bleeding deep, crimson blood from between his fingers.

"Hmm. True." Skurd hummed. "But I believe I would simply be getting in the way."

"What are talking-"

A loud, bestial roar shook the very air to its core as Jane morphed in a matter of seconds; light purple fur sprouted all over her body, covering every inch of her as her clothes started to vanish away and out of existence. A loud cracking and crunching noise filled the air as her skeleton rearranged itself, her spine lengthening out farther and farther until a short, stubby tail sprouted from the base of her spine, wagging back and forth with anticipation while thousands of muscles packed themselves tightly into her haunches and chest, building up incredible leaping and pouncing capabilities while mounding particularly well on her shoulders and back, forming a large hump covered in fur. Wicked claws tore through her fingers, reducing them to strong, firm paws a her shoes ripped and the back of her shirt tore to accommodate her swelling figure. Her skull ground and crunched as her teeth tore through her gums, barely even fitting into her mouth until her head caught up with the rest of her; and even, a pair of large, saber-like teeth still curved out of the upper jaw. Sensitive whiskers sprouted from her face as her ears rotated to the top of her head and dappling of spots that transitioned into a thick coat the farther up they traveled across her body appeared on her while a spiked collar appeared around her short, thick neck.

A second roar from the _Smilodon_ rattled the air and made the Headmaster clap his hands over his ear as the powerful, saber-toothed cat charged down the steps of Ever After High and leaped into the air, slamming into Achilles' chest and causing the automaton to stumble back from the sheer force Jane had exerted on him.

"Ben!" Clawdeen cried as she scrambled over to him. Before he could protest, she was fussing over him like a worried mother over their long missing child, asking him a million questions a second while fretting over his recently reopened wound; Jane snarled and clawed angrily at Achilles' metal exterior, scrambling onto the golem's shoulder to avoid a swipe of its five, blade-like fingers just as Venus whipped her arms down to the ground and sprouted multiple tendrils and vines that quickly wove themselves together into a pair of long, fleshy whips that bust into flame at the tips the moment Venus pumped a small amount of methane into them.

Ben struggled slightly against the werewolf's firm grip, his face screwing up like the aforementioned worried mother's child that was embarrassed to no end. "Clawdeen, I'm fine." he protested.

"Your bleeding!"

"Well, so is Cerise, but you don't see me or anyone else worrying about her!"

"That's because anyone who tries to talk any sense into her gets bitten!" Clawdeen argued as Raven tried to keep the previously mentioned Daughter of Red Riding Hood out of the fight to at least look at her injury, only to very nearly lose a finger as Cerise snapped her jaws shut just an inch from the witchling's hand.

Ben frowned. "Well, I can't just sit here! Jane needs help!"

"And you wonder why such a terrifying beast became extinct." Skurd rolled his eyes as the _Smilodon_ was pulled off of Achilles' shoulder and slammed into the ground, scrambling to her feet just in time to avoid getting sliced in half by a downward strike of the golem's broadsword. The saber-toothed cat roared and ran between Achilles' legs, briefly confusing him as she whirled around to leap onto the automaton's back and feverishly scratch and scrape away at his tough, metal exterior.

"I'm not letting you getting yourself-" Clawdeen started to say before Ben expertly tapped the Omnitrix and slammed down on the waiting activation button before she could finish her sentence, engulfing himself in a flash of green light as his genetic code warped and shifted into something new. His bones ground and crunched loudly with a sickening tone as he was compressed and compacted down in height until he was roughly the size of a small child as his skin turned a smooth, blood red in color; his spine arched and splintered as a thin, spaded tail snaked out from the base of his spine as his fingers grew longer, more jointed, and dexterous while his nails curved and sharpened into claws. His eyes widened apart slightly as his noise suddenly jutted out at a comical, almost ridiculous length; Ben's ears became larger and slightly bat-like before stiffening out into rigid spikes while his toes melted together into three digits, his heel grinding against his foot before forming a small spike. Ben became slightly obese as spiked formed on his chin and the corners of his eyes, giving him a devilish look as a green and black aviator's outfit appeared on his body complete with a white ascot wrapped comfortably around his neck, a pair of goggles strapped to his head, and the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing around his gut in the form of a belt, ending the transformation.

"Jury Rigg!? How does this help anybody!?" the small, imp-like alien.

"You _do_ realize that we are fighting a machine, yes?" Skurd raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right." Jury Rigg realized. " _AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ " he cackled before scampering off.

"Ben! No, Ben! Come back here!" Clawdeen demanded.

Jury Rigg ignored her as he scurried up a nearby tree in a fashion very similar to a hyperactive squirrel and scampered onto a branch before finally addressing Clawdeen by blowing a raspberry at her. "Up, up, and away!" he cackled madly as Skurd slithered and oozed himself over Jury Rigg's back and allowed a pair of delicate, buzzing Lepidopterran wings to slither and grow out of his back; the gossamer wings buzzed and flitted, lifting Jury Rigg off of the branch as Daring raised his blade just in time to barely block and hold against the titanic golem's broadsword, grunting and struggling against his immense strength and stumbling back when Achilles pushed up with his blade and came back for a killing blow that would have obliterated Daring into a bloody pulp had Venus not lashed out with her vines at the right time and wrapped them securely around the broadsword's blade.

"Don't just stand there!" Venus grunted as she, Skelita, and Raven pulled on the straining vines. "Do something worthwhile!"

Daring nodded and rushed forward as fast as possible to try and get up under Achilles guard, only to have a crimson, black, and white blur past him low to the ground and dash in between the great steam golem's legs, scrambling up his tough, metal exterior and to his face; the indistinguishable blur turned out to be Cerise. The Riding Hood growled and snarled as she drew back a fist and punched it clear through the Achilles' tough, metal skull, digging around inside and yanking out a fistful of wires and steam-filled hoses that whined and hissed in her grip. The automaton shudder and rattled and clanked loudly, steam jettisoning out from beneath his metal plates and sparks crackling from between his joints while he jerked and jostled, sending both Cerise and Jane tumbling as the golem wobbled; seeing their chance, Skelita, Venus, and Raven gave an almighty tug on the vines in their hands and managed to gain enough leeway to fell the great steam golem with a thunderous _boom!_

" _Prisa,_ Ben! _Le Desactivar mientras él está abajo!_ " Skelita yelled.

"I have no idea what you just said. _AHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!_ " Jury Rigg grinned wickedly as he dropped down onto Achilles' back and easily tore through the metal paneling like it was melted butter. "BREAK! BREAK! BREAK!" he yelled as he dove inside of Achilles' body and started yanking out hosing and tubing and wiring, reinserting some into brand new locations while removing others entirely as the great steam golem he was working on slowly but surely hauled itself to his feet, gripping the handle of his mighty broadsword and giving it a powerful yank that tore and sliced the vines restraining it to shreds with a single movement. Before the metal titan could move to cut down the plant monster, skeleton, and witchling in front of him, he shuddered and buzzed before he suddenly began to spin around wildly on his waist thanks to a hidden axis that made his arms and broadsword a deadly propeller blade that the girls instinctively ducked under.

"WWAAAAAAUUUGH!" Jury Rigg cried as a paneling in Achilles' back was pulled lose and let himself among a shower of bolts and rivets to fall out of the now haywire machine, plummeting to the ground just as the Omnitrix timed out and returned him to his original form.

"You fool, you just made things worse!" Skurd declared as Achilles' jolted and shuddered with every movement he made, wildly swinging his arms and taking out the courtyard's fountain with two swings of his arm and broadsword.

"Malfunction! Malfunction! Systems overloading! Attempting Emergency Shutdown Protocol." Achilles droned as he stomped about, nearly squishing Venus in the process had Jane not climbed to her feet and charged across the ground, swiftly picking her ghoulfriend up in her teeth, taking great care not to accidentally stab her with her saber-like teeth, and dashing away as the mighty foot came crashing down. "Emergency Protocol failed. Malfunction! Malfunction!"

"What do we do?" Raven wondered.

" _DUCK!_ " Skelita screamed as she grabbed the witchling's pale hand and yanked her down to the ground just as Achilles fired off his spring-loaded fist over their heads; Cedar had to press herself up against the doors and hold her breath to hopefully bend her wooden figure enough that the metal fist wouldn't grab her instead. The wooden puppet had been watching with a look of awe and admiration as Ben, his ghouls, and his girls had fought the great steam golem, wincing whenever they took a hit and down right gasping and biting her lips whenever they sustained a wound. A sudden yelp caught her attention and she turned around just in time to be bowled over by whatever or whoever the automaton's spring-loaded fist had managed to capture.

" _Ben! Help!_ "

"Apple!" Ben cried as Achilles' cable attached arm came whipping back out with the frightened princess gripped tightly in its metal fingers; Apple screamed as the golem's long cable whipped her about in a wild and unwieldy fashion that sent her hurling towards the ground before she was jerked back up at the last second and sent hurling through the air. Achilles seemed completely oblivious to the terrified princess in his grip as he stormed about, obliterating everything in range as he rampaged out of control.

"Move!" Venus yelled as she slammed a hand down on the activation button of her Omnitrix, encompassing her in a neon green light as her DNA was scrambled and rearranged into something new. Hard metal plating raced up her back and front, melting together into a single shield as her shoulders crunched and squelched loudly, broadening out while becoming rounded and massive; flexible, black tubing covered the skin between her elbows and shoulders. Venus' arms began to swell, metaling plating the place of her skin as the plant equivalent of bone and muscles fused together before sending out thousands upon thousands of sensitive nerve endings that connected themselves to the armor that now encased Venus in a tight, faint orange shell. Her hands trembled and splintered loudly as they suddenly changed into sharp, gray claws while a large piston formed on the back of her elbows, merging with her arms beneath the thick layer of durable armor. Metal plating enveloped Venus' head and formed something that resembled a Greek Corinthian helmet as a pair of small, pointed ears slipped out from beneath the armor just as her feet tore through her boots and turned into hard, metallic claws. The Omnitrix appeared on her chest between a pair of slight bulges in her armor where her breasts might have been as patches on her chest, knees, feet, and wrists turned a fiery pink color, completing the transformation.

"Be gentle, please!" Apple pleaded; her damsel-in-distress training had taught her to look beautiful and helpless at the same time to instill bravery and courage into their hero or prince in order to help them in saving them from whatever dragon, evil warlock, or monster had kidnapped while maybe even possibly providing them with a token of their favor or affections. She doubted however, that such actions would encourage a Talpaedan into rescuing her, but right now didn't seem to be the right time to be picky.

"Can't guarantee that!" Wreckta Scale grunted as her metal claws fused together into harden tips that buzzed as they swirled and spun around rapidly while she charged right at Achilles and rammed her shoulder into him, causing him to stumble slightly as she drew back and arm and thrust it forward; with the piston on the back of her elbow furiously pumping up and down until it was nothing more than a blur, she gave what appeared to be a solid punch to Achilles' gut and sent him blasting back across the courtyard, his great, hulking frame and gigantic broadsword leaving a pair of deep trails cut out from the ground. If one were to actually look closely however, they would have noticed that Wreckta Scale had not slugged the great steam golem once, but nearly a hundred times in quick succession thanks to her specialized limbs.

Achilles shuddered and groaned as he climbed to his feet and grabbed his second pair of throwing knives and chucked them with deadly precision at the Talpaedan's head and shoulder, only to have them expertly blocked by Daring as he dove into the blade's deadly path and swung his sword, sending the throwing knives clattering to the ground, useless.

"Thanks for the save, but you _do_ know I have armor, right?" Wreckta Scale cocked an eyebrow as she rapped a knuckle on her durable chest.

Daring coughed uncomfortably. "Apologies. Uh, force of habit."

" _AAAAAAAAAA-HHHHHHH!_ " Apple screamed as Achilles charged right at the pair, his heavy metal feet smashing into the ground with every step and creating what felt like hundreds of earthquakes that set Wreckta Scale's seismic sensory off the charts and just barely allowing her to duck under the first swipe of the golem's broad sword before she managed to get up under his guard and drive a sharp, drill-like fist through his chest mere seconds before Achilles smashed the fist holding Apple right into the Talpaedan's temple and sending her flying, her bulky frame bouncing loudly and crashing into a small tree and obliterating it as she came to a stop with a groan.

"Ugh, this isn't working." she groaned, rubbing her aching skull; Achilles had switched targets, now relentlessly attacking Raven with his broadsword. The witchling had managed to erect a protect, shimmering dome of energy over herself at the last second and was hunkering down inside, trying to think of some way to not get killed while keeping the shield up at the same time. But the golem's swings were like getting beaten by boulders, each blow nearly collapsing the construct around her and making her grit her teeth and hiss in pain as her head began to ache and throb; she didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to keep it up when she felt a set of cold, delicate hands on her shoulders and turned to see Kitty's mischievous grin just behind her as the Cheshire was disappearing in a flash of shimmering light that, Raven realized, was taking her with just as Achilles rammed the fist containing Apple into the shield and obliterated it.

" _AAAAAAAAAA-HHHHHHH!_ " Apple screamed at the top of her lungs once more. Ben was cycling through the Omnitrix, trying to find the proper alien until he selected Goop and was about to slam a hand down on the activation button when a loud battle cry caught his attention and he turned to see none other than Snow white come charging out of the school, a sword gripped tightly in her hands as she lunged at Achilles and sliced the blade across his chest, severing several tubes and hoses and making the automaton stumble slightly and lean heavily on its own broadsword as the queen landed at Ben's feet before straightening herself.

"Your majesty!?" Ben blinked with surprise.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Ben." the queen rolled her eyes as she blew a lock of raven hair out of her face. "As if I'm going to let my own daughter be put in danger while your bumbling headmaster panics like a cockatrice with its head cut off."

"But how . . . I thought you-" Daring stumbled over his own words when he realized that it was none other than the queen, Snow White IV herself, that had all bought them enough time to be currently having their conversation.

Snow White rolled her eyes. "Relax, dear. I have no idea how to properly wield this stupid thing." she grunted as she attempted to lift the sword in her hand up and only succeeded in several inches. "It was the spur of the moment, seeing my precious Apple in danger; you'd be surprised what fairy tales can do on an adrenaline rush."

"This is all fascinating, but I believe we have a princess to save?" Skurd pointed out as Achilles hauled him up to his feet, now heavily leaning on his broadsword like a crutch yet maintaining a heavy hold on Apple. Ben nodded and slammed a hand down on the waiting Omnitrix core, engulfing himself in a flash of changing light that warped and rearranged his genetic code into something new. His skin bubbled and began to pulse furiously as it formed into small bumps that quickly started to fuse together like water droplets on a window in a rain storm, forming large blobs of flesh that swelled and took over his lean arms, weighing Ben down as they started to harden into thick, crusty rocks; the rest of his arms bloated with muscles, becoming far bigger than his original self as his legs bulked and bulged with tissue. His feet ripped clear through his sneakers as his toes together into three, crusty plates while his skin flashed a dark black with rocky plates forming like continents on an inky, black sea of skin. Ben's head was formed down into his chest as his neck compressed and cracked loudly as his skeleton finally fused with his skin to form a more durable body as his mouth widened horizontally into an exaggerated grin. Ben's eyes rotated father apart as his head widened, rocky plates rushing to cover his skull as a pair of black and green shorts materialized on him as a pulsing, molten core thrust itself out from his chest directly under his chin; the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his forehead, completing the transformation.

"Time to go big, or go home!" Gravattack narrowed his eyes at Achilles.

"Uh, oh." Wreckta Scale worried.

"What? What's about to happen?" Daring wondered.

"All I can say is that you better grab onto something heavy. That isn't me." she added as an afterthought as she drew back her jackhammer arm and jammed it forcefully into the ground, sending dirt and stone flying in all directions as she expertly dug and worked her way down into the earth until she had sunken herself into an adequate pit; Daring ignored her request and dove in after her, wedging himself tightly against her thigh and wall of the pit as he held onto his crown, not sure what to expect.

"Hit the dirt!" Clawdeen cried as she dove to the ground with her hands over her head just as Kitty and Raven reappeared back into existence, only to have Cerise all but tackle the witchling to the ground; Raven was initially confused at first until she caught sight of Gravattack as the Galilean drew back a massive fist and slugged Achilles in the chest, making the automaton stumble back to be dealt another blow.

" _AAAAAAAAA-HHHHHHH!_ " Apple screamed again, caught right in the middle of the clash between the two titans.

"Get ready to write your _orbit_ -uary, you tin can!" Gravattack yelled as his hand tingled slightly before a wavering, shimmering green disk appeared between his fingers; Apple yelped as she and Achilles were lifted off of the ground, their combined weight now nothing more than a distant problem as the Galilean tossed his hand up and brought them along with it. The great steam golem was hurled high up into the air before Gravattack then thrust his hand down, bringing Achilles along with it and slamming him into the ground, leaving Apple dazed and disoriented.

"Apple! Get ready to move!" Gravattack yelled as he increased Achilles' gravity to keep him pinned to the ground while raising his other hand and focusing its attention on the fist that held Apple in place; a familiar, shimmering, green energy flashed at the ends of his fingertips and focused on the great steam golem's hand, attacking the fingers that trapped Apple. One by one they were peeled off, slamming into the ground as the Galilean forced them until Apple was finally free; without wasting a second, she scrambled to her feet and dashed over to her mother, hugging her tightly as Gravattack then turned his full attention back to Achilles.

"What are you going to do?" Snow White IV asked as she embraced her daughter, rubbing her back to sooth her.

"Take this gravity power of mine for a little _spin._ " the Galilean replied with a rocky grin as he raised his hands above his head, drawing Achilles along with them as Gravattack focused his control on the golem's gravity and forced to spin and rotate around and above his head in a tight circle; once he was satisfied that an orbit had been established, Gravattack folded his arms up against his chest and drew in his legs, forming a perfectly round sphere that resembled a small planet as it levitated up and above the ground with Achilles orbiting around him like an oddly shaped moon.

Wreckta Scale dug her metallic claws deep into the earth to anchor herself as she felt the Galilean gravitational hold pull on her, attempting to pry her and Daring loose as she thrust out her knee just so that it jammed almost painfully into the prince's back, keeping him firmly pinned in place; Cerise had all but thrown herself over Raven, digging her claws deep into the ground and keeping both herself and the witchling trapped to the ground; Raven was immensely grateful for this, as well as confused slightly as to why the halfbreed was taking such an interest in her all of a sudden while Kitty clung tightly to the trunk of tree, silently praying to the ancestors that her grip would hold.

" _Ayuda!_ How long will you keep this up!?" Skelita shouted over the roar of the wind that had picked up as the air around them was compacted and forced to orbit around Gravattack; the debris of the destroyed fountain was effortlessly picked up off of the ground and pulled into the Galilean's orbit, followed by stray leaves, sticks, and even Daring's sword (the Son of Prince Charming would complain later about having his favorite sword damaged to the point where it wouldn't even function well as an oversized needle).

"Warning! Warning! Danger imminent!" Achilles beeped.

"Until I time out." Gravattack seemed to be giving an invisible shrug.

"Then I hope it is _pronto!_ " Skelita screamed as her bony fingers slowly started to lose ground, desperately grasping for any lose piece of cobblestone or earth to latch onto; all Cedar could do was watch helplessly and hang onto the main doors with all her strength as Skelita slowly, gradually, and finally lost her grip as she was yanked into the air and towards Gravattack's powerful gravitational pull, scrambling feebly for the ground. Cedar wasn't an expert on bones, but she was pretty that without muscle and tissue to cushion and weigh her down, the skeleton was both incredibly flexible and light, as well as highly susceptible to easily damaging her bones during such scraps to the point where they just might be ground to dust. The wooden puppet wished that there was something useful that she could actually do, some sort of talent or special power she had that could help; but being a puppet, she didn't have access to nearly endless reserves of dark magic like Raven, the ability to talk to animals like Ashlynn, and she was nowhere close to even possessing the power that her secret crush manipulated with a single dial of the Omnitrix on his wrist. But, like her father had explained to her, she had been carved out of magic wood. Surely that must have given her something right?

" _Ayuda me!_ " Skelita helped as she was pulled into Gravattack's orbit, now at the mercy of the Galilean as he tried to manipulate his gravitational field just enough that she wouldn't be crushed by debris and Achilles' hulking, metal frame as he feebly swatted his gigantic gauntlets at her. Deciding there was nothing to lose, Cedar thrust her hand out towards Skelita and squeezed her eyes shut, focusing her mind and trying to do something, anything that might be of use to the skeleton and the matter at hand; she was so busy concentrating, that she didn't notice the ground beneath the Galilean suddenly burst open as roots and tendrils erupted and slithered out between the cracks in the cobblestone, rising up into the air and chasing after Skelita as she flew by, ensnaring her by worming their sensitive tips between her rib cage and around her leg bones to safely pull and anchor the skeleton to the ground.

"Nice save." Daring commented.

"Thanks," Venus grunted as she tried to keep the thick tendrils wrapped tightly around her and Daring's shoulders and waist nice and strong; her Omnitrix had unfortunately failed her and very nearly got the plant monster and prince pulled into the Galilean's orbit as well. With everyone of importance safely out of harm's way, Gravattack finally released his hold on his orbit and sent Achilles flying.

"Warning! Impact imminent!" Achilles droned mere seconds before his gigantic, metal frame slammed into the front door of Ever After High, just very narrowly missing Cedar as she pressed herself tightly against the hall at the last second while the doors were blown off their hinges and obliterated to pieces by Achilles bulk. The wooden puppet cracked open an eye to make sure it was safe, only to dive out of the way mere seconds later as Gravattack came sailing through the air with his fists raised high over his head to slam them down on Achilles, destroying the automaton with one, tremendous blow that threw Cedar against the wall from the resulting shockwave.

"My face . . . is . . . leaking . . ." were Achilles finally words before the light from his eyes finally faded and his body died with a shudder.

"And stay down." Gravattack breathed, letting his arms drop to his side as he stood over the mighty golem's fallen bulk.

"As if he can hear you." Skurd mumbled to himself moments before the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light and returned Ben to the world where he dropped to the floor and held his shoulder.

The sound of panicked footing caught his attention and he turned to see his ghouls, Raven, Apple, Cerise, Kitty, Daring, and Snow White come rushing up the steps. "Ben! Are you alright!?" Clawdeen asked worriedly as she bent down to look him over; for once, Ben didn't fuss.

"That . . . was a total rush." Ben panted with a goofy smile.

"Your recklessness never ceases to amaze, you goof." Clawdeen sighed with relief, hugging Ben tightly.

" _Ahem._ I believe that is _my_ line." Skurd grumbled.

"I-Is it . . . dead?" Jane wondered as she assumed her original form within a whirl of purple fur and violet locks and cautiously poked Achilles' with a foot, as if she were afraid the gigantic golem would suddenly awaken and attack her.

"As dead as a golem can get." Raven sighed with relief. "I don't know about you, but that's more than enough hexcitement for me for one day."

"A-Agreed." Apple replied shakily.

"Has the apple been turned into applesauce?" Kitty purred.

"I have n-no idea what that means, but yes."

Snow White coughed with slight interruption. "Regardless, there is a small matter I believe that needs addressing," she said before she angrily turned on Daring. "Just what were you thinking, young man!? You could gotten yourself killed and endangered many others by bringing that monstrosity here!"

Daring shifted uncomfortably. "Would . . . would it help if I said I was sorry?" he flinched the queen's stern gaze.

" _Detention. One week. Shelving books in the LiFairy._ " Snow White frowned, pointing an arm down the hall without tearing her cold look away from Daring. " _You start now._ "

"You can't do that, you're not-" Daring started to protest before Ben coughed loudly and gave him a warning look, rolling his eyes in the queen's direction and wave his hand across his throat to try and ward him off; the Son of Prince Charming thankfully took the hint and clammed up right then and there, sulking and deflating as he trudged down the hall towards the LiFairy to begin his punishment.

Once he was out of sight and ear shot, the queen straightened up and dusted off her hands with a satisfied look. "About time someone talked some sense into Arthur's kid."

"This is going to take some time getting use to . . ." Apple sighed, shaking slightly until Raven caught her and started to help her down the hall, leading the both of them to their dorm to rest after the long day they had. "Wake me when dinner's ready, please."

"Sleep well, sweety." Snow White gave her daughter an affectionate kiss on the forehead; normally Apple would have blushed a furious red out of embarrassment, but she was too shaken up and tired otherwise to give anything more than a simple, "Mhmmph."

"So what do we do with this thing?" Kitty wondered, giving a swift kick to Achilles' kneecap and busting it open, letting out a highly pressurized jet of steam that startled the Cheshire into jumping into Ben's arms out of fright before she relaxed slightly.

"Is there some place I can haul this thing?" Ben offered.

Snow White shook her head. "Oh, no. You've done enough for today." she scolded him lightly. "What you're going to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of your weekend; Milton can lug this piece of junk away with whatever battalion he still hasn't arrived with. _You_ on the other hand, are to do nothing."

"I'll see to it that he does." Clawdeen promised. "After we get that wound closed up again."

"Clawdeen, it's just-"

"No arguments." the werewolf cut him off. "You don't see Cerise complaining, do you?"

"That's because she isn't here." Venus pointed out, glancing up and down the hallway. "Where'd she go?"

A slight creak caught their attention as Cedar peeled herself off of the nearby wall with a slight moan, holding her aching head and wincing at her throbbing back; technically speaking, she didn't possess nerves or sensitive skin like most other fairy tale characters, but due to her magical properties, she was still able to experience some amount of pain or pleasure that would be dealt to her based on the current situation. "I think . . . I saw her go back to our dorm . . . I think . . ." she moaned as she fell to her knees. Instantly, Ben was by her side, supporting her and helping back up to her feet as a small blush crept over her face and her arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"You alright?" Ben asked.

"Fine." Cedar nodded. "Sometimes being made of wood has its advantages." she added with a small smile.

"I can imagine." Ben smiled lightly before turning around to address everyone else. "We good? Cause I think I'll take her majesty's advice and sleep until dinner."

" _After_ we've stopped by the healer's office." Clawdeen corrected him.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Right. _After_ we've stopped by the healer's office.

"Almost, Benjamin." Snow White IV gave a devious smirk as she sauntered over to him; before he or anyone else could really grasp what had just happened, the queen wrapped her arms tightly around Ben and hugged him warmly, cuddling her head up to his before giving him a small peck on the cheek and then leaving to go check up on Daring's progress. " _That_ was for saving my daughter."

"Ol' Leonard won't be happy about this!" Skurd chuckled mischievously as everyone else simply stared after the queen, completely confused and baffled.

* * *

Ben felt his eyes snapped open, his bleary mind not processing such a movement until several seconds of ceiling watching had occurred. He wasn't quite sure what had caused him wake up and disturb his slumber, but that unmistakable, skin crawling, hair raising feeling that he usually got before something bad happened was back once more. He rolled his eyes around him to make sure that Snow White IV was nowhere in sight (the ghouls and Ben had unanimously decided to never breath a word to Apple) and felt himself relax a degree when he realized that the queen was nowhere in sight; both Apple and Raven had decided to remain in their dorms for the night, instead being replaced by an all too eager Kitty Cheshire that took up a comfortable, warm spot to Ben's right and both Venus and Jane on his left, with the later snuggled comfortably between her two lovers and an arm wrapped tightly around his chest for comfort.

Skelita had seated herself in what had quickly become her assigned chair wrapped up in a warm, comfortable blanket that Ben highly suspected Bonita would have simply loved to nibble on in her spare time; lying across the way was Hunter, the spot that was usually occupied by Ashlynn empty and bare with the princess deciding to spend the night in her own dorm to avoid sending her boyfriend into a frenzy every time her stomach acted up. Ben then rolled his eyes towards the foot of the bed where he nearly felt his heart skip a beat upon seeing a pair of crisp, golden orbs starring back at him with extreme intensity. It took him but a few moments to realize that it was none other than Clawdeen starring at him, though this did not put his problem at ease.

Not only was it incredibly difficult to comfortably fall asleep with one of the two apex predators in the room starring back at him (with the other one currently resting between him and Venus), but Ben had a feeling that whatever the reason for Clawdeen's unwavering stare might have had something to do with her previous behavior. Granted, it hadn't been until after his fight with Achilles did he notice the various warning signs that something was up; maybe it had been the way she had been following him practically everywhere less than two feet away from him or how she growled angrily whenever someone that wasn't remotely part of the harem approached them. Whatever the reason, the werewolf seemed to determined to stick by him and watch over him every waking second, something that put him almost immediately on edge.

It was then that Ben noticed Clawdeen had finally allowed herself to fall into a light sleep and that a plan ad begun to formulate in his head; he didn't know why it was necessary for him to escape his ghoulfriend of all people, but with how Clawdeen didn't seem to be letting up on it anytime soon escape seemed to be the only option. Taking a deep breath, Ben slowly used his free arm to take hold of Jane's hand and slip it off of him, moving her hand over to Venus as he ever so slowly sat up in bed; he froze when Jane rolled over and latched onto Venus, snuggling her face deep into her ghoulfriend's chest before settling back down. Once everything was still once more, Ben moved himself onto his hands and knees and stealthily crept across the bed, taking great care not to step on the rolls and bumps under the covers that were Venus and Jane's legs until he had made his way to the edge of the bed and simultaneously swung his legs down to the floor while shifting to sit on his butt; so far, Clawdeen hadn't made a single move.

A sudden rustling of sheets caught his attention as he stood up and crept towards the door, intent on taking an evening walk to ease his mind, and he froze on the spot like a statue, hoping Clawdeen would be too tired to see him properly if she had really fallen asleep; thankfully for him, it simply turned out to be Kitty curling up into a tight ball underneath of the warm covers for maximum comfort.

"That was close." he whispered to himself.

A sudden creaking caught his attention and he whirled around to see Clawdeen lying upright on the bed, her eyes fully trained on him and never blinking. The two of them stared at each other for the longest time, neither one making a whisper or even seeming to breath until Ben had finally had enough and took a step backwards; Clawdeen swung herself off of the bed and landed on the floor but a few feet away from him, never tearing her gaze away from him. Without another word, Ben turned around and silently ran for the door, yanking it open and dashing down the hall as fast as he could without looking back, his heart hammering in his chest and filling every bit of his ears that wasn't taken up by the sound of Clawdeen rushing after him and quickly gaining.

"Come on, give me a hand here!" Ben whispered as he tapped the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light. His skin turned a light blue as it blistered and splintered into millions of tiny scales that were quickly covered by a thick layer of wet slime, practically dousing him in the substance as his arms deflated and withered, slurping back up into his shoulders with a loud cracking noise until all that was left were his hands hanging limp at his sides. His jaw jutted out with a loud crunching noise, thrusting several teeth out at odd angles as his skeleton compressed and compacted with seemingly excruciating pain, his bones becoming thinner and more flexible as several slits opened up on the side of his face and took a wet suck of breath out of the air; a shark-like fins rose from his back as his head was all but shoved into his shoulders and body, making a neck nonexistent as fat and tissue built up around his skeleton. His legs shrank until they were practically sticks with feet attached to them while a small fish tail popped out from the base of his spine, wiggling back and forth hyperactively; the Omnitrix and a sleepy Skurd appeared at the center of a green chest brace, completing the transformation.

"Oh, come on!" Walkatrout whined as he continued to jog as fast as his little legs would carry him, jumping just in time to avoid Clawdeen's clasping hands; with a taunting wiggle of his tail, he was off again, briskly making his way down the hallway and just barely making the corner as Clawdeen chased after him, her gaze never tearing away from. A sudden clanking noise caught their attention and Walkatrout looked up to see a pair of enchanted suits of armor marching their way down the hallway, axes gripped tightly in their metal hands; thinking quickly, the Icthyperambuloid gave a small jump and promptly landed on his behind, letting his slippery skin slid him down the hall and right between the two knight's legs as he continued running, hoping that he had managed to buy himself time.

The suits of armor however, did little to stop Clawdeen as she dropped down to all fours and ducked under the first swing of a battle ax aimed at her before leaping over a downward strike and rolling between the two stunned knight's legs, barely even pausing in her chase after Walkatrout.

"Crap." he whimpered before he realized all too late that he reached the top of a flight of stairs and began to bounce and jolt and bound his way all the way down the steps, crying out with every bump and jostle his slippery, little body was subjected; all the while, he was wondering just how Skurd was able to sleep through such noise and yet be awoken by a simple whisper that most people would have either ignored or slept through entirely. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs (a long and very painful fall, to make things worse), he was sore, annoyed, irked, and everything else in between as he continued to run without stopping. To make matters worse, instead of bothering with taking each step at a time or skipping steps, Clawdeen climbed on the stair's banister and slid her way down, her gaze never leaving the Icthyperambuloid.

"Double crap." Walkatrout gulped as he began to run once more, now not entirely sure where he was going anymore as he jogged for the main entrance (thankfully, the doors had been easier to replace than the walls and floors the Icthyperambuloid had managed to inflict upon the school) and slipped out into the cool night, not bothering to enjoy the night air before he once again bounced and fell down the flight of stairs and to the ground below where he had been fighting Achilles but a few hours ago.

"Crap infinity!" Walkatrout cried when he realized that Clawdeen was all too close for comfort to the point where she took a chance and lunged forward, pouncing upon Walkatrout and catching him firmly in her hands; this however didn't prove to work very well as the Icthyperambuloid's slimy, slippery worked against her and allowed Walkatrout to slip up and out of her hands before she caught him again, only for it to happen a second time. By the third time, she had wised up and smacked him as hard as she could, sending him flying to the air and sliding a fair distance across the ground before she pounced upon him and held him firmly in place with her knees and elbows, pressing down on top of her and essentially using her entire body as a cage until the Omnitrix timed out mere second later and returned Ben to the world in a blast of green light, throwing Clawdeen off and to the ground before she immediately latched onto him again, tightly pinning him into place and keeping the Omnitrix out of dialing range.

"Alright, what's going on?" Ben sighed with surrender, expecting a quick snark about him needing to rest or maybe even some silent reason that she wasn't going to explain to him any time soon merely to annoy him; it then came to him as a great surprise when he felt some drip down onto his neck, turning his attention back towards her to find out that Clawdeen was actually crying, despite the fact she was trying to hide it.

"Uh, are you okay?" he asked with concern; Clawdeen hardly, if ever, actually cried, much less showed this much emotion when it didn't involve anger. "What's going on?"

Clawdeen sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Nothing, I suppose . . . I'm just worried."

Ben raised an eyebrow, pushing up on Clawdeen so that he could talk to her in a sitting position. "About what?" he wondered.

"Y-You."

Ben's confused expression how became more baffled than before. "What do you mean?"

Clawdeen sighed and sat on her knees. "I'm scared," she admittedly shakily. "I'm scared of losing you. I guess I came to see you as invincible, the one thing that the universe simply couldn't destroy no matter how hard it tried, that you would always come out on top no matter what the odds stacked against you were, and that you were all but untouchable. To suddenly come across you in a moment of weakness, with a spear sticking out of your shoulder and blood staining anything in a six-foot radius . . . I-I was scared."

"Clawdeen . . ." Ben started to say.

"And then to find out that we had so easily been manipulated by a _book,_ to remember everything we had no control over, to remember those words you said to me . . . I know you didn't mean them at all, but it still hurt. As if that weren't bad enough . . . then the nightmares were even worse."

"Nightamres?" Ben wondered.

Clawdeen sighed and rested her head on her knees. "You were always just out reach, yet you seemed to be hundreds of miles away from me, like I could see you and never reach you at the same time; you were always cold, huddled up in the howling wind all alone, tired, weak, and without the Omnitrix to help save you. It always ended the same no matter how it began: you always ended up dying, a-and . . . and I couldn't do anything. I was helpless to do absolutely anything as you just lay there, bleeding and bleeding and never stopping no matter how much I screamed or begged . . . I would always be too late."

Ben was silent, processing those words Clawdeen had told him, remembering the way the werewolf fussed over him and held onto him like a frightened child in need of comfort. He supposed that mentioning his whole, somewhat dark destiny that would put the whole of Ever After as a prize to be won and fought over that involved several members of his villain roster, some of which were actually quite dangerous to encounter and fight against, was not the best idea at the moment. In fact, now that the thought occurred to him, he wondered when, if ever, would be the proper time tell his ghouls that he had some how managed to procure a destiny from a parallel dimension they had only been apart of for a couple of months.

Instead, Ben wrapped his arms around the trembling werewolf and held her close to him, rubbing her back nice and slow to sooth her as she buried her head into his chest; her grip was iron tight on him, constricting and squeezing him like a hungry python, her claws digging into his bare-chested skin as she sobbed almost uncontrollably into his shoulder, her tears staining his skin a darker hue as Ben stroked his fingers through her thick, auburn locks. It would be a few more minutes that felt like hours on end before Clawdeen had managed to let all her worries free and look at Ben again, smiling slightly as he brushed away the tears staining her eyes that glittered like gold doubloons.

"I'm not going anywhere," Ben promised. "Not without you or anyone else by my side."

"You mean it?" Clawdeen sniffed.

"Cross my heart and hope to live." Ben smiled before he bent down slightly to softly press his lips to her own, shivering slightly at the feeling of her sharp fangs grazing his lips; the werewolf was upon him in an instant, wrapping her arms snugly around his neck and chest as she passionately kissed him, putting as much emotion as possible into it. She wanted to tell him, to show him how much he meant to her, how much he had changed her life to the point where she couldn't imagine a single day without him by her side and filling her life with constant adventure and thrills. She moaned as Ben tickled her fangs with the sensitive tip of his tongue, running his fingers through her hair and more than once brushing past an all too sensitive spot that made her like putty in his hands (how he knew about that specific pleasure point, she would never know, nor did she care).

She cupped his face in her hands, marveling at his skill while she pressed her body against his, shivering with anticipation at the film of the firm muscles on his wiry frame; he wasn't as buff or muscled as compared to Deuce or Clawd nor as skinny as Jackson, but somewhere of a nice mix where he had the best qualities of both, a nice mixture of both speed and agility and strength or durability, something she found equally pleasing. Based on their past . . . experiences . . . with each other, Clawdeen knew that Ben found her just as attractive, a fact she decided not to make him forget as her sizable breasts were pressed against his chest and she grazed the tip of her claw against the sensitive nerve line at the base of his jaw, an area she knew he was particularly fond of having touched at certain times. By the time the two of them broke away, both parties were breathless and tired beyond all reason, only having enough energy to climb to their feet and head back to their dorm.

"You're a good kiss, you know that?" Clawdeen smiled as she slipped her fingers through Ben's and gave his hand a squeeze.

"I learned from the best," Ben grinned. "Now how about we hit the sack?"

"Music to my ears."

 **And there we go!**

To be honest, I don't think this was really my best work; I mean, it started out descent, but then it kinda went downhill from there, if only slightly. I guess I just couldn't stand to leave you all hanging without a chapter to read.

 **Either way, the next update will not only be the most likely late Christmas chapter, but it will also be posted at a somewhat later date because of what it happening in my life right now; ignoring all of the holiday madness-**

 _ **Apparently not the good kind.**_

 **Yes, not the good kind, Maddie, but I've also got school to worry about; for some reason, they decide to try and cram as much schoolwork as possible into the weeks leading up to Christmas break where I am, so I am less than happy about that. And that's completely ignoring my issues with a certain assassin, pony, hatter, alien face-hugger-thingy, and a one-eyed nacho chip.**

 _ **So apologies if the chapters are late!**_

 **You know what? I'm too tired right now to care. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below, everyone!**

 _ **Hasta Luego!**_

 **Once again, too tired to care.**


	20. A Fairy Cryptmas Pt 1

**T'was the night before Christmas, and all through my dorm,**

 **My roommates and I were doing anything but the average norm-**

 _ **You bet your teacups we are! Woo-hoo!**_

 _ **'Cut the author's note, Four-Eyes! Pass the eggnog and drink yourself silly!'**_

 **No thanks. I stick with my hot chocolate, the only drink that'll entice me to stray away from Maddie's tea. But you know what has me even more excited than a mummy at a bandage sale?**

 _ **Christmas?**_

 _ **'Cookies?'**_

 **Close. Reviews! You wouldn't _believe_ how many we've gotten from the last chapter! We've gotten so many that we've shattered the record from my previous story! We're over 700 reviews, people, and it's all thanks to you guys! Give yourselves a round of applause with whatever limbs you may have, hands, tentacles, claws, paws, hooves, fins, pseudopods, tongues, whatever! Feel proud of yourselves! Woo-hoo!**

 _ **'Quit stalling, Four-Eyes! We've got reviews to answer and holiday cheer to spread!'**_

 **Alright, alright, Deadpool. Keep you Santa hat on.**

 _ **Or he could take it off and use it as a mug!**_

 _ **'How 'bout we just get to the reviews, eh, Teacup?'**_

 _ **Okay!**_

 ** _TerrorKing10 -_ Yeah, took me a while to catch up on those too once I became interested. Personally, I like Venus, Jane, and Deuce the most; out of all the monsters though, I guess I just like the scaly ones better, like gorgons and nagas.**

 _ **ImmaSupa Stargirl –**_ **Too many for me to count, that's for sure! Ben's got some serious foes to defeat!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **I actually based him off of Blitzcrank from League of Legends (who actually shares some lines with the Daleks from everyone's favorite reality traversing doctor).**

 _ **DoomsDay2015 –**_ **I hope that's a good thing!**

 _ **Hero-Time10 –**_ **Alright then! He's in (though when has yet to be determined).**

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze –**_ **Geez. Sounds like you have worse problems than me with characters breaking the fourth wall.**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **Cryptmas . . . I'll have to remember that, heh. And hey, thanks for the cloak! Combine this with my new gauntlet, protective armor and my keyboard manipulation skills, we'll be unstoppable!**

 ** _Don't forget my new hammer, lighting powers,_ and _my new bread-and-butterfly knife! Yay!_**

 **Ol' Nacho Chip won't know what hit him. And to you, _Numbervania,_ Merry Cryptmas to all, and to all a Good Fright!**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, TOO!**

 _ **FELIZ NAVIDAD!**_

 _ **'WHY ARE WE YELLING!?'**_

 **I DON'T KNOW!**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **Thanks for catching that! I sometimes get basilisks and cockatrices mixed up because of how many different versions make them similar to each other in one form or another.**

 _ **mechazard01 – That's for me to know, and for you to find out!**_

 **It's . . . complicated . . . _really, really, really_ complicated.**

 _ **'Boy, don't I know it.'**_

 _ **Isom –**_ **I know right? And, uh, depending on what's happening over there, you need help? 'Cause that's a sound that pretty similar to a herd of in-musth bull elephants.**

 _ **Will do, Isom!**_

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Evidently not. And actually, Rocks is from the Asian play** ** _Power of the Omnitrix_ ; according to Derrick J. Wyatt, Rocks and Squidstrictor are in the Omnitrix and have been used by Ben off-screen. Looks like they'll both finally get a chance to stand in the limelight!**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **As you wish, Finder!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Correctamundo,** ** _mi amigo!_ And yes, Lizzie will be joining the harem as well (sometime around _Way too Wonderland,_ guaranteed). The Attea idea I like, I really do, but now just isn't the time for it, and Courtley . . . well, I'll have to put it to a vote just to be sure. But I like it regardless and if she doesn't make the cut then, hey, there's always the Ever After High one-shot series I've been planing!**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Well, there's only so much I can write!  
**

 _ **'No, he's just lazy.'**_

 **Can it, Deadpool, or it's back in the closet with you!**

 _ **Now, Creaty, be nice! We need to set an example for Mr. Nibbles!**_

 **And you, I- what did you just say?**

 _ **We have to set a good example for Mr. Nibbles or else he'll grow up to a mean, horrible person who hates madness and Wonderland tea like Nacho Chip!**_

 **He's a voracious, alien predator! No amount of good parenting will do him any good and- _WHY AM I CALLING IT A 'HE'? AND WHAT AM I SAYING!?_**

 _ **'Welcome to Insanity, dude. Population: 2 + 1.'**_

 _ **It equals 4! Maddie's so clever!**_

 **And since when did you start referring to yourself in the third person?**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **As amusing as it would be for Snow White to steal her own daughter's boyfriend, it's more like that parent that gets involved with their kid's activities to best them at it to try and push them to be better or fight for what they love; Snow White just happens to be getting a little too far into it XD And Happy Holidays to you, too!**

 _ **fantasylover4evr –**_ **Actually, the Talent Show already happened; that's where Ben's secret was revealed in the first place (quickly followed by the time he nearly got executed).**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Are you sure you aren't through your eyes? I hear that's a real problem. And am I really that scary? I mean, I know I'm fully capable of tearing out your spine, flossing with it, and then tying you into a not, but . . . well, now that I say it out loud . . .**

 _ **'Nice goin', Four-Eyes. You wanna sprinkle that terror cake with some intimidation sprinkles?'**_

 _ **Ooh, yummy!**_

 _ **Smokescreen2814 –**_ **Yeah, that might be painful.**

 _ **'No kiddin'.'**_

 **Back in the closet with you!**

 _ **Zachery Hance –**_ **Then I hope that I keep surprising you!**

 _ **Nivek Beldo –**_ **Thank you for everything! It's nice to know that my first story is still successful and being read despite being completed.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **A Merry Christmas to you, too! And trust me, I know exactly what it's like. I might as well be living in one right now.**

 _ **'AAAAA-HHHHHH! It's on my face! It's on my face!'**_

 _ **Mr. Nibbles, no! Stop trying to suck out Deadpool's eyeballs! He needs those!**_

'K-word it! K-word it! K-WORD IT HARD!'

 **See what I mean?**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **I'm thinking that they may make cameos or another appearance later on. I dunno. I'm still thinking about it.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **The plan to make Apple try and trick is slipping as I want to make Apple a more likable character and not someone to hate over constantly (I have enough of that with Daring and Grimm). I have not heard of this** ** _One-punch Man_ you speak of, and I already have more than enough enemies and transformations up my sleeves and waiting to be used. No, I have not heard of _Alice: Madness Returns,_ and now that you bring up Phantux, I just might cut that idea entirely. It doesn't seem to fit with what I've written so far and how a sub-species of Ectonurite could stay this unconscious without even attempting to overtake the Omnitrix and Ben would be highly suspicions; it's just an idea that's starting wane off me. And I'm not sure when fem Ben will appear, but he/she will. Just give it some time (something I seem to lack). I also apologize for not answering those questions of yours; those seemed to have somehow slipped through my fingers. Regarding the nanites, I'll see what I can do. And yes, I will eventually draw a picture of Phantux. And of course, I plan to give Prince John a glorious death. Someone that epic deserves it!**

 _ **The Question –**_ **I have my own idea for how to use Paradox in this whole mess I have somehow managed to create, but it won't involve returning home. Granted, a lot of people have been asking for more Monster High editions to the harem, and I've contemplating about adding Astranova (it would be a crime if I didn't), Gooliope, and now Isi.**

 _ **Riddle Master – How does the hourglass fit Ben? I'm more confused than well . . . ever!**_

 **And that's saying something.**

 _ ***SMACK!***_

 _ **Quiet you.**_

 _ **'Karma!'**_

 _ **Grimlock –**_ **As I stated before, there's only so much I can write in a chapter. I think Maddie and the other Wonderlandian were in her hat dimension thingy (still working on an official name).**

 _ **NaruFuu Forever –**_ **Enjoy!**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **Seeing a how your OC feeds off fear, so does Zombozo. While interesting concept wise, compared to, say, the Joker and other clown themed villains or fear-feeding villains, he's somewhat lackluster. I dunno, he's just sorta faded on me over the years with more dangerous villains popping up.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **That,** ** _mi amigo_ , was an unfortunate typo. Ben has so many ghouls and girls (I'm actually starting to regret writing this as a sequel and not a separate story entirely, but it's too fun and I'm too far in to back out now, so it's gonna be a bumpy ride) that they just slipped my mind. If you look at the list again, they'll be there. Thanks for checking that! And I'm not sure about unleashing Ben's Anodite side since, as Verdona explained, he lacks 'the spark' that Gwen has, meaning he wouldn't be able to use any Anodite powers if he had them and seeing as how Anodites don't have DNA (or at least something that can be accessed by Azmuth's little toy), he couldn't use the Omnitrix either.**

 _ **Palutena –**_ **What is with people just popping in and out of my dorm like this? Does this look like some sort of family sitcom for everyone to just torture me with!? I mean, I know I'm an undead Tetramand living in the basement of an Underworld god with a Hatter as a roommate, but now ya gotta heap a fourth-wall shattering mercenary, a pink pony encased in a cashew nut the size of China, some kind of alien monster that wants to eat my face on a regular basis, a review that can't take a hint and leave, a triangular twit of an enemy breathing down my neck, and now I have . . . whatever it is you're sending over to me? When did my life become a source of entertainment for people to mess with!?**

 _ **Gojira –**_ **Can do!**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **I'm a still a little iffy on the whole Predator idea, mostly because I already have so much stuff planned and so many other transformations lined up and read to toss out like playing cards, so don't expect this to come to fruition now or maybe even ever.**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **Who knows? I might make it to 1,000 before that. It all depends on you guys!**

 _ **Soos –**_ **To grant your final request before you may or may not die, I shall let you in on a little secret, Soos. Snow White IV may act like she plans to steal Ben from her daughter, but its more along the lines of those adults that take part in their kid's activities to best them every corner to try and get them to push them to their limits to try and beat them; Snow White is doing the same to Apple, trying to get her to fight for her boyfriend and not have it be the other way around all the time. It was an honor knowing you, Soos. May you die hugging!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **I'm not sure whether ol' Trinity Force will honor the Christmas Truce or not (most villains thankfully do, though I can't say Vilgax is among them), but what I can tell you that thinking of how to kill him is the last thing on my mind; I wanna spend whatever's left of my vacation relaxing and trying to keep Maddie and Deadpool under control. Also which OC are you talking about? There were quite a few.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Now that would just give hotdogs a bad name. And the idea you present Cedar . . . quite interesting aspect. I have a specific power set in mind, but this is definitely something I'd look into.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **Not everything can be touched upon in a single chapter, I'm afraid. If memory serves, I think they spent that one in Maddie's Wonderland hat dimension (I'm still working on an actual name).**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **That's what you think! Taydentire infused helmet, baby!**

 _ **Bill Cipher –**_ **Alright you one-eyed nacho, I'll grant you that was a clever insult. But despite that over-sized melon of yours, you seem to be overlooking one little detail. And I ain't tellin' ya what it is! And lucky for you, I managed to convince Maddie otherwise-**

 _ **Liar! You drugged my tea and dragged me back here, you scoodle-butt!**_

 **First off, I have no idea what that is. Second, I want to save Raven as much as you do, but if we rush right in there without enough force or how to turn Bill's eye into our personal bowling ball, we're gonna get creamed. So sit tight for now. All we can do is wait.**

 _ **Fine.**_

 _ **'I don't like it anymore than you do, Teacup.'**_

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **A reader actually requested that pairing and I just couldn't deny that, it worked out so perfectly. As for who grew the roots, I ain't saying.**

 _ **'It was-'**_

 _ ***SMACK!***_

 **Quiet you.**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **Hope this satisfies you!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I; trying to distance myself from** ** _True Love Loophole_ as much as possible (which means Grimm will not be Raven's grandfather. Too complicated of a storyline for what I have planned which is arguably even more complicated). And believe it or not, Snow White is not actually hitting on Ben, more like giving her daughter a push to try and stand up for herself and stop acting like a helpless maiden all the time and potentially one that could wield a sword when need be. Almost all of the ideas you just suggested for the Temple Adventure (name in progress) work very well, but there are somethings that'll have to be nitpicked and edited for it to work properly. _Feliz navidad_ (I hope I said that right) _!_**

 _ **moncada123 –**_ **(using Google translate because my Spanish is not that fluent).** ** _Lo siento, pero yo no entiendo muy bien lo que estás diciendo. Si usted se refiere a la serie de un solo disparo Ben 10 / Nación DC he planeado en mi perfil, no estoy seguro si voy a hacer una serie de Marvel de una sola vez o no._**

 **Lord Dominator – One of the great unknown mysteries of the cosmos. And just because Ever After is a world of magic, doesn't mean there can't be technology. I mean, they somehow have phones and the internet when they have a distinct lack of anything close to a car that isn't pulled by a horse (which is kinda weird, if you ask me).**

 _ **ajir12 –**_ **I'm already well aware of this. You aren't the first (or probably the last) to tell me, but I am hexcited regardless.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Yes, the Hatter is mine and no fourth-wall breaking mercenary is gonna take her from me, you hear me, Deadpool!? And yes, Verde is an OC, but I'm not sure if I'll bring other colors into this or not; it would sure give the ghouls something to fight at the very least. Either way, I think the reason Vilgax (at least in my story) thinks he can handle 17 users of the Omnitrix (counting Ben) and the Nemetrix (Jane) is because most of them have little to absolutely no experience with their current form; Ben has only ever defeated Vilgax with forms he knows (with the exception of Way Big, but then again it's hard not to lose to a hundred-foot tall giant. Fun fact: Diamondhead and Way Big are the only aliens to ever defeat Vilgax). And I haven't the foggiest idea why Harangue hates Ben so much, probably just one of those adults that thinks kids are too irresponsible that they should not have any power as great as the Omnitrix.**

 **Do I detect a thing going on between you and Lizzie? ;)**

 **As for me, my choices of potential ghouls/girls are Jane, Robecca, Ghoulia, Frankie and Raven, Cerise, Cedar, and Maddie.**

 **As for Achilles, he was originally built for good, but went rogue when his programming was damaged.**

 **I'm thinking of Ben earning the right to 'help' teach classes after defeating ol' King Charming and putting his money where his mouth is. Thoughts? And the Duchess breakdown (or anyone else really) is too good to resist. At some point, that is. And I absolutely love your villain design (another glorious death, eh? Ben's not gonna like this), but it will unfortunately be a while before he can be used or even drawn. My life is too busy for me to properly work on my Deviantart work.**

 _ **'Enough with the stalling, Four-Eyes! It feels like Christmas is already over!'**_

 **Alright, alright. Keep your Santa hat on. As always comment, review, suggest, and request down below! Also, there seems to be some sort of bug on the site that doesn't allow me to view the reviews you guys give me, so apologies if I missed some of you!**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **Fa la la la la, baby.**

"How about this one?"

"No."

"What about this one?"

"Keep looking."

"Maybe this one?"

"No."

" _FOR HEX SAKE, WOMAN, PICK A TREE ALREADY!_ " Hunter yelled with frustration, pitching the ax he had been carrying on his shoulder for the past three hours into the snow while screaming at the heavens at the top of his lungs; a flock winter hardy birds scattered from the nearby trees, sending a fair amount of freezing snow down onto the poor huntsman and hitting him full in the face.

"Hunter, breath." Ashlynn consoled her boyfriend in a low, calm voice; the princess wore a pair of icy blue and white, fur-lined boots that reached her knees before stopping at pale, pink leggings and a warm, fur-lined dress covered by a small, blue jacket and pair of pink gloves while Hunter was dressed in nothing more than a deep green hunting jacket and black gloves.

Ben smirked slightly. "As much as I love to watch Hunter exercise his lungs, we really do need to make a decision, Venus. We can't stay out here forever." he pointed out. "Eventually, one of us will catch frostbite."

"Y-Yeah." Raven shivered, wrapping her arms tightly around her and cupping her hands to blow into them to try and generate as much heat as possible; despite her white earmuffs, purple and black jacket, matching gloves, and knee-high, black and lavender boots, the witchling was absolutely freezing to the point where she swore all feeling in her hands and feet had been lost. Ben wrapped a snug arm around him and pulled Raven close to him, sharing his body heat wit her before Cerise managed to worm her way between the two of them and wrap all three of them up in her crimson, fur-lined hood while simultaneously hiding a small blush that crossed her cheeks.

"I c-can't feel my f-f-face." Apple complained, pulling the hood of her red and gold colored coat over her blonde locks while rubbing her crimson gloves together to keep her fingers warm; against her better judgment, Apple quickly scooted over to Dexter and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly and burying her face into his jacket to try and warm herself up, unaware of the territorial look that crossed Cupid's face. Contrary to the soft pink parka, white, fur-lined hood and muff that the young deity wore, she was already boiling inside at the sight of the Daughter of Snow White unwittingly getting close to her crush in an attempt to get warm. Then again, glancing back over to Ben, she supposed Apple would be allowed to get away with this one when she noticed how Ben was simultaneously keeping Raven and Cerise warm while trying to convince Venus to at least make an exception to their mission.

"C'mon, Venus! It's Christmas!" he argued.

"You mean a tree murdering holiday?" the plant monster frowned.

Ben sighed. "Look, I know most people now usually use plastic trees or whatever, but we don't have that kind of thing here in Ever After. If we're going to celebrate Christmas and make it back to Ever After High long enough to help out with the decorations for the Holiday Mash-Up Briar's throwing, then we have to make a decision _now._ " he explained, jamming a black gloved finger to the snow at his feet.

"P-Please?" Jane pleaded, her normally magenta lips now an icy blue as she tried to hug Venus to create some sort of warmth between the two of them; the jungle girl was wrapped up in a black, faux furred jacket, a pair of purple gloves she had borrowed from Raven that were a little big on her, and a pair of boots that Ashlynn had lent to her out of pity for the normally steamy jungle accustomed shape-shifter. Venus fared no better in her pink earmuffs, black and magenta jacket, and a set of finger-less gloves that she had recycled out of the Lost and Crown bin in the hallway between classes.

The plant monster sighed and relented, letting a cold vapor of breath escape her lips. "Fine. But only for you, Sweet Mango."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Ben chuckled slightly.

A conniving, seductive grin crossed Venus' face as she turned to look at Ben while her long, dexterous tongue slipped out at past her lips and slowly, proactively licked her lips. "Oh, don't worry, Ben. I haven't forgot about you," she purred. "I'm sure you'll _love_ my Cryptmas gift to you."

"Uh, d-don't you mean _Christmas?_ " Dexter corrected the plant monster while he awkwardly wrapped an arm around Apple's shoulder, unsure if he was doing something that would get his face punched in Ben or not; catching sight of the Omnitrix wielder's slight, almost invisible nod however, made him relax far more easier, unaware of the still irked expression on Cupid's features.

"Same holiday, different title." Skurd coughed. "Now can we _please_ hurry up!? I've been frozen once already, thank you very much, and it was _not_ a pleasant experience!"

"Why don't you just grow yourself some fur or something?" Ben suggested, bringing his arm up to his face so he could talk to the shivering Slimebiote more easily; it seemed almost no one had been expecting the warm, Spring days of Ever After to be nothing more than a distant memory with how quickly the landscape had been turned into an icy winter wonderland thanks to yet another back splash from the Well of Wonder that turned the seasons on their head. The occurrence of seasons switching so suddenly and seemingly randomly was getting to the point where Ben was growing suspicious of whether this was pure coincidence or not.

"Are you kidding? I'm allergic to Gimlinopithecus fur!" Skurd complained.

"Then chose something else." Ben rolled his eyes.

"That's just it! None of your other current forms will give me anything else half decent! I'm starting to freeze like a Piscciss Volann on Kylmyys!" Skurd grumbled, folding his little tentacles over his chest and huffing, pouting on Ben's wrist.

Hunter dusted the rest of the fallen snow off of him and grabbed the ax his father had gifted to him during Thronecoming over his shoulder. "The booger makes a point," he said, ignoring the exclamation of protest and throttling motions Skurd was making from Ben's wrist. "We've gotta find a tree and fast or we'll never be back in time to help out with Briar's party. And I for one, am not going to miss out on Ginger's Christmas cookies."

Venus rolled her eyes and surrendered. "Fine. We'll split up to cover more ground." she suggested. "First one to find a pinecone or a pine tree willing to give up its life for our festivities-"

"Again with the negativity." Hunter mumbled, spitting out a mouthful of snow.

"We'll call the others on their Mirrorphone so we can either head back or I can double check to make sure we aren't being too hasty." Venus finished, ignoring the biting comment Hunter made. With that settled, Raven, Cerise, and Ben all headed off in direction while Apple tagged along with Hunter and Ashlynn, believing that she was dancing with death if she remained to close to Dexter for Cupid's comfort; this left the young deity and her secret crush to pair up in a third direction and leave both Jane and Venus alone in the clearing.

"S-S-So, wh-where to?" Jane shivered, wincing at the sight of her own breath.

A mischievous smile crossed Venus' lips as she gently pushed the shape-shifter up against a nearby tree and wrapped her arms her, drawing her face close enough that her lips were but a breath's away from Jane's. "That can wait," she cooed, softly pressing her lips to Jane's and cupping her face with her hands for a brief moment before parting away and allowing the startled jungle girl to breath. "First, I think you need to warm up."

Jane was quite sure her face was fire as Venus slithered her long, slippery tongue out past her lips in a slow, seductive manner that made the shape-shifter shiver with pleasure when Venus slowly and proactively licked her collarbone with the very tip of her flexible tongue, tracing it up and around Jane's neck and gently touching it to her lips before whipping it back past her needle-like fangs and tenderly kissing Jane once more. The shape-shifter moaned as Venus pressed her body against her, carefully and warmly traced her hands across Jane's body, caressing her lovely face as the shape-shifter attempted to return her affections as best as possible.

"V-Venus . . . we n-need to f-find a tree . . ." Jane sucked in a breath.

Venus pouted slightly. "Oh, fine."

Jane felt an intense blush cross her face. "B-But we can continue later . . . if you want?" she offered.

"I'd love nothing more, Sweet Mango." Venus smiled, softly kissing Jane on the cheek before slipping her fingers through Jane's and walking off into the forest together.

* * *

Despite the cold temperatures that nipped at her nose and made her fingers tingle, Cupid was having a wonderful time alone with Dexter in the woods together; a small smile crept across her face as she watched Dexter rapped a knuckle against the trunk of one of the few pine trees in the Enchanted Forest and consequently got a branchful of snow dumped on his head and down the back of his coat, making him yelp with surprise and dance around much like a chimpanzee that had the unfortunate incident of having its posterior dumped in a bucket of hot coals.

"Hoo! Hoo! Cold! Cold! Ha!" Dexter yelped as he danced around while the freezing snow slid down his back and finally plopped out onto the ground.

Cupid giggled. "C'mon, Dexter! Stop fooling around!" she scolded him playfully.

"You try having snow dumped on you!"

Cupid felt a devious smirk cross her lips as she bent down and slipped her hands out of her muff to scoop up a small amount of snow and pack it into a tight ball before standing back up and tossing it lightly in her hands. "You mean like _this?_ " she joked before lobbing the snowball right at Dexter and nailing him in the chest, causing him to stumble slightly; Cupid laughed before she was suddenly hit in the face by a second ball of snow, a smug look on Dexter's face being the only clue to its origins.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, eh?" Cupid grinned devilishly.

"Give me your best shot." Dexter taunted before he gave a yelp and ducked behind a tree just as Cupid chucked three snowballs right at him, just barely missing him and nailing the trunk of another tree; the Son of Prince Charming quickly returned fire, aiming at the spot Cupid had been moments before she had suddenly and almost inexplicably vanished from sight. Baffled to her whereabouts, Dexter looked around for any sign of her before it was suddenly struck on the head by yet another dropping of snow, accompanied by a fit of laughter.

"Hey! That's against the rules!" Dexter complained, wiping snow off her face.

"Who said there were rules?" Cupid smirked playfully before chucking two more snowballs at Dexter, missing him as he juked to the left and right before quickly retreating behind a fallen log as three more snowballs drummed against his shelter. Despite the fact that he was most likely losing in this nearly one sided battle, Dexter was actually having a great time; maybe it was because now, after many weeks of near total isolation aside from the company of Cupid and a few select others, he was finally being excepted back into the hub and life of Ever After High without being constantly reminded of the curse he now bore through whispers and rumors that stalked the halls like demons in the shadows. Really he was just relieved to have friends again that were willing to put up with the danger that he possessed.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by two thunderous booms drummed against the log; Cupid had found some far packier snow that allowed her to create far more durable and bigger balls of snow to be used as ammunition; she was getting playfully aggressive, as if she were impatient with him simply cowering behind a log. _Well if she wants to play, then I'll give her a game to remember,_ he thought to himself, a mischievous smile crossing his face as he took a deep breath of preparation and bolted out from behind the log, racing off through the forest as Cupid pumped her wings and flew after him, peppering the ground behind him with snowballs she had created from the copious amount of snow that sat amongst the branches overhead just waiting to be scooped up and lobbed at someone.

"Come back here and fight like a man!" Cupid called after him.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Dexter laughed as he swerved left and right to avoid getting pelted by snowballs. Contrary to the freezing temperatures, the Son of Prince Charming was already getting quite hot thanks to his winter wear keeping all and any heat that his body created from escaping into the open air to allow him to cool off; this of little concern to him for the moment however, as the majority of his problem was in losing Cupid and figuring out some way to win the little battle between the two of them.

Suddenly, before he knew at all what was happening, he was suddenly yanked off the ground and high into the air before being roughly slammed against a tree; when he attempted to protest, a hand covered his mouth, silencing him. He flickered his frightened, baby blue eyes about to try and find the source of whatever had managed to yank his full weight almost a dozen or more feet off of the ground with no effort whatsoever until he found it right beside him, starring at him with a pair of deep amber eyes. It was a girl about his age, if not a few years older, with pale skin that was a more deeper shade than Raven or Cupid's and a shaggy, wild mane of brown hair that hung over and framed her beautiful face while hanging back over her shoulders and back like a lion. Dexter felt a slight blush grace his face when he saw that the girl, as if completely oblivious to the freezing temperatures, was dressed in nothing more than shredded, skimpy clothing that just barely covered her well sized breasts and hips; a closer look at the strange girl revealed that her toes were spread out and strong to balance her weight and allow her to seemingly grasp and hold things as well as her incredibly strong hands that were attached to her lean, muscled arms.

" _Shhhhhhh._ " the girl hissed, softly, bringing a finger to her lips as she rolled her eyes skyward to watch Cupid through the twisted maze and labyrinth of bare branches overhead. Dexter rolled his eyes skyward to watch as Cupid looked around for a few minutes in search of him before flying off in another direction without noticing him neath the half-dead canopy. Once she was sure she was gone, the strange girl uncovered Dexter's mouth and began to study him, looking intensely at him with her amber eyes and examining his hands and arms with her fingers and even sniffing his hair.

"Um, thanks for the save?" Dexter said, unsure of what he should say; it was after all, not every day someone was saved by a strange, wild girl in the middle of the winter. "But aren't you cold?" he wondered.

The girl stopped and looked at him. "Cold?"

"Well, h-how can you not be cold? It's gotta be ten below and you're practically naked!" Dexter pointed out as he slipped off his hat and handed it to the girl before slipping off his mittens and taking off his jacket as well; she needed it far more than he did and at least he had a wool sweater underneath. He was surprised when the girl shook her head and handed them back to Dexter, not even shivering in the slightest when a chilled breeze swept past them and threatened to blow them off of the branch they were sitting on, the girl's strong toes keeping a firm grip with minimal effort.

"Thank you for your generosity, but I don't need those." the girl declined politely. "I'm perfectly fine."

Dexter cocked an eyebrow as he slipped his hat back on, keeping his mittens and jacket out just in case she changed her mind. "A-Are you sure?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. My name is Savara. Savara Charming."

Dexter blinked in surprise. "Charming? But . . . I'm Dexter Charming." he explained with confusion. "I . . . I don't remember ever hearing of you."

Savara's expression turned sorrow upon hearing that, her face screwing up into one of frustration and anger. "Of course you've never heard of me. No one remembers old Savara."

"Why? Did something happen to you?" Dexter wondered with concern.

The sour look on Savara's face softened into a bright, cheery grin as she leaped backwards on the branch away from Dexter with ease, effortlessly standing on her hands and grabbing a snow-covered branch overhead with her feet before pulling herself up and very nearly giving Dexter a good view of her unmentionables when her ragged skirt started to slip before she righted herself on the branch and starred down at him with a bright smile. "That's not to be of concern right now," she said. "What we should be focusing on is how to win this little game of yours."

"You . . . you want to join in?" Dexter raised an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Savara smiled. "I'd love to help someone I have so much in common with!"

Dexter was growing more and more confused by the minute. "In common?" he wondered. "Other than our last name, you I don't seem to have a single thing similar to one another."

Savara rolled her eyes and smiled; he'd stop playing this silly game of his and come around eventually. "Oh, don't worry about it for now, you handsome boy, you. Right now, just get ready to follow my lead; your friend is coming back."

Now Dexter was beyond confused. "How do you-

" _Dexter! Dexter!_ " Cupid called out. " _Come on, we gotta head back!_ "

"My sense of smell. Even Big Bad can't smell this well." Savara smirked, tapping her nose with a knowing look; the more and more time Dexter spent talking to this strange girl, who seemed to be part man part animal, the weirder and weirder she seemed to become, having a sense of smell that could rival a wolf, more strength than a bear, and enough agility to be considered a monkey. This seemed to be a trivial matter right now as Savara practically threw herself off of the tree branch overhead and plummeted towards the ground, nimbly grabbing hold of a seemingly tiny, flexible branch with her dexterous feet and scooping an armful of icy snow before shooting back up and landing skillfully on the same branch Dexter was on.

"What are we doing?" Dexter wondered as he took a wad of snow that was offered to him.

"Make ammunition." Savara answered simply, though Dexter thought he heard an almost animal-like growl curl past her lips; the answer sounded a little more like a demand. Dexter wasn't sure if he should flinch or run away, but settled for doing as was suggested and packing the gathered snow into several tight balls.

" _Dexter!_ " Cupid called out, cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify her voice before stuffing her freezing hands back into her muff; thankfully that was all that remained cold thanks to a set of slits in the back of her hood that allowed her large, feathery wings to slip out. The young deity was growing more and more worried by the minute at Dexter's absence; she had only meant for the sudden snowball fight to be nothing more than a harmless game, but had it turned out to be more than that? Had Dexter had hurt or offended that she was winning? Was he now off somewhere sulking and feeling absolutely miserable? Was he possibly in danger? Had he gotten himself hurt!?

"Oh, Dexter, where are you?" Cupid wondered with worry.

"Hey, Cupid!"

The young goddess felt her heart flutter and her worried demeanor immediately pick up upon hearing Dexter's once more from . . . right below her! Looking down, Cupid saw him sitting on a tree limb with a playful look on his face sitting next to . . . was that another girl? Another girl sitting on the branch next to her crush? Whoever this strange was, she was sitting awfully close to Dexter, too close for Cupid's comfort. And the way the girl was grinning at her like some kind of hungry predator . . . were . . . were those . . . _fangs?_

Cupid didn't get a chance to find out. Mere seconds upon finding her lost friend, Dexter and the strange girl scooped up armloads of snowballs and started hurling them at her; Cupid was caught off guard at first, getting struck in the shoulder and leg by Dexter's poor aim before she was able to skillfully dodge the majority with little effort a small laugh escaping her lips; finally, he had managed to get the upper hand on her.

Dexter was laughing and grinning like an idiot as he hurled snowball after snowball at Cupid, being careful to avoid hitting her wings and face and focusing on her more cushioned areas like her legs and stomach than anything that might be vital; glancing over at Savara, the Son of Prince Charming found her smiling as well, her lips turned upwards in a bright grin as she chucked a snowball at Cupid and succeeded in striking her in the foot. He was happy to see her having fun, believing to have found a new friend in her . . . maybe she would be willing to tell her how she shared the same last name as him instead of swiftly changing the subject? His hopes were put on hold however when he realized that unlike him, Savara's arms were not tiring as she hurled the snowballs at Cupid, her speed only increasing as she continued to pummel Cupid harder and harder, aiming for her more vulnerable areas while a predatory grin took over her playful smile. It was almost like . . .

"Savara! Stop!" Dexter said. "We won! It's over!"

"It's not over until I say it is." Savara snarled, her voice deeper and more guttural as she scurried further along the branch and continued to throw her snowballs even harder at Cupid; one lucky shot plowed itself through Cupid's wings, causing her to falter in her flight briefly and make her drop through the air slightly before she managed to regain her balance.

"Savara! You have to stop!" Dexter exclaimed. "You're gonna hurt her!

"Dexter! Stop it!" Cupid pleaded, shielding her face with her hands; ignoring Dexter and Cupid's pleas for mercy and help, Savara ignored them and continued to hammer Cupid with snowballs with enough force behind them to drive nails into wood on most occasions, leaving any exposed areas of Cupid's to become a nasty purple and red as they bruised. Savara never relented and only threw harder and harder until she succeeded in striking Cupid in the jaw, stunning her and knocking her out of the sky much to Dexter's horror.

" _Cupid!_ " Dexter yelled as he watched her plummet to the ground and land in a cloud of fluffy, white snow; the young goddess didn't move for several harrowing seconds before her wings twitched slightly and she moaned, slowly sitting up and massaging an aching spot on her skull. Relieved that she was alright, the Son of Prince Charming felt his temper flare as he turned on Savara, who was more amused at how things turned out than guilty if anything. "What did you do that for!? She could have gotten hurt!" he berated her.

Savara's satisfied grin and bright, amber eyes now took on a hurt expression, her lips turning in a deep frown as her eyes narrowed to near slits; Dexter immediately felt any courage he had evaporate as Savara bent down low close to the branch, her figure sleek and limber as she slowly stalked across the branch towards him. The prince had seen that same posture and hungry look in her eye in Jane when she was under the cursed riddle book's spell, reduced to nothing more than a mindless, predatory beast that hacked and slashed and maimed and mauled and tried to kill anything that crossed its path. Dexter let out a small yelp of fear as Savara leaped and crashed into him, roughly slamming him against the tree's trunk and drawing her face close to his.

"Do you know why I'm out here? Why we share the last name? Why I hit your _friend?_ " she hissed in a low tone, her breath nearly upon his lips as she spat out the last word with as much disdain and hatred as humanly possible. Before Dexter could answer, Savara grabbed him by the back of his jacket and easily lifted him off of the branch they were sitting on before throwing herself through the air and landed in the tree just above Cupid before springing away to another one and another, never stopping with a frightened Dexter in her grip until they were a short distance away from Cupid that they could still see her while remaining undetected by the young goddess once more.

And, once more, Dexter was slammed against the trunk of the tree, wincing slightly as Savara shoved her face near his and dug her nails deep into his chest, driving them through his jacket with ease and stabbing them into his skin with her lips drawn back in a deep snarl. "I am like you, young prince." she explained with a pained and infuriated tone. "I was almost a part of your wretched family, a princess who was to be wed to handsome prince charming from your line when she turned eighteen . . . if only fate had been so kind to me."

"Wh-What happened?" Dexter gulped with fear.

Savara narrowed her eyes at him. "I suffered like you did. My husband to be ran off with some bar tending slut and left me heartbroken mere days before we were to be married," she replied, her grip tightening on Dexter further, as if she were experiencing physical pain while recalling the horrid memories that lurked deep within her mind. "I was devastated and jealous beyond repair, twisted into a horrifying monster the very night I was broke in two."

Dexter blinked with surprise, stunned. "Y-You mean . . ?"

Savara grinned cunningly, her teeth having been replaced with sharp, cruel fangs. " _Yes._ " she hissed with a low growl as her body began to change before his very eyes; her athletic figure swelled and pulsed in what looked like to excruciating agony as more muscle mass and tissue piled itself on Savara, twisting her arms in monstrous, hulking limbs that looked like they could have decimated a small tree with a single blow of her twitching fingers before they exploded in size when sharp claws tore through her nails. Savara's legs cracked and crunched, twisting and warping into those of the back legs of an animal, strong paws taking the place of her hand-like feet as a layer of thick, shaggy, brown fur started to sprout all over her body, her hair growing longer and thicker until it hung over her like a thick blanket; at this point, Savara halted the transformation and looked back at Dexter with glowing, amber eyes.

"I knew deep down that they would be horrified to see me like this," she glowered, her voice deeper yet somehow retaining a feminine tone to it. "I kept it hidden. At times it was . . . _difficult_. . . to stay in a household with people who abolished everything that went against the stories, and a she-beast was but one of many. All was right until my family and I went on an outing and were attacked by a pack of hungry, savage wolves . . . truly wretched creatures."

"Wh-What happened?" Dexter trembled, having a distinct feeling that if he didn't show some kind of positive emotion that things would turn _really_ bad for him in the end.

Savara remained silent for a while, climbing off of him and scooting about a foot away on the branch as her body slowly returned her to its original form; the fur coat that covered her entire body was shed, retracting back within herself as her wild locks shortened and her eyes dulled slightly. The strong claws and firm fingers that tipped her hands shriveled and weakened as her arms and legs quite a bit of muscle and tissue, still retaining some form of athleticism and strength even after resuming their original form while her paws split back into a pair of dexterous opposable feet that Savara gripped the branch with while wrapping her arms around her, starring out at the forest with a distant look. Dexter was unsure of what she was thinking, if anything, but he knew that look all to well; he use to stare like that on occasion out towards the horizon, devastated by the loss of Raven.

"Are . . . are you alright?" Dexter wondered.

" _They were appalled._ " Savara whispered, looking at her hands with a pained expression and clenching them into fists so tight she was sure she was drawing blood. "Even though I saved their lives . . . they saw nothing but a _monster._ A mindless, terrifying, brutal, cruel, killing machine that they couldn't bear to look at; I was captured and locked away in the dungeons, chained to a wall and forgotten about, erased from the Charming history books as a hidden shame."

Before Dexter could offer any sort of sympathy for her, she continued on. "But 'stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage', to quote from Richard Loveless. Even the dungeons toughest chains could not hold me for long and I broke free, running away from all I knew and into these very woods to live my days in solitude. Nobody bothered to come after me, preferring to forget ever meeting me and twisting my mournful tale into nothing more than a _joke._ "

"You were out here all alone?" Dexter said with amazement and pity, feeling beyond sorry for the girl sitting next to him on the branch.

"I was," Savara sniffed slightly before turning to Dexter with a slight smile. "Until I met you."

Dexter felt his breath catch in his throat as an intense blush crossed his face while he backed up against the trunk of the tree when Savara slunk closer to him, a grin upon her lips as she drew her face close to her once more, an intimacy that was quickly growing to be something of a normal thing with her. "Wh-Wh-What d-do y-y-you mean-n?" Dexter gulped.

Savara smirked before she leaned forward, taking a deep sniff out of Dexter's hair, slipping off his hat as she did so while shivering with anticipation before tentatively giving a long, slow lick upside his neck before returning to look at him with a slightly red face. "I can sense the beast's curse within you, Dexter, I can sense it waiting, itching, crawling, begging to be released again."

The Son of Prince Charming was more confused than ever before; disregarding the fact that he was talking to someone he had quite literally met only a half hour ago, she also turned out to be some cursed, nightmarish monster just like him just looking for companionship and someone to call a friend while simultaneously nearly severely injuring one of his closest friends and flirting with him at a level that he was nowhere near comfortable with. "Wh-What does that have to do with knocking my friend's brains out?" he countered with an irked tone, wanting a total and complete answer.

"She'll betray you in the end, Dexter." Savara snarled with a loud, bestial growl crossing her lips. "How could she ever love a monster like you, a ticking time bomb that could go off at any second with no one strong enough to stop you? They will never understand you, never understand _us._ " she purred, cuddling up to him as she spoke, innocently sliding her fingers underneath of his jacket and slipping it off of him while he listened with a dazed expression, too stunned to even comprehend that Savara had just torn his wool, Christmas sweater in half, leaving him bare chested against the cold, winter weather. "You and me? We're two of a kind." she breathed, snuggling up close to him and biting her lip anxiously as she pressed her figure against his.

"Wh-What are you-" Dexter snapped out of it, now just realizing how cold it was outside.

"Come with me." Savara cut him off, her breath hot and thick on his neck. "Run away with me so that we can be together forever. Just you and I, a beast and his mate alone without anyone to scream and yell in fright at the mere sight of us. We can be safe and happy, just you and me." she moaned slightly, wrapping her arms around him and softly kissing his jaw; her behavior was strange to Dexter, almost as if she were an animal in heat.

"D-Dexter?" Cupid's faint voice came off from somewhere.

"Ignore her, Dexter." Savara purred, hugging him warmly. "She doesn't need you, but I do."

 _She . . . does have a point, right?_ Dexter thought to himself, a warm feeling creeping across his face as Savara massaged his shoulders and chest muscles with adoration. This strange girl, this stranger like him that he had so much in common with . . . if he listened to her, ran off with her and never returned to Ever After High, would he truly be missed? Would fairy tales notice his disappearance or would they continue life as if he hadn't existed? It seemed, compared to other people like his older brother or even Ben, that he was a nobody, a leftover to be used as a substitute, nothing more than a puzzle piece getting shoved into puzzle he clearly didn't fit in; would he be missed then, if Daring or another prince failed in their story? Now that he thought about it, he didn't matter to a lot of people, always getting overshadowed by other, better heroes like Ben and Daring and only getting noticed when he unintentionally caused trouble or someone needed something fixed.

Would he truly be happy if he ran away with Savara and never looked back, never looked back on the life that he had managed to scrounge together in his brother's shadow? Now that he thought about it more closely, there were a _few_ people that he would miss; there was, of course, none other than Raven Queen, his first love and one of the few rays of sunshine in the sorry excuse of a life he was living. He supposed that they to had something in common, both hating their lives even though she was on the Rebel side of the conflict for her own reasons and he was only on the Royal side out of family tradition, but he truly was honored that she noticed him and liked him enough to call him a friend. Then there was a Ben, who was perhaps the most controversial member out of his small group of friends, but after the wielder of the Omnitrix had managed to talk some sense into him, Dexter actually started to see him as an acquaintance at the very least and a good friend at the most; he supposed it wasn't entirely Ben's fault for stealing Raven away from him and turning Ever After on his head, considering he came from a parallel world and had no idea how things worked in his own. And then . . . there was Cupid. Looking back on things, the young deity was perhaps the first friend Dexter had ever made, his best friend ever after as well, who had stuck by his side through thick and thin and still saw good in him, a second chance when so many had already lost hope and given up on him.

If he took Savara's offer . . . would he ever see them again?

" _D-Dexter?_ " Cupid called out again, her voice shaking him free of his thoughts.

Immediately, Dexter knew what his decision was.

"I'm sorry, Savara, but I can't do this." he frowned, prying the she-beast off of him while he gathered up his jacket and slipped it over himself before he caught hypothermia. "You may think they'll turn on me, but I know my friends better than anyone, and if I know them they'll stick by me through thick and thin." he told her as he wrapped his arms and legs around the trunk of the tree. "I only wish I had realized that sooner." he whispered to him before sliding down the trunk to the ground. With that being said and done, Dexter started to rush off towards the sound of Cupid's voice, only to be suddenly yanked back.

"You aren't going anywhere." Savara frowned, hanging from a branch by her hands and holding him with her dexterous feet.

"Let me go, Savara! I have to go make sure Cupid's alright!" Dexter struggled fruitlessly before Savara lifted him up by her feet, tossed him up into the air and caught him with her feet once more, catching him just under his arms and effortlessly supporting his weight half a dozen feet off of the ground.

"You aren't going anywhere." Savara repeated. "You might not realize it yet, but you need me as much as I need you. We're two lost souls destined for one another."

"Not interested!" Dexter grunted, feebly trying to squirm himself free.

"Struggle all you want, but it won't work," Savara smirked, pulling him close to her with a devilish and seductive smirk on her lips. "At least, not in your current form."

Dexter shook his head. "Oh, n-no. I am _never_ turning into that thing again!" he huffed, folding his arms over his chest in defiance.

Savara however, did not seem the slightest bit deterred, a cocky grin joining the mixture of emotions pooling together on her face. "I admire your determination, you sweet stud, but I _will_ get to change." she smiled, pulling him close to her until he was less than an inch away from her face for what seemed to be the fifth time that day. "One way or _another._ " she hissed in his face, softly kissing his cheek before the Son of Prince Charming swiftly kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying, dropping him down roughly to the ground with a pained grunt as he landed hard on his knee before he ran off in the direction Cupid's voice had come from, breathing hard as he did so; Savara on the other hand had merely planted her feet firmly on the first tree trunk she had bounced off of and shot off after Dexter on all fours, her body shifting and changing all the while.

"Cupid! _Cupid!_ " Dexter as he stumbled through the snow, his heart hammering his chest and his breath short and ragged as the sound of increasingly bigger and bigger footsteps came pounding up behind, kicking up the layer of snow and ice in thick clouds as it got closer and closer with every step Dexter took. He ignored his pursuer and weaved through the maze of bare, icicle covered trees, going so far as to ram right into one as hard as possible to shake the forest of icicles down overhead to stall Savara as long as possible; even a single, precious second would have been useful.

" _Cupid!_ " Dexter yelled at the top of his lungs before he heard a slight whimper to his right and scrambled in that direction, barely keeping his foothold on the slippery ground as he charged after the source of the noise and skidded down to a stop on his knees in front of Cupid, relief upon his face when he found that she had been leaning up against a tree trunk the whole time nursing the nasty bump on her head.

"Dexter . . ?" Cupid hissed, rubbing her aching skull. "That girl . . . she's a _lot_ stronger than she looks."

"You have no idea," Dexter mumbled under his breath before fully embracing the young deity; Cupid froze on the spot, her head injury all but forgotten as she cautiously returned the hug, unsure of whether the snowball to the head had actually managed to somehow knock her out and turn this wonderful moment into nothing more than a dream that be cut all too short once she woke up. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"R-Really?" Cupid resisted the urge to squeal and blush.

"Yes," Dexter said as he helped her stand up. "But right now, we have bigger problems."

"Like what?" Cupid wondered before gagging at the scent of a horrible, hot odor that stabbed itself deep into her nose and refused to leave even when she held her breath; it was like a combination of rotting meat and moist earth with the crisp, winter making it like an invisible knife was stabbing itself inside her brain. Upon feeling the hot, wet breath on the back of his neck, Dexter turned around and cringed at the sight of what had once been Savara; she was now more than twice her original size, absolutely dwarfing Dexter as she loomed over him, glowering at him with an oddly human, amber pair of eyes and a set of razor-sharp fangs and tusks that were a tad smaller than the Beast's. Her entire, muscled figure had swelled to epic proportions, making her original arms and legs look like noodles in comparison to the strong, wicked claw tipped fingers and paws while her hunched back was draped over by a thick, shaggy mane and a lion-like tail slithered out from the base of her spine, her bestial figured barely covered by the ripped and torn rags Savara had been wearing earlier.

"Uh, C-Cupid, you remember m-meeting Savara, r-right?" Dexter gulped.

"Vaguely." Cupid whimpered, shrinking and curling up against Dexter for safety.

"Savara th-this is Cupid, my friend." Dexter said, trying to remember what his hero training had taught him about distracting your opponent in anyway possible that didn't endanger the helpless maiden while you looked for a way out of the situation. "Y-You've met before."

" _Don't remember._ " Savara snarled, shoving Dexter down to the snow and out of the way as she swung her other arm and clobbered Cupid, slamming her against the trunk of a another tree with a loud _crack!_

"Cupid!" Dexter cried.

Savara ignored his cries of worry and let out a loud, bestial roar that seemed to rattle the very air as she charged forward on all fours at Cupid, bunching up her legs and pouncing upon her with her claws raised and ready to slash her in half; the young goddess yelped and rolled out of the way in the nick of time, scrambling to her feet and running off through the forest with her breath in her throat and her hammering pounding in her chest. The she-beast made a move to give chase before she was suddenly decked across by a snowball.

"Leave her alone!" Dexter demanded, chucking another snowball at her face; the she-beast ignored him and swung her arm a second time, colliding it with his chest and thumping him against another tree, knocking the breath out of his lungs. The Son of Prince Charming watched feebly as Savara gave a cunning grin and ran off after Cupid, leaving him at the base of the tree for the time being; and all Dexter could do was think about how he had failed Cupid, how he had failed his best friend. She had stuck by his side through the worst of storms, always there to help pick him up when he was down, and he had failed her.

 _Weakling._

Dexter's eyes widened upon hearing the word, glancing around for the source of the voice that he had heard echoing in his ears deep and breathy, as if it was some sort of monstrous machine growling and grinding from the bottom of a pitch, black pit of despair.

 _Useless._

He now knew where the voice was coming from, the voice that was taunting him so at his failure, his inability to even save the one he held most dear to him: The Beast. The Beast within him, the unholy monstrosity that made him an outcast amongst his peers and made them cringe and wince and flinch and cramp themselves into the nearest corners and alcoves to avoid being seen by him as he traversed the halls, the very nightmare that tormented him ever since that fateful night when his humanity had slipped at the creature . . . the _thing_ . . . the Beast had broken free. It was irrational and furious, an unstoppable killing machine that could only be halted by the bravest warriors . . . that didn't include himself.

"N-No." Dexter whispered to him as he hauled himself to his feet and clenched his fist tightly, using every last ounce of mental strength he had to suppress and push the Beast back down within him as he ran off in the direction Cupid and Savara had gone, sweat dripping down his brow and his warm breath fogging up his glasses slightly as he hoped he wasn't too late; a loud scream cut through the chilled air like a sharpened, steel blade, stabbing itself almost painfully into Dexter's ears and worming its way deep inside his head, fueling him to push his body to the limits as he forced it to run faster, forced it to run harder, forced it to simply run so that he could be there before it was too late.

He soon found them in the middle of a clearing, the perfect blanket of white snow now torn up and heavily trampled with clear signs of a struggle; downy, white feathers were everywhere along with a few, stray patches of brown fur that Cupid had been lucky enough to tear out. But what caught Dexter's attention the most was the red and pink stains that covered the ground, scattered and scarce at first but getting more and more concentrated towards the center of the clearing where Savara stood looming over Cupid as she lay curled up into a ball with what remained of her wings wrapped around her like a shield. Despite her heavy sobs and pleas for mercy, Savara continued to maul her, raking her claws through her winter garb and digging into her skin before grabbing her by an arm and slamming her against the ground and then throwing her against a tree; blood was dripping from multiple wounds across Cupid's body, a steady stream of the precious liquid dribbling out of her nose as she whimpered and waited for the abuse to stop as Savara charged at her, jaws open wide in a deep snarl and claws ready to gut her like a fish.

Dexter didn't know what happened next as he watched Cupid simply lay there, looking absolutely helpless and pitiful for the first time in her life; one minute he was standing there, watching the person he cared most about in the world lying there waiting for the inevitable pain and agony that would come, the next he was yelling at the top of his lungs and barreling across the clearing as fast as possible, throwing his entire weight into Savara's side and throwing the both of them off course, smashing and bashing against the ground as they tumbled and finally came to a stop.

"I knew it would work." Savara grinned toothily as she climbed to her feet and shook the snow out of her fur in a fashion similar to a large, furry dog.

"What are you talking about?" Dexter snarled before he realized that his voice was deeper and more forced; he glanced at his hands and found they had been twisted into half-formed versions with strong fingers and wicked claws attached to powerful hands and even more powerful arms covered in layers of shaggy, brown hair. His shoulders and back had swelled to monstrous proportions, a pair of sharp horns thrusting out of his skull just in front of his ears and behind the cage of crushing fangs and tusks that now filled his mouth. His jacket lay in shreds on the ground around him, a furry, wolf-like tail swishing back and forth in anger as the Beast roared with fury and acrimony.

" _You_ . . . _you did this to me!_ " the Beast bellowed, jamming a finger at the she-beast.

Cupid cracked open an eye after what seemed an eternity of waiting for the demise that never came and felt them widen and her heart nearly skip a beat as she watched the Beast and Savara wrestle around in the snow, the both of them roaring and snarling at the top of their lungs. The young goddess watched and mentally cheered as the Beast managed to come out on top in the small scuffle between him and his female counterpart, pinning the she-beast to the ground and savagely biting her shoulder, tearing into her flesh as she howled and managed to slid her legs underneath of his stomach, pushing him up and off of him with a quick kick that allowed her to climb to her feet.

Savara was delighted on the inside despite appearing absolutely furious on the outside; if she could just beat him, make him see that he would be far happier with her than with the winged slut currently licking her wounds a few yards off, then her goal would be complete. The only slight issues were the presence of the traitorous, winged slut and the fact that what the Beast lacked in skill and experience, he more than made up for it with his strength and power. She would have to be cunning and crafty while showing off her physical prowess if she wanted to make the Beast her mate; his human form was, unfortunately rather lack luster, but then again so had hers until she had been banished to the enchanted Forest and been forced to live amongst the wild animals and harsh weather conditions Mother Nature presented her with.

With a loud roar, the Beast charged forward at her, his claws pounding the snow and kicking up ice as he raced across the clearing towards her with murder in his eyes; she grinned a toothy smile that would made most creatures back up from the sheer amount of bone crushing fangs she had before turning tail to run towards the nearest tree and climb her way up, her sharp claws allowing her to do so with minimal to no effort as she then proceeded to climb upside down along a branch just out of reach of the Beast's swiping claws when he tried to jump up and pull her down.

"Now you're just showing off." the Beast snarled as he slammed a strong hand into the bark of the tree and made his way up after her, an intense frown on his jaws.

"And if I am?" Savara shot back with a taunting tone.

The Beast didn't reply as he hauled himself up the trunk of the tree and onto the branch Savara was hanging upside down from, teasing him all the while; if he could get her to fall, he could then use his height to his advantage and drop down on her, pinning her to the ground and winning the fight. With this in mind, he rushed across the branch and was prepared to step as painfully on the she-beast's fingers and toes as possible when a loud cracking noise caught his attention. Gripping the branch tightly, he felt a sudden jerk as the tree limb snapped and bowed under their combined weight, giving him mere seconds to profusely curse under his breath before the branch finally broke and dropped both him and Savara to the ground in a cloud freezing, white flakes.

Cupid watched with baited breath, wondering what would happen and quickly getting an answer when the Beast roared and came tumbling and rolling out of the white flurry locked together with Savara, the two of them rolling around across the curling as they bit and slashed and attacked each other with mercy, tussling and tumbling around the clearing until they popped up with fingers interlocked together and each struggling against the other to gain some kind of ground; while the Beast was stronger than Savara, the she-beast had more than enough energy to hold her ground against his exhausting body.

"Tired, _dear?_ " she growled with a cocky heart.

The Beast snarled and was about to come back with a biting comment when a bright, flash of green light came off from out of the corner of his eye, a sight that was barely noticeable to someone in his position; he suspected that Savara either didn't see it or didn't know what it was, but the sight was an all too familiar one to the Beast, though not unwelcome in this case.

"Not even." the Beast gave a smug grin before he gave a sudden shove and pushed her back a few feet.

"Surpr- _eyes!_ " a gruff, somewhat nasally voice yelled; Savara briefly diverted her gaze towards the source of the noise and was greeted with a sudden blast of energy that sent her flying across the clearing. With a grunt of annoyance, the she-beast propped herself up on an elbow and felt her eyes widened upon seeing the three people that had joined them in the clearing. The first was a girl with ivory white skin and purple eyes shaded by a head of hair of the same color stained with a dark, cruel black while the second girl bore a pair of stormy, gray eyes and was draped in a crimson hood; to her sensitive nose, the strange girl smelled just like her, almost as if . . .

"Oh, yeah! The _eyes_ have it!" the third creature grinned cockily. He was roughly the size of an average adult, male human if not a foot or so taller and was covered in leathery, dark yellow skin on his upper half with a lighter shade coating his belly and under his arms; he was well muscled as well, his legs long and lean and perfect for jumping while his three, clawed toes and four digited hands would allow him to most likely scale most vertical surfaces. What drew the most attention however, were the seventeen or so bright, green eyes that dotted his entire upper body except for, ironically, his face. Instead, his head was dominated by a pair of large, flap-like ears that took up his entire face and allowed him to sense more of his surroundings than most other beings would be able to perceive.

"What _are_ you?" Savara hissed irritably as the ivory-skinned girl, a witch if the she-beast's nose was working right, rushed to the aid of Cupid, bending down and fussing over the winged girl with a worried expression as her hands glowed an ominous purple in color; upon touching her palm to a bruise on her hip, Cupid cried out in pain and Raven instantly withdrew her hand, wincing at the blackened energy that crackled between her fingers like conductors.

"The _eye_ cing on this cake!" Eye Guy cracked as he raised up his hands and fired off dual blasts from the eyes on his hands; Savara dodged both, ducking under the first and dodging the avoid the second, but she was completely caught off guard by Cerise as the hooded girl snarled and growled in a fashion very similar to that of a hungry wolf before rushing at her and successfully tackling her to the ground despite being less than half her size. Savara was stunned as Cerise grunted and managed to heave her entire body weight off of the ground and above her head with some effort before throwing her as far as possible across the clearing, a good six yards or so with a feral frown upon her lips as her eyes glowed an intense amber.

"Here's some holiday cheer all up in your face!" a slimy, green, booger-like creature chuckled mischievously as he slithered and oozed his body over Eye Guy's right arm while simultaneously tapping into the Omnitrix's genetic database; a pair of thick, carbonfiber cables wrapped around the Opticoid's arm and slithered in two, different directions. One end snaked and wormed its way to his back, jamming themselves into the side of a durable, black, turtle-like shell that was forming on his back as three, icy blue fins thrust themselves out along the spine while the other end of the cables wrapped around Eye Guy's arm and into his waiting hand, forming a black handle and blue trigger button that sprouted out into a large, black cannon that the cables attached into the bottom and back of as three more icy blue fins grew from the back of the canister, forming two glowing orbs on either side of the barrel; a rounded, reptilian head with jaws similar to a steel bear trap formed on the opposite end, a pair of nonfunctioning eyes opening up on either side of the head as several barbels and growths formed on his chin, completing the transformation.

" _Cool!_ The Arctigun!" Eye Guy grinned upon seeing the new Polar Manzardill weapon in hand before pointing it at Savara and pulling the trigger; the Polar Manzardill's mouth instantly snapped open and blasted an icy vapor out at the she-beast, freezing her solid as the moisture in her body and the surrounding air was frozen, forming ice crystals that coated her entire figure until she looked like an incredibly ugly ice statue.

" _Freeze!_ Ha, hah! I've always wanted to say that!" Skurd quipped excitedly.

"And you say my puns are bad." Eye Guy rolled all seventeen of the eyes that covered his entire body at once.

Savara didn't know who this strange creature was, or who the shape-shifting slime upon his arm, the young witchling currently trying to treat Cupid's wounds and failing, or animalistic girl that was stronger than most men were, but she knew she was more than capable of handling all three of them plus her temperamental love as long as there weren't any more surprises. With a low, guttural growl and grunt, she flexed her powerful muscles and broke free of her permafrost prison, sending ice scattering in all directions as she roared and rushed at the assuming witchling.

"Look out, Raven!" Eye Guy yelled; the witchling gasped with surprise and threw her hands up at the last second, encompassing both herself and Cupid in a durable, purple dome that bowed and shimmered under every blow Savara threw at it until Eye Guy closed all the eyes on his body and formed them all into a single, large eye on his chest that glowed ominously and buzzed slightly before it slithered out on a long, dexterous vein that slammed into Savara's head, stunning her long enough for the eye to blast her with a more concentrated beam than before, blasting her back just as Raven dropped the shield.

"Leave my friends alone!" Cerise growled, tackling Savara once more and furiously biting her firm fingers, crushing the bones in her middle and index fingers with her jaws before grabbing the Riding Hood was smacked upside the head with enough force to send her flying across the clearing, bouncing a couple times before coming to a stop, unmoving save for the annoying movement in her chest that signified she was still alive.

Savara's attention was quickly drawn away from Cerise as the Beast roared and charged at her, grabbing her by her upper arm and swinging her around and around in a circle, his claws digging in deep into her flesh before he threw her across the clearing, growling with annoyance when the she-beast only skidded back a couple of yards before charging at him again, tackling him to the ground while dodging a quick eye blast from Eye Guy. Savara then grabbed the Beast by his tail and swung him around like he had done to her, spinning around and around until she had reached a satisfying climax and hurled the Beast at Eye Guy, sending the both of them tumbling and bouncing across the clearing in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Nice try, _dear._ " Savara growled with a toothy smile.

"'Dear' my eye!" Eye Guy snarled as he crawled out from under the Beast and fired off a quick jet of cold vapor from the Arctigun before charging at the she-beast with fists clenched and eyes glowing an ominous green in color, ready to fire at will. Savara merely rolled her own eyes and weaved her head to the right to avoid a quick punch from the Opticoid before grabbing him by the forearm and flipping him over her shoulder and slamming his back into the ground, pinning his legs and the Arctigun to the ground with her feet and hand while drawing back her free hand and closing her strong fingers into a firm fist.

"Please! Not the eye!" Eye Guy pleaded comically, shielding his eyeless face with his free arm as he squeezed the eyes all over his body shut.

Before Savara could slug him in the face however, a loud, high-pitched warbling noise drew her attention away from the Opticoid to suddenly be rammed in from the side, a sharp pain filling her shoulder and chest as she was sent flying and bouncing across the clearing once more, landing on her side with a pained grunt and taking several labored breaths for staggering to her feet and looking up at what had plowed right into her; a large, violet and purple furred caribou with a shaggy coat and a dark, almost black, indigo rack of antlers that the beast allowing Eye Guy to use as a support to help him to his feet. Sitting on the back of the animal was an oddly humanoid girl with soft, green skin, a pair of plump lips riddled with little, needle-like fangs, a pair of bright, blue eyes, and long, sweeping, neon green and pink hair that was shaved off of one side and swept over the other, a cruel smirk upon her lips as she bounced a pinecone in her palm.

The caribou gave off another shrill howl and snorted, tossing its head and pawing the ground in a threatening manner before something happened that Savara not only did not expect but had never encountered before in all her days; her entire frame began to swell and get larger, _much_ larger than her skinny form. Her bones groaned loudly as more and more weight was put onto them, muscle and tissue and fat piling themselves up underneath of Jane's thickening skin. Her top split open along the spine as she grew bigger and bigger, quickly dwarfing Eye Guy and Venus as the plant monster was propelled upwards by the transformation until she was well over eleven feet off the ground and Jane's legs and arms had thickened and grown to be as thick around as telephone poles; her fingers became quite short and stubby, soon almost nonexistent and leaving behind nothing but fingers on her growing forelegs. She shot upwards a couple extra feet, a mound of tough muscle and bone swelling between her shoulder blades and transitioning rather sharply into her back as a small, ropy tail squirted out from the base of her spine. One of the two most noticeable changes however, was Jane's head as almost every last strand of hair was sucked back into her skull like strands of spaghetti, leaving nothing but thin, wiry hairs on her head and face while her ears grew to more than five times their original size, thoug they remained almost tiny in comparison to her full body weight. Jane's upper canines cracked and groaned loudly as they were forced out of her mouth and swiftly lengthened into a pair of massive, curved tusks that wrapped back around in front of her face as her eyes rotated off to the far sides of her head and her nose and upper lip effortlessly melted together and into a long, nine-foot manipulative trunk. The second most noticeable change to Jane's new form was the addition of a short layer of under wool that covered her entire body before long, thick, shaggy hair sprouted from her skin and only added to her general, impressive size just as a red, spiked collar appeared around her thick neck, completing the transformation.

"Two tons of fun, eh?" Eye Guy grinned as the woolly mammoth raised its trunk above its head and let out a long, warning trumpet as she stomped the ground with a massive foot. "Or to be more accurate, six and a half."

Barring the fact that a caribou had just suddenly and inexplicably turned into a mammoth, Savara was growing more and more uneasy; while the witchling did not seem to be a current threat, the feral, hooded girl that was staggering to her feet and roughly spitting at the ground with annoyance could be a problem, as well as the multieyed creature, green-skinned girl, and of course, the Beast, were an entirely different matter. She was vastly outnumbered and her bestial temper and instincts were telling her to fight until she had drawn her last breath, but her human half, the more logical half, was telling her to retreat and live to fight another day.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide." the Beast snarled, stalking towards her as the mammoth, Eye Guy, and Cerise did the same and forcing Savara back with every step they took.

"Looks can be deceiving." Savara shot back, trying to sound brave and avoid giving off the allusion of fear. The beast within her was screaming for her to fight back, to attack and maul and maim and destroy until nothing was left but her and her desired; the she-beast gave a low snarl and made a move to charge forward, only to be halted by a short blast of the Arctigun that formed jagged, pointed icicles from the ground in front of her, forcing her back even further. A sudden _twang!_ caught her attention and Savara turned her head to see an arrow implanted in the ground behind her, the culprit of the shot none other than Hunter Huntsman with an ax wielding Ashlynn by his side and a rather out of place Apple hanging back behind them trying to look as threatening as possible with nothing more than a ball of snow to arm herself with.

"One more move, and an arrow goes right between the eyes." Hunter threatened, pulling the drawn arrow back a little more for emphasis.

Savara didn't doubt him either and looked back and forth between her different adversary's, cringing slightly as Cerise snarled and bared her teeth in a wolf-like manner and bore her claws wickedly sharp, Eye Guy gave off small puffs of icy vapor from the Polar Manzardill weapon on his right arm while blinking his multiple eyes at random intervals, Jane snorted and flexed her trunk, Ashlynn patted Hunter's ax in her open palm, and the Beast merely glared at her, as if boring a hole right through her soul; she was cornered and trapped like a rat with no way to possibly escape that she could see. With little choice left, Savara heaved a defeated sigh and stole one last sorrowful look at the Beast.

"We could have been together." she lamented sadly before turning tail to run, her feet pounding the snow as Hunter fired off warning shot after warning shot after her; the Beast watched her go with a stoic, satisfied expression, obliviously to Savara's broken heart and her battle to fight back the trees that she would later shed upon resuming her human form somewhere far off in the deepest parts of the Enchanted Forest, far from prying eyes and ears and the weapons of men and monster and alien. Without a word or second look back, the Beast turned right around and walked up to Raven and Cupid, ignoring the way the witchling cringed slightly or how Hunter drew his bow and aimed it at him and Eye Guy leveled the Arctigun at his back, his finger waiting to pull the trigger finger when needed as the Beast carefully and tentatively scooped up Cupid in a large, furry arm and tucked her close to his chest before turning his gaze onto Eye Guy.

"Uh, guys. _Eye_ think we can lower our weapons." the Opticoid mumbled.

"What are you talking about, dear boy! He'll tear her to shreds!" Skurd exclaimed from the top of the Arcitgun, earning a loud roar of annoyance from the Beast.

"Lower your weapons." Eye Guy repeated; sharing looks with each other, Hunter did as he was told and relaxed his hold on the bow, keeping the arrow ready just in case as Ashlynn rested the blade of the ax in the snow and Jane backed off a few feet with a low rumbling. The Beast snorted and gave a curt nod to Eye Guy before barreling off into the woods in the direction of Ever After High, his pace never slowing down as he held on tightly to Cupid and allowed the young goddess to snuggle deeper into his frame; the Omnitrix timed out mere moments later, filling the clearing in a flash of green light as Ben resumed his original form and Skurd returned the Polar Manzardill DNA back into the Omnitrix.

"Ben, are you sure that was the best idea?" Raven wondered, getting up from the ground and dusting snow off of her.

Ben nodded. "Positive." he said. "We should head back anyway. It's getting colder."

"On the bright side, I found a pinecone we can grow!" Venus piped up, tossing said pinecone up into the air and spinning it on one of her fingers.

"Okay, now you're just showing off." Hunter frowned as he took hold of his ax and heaved it over his shoulder and trudging through the snow back towards the school as Jane turned around and carved a path through the permafrost with her large tusks, leaving a good trail for everyone else to follow behind in. Apple was the last one to follow after them, the already bright, cheery smile she had been wearing moments before they had earned the warning cry of a caribou echo hauntingly through the woods already gone and replaced with a fidgeting frown, something only made worse when she noticed Ben wrap his arms around Raven's shoulders only to have Cerise once again worm her way in between them and share her hood with the both of them to try and provide some warmth.

Apple had come to accept a while back that, contrary to what she desired and wished and mentally begged, Ben would not ever stop loving his ghoulfriends and would never stop loving his girlfriends and just never stop attracting the attention of females of various species and lineage; she had excepted this fact, and yet . . . it felt so _wrong_ to her. The negative feeling was worming and squirming and turning around deep inside her like some sort of parasite that steadily feeding off of her flesh and bodily fluids, growing bigger and fatter with every passing day; the thought made her shiver uncomfortably, but that was the least of her problems.

It seemed only a select few, including her, ever realized how important it was to follow their destinies, to follow in their parent's footsteps and relive the stories and tales they had forged forth for them. As far as she knew, the Rebels were nothing more than just troublemakers hellbent on making the poor Headmaster and the Royals lives living nightmares; but then again, some of her best friends forever after, including Ashlynn and Raven, were Rebels themselves and shared and liked the same things as Apple did. The thought and controversial issue at hand was so compelling and mind twisting, that Apple hardly noticed where she was going until she was sudden face down in the cold snow, her nose absolutely numb and frozen blue while she picked herself up and dusted herself off, shivering and looking back to see what had made her trip.

Sticking out of the ice and snow was a smooth, black object that reflected a blinding light in the barely sensible, warm, winter sun; curious, Apple scooted closer on her knees and wrapped her fingers around the top, giving it an experimental pull before giving it a quick tug and managing to pull it out after a few tries, nearly falling flat on her back before she was able to right herself and get a closer look at the object she had just unearthed. It was cool to the touch, even through her gloves and was clearly made out of a black metal of some kind that had been bent and woven into the form of a large, black lantern with exotic designs patterned and arched on all four sides.

"Apple, you coming?" Raven's voice called out before the princess could rub the snow away.

"Coming!" Apple shouted back as she tucked the lantern under her arm and unzipped her jacket far enough to slip it inside of a particularly large pocket that she had gotten Maddie to enchant with a little Wonderland magic so that it would be able to _much_ more than it had originally been able to. With the mysterious lantern tucked away, Apple zipped her jacket back up and hurried to catch up with the group.

* * *

Apple sighed happily as she fell back on her bed, revealing in the warm feeling that the sheets provided for her, wrapping her in warmth so fine that she nearly fell asleep on the spot right there; her blonde locks were damp and her finger tips were freshly wrinkled from the recent shower she had just taken and clothed herself in a fluffy, red robe decorated with pink and golden apples. The comforting hand of sleep however, was quickly shrugged off as Apple sat up on her bed and turned to look at the lantern sitting on the table beside her bed, starring back at her as if it were beckoning her closer and closer.

Now that she got a closer look at it, she supposed the lamp would make a decent Christmas gift for Ben. Or maybe Raven? After all, the witchling did on occasion take interest in certain magical runes, items, or objects depending on what they were used for or where they had originated from; and if this lantern had no magical uses, it could still make a lovely decoration item for the room or be used in one of the spells that Apple sometimes would catch Raven performing in the bathroom with the door locked and a towel stuffed under the door frame for some reason. Whenever the young witch had come out of the bathroom afterward, she had never given Apple a reason for performing such a spell or ceremony, no matter how much the princess had asked or begged.

"Ooh. You're in for a bit of a cleaning." Apple noted as she peered closer at the lantern and proceeded to slip back into the bathroom and grab a spare towel to clean the lamp with; she was currently alone in the dorm she shared with Raven, with the majority of her friends downstairs in the school's ballroom preparing for the festivities that would soon take part later that night. Briar had gone all out in preparation of the party, getting the most festive streamers and wreaths to deck the halls with and sparing no expense in finding the biggest disco ball as well while simultaneously signing Raven and the Rebels up to play music for the evening; the witchling still wasn't able to comprehend that she and a band that she had crushed together at the last second in a fit of fury had become so popular when almost every other day of the week the people she performed for would usually end up running and screaming away in the opposite direction as if she had the plague.

Cupid fortunately, had been swiftly taken to the healer's office by the Beast, suffering nothing more than multiple bruises, a broken nose, a severe loss of feathers that would leave her wings sore for weeks on end until they all grew back, and extreme exhaustion that had landed her a nice stay in the healer's office for the day; Apple wasn't even sure if the young goddess would be able to attend the Holiday Mash Up planned for that night, and that included Dexter as well. Upon resuming his human form after several hours of nervous pacing back and forth and roaring and snarling at anyone that came too close, the prince had changed back and hadn't left Cupid's side ever since, completely overcome with worry and concern.

Apple's concern for the moment however, was how a single, stubborn stain on the top of the lantern simply refused to be scrubbed away.

"Come on, come on," Apple grumbled under her breath out of frustration as she furiously rubbed the spot with the towel. "Why is this so difficult?" she wondered to herself before noticing that the lantern was actually _glowing,_ as if there were a bright, hot flame ignited deep within. The lantern suddenly began to rattle and vibrate angrily, bouncing up and down in Apple's grip before hopping down to the floor and quivered and shook from there before the top was blasted off by a blinding light that let a vaporous black smoke pour out and onto the floor, enveloping the room in a fog that made Apple cough and wheeze as much as it terrified her. The smoke continued to pour out violently, encompassing Apple's entire vision to the point where she thought she was seeing and hearing things; for a second there, she thought she heard someone screaming in agony and said person was actually emerging from the top of the lantern!

It was then that Apple realized she wasn't hallucinating: there really was someone coming out of the lamp!

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-_ OY!" the figure exclaimed as it reached it's maximum height, easily dwarfing Apple as it cried out and rubbed an area directly behind its head as it it were in pain; the smoke had cleared slightly, giving Apple a clearer view of who or what had just intruded on her private sanctuary. It was definitely human-like in appearance, with a head and two arms, but the legs seemed to have been traded out for a ghostly, wispy tail that trailed all the way back inside of the lantern. The figure also possessed pale, pink skin, bright blue hair pulled back into a segmented ponytail with a magenta streak, pointed ears, and stormy gray eyes like that of a brewing thundercloud. She wore somewhat skimpy attire compared to what Apple wore on a daily basis, the outfit consisting of a blue and pink top that showed off her midriff and cupped her breasts quite nicely, showing off a dark pink, scorpion tattoo, and a pink sash around her waist that seemed to taper into a pair of black pants.

"10,000 years will give you such a crick in the neck!" the girl groaned. "Give or take a few millennium."

"Uh . . ." Apple merely starred, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Close your mouth, kid, you'll catch flies." the girl joked as she grabbed her head and effortlessly and painlessly pulled it off of her shoulders, bouncing it up into the air and catching it her hand before spinning it like a ball on her finger and then popping it back onto her neck once more. "Ghoul, does it feel good to be out of there! How long was I in there anyway? And where the Sphinx am I?" the girl added.

"Um . . . uh . . . Ever After?" Apple tried, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Ever After, huh?" the pointed-earred girl tapped her chin. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"I dunno. Maybe you . . . uh . . ." Apple trailed off upon catching sight of a strange object strapped around the girl's left wrist; it looked very similar to a wrist watch with a white band decorated with light blue designs and with a square-shaped face plate with a pair of pink lines that formed the outline of an hourglass over the black surface. It almost looked like . . .

"What's that on your wrist?" Apple wondered.

The girl raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her bust, her gargantuan size shrinking down to something more manageable that was a little less than a head taller than Apple, assuming the girl didn't suddenly grow legs. "Never fails. New Finder rubs the lamp, summons the genie, and the first thing they want to know is anything but your name."

"Sorry." Apple apologized. "And . . . did you say _genie?_ "

The genie looked hard at the princess and slowly nodded. "That's better." she allowed a small smile to creep across her face. "The name's Dijinni Whisp Grant, but everyone just calls me Whisp. And yes, I said genie."

Apple blinked in surprise. A genie? She had heard tales of such magical creatures before, and she knew that there was at least one tale within the Storybook of Legends, wherever it may have wound up, that involved a genie that had yet to be fulfilled. Perhaps this was a sign sent to her from the ancestors above that the destinies had to be fulfilled and followed? But if that was the case, why did this genie bear an Omnitrix just like Ben? Just like Clawdeen? Just like Skelita? Just like Venus? That could only mean . . .

"Quick, how many heads do you see?" Whisp interrupted her thoughts, instantly sprouting two extra heads in addition to the original.

"Uh, three?" Apple startled, feeling incredibly uncomfortable in having more than two pairs of eyes watching her.

"Then that's exactly how many wishes you have!" Whisp exclaimed before engulfing herself in a cloud of black smoke and morphing into a blue and pink slot machine that pulled it's lever down and allowed three, tiny clones of Whisp wearing sombreros to slide out of the slot. "That's it: three! _Uno, dos, tres!_ " she laughed before resuming her original form and sliding her thumb against her hand to ignite a small flame and then light a cigar that had appeared in her other hand. "No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds, _capeesh?_ " she said before blowing out a long trail of sweet smelling smoke.

Apple coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. "Are you seriously smoking?"

Whisp rolled her eyes. "Between you and me kid, I just do whatever the author writes."

"What?"

"Forget about it! You've got three wishes up your sleeve! You've got got some punch, pizazz, yahoo and how!" Whisp laughed, slugging Apple in the shoulder; the princess winced and rubbed the sore spot as Whisp 'sat' in the air by resting on her ghostly tail as if it were a chair.

"This is nice and all, but . . . what is that thing on your wrist?" Apple asked, mentally hoping that it didn't what she thought it was.

At this, Whisp snapped her fingers and was instantaneously clothed in a crisp, black suit that broadened her shoulders and made her all the more imposing and threatening looking as she seemed to glare down at Apple behind a pair of black shades that obscured her eyes.

"That, ma'am, is highly classified, government information!" she said in a gruff voice before leaning in so that only Apple would be able to hear as she pulled down her glasses to make sure no one else was listening. "But, uh, between you and me, this is a little somethin' somethin' that my boyfriend gave me." she explained. "Wonderful guy, and awesome in bed, too."

Apple flushed a furious red upon hearing that. "B-But wh-what is it?" she asked, trying to push the dirty images of her mind that was thrust in there by Whisp's words.

"Well in simple terms, it is a deoxyribonucleic acid computerized database that allows the wearer to promote galactic peace by allowing themselves to walk in the shoes of various extraterrestrial species while simultaneously functioning as a repository should any of a million different intelligent lifeforms be wiped out in the event of a mass extinction and bring them back in the process. Not to mention, it is probably the universe's most dangerous and useful weapon, despite its creator believing and wishing it to be used otherwise." Whisp explained casually.

"Oh, my head." Apple winced, massaging her scalp.

"Some ice should help sooth that cerebral pain of yours!" Whisp laughed as she snapped her fingers; a puff of blackened smoke came from about Apple and dropped a snowman on top of her, quickly followed by a black top hat, corncob pipe, and button nose that fell on top of the princess's head. Apple was not amused and proceeded to shiver in her bathrobe until Whisp took pity on her and snapped her fingers once more, sending the snowman away and wrapping her up in a nice, warm blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. "Better?"

"M-much." Apple nodded as she proceeded to take a sip out of her mug. "But wh-what is that on your wr-wrist?"

Whisp rolled her eyes. "Persistent, are we? Well in simpler terms than in what I just explained, I come from a different neighborhood, toots. More like a different universe actually."

Apple was more than certain she knew where this going. "Y-you . . . you wouldn't happen to kn-know someone named Ben, would you?"

The genie's eyes immediately lit up at the name as she zipped over to Apple and grabbed her by the shoulders, ditching the fancy suit and sunglasses in the process. "Quick, what kind of Ben are we talking about here? Benjamin Franklin? Big Ben? _Some kind of other Ben I don't know about!?_ " she exclaimed desperately.

Apple gulped and trembled slightly, not sure if she wanted to see how the hyperactive genie would react if she gave her an answer. "B-Ben Tennyson?" she winced, clapping her hands over her ears as Whisp trembled and quaked before exploding into a dazzling display of brightly colored fireworks that popped and fizzed and banged and echoed off the room's walls, creating a deafening noise that Apple was sure had made her go deaf until the genie reappeared before her in a puff of black smoke, intact and whole once more.

"You know Ben!? _My Ben!?_ You know my Ben!?" Whisp exclaimed excitedly.

"W-Well . . . he _is_ my boyfriend . . ." Apple winced, unsure of how the genie would react to that; she did _not_ want to be turned into a cockroach if she could help it.

Thankfully for Apple, Whisp seemed to take the news well. "Looks like ol' Ben's been busy." Whisp grinned craftily, hungrily licking her lips and rubbing her hands together in a manner that did not put Apple's mind at ease, especially when the genie eagerly grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her towards the door. "Well, c'mon! I haven't seen Ben in forever!"

"Wait! I'm not dressed!" Apple protested while she struggled against the genie's grip.

Whisp stopped cold and released her hold on Apple. "Huh, guess you're right. Most people would not take public nudity well, no matter how hot you looked." she mused, tapping her chin. "Simple enough to fix." she shrugged, snapping her fingers and engulfing Apple in a black cloud of smoke that made the princess cough and wheeze until it dissipated and revealed her to be dressed in a her usual skirt and dress now with a warm, winter sweater over the top and a pair of snug, brown, faux furred boots as well to go along with it.

"Hmmm. Now that I think about it, the rules state I can't do anything _I_ want to do until the Finder is satisfied." Whisp tapped her chin in realization before folding her arms across her chest and tapping a finger in a somewhat impatient manner on her arm. "So what'll it be, kid? Forever rich? Eternal beauty? Immortality? A pocket elephant that can dance the tango and juggle chainsaws at the same time?"

"What?" Apple gaped.

"Did I mention that I'm a little cuckoo, too? Being trapped in a lamp for so long and losing any contact with your long lost boyfriend can make you lose your mind." Whisp shrugged, the top of her head flipping open like a lid and allowing a bouncing, gelatinous brain to come leaping out and bounce off of the floor before rolling underneath of Apple's bed and making her shiver uncomfortably.

"So . . . I just make a wish?" Apple asked.

"That's the idea, toots." Whisp winked, tapping Apple on the nose. "Before we begin though, you seem to have me at a disadvantage, princess. You know who I am, but I'm more clueless than an Appoplexian faced with a quadratic equation."

"That's . . . a weird analogy." Apple noted.

"Princess, if you've ever _met_ Rath, you'll know what I'm talking about." Whisp smirked, pinching Apple's nose and giving it a playful twist.

Apple bristled slightly and rubbed her nose regardless of whether or not it still hurt. "My name is Apple."

"Huh. Guess it's true when they say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!" Whisp cracked, cackling madly at her own joke. "But in all seriousness, what's your first wish gonna be? Because trust me when I say you ain't never had a friend like me." she smirked. "This is normally where a big musical number would come in, but we're kinda pressed for time."

Apple ignored the comment and thought it over as carefully as possible, weighing various options; she had an all powerful genie at her disposal that could warp the very fabric of reality to her will and liking that was willing to grant her three wishes for anything her heart desired. The only problem was that Apple quite literally had everything she wanted, good looks, a wonderful voice, a good home, friends, a loving boyfriend, and a fair amount of wealth as well. "Well . . . what would you wish for?"

Whisp froze upon hearing those words, almost unable to comprehend what had just tumbled out past Apple's lips. "That's something you don't hear every day . . . first time, actually." she admitted with a chuckle.

"Well, what _would_ you wish for?" Apple asked.

Whisp sighed and folded her arms over her bust again, drumming her fingers along her arm while she weighed the options of telling her before finally deciding staying silent probably wasn't the best option. "What would I wish for?" she wondered, floating past Apple to take a seat on her bed and fall back against the covers, a sorrowful look upon her lips. "The number one thing I'd wish for . . . is freedom."

"Freedom?" Apple blinked with surprise as she sat down on the bed next to Whisp and rested pleading hand on the genie's, becoming slightly stunned when Whisp curled her fingers around Apple's for comfort.

"I use to be free . . . use to be trapped in a lamp, too, but that freedom?" Whisp sighed, recalling the wonderful memories she held dear to her. "Those were the best moments of my life. No one to obey, no one's selfish desires to fulfill, no saying do this, no one saying be there, no one saying stop that, no one saying see here, just me, Ben, my loved ones, and all the fun a ghoul could have ever wanted. And then . . . it was gone. I was shoved back into that accursed lamp of mine and forced into this job again . . . all I want is to just be free once more, just so I can see my Ben one more time."

"Can't you free yourself?" Apple wondered.

Whisp shook her head sadly. "The only way I get out of this is if my Finder wishes me out. And if you can guess how many times that's happened . . ."

Apple hesitated briefly, biting her lip and looking at Whisp with a pitied expression before glancing at their interlocked fingers, wondering and pondering. "What if . . . what if _I_ set you free?"

Whisp scoffed. "Pfft. Yeah right." she rolled her eyes as she sat up. "Kid, I learned a _long_ time ago that no man or monster is able to overcome their greed. They want it, hunger for it, _lust_ for it even, and yet its the ruin of them, the thing that gets them cast into the street, shoved into the darkest corners, or left alone to rot in solitude for eternity. I only know one man who is selfless enough to cast aside the chance to have his hearts desires granted, and that man is Ben." Whisp frowned.

"I'm serious." Apple frowned back. "Once I use up my first two wishes, I'll use the last one to free you!"

Whisp raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Princess's honor." Apple confirmed.

Whisp grinned eagerly and sat up on the bed, wrapping her arms around Apple in a tight embrace that practically crushed the princess's bones and lungs before the genie let her go and vanished in a puff of black smoke only to reappear right in front of Apple now dressed in a black tuxedo and magician's top hat. "In that case, lets make some magic!" she laughed as playing cards spilled out of her sleeves and all over the floor. "So what'll it be, Finder? I can't wait to see Ben again!" Whisp squealed excitedly.

That last little bit of dialogue made Apple hesitate for a second. It seemed that more and more of Ben's ghouls were popping up all over the place somehow, which was a worrying factor for the princess; and if it wasn't the ghouls stealing any time she wanted to spend with Ben, it would be other fairy tales and girls. It would undoubtedly continue, this almost supernatural ability of Ben's to attract members of the opposite sex of various and multiple species and lineages, until she was all but forgotten, overshadowed by girls or ghouls who were prettier than her, stronger than her, more up to par with Ben than she could ever hope to be. And when she thought about it like that, she realized that she was perhaps the weakest member of Ben's growing harem, nothing more than a pitiful human; she couldn't use magic to her will, she couldn't transform into vicious beasts, she couldn't control the very fabric of nature, hex, she didn't even know how to _fight._ She was hardly worthy to even consider Ben a friend, if his tales and stories of life back in his dimension was anything to go by.

But . . . what if there was a way to ensure that she was always loved? What if there was a way to ensure that Ben would always love her and would never forget her? She did after all, have an all powerful genie at her disposal with three wishes that would allow her to have anything she desired.

"I . . . I wish that Ben only loved me!" she announced suddenly, clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as possible, her head an utter hurricane of thoughts and emotions.

Whisp blinked at the request; she wanted to refuse it, wanted to reason with the princess that such a wish would not only deprive the genie of seeing her lost love once more, but it could also have dire consequences as well. But as a denizen of the lamp and a genie as well, she was held in place by the rules that had been set up for her kind the moment they had been shoved into their bottles and lamps and lanterns (Whisp still didn't know how that happened. She always just assumed that the lamp was something standard that every genie received from the moment they were born/created). With little choice left, she folded her arms over her chest and closed her eyes with a slight sigh.

"As you wish." she said before she bobbed her head and encompassed the both of them in a flash of blinding light.

* * *

Ben grimaced as he glared at his adversary, gritting his teeth as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the available roster before selecting the alien needed and slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing himself in a flash of green light that scrambled and shifted his genetic code. His skin began to crack and harden slightly, scrunching up and pinching in certain places as his pink flashed a light lavender in color while his bones faded and liquefied into nothingness, fusing together with his soft exoskeleton; his tall, lean frame was compressed and compacted down until he was less than two feet tall. Ben felt an itching sensation on his backside and turned to look behind him as a pair of delicate, butterfly-like wings slid and oozed of his back, still damp and wet before they became stiff and rigid as they dried out and turned a light magenta and pink in color. His toes cracked and melted together into two, small claws as white gloves appeared over his delicate fingers and bright pink and purple markings arched themselves over his face and arms while his hair turned a dark shade of violet and curled back as a pair of feathery antennae sprouted from his forehead above his eyes. His eyes sharpened and became pointed as a green and black dress wrapped around him, completing the transformation as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared upon his chest.

"Lets do this, punk." Pesky Dust growled, socking his hand into his fist.

"Ben, stop intimidating the Christmas lights." Clawdeen rolled her eyes as she set down a box of ornaments down next to the Nemuina and resisting the urge to taunt him over his current form.

"I'll stop once Venus finishes with the tree." he replied, turning to watch as Venus finished digging a hole in a large pot that was about as big as a bathtub and deposited the pinecone she had collected down inside before covering the hole up once more. The plant monster then sprinkled the soil with a watering can she had managed to scrounge from the school's greenhouse and then spritzed the damp dirt with her special formula.

"Are you sure this will work?" Venus asked Raven as the witchling cracked her knuckles.

"Not in the slightest." she replied truthfully before spreading her fingers out and blasting the pot with a powerful jolt of dark, magical energy for several seconds before backing off and dusting her hands. "Hopefully that'll create a portal that'll let the roots grow to their full potential."

"And once we're done, we can properly plant it back in the forest where it belongs." Venus added with a satisfied smile as she gave the enchanted pot one last spritz of her special plant growing formula and quickly backed off when the pot started to rumble and shake; all movement in the ballroom came to a halt as a small sampling wormed its way out of the soil and fluidly and quickly grew taller and taller, its trunk thickening as branches thrust themselves out into the air and sprouted hundreds upon thousands of pine needles while the tree continued to stretch upwards, higher and higher until it was less than a dozen feet away from the top of the ceiling. A sweet, piney scent filled the air as the full grown pine tree loomed over everyone in all its powerful majesty.

"Nice." Pesky Dust smiled as he fluttered down low enough to pick up one end of the Christmas lights in his fingers. "Now _rrrrrr_ lets decorate!"

"My thoughts exactly." Venus grinned as she tapped the Omnitrix and slammed a hand down on the core, engulfing herself in a blast of neon green light that shifted and warped her DNA into something new. She felt her skin crack and harden into a soft, metallic sheen as it turned the color of oil and tar, traveling from her fingers and wrists and up her arms before spilling across her shoulders and chest and back, swamping her entire figure until it wrapped around her head and feet; her arms and legs crunched and snapped loudly, shriveling up until they were reduced to mere toothpicks of their former selves and made her so short that she only reached Raven's knee. Venus' body gave off a loud squelching noise as it formed a cylindrical shape, her pointed legs sticking out of the bottom of her geometrical figure and her pointed hands that included nothing more than two fingers and a thumb stuck out of her sides. A neon green lightning pattern etched itself down her front and back as two bolts thrust themselves out of her arms and shoulders; a positive and negative symbol appeared on her back as the Omnitrix appeared on her perfectly flat head, completing the transformation.

"Hey, toots! You mind givin' us a hand?" Electra grinned sharply at Jane; the shape-shifter blushed and nodded, tapping the Nemetrix fastened to her wrist and cycling through the available transformations before selecting the desired one and slamming a hand down on the activation button, engulfing herself in a flash of crimson light. Her violet skin cracked and crunched violently as her back broadened and swelled and tore the back of her top apart along the edge of her spine as her head was pushed back into her shoulders, fusing together with them to form a short, thick neck; her bones and skeleton pushed themselves to the surface of her hardening skin, pressing themselves flat against it and fusing together to form a tough exoskeleton that encased Jane's entire body in a tight protective shell while her organs sloshed and oozed and rearranged themselves around inside of her, somehow keeping her alive even when some disappeared to be replaced by new ones she didn't even know existed. Four ports opened up on her sides, gaping holes big enough for someone to slide their fist inside of as her frame steadily grew larger and larger until she was bigger than Clawdeen and Raven combined. Her legs crunched snapped horribly as they wrapped around each other and fused into a long tail that sharpened at the tip and formed a dual stinger before it compressed back up against her, dramatically shortening it compared to her body size while her fingers and hands melted together to form sharp, joined legs that slid under her chest; a loud splitting sound filled the air as a second set of identical legs popped out directly behind the first pair, accompanied by wet slithering noises that revealed to be a pair of feathery antennae and four, gossamer wings that instantly began to flap once they were dry enough. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a thick red collar around her neck with the Nemetrix at its center and a gigantic, over-sized pair of curved fangs that dominated her mouth.

" _Tis the season to be- ANCESTORS ABOVE, WHAT IS THAT!?_ " Daring gave a startled yelp as his singing was halted and he very nearly dropped the box of ornaments he was carrying.

"Psycholeopterran." Clawdeen replied with a shrug, not even put off by the monstrous, predatory insect's appearance.

"We call it _rrrrrr_ Hypnotick." Pesky Dust purred as Electra zipped over to her and grabbed the opposite end of the Christmas lights while Hypnotick gave off a low, ominous growl and descended down far enough to scoop up the rest of the lights in her front legs, lifting it off the ground so that she was holding the majority of the lights in a loop and both the Nemuina and Nosedeenian were holding the other ends.

Raven watched with awe and amusement as Electra and Pesky Dust flew off in opposite directions with their strands of lights in hand, zipping around and around the tree and hooking the lights across and under its branches to hook them in place as Hypnotick flapped her wings and flew upwards at a steady pace to match the small, hyperactive alien's until they had finally reached the top and run out of Christmas lights; the Psycholeopterran then proceeded to dive back down towards the floor and briefly stab its front legs into the nearest box of ornaments to pull out a bright, golden star. With the decoration in hand, Hypnotick flew back up towards the top of the tree and delicately set the star on top as everyone else in the ballroom gathered around to admire their handiwork.

"Not bad." Daring admitted.

"That has got to be the fastest tree decorating I've ever seen," Briar grinned as she eagerly checked something off of an incredibly long list in her hands. "Almost makes up for the extra three hours it took you to even find a tree."

"Technically we found a pinecone. _AHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ " Electra cackled at her own joke as both Omnitrixes timed out, returning their respective owners back to the world.

"It's beautiful." Raven smiled, taking Ben's hand and resting her head on his shoulder, her grin increasing when she caught sight of a red tinge to his face.

"Well, we still have some decorating to do." Ben chuckled, tapping the Omnitrix and cycling through the roster before selecting a suitable transformation and slamming a hand down on the activation button, encompassing himself in a burst of green light. Ben felt his skin begin to scrunch up and harden as his bones slowly started to dissolve into nothingness, nearly letting him fall into a pool of slack muscles and organs. Four fleshy stalks suddenly burst out from both sides of his head, giving him six different perspectives of how the world looked before a hardening shell covered his original set of eyes that soon enough withered away on their own. A slight itching sensation came from the middle of his back, drawing Ben's attention long enough to watch as a pair of wet and damp, gossamer wings slid out of his back, hanging lose and fragile for a second before they quickly dried out and snapped rigidly into place and turned a dull yellow in color. A second pair of legs suddenly burst out from Ben's gut like some sort of old, alien horror film as his spine, or what was left of it anyway, stretched out from his back and swelled at the end, forming a large and very sharp stinger with venom glads just above the tip. His fingers cracked and melted into a pair of sharp claws and thumb, his jaw thrusting outwards as several teeth rotted and withered away, giving him a crooked smile. The final touch was a rooting stench and the addition of the Omnitrix and Skurd on his forehead.

Raven and Clawdeen simultaneously gagged from the Lepidopterran's foul stench. "I dare say, you are as ripe as they come, my lad!" Skurd pinched whatever sort of nose he may or may not have had.

"I can't help it!" Stinkfly whined as the air shimmering and sparkled above him before Kitty Cheshire flashed back into existence and landed on the Lepidopterran's back, briefly starling him before he rotated two of his stalk eyes back to stare at her.

"I don't mind it all that much, if it helps." Kitty purred with her classic, Cheshire smile. "Now lets hang up some ornaments! The party hour is nigh, people!" she declared merrily; Briar frowned slightly at this, as that was usually the line she barked out whenever the planning in setting up a massive, page-ripping party was dragging slower than a dragon's tail through the stickiest glue imaginable. With that being said, Stinkfly grabbed as many ornaments as he could carry and flapped his gossamer wings to lift him off of the ground, flying at the grand Christmas tree and buzzing around and around while Kitty tossed decorations onto the branches.

"Raven, are you sure this is all you need?" Briar asked, looking over a small list of items the witchling had given her that was less than one-tenth of the list the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty was frantically looking over.

Raven shrugged as opened her guitar case and pulled out her bass, meticulously plucking the strings and tuning it by ear as she talked. "Briar, I know my band and I are very popular . . . more than I'd actually willingly like it to be, actually . . . but we don't really need anything overly complicated; just give us enough speakers for us play out of, a place for Melody's DJ stand, and a new percussion set for Maddie."

"What happened to the last one?" Briar wondered, making a small footnote on Raven's list.

"She set it on fire."

Briar blinked and paused briefly upon hearing that. "How'd she do that, for ancestors sake?"

"This is Maddie we're talking about. She could set fire to a swimming pool full of water." Raven smiled at her friend's antics before a wonderfully alluring scent caught her attention. Both girls turned their heads to see Ginger Breadhouse with Cedar and Maddie not too far behind carrying a teetering tower of Christmas cookies and other baked goods, each girl carrying a stack of treats taller than all three of them combined as they stumbled and staggered over to the long buffet table that had been set up for the party and just barely managed to set every last dish and container down before the leaning tower of cookies became a falling tower of cookies.

"Briar, you're drooling." Raven pointed out, much to the princess's embarrassment.

Briar quickly wiped her lips. "That's not important right now. What _is_ important is that I get some of those cookies, the party starts on time, and that the Crumb Cousins do _not_ scarf down the buffet like last time." she said, turning a sharp and sinister glare towards the sugar hungry duo as they tried to snag a container of cookies out from under Ginger's nose; the cousins quickly backed away and scampered off towards the tree to help decorate.

"Hiya, Briar! Hiya, Raven!" Maddie grinned wildly, all but bouncing over to the two of them. "Whatcha doin'!?"

Raven shrugged and strummed a low note on her bass, frowning slightly at the out of tune strings. "Nothing much. Briar's just freaking out over the party planning as usual."

"I have a right to!" Briar defended herself. "Especially when I could-" was all she managed to say before she quite suddenly dropped to the floor and landed on her face, her entire body completely limp and relaxed as she snored and her grip went slack.

"Fall asleep?" Maddie guessed with a giggle.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Raven winced as Stinkfly came in for a landing, a concerned look on the Lepidopterran's face.

"Uh, is she gonna be okay?" he asked, poking the slumbering princess with one of his legs moments before the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light and returned Ben to the world, where he promptly fell to the floor under Kitty's weight, caught off guard by the sudden shift.

"Yay! It's a floor party!" Maddie cheered before she fell flat on her back and proceeded to move her arms back and forth as if she were making a snow angel, giggling madly all the while as Ben merely rolled his eyes and allowed a small smile at the Hatter's antics.

Raven rolled her eyes with amusement. "Briar's fine, Ben." she reassured him. "Being the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty makes her a tad . . . narcoleptic than most fairy tales."

"What?"

"It means she's prone to falling asleep at random, dear boy!" Skurd face palmed himself out of exasperation. "If only there were more _intelligent_ hosts out there with this much DNA." he mused.

"Love you, too, Scuzzball." Ben rolled his eyes sarcastically as Kitty finally got off of Ben's back and helped him to his feet before disappearing in a glimmering light that left her bright smile behind for the faintest of seconds before that disappeared as well, only for the crafty Cheshire to reappear at the buffet table and snag a cookie to then flash away before Ginger could chase her off; the Crumb Cousins watched wistfully out of the corners of their eyes, flinching when Hypnotick gave off a venomous growl and flew past them with Venus on her back to reach the higher branches that Stinkfly and Kitty had missed. "Should I take her up to her room?"

Raven shrugged and cautiously prodded the sleeping princess with her foot, only succeeding in making her snore louder. "Probably for the best. She'll need a more comfortable place to rest." she said. "Plus, her snoring is bound to drive the majority of us all crazy."

"In that case, which dorm is hers?" Ben asked as he bent down and grabbed Briar by the shoulders and pulled her up into a sitting position where her head lolled numbly against his shoulder and her grip slackened enough for the long list she had been carrying around to fall to the floor as Ben slipped his hand under her legs and lower back and lifted her off of the ground bridal style; the slumbering princess moaned and shifted in her sleep slightly, snuggling in deeper to Ben's frame, something that made him raise an eyebrow and a knowing smirk cross Raven's lips.

"It should be the fourth door on your left, not too far from the dorm that me and Apple share." Raven gave him directions.

"Speaking of Apple, where is she?" Ben wondered; Daring and Hunter came banging in through the doors of the ballroom grunting and wheezing as they struggled to shove and push Melody's DJ stand across the floor and towards the stage Raven was sitting on, the two boys barely making any progress until Hypnotick descended from the air and grabbed the heavy record tables in her jointed legs to then effortlessly lift it off of the floor and fly it over to the stage, much to Daring and Hunter's chagrin.

"My guess is that she's out last minute Christmas shopping." Raven shrugged again.

"Cryptmas!" Venus called over her shoulder as the Psycholeopterran buzzed back over to the towering Christmas tree; Skelita walked through the doors of the ballroom with two steaming hot plates of freshly made tamales that she had managed to scrounge together in the Castleteria kitchen (the lunch ladies had been more than happy to let her cook, though Skelita suspected this may have had something to do with her skeletal appearance) as Ashlynn and Rosabella came strolling in twin wagons of eggnog and hot chocolate that were pulled by a pair of deer and accompanied by a small flock of birds, squirrels, and rabbits that were willing to do some small work in exchange for some holiday goodies and a chance to get out of the cold weather for a couple of hours.

"Whatever." Raven rolled her eyes as she bent over and grabbed the list Briar had been carrying around for half of the day, taking her pen and scratching off nearly two dozen things that had already been taken care of or were in the process of being completed that the slumbering princess had missed. "And while you're out there, see if you can't convince Dexter to help; I know he's concerned about Cupid, but I'd like to have him play if possible than replace him with Sparrow. Again." she added with slight disdain as the musician jammed and wailed and rocked away on his guitar, not particularly taking any interest in helping out with the festivities until Lizzie made a slicing motion across her throat towards him and Duchess grabbed him by the ear and dragged him off.

"Aw, the floor party's over!" Maddie pouted as Ben nodded and made his way towards the door, being carefully to not accidentally drop Briar as Ashlynn's woodland friends scampered around his feet and towards the tree to help with decorating.

"Why don't you go find Bunny and Alistair? I'm sure they'd love to attend the Holiday Mash Up." Raven suggested, a thought that made the Hatter gleeful once more as she merrily bounced towards the doors after Ben to find her friends; Skelita smacked the hand of Gus as he tried sneak off with one of her tamales while Helga was being chased around the ballroom by Ginger with a plate of cookies in the former's hands and a spatula in the latter's.

Cedar sighed upon watching Ben leave the chaos that was the preparations for the Holiday Mash Up with Briar Beauty in his strong arms, deflating slightly when she saw how the unconscious princess was latching on tightly to Ben like a child to a security blanket and using him like the world's most comfortable pillow; despite the talk she and Ben had shared but a week or so ago, she couldn't be entirely sure, she was suddenly feeling shown up and insignificant once more. The mere thought of being in Ben's loving embrace however, made her fingers just splinter with lust, even though she doubted it would ever happen. What was the point of loving someone if they weren't technically alive, couldn't technically feel anything you could feel or experience everything you could?

"You okay, Cedar?" Cerise asked as she held out her arm and clotheslined Helga Crumb as she ran by, catching the falling plate of cookies and stealing one shaped like a reindeer before handing the rest back to Ginger.

Cedar bit her lip and tried to hold back the lie she was trying to form in her head. "Y-Ye . . . n-n . . . ye- no, I'm not feeling so jolly." Cedar gave up after a few seconds of stuttering and stammering like a court jester.

"Any particular reason?" Cerise asked, biting off the head of her reindeer cookie and savoring the taste.

"Ben." Cedar sighed.

"Of course." Cerise rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her cookie. "Lemme guess: you like him, but you don't know how to say it and you're unsure of whether or not he'll return the same feelings for you."

Cedar nodded. "That pretty much sums it up."

Cerise sighed and scarfed down the rest of her cookie, dusting off her hands and grabbing Cedar by the shoulder. "Look, Cedar, Ben might have a harem behind him, but it's a harem filled with both princesses, witches, Wonderlandians, werewolves, plants, and skeletons. A beautiful, living puppet like you won't be out of place." she explained to Cedar. "You may think you don't stand a chance, but as your roommate and best friend forever after, let me just say that Ben will be the lucky one when you two become a couple."

"Not if?" Cedar smiled slightly.

"Not if." Cerise nodded. "Off hand, have you seen Raven?"

"I think she's getting ready over by the stage," Cedar pointed over her shoulder. "Any particular reason?"

Cerise thanked her lucky stars that her hood covered enough of her face to hide the blush she could feel creeping across her cheeks. "N-No reason." was her reply.

 **And there we go!**

 **If this chapter feels incomplete, that's because it is! This was originally part of one long chapter, but it got to the point where it just seemed to be dragging on and on forever after, so I divided it in half to save you all from the boredom.**

 _ **'Not that this story is boring'**_

 **What do you know? You're just a fourth-wall breaking mercenary.**

 _ **'Who breaks the fourth-wall, I might add'**_

 _ **Tell 'em about the poll!**_

 **Oh, yeah! So, basically I have some questions for you guys, but since this site only allows one poll to be set up at a time, I've figured a way around it by asking you all three sets of questions with three sets of answers. The poll will be posted after this chapter, so look _VERY_ carefully at the choices so you don't get mixed up. The reason I'm doing this is because I have so many questions that affect future chapters, that I can't wait to ask them all and get it over with; it's quite literally hurting my head.**

 _ **Some tea might help.**_

 **Whatever you say, doll. As always comment, review, suggest, and- _AAGGGH!_**

 ** _No, Mr. Nibbles! Bad, Mr. Nibbles! Stop trying to eat Daddy's face!_**

 ** _'K-WORD IT! K'WORD IT HARD!_**


	21. A Fairy Cryptmas Pt 2

**And here we are again! Happy Belated Holidays!**

 _ **'Dude, the holidays are over.'**_

 _ **That doesn't mean we can't celebrate an Unhappy Holidays!**_

 **See? Maddie likes celebrating. And if you take off that Santa hat of yours, its back into the closet with you.**

 _ **'You are so lucky I can't K-Word you, Four-Eyes.'**_

 **Now then, onto the reviews. Unfortunately, we seem to be experiencing a glitch on the site that does not allow one to properly display the reviews given to them, meaning I have to view them from my email inbox, which does allow me to view the entire review given . . . so apologies if all your questions are not answered fully.**

 _ **Get on with it!**_

 **Put the teapot down, Maddie!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **I know right? The year flies by so fast, especially down here in the Underworld. Surrounded by grim grinning ghosts and a plethora of crazy characters.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **My top three weapons from anywhere in the multiverse would be the Omnitrix, the nanites from Generator Rex (provided I could control them like Rex could), and the ability to earth-bend like Toph (my favorite character next to Soka from Avatar: The Last Airbender). Oh, and Deadpool?**

 _ **'Yes?'**_

 _ ***THWACK!***_

 **Touch my girl and I'll beat you four ways to Sunday.**

 _ **'Don't you mean eight? Or am I seeing double?'**_

 _ **Aw, you do care, Creaty!**_

 **Moving on . . .**

 _ **Wolfslick –**_ **You're very perceptive, aren't you? And yes, we'll need all the help we can get. If only Dipper and Mabel would find that page already . . .**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Trust me, Apple will learn her lesson one way or another.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Thankfully, Maddie was able to convince Kitty otherwise with some catnip tea of her on design. For some strange reason, Mr. Nibbles, as Maddie calls it, gets eerily calm whenever he drinks it . . . and now I'm completely losing my mind.**

 _ **I knew you'd warm up to Mr. Nibbles eventually!**_

 **Not now, not ever. That _thing_ is staying with you and away from my face.**

 _ **Wolvenstrom –**_ **Thank you for pointing those out to me. Yes, things will not turn out well for Apple and she will lose quite a lot of fairy tale's close to her trust in her and maybe even Ben, but she's just simply too naive and unsure and afraid of what will happen if her destiny isn't followed; it's already in jeopardy of Ben being her prince charming and not Daring and with more girls and ghouls throwing wrenches into the machine, she's simply too distraught and afraid of what will happen if everything she's known her entire life is taken aware from her. It's kinda like when you were a kid and lived in one place all your life with your friends and everything else you held dear and then suddenly moved across the country where everything is so strange and foreign to you (kinda like the whole opening of** ** _Inside Out,_ now that I think about it). While you make consider her a villain, I don't, but I don't consider her any of the positive things you said either. I really don't know what to call her other than an accident prone princess.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **According to her creator, Savara was intended to marry one of Dexter's relatives (it isn't specified which one) before he ditched her for someone else; she is actually roughly fifty years old or so despite looking no older than Dexter, so there's your messed up medieval dating scene for the day. And while the first three rules apply to Whisp for now, the whole wishing for extra wishes thing can actually be done, genies just don't mention it or say you can't because that means they don't get passed around enough and instead are kept as eternal servants; then you have to take into consideration that most genies twist their Finder's wishes in ways never intended because they aren't specific enough.**

 _ **Genie –**_ **Oh, no, not you, too! Ugh. Either way, the rules state that a genie can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else, not fall out of love. And since Ben already loves Apple and she loves her back, she's simply wishing that he only loves her; this technically does not violate the rules.**

 _ **'Yeah, so back off, big blue!'**_

 **If you wanna be turned into a cockroach, it's your funeral, dude.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I shall follow your orders to the best of my abilities!**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **I asked for OC** ** _villains_ not aliens, so don't expect your transformation to come to fruition (I already have too many lined up and ready to dish out), and as for your second question . . . well, you'll just have to see ;)**

 _ **ajjr12 –**_ **While it may seem selfish, it was more along the lines of panicked. And yes, there will be reactions to Whisp's existence by the Brothers Grimm XD**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Yeah, the review issue is driving me crazy. I was actually thinking of going with the Forever Knights finding Whisp, but I thought the Apple plot would be more entertaining.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **While that little shenanigan won't happen for a while, it'll be one amusing and sweet chapter to write XD Also, I don't remember the first villain you suggested. I think it might have gotten lost during the whole 'review issue' that's been happening lately.**

 _ **BlackAceStriker**_ **– Maddie has yet to set anything incapable of being lit aflame on fire just yet-**

 _ **But it won't stop me from trying!**_

 _ **'Nice going. You just made the Hatter a pyromaniac. Just what we need.'**_

 **I feel your pain, bro. Maddie, put that blowtorch down!**

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **Why is my personal pain so amusing to you people!? I'm fighting an omniversal demon over here, can't you give me a break!? I do not need a hyperactive Hatter driving me bonkers while I make plans to use Bill Cipher's eye as a bowling ball! And I was not actually threatening you, it was more along the lines of . . . suggestion?**

 ** _'You keep telling yourself that, Four-Eyes.'_**

 **That closet sure looks comfortable . . .**

 _ **'You wouldn't dare . . .'**_

 **Wouldn't I?**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **I'm pretty sure you just made a certain princess cry somewhere. Hopefully this little adventure will teach Apple a thing or two that she's been missing.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Actually,** ** _Once Upon a Tennyson_ is the unfortunate end of the Ben 10/Monster High/Ever After High series, though there are planned one-shots to be continued even after their end (which probably won't be for some time XD).**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **Truth be told, I'm actually kinda regretting ever thinking of Cerise's fate considering how much of a headache that'll create down the road, but we'll have to see where this goes. And hopefully Apple will learn her lesson during this one . . . hopefully.**

 _ **Lorn Dominator –**_ **Hmm. The most beautiful and awesome female aliens in history? In my opinion at least, that would include Astranova, Attea, Princess Leia, Princess Neytiri, even Looma Redwind (although that last one might be more likely to crush even me. Wonder if she likes undead Tetramands).**

 _ **Not if she wants to deal with me, she won't!**_

 _ **'And the Hatter is madder than ever, ladies and gents!'**_

 **Shut it, Wade.**

 _ **NaruFuu Forever –**_ **Technically speaking, Clawdeen is in charge at the moment and it's unknown whether Frankie will arrive before or after Cerise is impregnated (depending on how things go), so you never know.**

 _ **360 –**_ **Technically, Apple is already in love with Ben. There is nothing in the rules that says genies can't wish people** ** _out_ of love.**

 _ **confused –**_ **Depends on who you are (otherwise, I didn't get the PM you supposedly sent me). Either way, the problem with the reviews has been thankfully fixed.**

 _ **Hooray! Celebratory tea for everyone!**_

 _ **TerrorKing10 –**_ **Await no more, my good man!**

 _ **Zachary Hance –**_ **Compared to other characters from Monster High and Ever After High, Apple is woefully clueless and arguably dimwitted in stressful situations and under pressure (something she'll probably try to smooth out as a future ruler). She's prone to making irrational thoughts under stress.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **You think spending Christmas with these nuts was fun? Try preventing Deadpool from lighting fire to the Christmas tree, keeping Maddie from filling Hades' socks with lukewarm honeysuckle tea (don't ask), and once again keeping the abomination that is Mr. Nibbles (we still don't if** ** _it_ is a 'he') from eating my face off. Lets see how long you last . . .**

 _ **'Not my fault Christmas trees are flammable.'**_

 **Who carries a portable flamethrower behind their back 24/7!?**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **a cameo is when a character appears in some form of media but does not have any lines, dialogue, or major interference with the main plot line; they're essentially just background characters for the main characters to occasionally interact with. And yeah, I don't know what the problem is either, but looking back on** ** _We're All Monsters,_ I'll probably want to smooth out a few of those bumps if I want to keep that around.**

 _ **Bill Cipher –**_ **My old enemy . . .**

 _ **'Stairs?'**_

 _ **No, you scoodle-brain! The One-eyed-Trinity-Force-Nacho-Chip-Man!**_

 **Why you _/censored/ /censored/ /once again censored/_ of all _/censored again/ /sweet mother of Methanosian, where did he learn these words!?/ /yep, still censored/_ in all my _/censored again/ /almost done with all this censored stuff/_ days!**

 _ **. . . WHAT HE SAID! ONLY . . . DOUBLE!**_

 _ **'Make that infinite!'**_

 **Well, what are we gonna do? Is it gonna be Raven or Soos?**

 _ **I . . . oh, fairy fail! I can't decide!**_

 _ **'I'm with Teacup on this one. Neither option is viable.'**_

 **Hmmm. I might have a way . . . but I'm gonna need Deadpool to do a little dimension jumping . . .**

 _ **'Uh-uh! No way!'**_

 _ **Will you do it for a Scooby Snack?**_

 _ **'I am NOT a dog.'**_

 **Will you do it for a Deadpool snack then?**

 _ **'. . . make it two and you've got yourself a deal. What am I getting anyways?'**_

 **I'll tell you once we're done with these reviews. Right now, just know that Soos won't have to be a yo-yo anymore!**

 _ **WHAT!? You're little poor Raven to deal with that monster!?**_

 **Not even close, babe. Soos is the one that's in the most danger at this point, but I think I can stall/save Raven long enough until _Weirdmageddon Part 3_ finally rolls around . . . I hope . . .**

 _ **I hope you're right . . .**_

 _ **Riddle Master – Now that you say that out loud, it makes a lot more sense.**_

 **I can't believe we were dumb enough to fall for that!**

 _ **'I can.'**_

 _ **SHUT IT WADE!**_

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **If I remember correctly, Zombozo mostly fed on happiness and fear. But I digress. Yes, chaos shall ensue, one way or another!**

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **The O'Hair Sisters will reappear soon, but patience is a virtue of good reader. Also, I have convinced Maddie to get Mr. Nibbles to dismantle all and any security cameras you have posted around my door; lets see you try and be the 900** **th reviewer now!**

 _ **'Yep. Four-Eyes' lost it.'**_

 **Shut it, Wade.**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **Unlike** ** _We're All Monsters,_ I think I'll avoid a another mini harem within Ben's. While it works for Ben, Venus, Robecca, and Jane, it wouldn't work so well for Raven, Cerise, and Clawdeen; the later two are under an uneasy truce at the moment and probably won't work up any feelings for each any time soon if ever. As to answer you're other question, I put out a poll for a new yuri couple to form in this story, and Raven x Cerise won out (I was silently routing for them either way).**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Like Whisp said, we were pressed for time, so musical anytime soon! And what can I say? Apple just seems like the person that panics under pressure or overwhelming situations and make very poor choices that result in less than desirable consequences. As for your last question, I can only hope that Apple is fast . . . very, very,** ** _very_ fast.**

 _ **ImmaSupa Stargirl –**_ **I'm pretty sure he's familiar with her during the events of** ** _Spring Unsprung._ And then of course, there's the dreaded parent's day chapter . . . XD**

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze –**_ **You may** ** _think_ I have violated the genie rules, but guess what? I haven't! The rules say I can't make fall _in_ love, not _out_ of love (trust me, I've checked). And thank you for the Toon Rope; it'll help in keeping a certain mercenary and bizarre alien creature contained . . .**

 _ **'Uh, oh.'**_

 _ **fantasylover4evr –**_ **Words can not even** ** _describe_ how my New Years went over here with these nut balls-**

 _ **'I nearly lit the Christmas on fire! Woo!'**_

 **Dude, that's not something to be proud of.**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **That's for me to know, and for you to find out ;) As for your second question, Aquattack is the natural predator of the Appoplexian species, meaning it is super durable, enabling it to suffer hundreds of attacks and punches and simply bounce them right back off; basically, it exhausts its prey to death after provoking it and then quickly delivers a painful sting to subdue and kill it.**

 _ **Palutena –**_ **I'll be sure to have an extra big flyswatter on hand. What can I say, with all the craziness that happens with unwelcome visitors, I'm more than prepared to beat them back if I have to. Although, considering this Pit is coming over on an errand for you, I think I'll let it slide.**

 _ **And while I can't introduce you to my Cupid, I can introduce you to another! You wouldn't believe how many universes are out there where Cupid never left Monster High!**_

 **Stop spoiling my one-shot series!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **I don't think Ben will ever have magical abilities without using the Omnitrix to turn into Terraspin, but there is always the hope of the Ultimatrix; while I can stomach the fact that Ultimate Ben (or an evolved human) would gain the ability to manipulate magic, the way he was able to use all his alien powers without changing form was just . . .** ** _lame._ Even some of the writers for the show thought it was a stupid idea. And there are more Aladdin references to come, guaranteed!**

 _ **DoomsDay2015 –**_ **After this chapter, actually. What I have planned for the next one should turn things on their head.**

 _ **Hero-Time10 –**_ **Canonically, Ben has dealt with the Rooters and thus being trapped in the Null Void, are unaware of both universes being fused together and the presence of the ghouls (until later, that is).**

 _ **Writer2016 –**_ **If that poll does come to fruition, the resulting offspring will most likely be a girl simply because Cerise and Ben's daughter appeared in Raven's dream beforehand, and I** ** _really_ hate to change things that have already happened for the sake of confusion.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Glad to see you aren't too down in the dumps. And who knows? If the Predator transformation doesn't appear in this story, it could appear in one of my one-shots!**

 _ **Morantis –**_ **Yes, actually.** ** _Darkness Rissing_ was actually the one that submitted Savara, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! And finally someone sees the loophole! I've literally got the Genie himself breathing down my neck about it ;)**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **What can I say? Venus just seems like the flirting type that loves to tease her ghoulfriends and shared boyfriend as much as possible (she especially loves it when Jane turns the color of a ripe tomato whenever she whispers the things she'd like to do together); and yeah, writing the next chapter for** ** _When Life Gives You Lemons_ was rather difficult in figuring out how to fit Skelita in there (spoiler), but I think I made it work.**

 **As much as I love your idea for how the whole wish could have gone horribly wrong, I was influenced by a certain goat-legged demon before reading this and decided to go with it; what can I say, the movie was awesome to watch (hint, hint). And those suggestions for Briar, Cedar, and Ginger? Much appreciated ;)**

 **Reasons why Harangue hates Ben . . . my guess he just sees Ben as a menace and is just one of those haters of anything that could endanger his fame or jeopardize his ratings (this is backed up by the fact that he continues to slander Ben to boost his ratings as much as possible). What I don't understand is why he idolizes Captain Nemesis, a showboating fame monger that's only in it for riches and celebrity status, and despises Ben. I mean, you remember the beginning of _The Vengers_ when Nemesis kept on saying how he was so great and everything _when people's lives were actually in danger,_ leaving Ben to XLR8 on in there and do the heroing? And even when he says how big of a fan he is of Nemesis, Harangue still slanders him as a 'showboating vigilanty'! It's just one of those great mysteries of the universe.**

 **Ah, so there _is_ something going on between you and the Princess of Hearts! Congrats, man! _Please_ don't get her to behead me!**

 _ **'Layin' it a little thick there, aren't cha?'**_

 **Shut it, Wade.**

 _ **Will you two stop bickering!? You're practically sucking the madness out of everything! It's like going to that extremely strict Catholic school-thing Kitty's mom was sent to!**_

 **Fine, fine. You stay away from my girl, and I don't compact you into an area the size of a dictionary and shove you back into the closet with Mr. Nibbles, got it?**

 _ **'Fine. And you keep . . . whatever that thing is away from me, or I will stuff every available hole and pocket on your person with raw meat.'**_

 _ **Why are all you guys bringing Mr. Nibbles into this!? He hasn't done anything!**_

 _ **EXCEPT TRYING TO EAT US!**_

 **Ahem. Anyways, I'm pretty sure I can arrange Ben to have a comforting moment, and much appreciated for voting on the poll. As for the next chapter of _Cupid's Crystal Ball,_ I'm working on it as fast as I can. Little miss _/censored for sake of spoilers/_ is a lot harder to write than I thought. And hey, don't sweat it. I don't mind in the slightest.**

 **On a side note, I got around to drawing your OC, Vanity. She's posted and awaiting your approval!**

 _ **morganoth –**_ **I have decided that Dragon Games will be added to the line of canonically Ever After High moments that I have promised to included, but that's it; don't expect something with the one after that (which is the equivalent of an Ever After High** ** _Frozen_ parody, if I remember correctly). I have my own plans for that.**

 _ **Anonymous –**_ **I believe the time would be . . . now? Yes, now I believe.**

 ** _luciayshadow_ – Yep, that little bug is fixed and squished, so now I can hear form you all! Nice! And yeah, I knew as soon as I wrote the question about Cerise is pregnant and creating a sort of cliché teenage-parent plot would just give me a monster-szied headache farther down the road; can't say the same for Courtley though (you not believe how people want her and Ben together).**

 **Whoa now, I can't have you murdering my characters just yet. I still need them!**

 _ **'You know what you also need? A bath.'**_

 **Deadpool, I am not kidding. Say one more word and it's back into the closet with you, belated holiday season or not.**

 _ **MCDrakersYT –**_ **Hope you're enjoying the story so far! And hey, I'd love to see what you got. I can't guarantee that they'll make it in, but I love to see what other people got going around inside of their heads.**

 _ **'Is that all of them?'**_

 **Yep. Now, you remember what you have to do?**

 _ **'Relax, Four-Eyes. Did you forget who you're talking to?'**_

 _ **A Spiderman lookalike?**_

 _ **'Not the time, Teacup.'**_

 **Dude, just activate the dimension jumper and get jumping. * _Deadpool rolls his eyes and taps a watch-like device fastened to his wrist before disappearing in a flash of blinding light, finally granting yours truly some peace and quiet*_ Ah, this is nice. Just me, my girl, and a freaky alien pet that wants to eat my face off every few minutes.**

 _ **I couldn't have said it better myself, Creaty.**_

 **Still not answering to that. * _Takes long sip of hot chocolate, only to do a massive spit take as the ceiling above rumbles and cracks, splitting open and dumping a figure on the coffee table, breaking it into splinters with a low groan as the cavern in the ceiling closes up; upon closer inspection, it reveals to be a human boy about five feet or so tall as he slowly climbed to his feet and rubbed his aching skull*_ Oh, come on! I just got that done last week!**

 _ **Creaty, I think we have more important things to worry about!**_

" _ **What the- where I am? And who are you?"**_

 **I could ask you the same thing. I could also ask you why you fell through our ceiling and destroyed my coffee table, but we can't have everything, now can we?**

" _ **Sorry. The last thing I remember was reviewing for this story I was reading an then . . ."**_

 **Hmm. By chance did this story have a devilishly handsome, undead Tetramand, a beautiful Hatter, a savage alien pet, and the mother of all annoying fourth wall breaking mercenaries arguing it out in the author's notes?**

" _ **Now that you mention it . . . wait, what did you say your name was?"**_

 **Name's _Creaturemaster._ This is my girlfriend Maddie and lurking somewhere around here is our pet Mr. Nibbles who I can not stand but keep around for Teacup's sake.**

" _ **Then . . . it worked! I can't believe it actually worked!"**_

 _ **What worked?**_

" _ **Dude, my name's Zachery Hance! Don't you remember me?"**_

 **Uh, give me a sec. I have a lot of reviewers . . . oh, yeah, you! You owe me a new ceiling. I think?**

" _ **Uh, I don't have that kind of cash on me. C-Can I . . . I dunno, do something else? Run errands or do chores?"**_

 **Hmmm. I might have something you could help out with. Granted, it might end in a fate worse than death, but right now, we're kinda desperate. You in?**

" _ **Does a dodo fly?"**_

 **No.**

" _**. . . I'm tired of this conversation. Where do I start?"**_

 _ **You can start by finding Mr. Nibbles. It's nearly his feeding time!**_

" _ **Uh, okay? What exactly do you feed him?"**_

 **Trust me when I say you don't want to know. Lets just say that Maddie takes this parenting thing a little too far and leave it at that. Regardless, while our new intern finds out missing pet, beloved or otherwise, don't forget to comment, review, suggest, and request down below! On a side note, I do not own the following songs whatsoever. Also, I've managed to get around to drawing up some of the OC villains you guys submitted and were accepted; they will be posted on my Deviantart account, which you find on my profile page.**

 ** _Onward!_**

" _ **AGH! What the heck is that thing!?"**_

 **Told you it wasn't pretty.**

Apple blinked her eyes and shielded her face from a bright, intense light that seemed fully intent on frying her retinas to ash when she wasn't coughing and wheezing; her lungs were on fire and her skin was burning as well, igniting her flawless, soft, snow white skin with raw, red spots that crackled and snapped like embers in a fireplace. Now that Apple had gotten use to her surroundings, she realized that the air all around her actually _was_ on fire, filled with bright embers that twisted and floated through like new fallen snow in a blizzard.

The princess hissed and withdrew her hands inside of her sleeves to prevent them from getting burnt as she looked around, not realizing where in the name of the ancestors she was; the sky was a fiery, poisonous orange and yellow in color as if the sun had gotten too close and set the atmosphere ablaze, leaving nothing but the intoxicating air to breathing and the mournful caws of crows to listen to. All around her was debris and rubble, the remains of a once wonderful and enchanting civilization now reduced to burning piles of stone and wood that surrounded Apple on all sides. She gulped and took several cautious steps forward, looking back and forth and getting the uneasy feeling that where ever after she had ended up, it was all too familiar.

What was puzzling even more was how this even corresponded to her wish. How could this awful scene, this apocalyptic landscape that made her lungs struggle to breath and her eyes want to commit suicide possible relate to her selfish desire to have Ben all to herself? Now that she thought about it, she was already having seconds thoughts about that wish; but she had been caught up in the moment of having such power, such raw and uncontrollable power at her command that in the madness and chaotic thoughts of it all she had made what was perhaps one of, if not the worst wish ever after. Especially if it led to this kind of place, wherever after it was.

Her foot striking against something caught her attention and she looked down and gasped upon seeing the smoldering remains of the Glass Slipper's store logo, a shop she regularly frequented to visit Ashlynn and to stock up on the season's latest designs in footwear. Looking around, Apple recognized the crumbling remains of the Tower Salon that no longer proudly reached the sky and looked out over the Village of Book End. Apple's heart was hammering in her chest as she continued on, her pace quickening when she recognized the ancient, smoldering stumps that had once made up the Multi-Hex theater and the gigantic, wilting remains of the Beanstalk Bakery, now nothing more than a pitiful weed just waiting to be put out of its misery.

The further and further Apple traveled, more and more she disliked where she was, her pulse quickening when she saw the shattered remains of the Mad Hatter's Haberdashery & Tea Shoppe lying in crumbled ruins like some kind of dying beast waiting for its time to pass on; gulping, Apple slowly walked inside and made careful steps to not step on the shards and pieces of broken teapots and teacups, somehow making Apple feel like he was trespassing on some fairy tale's grave as she knelt down and stood up a fallen table that groaned and creaked pitifully as Apple pulled up a chair and took a seat, looking around at what had once been one of the livest places in all of Book End. If this really was Book End, if this really was Ever After . . . where was everyone? What had happened to them?

A soft clinking noise caught her attention and apple looked and startled, barely keeping in a small yelp of surprise when a small, cracked teacup slowly hopped up to her foot, seeming to look up at her some set of invisible eyes that she could not see before sadly hopping along; unsure of what to do, Apple got up from her chair and quietly followed after the teacup, biting her lip when she noticed that the rotting, festering floorboards of the Tea Shoppe were now scorched and covered in a thin layer of ash that got blacker and darker the further she followed the teacup until it finally came to a halt. The princess, curious, looked up at what the teacup had stopped to stare at and nearly lost her stomach contents at the mere sight of the ghastly scene before her. It was a corpse of a small, teenage girl that had been buried under the rubble of the collapsing Haberdashery and killed upon impact with nothing by her tattered, white legging covered legs and a limb, frail hand still clutching a teacup in death; a small, teacup-shaped top hat lay undisturbed on the ground but a few feet away, the smoldering scorch mark implying that its owner had also been attacked in the head before she had been killed by the very place she loved and adored.

"Maddie . . ." Apple rasped, her throat having gone dry upon seeing such a horrific nightmare; the little teacup at her feet bobbed slightly, as if nodding before sadly hopping away into the shadows, ignoring Apple's heartbroken expression. Not wanting to see anymore, Apple ran out of the Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe as quickly as possibly, ignoring the dull, stabbing pains as she ran over the broken china and back out into the fiery streets of hell that had become Book End. Her breath short and ragged and her heart beating like a drum, Apple ran through the maze of Book End, trying to block out the horrific things she encountered along the way; the lifeless corpses of Poppy and Holly O'Hair were crushed under a mound of heavy rubble, their lips left open and dripping trails of drying blood while their eyes held looks of eternal agony and pleading with clasped together tightly for comfort. Daring had been impaled through the chest by what Apple realized to be his own sword, his limp form left to rot hanging from his own blade in a still standing wall that had been battered relentlessly by the harsh weather, the dented crown of Hopper Croakinton II at his feet with no other sign of the amphibious prince in sight. Apple blocked this all out as she all but barreled into the Enchanted Forest, her breath catching in her throat when she took note of the blackened trees and their lifeless branches that seemed to claw and reach for her.

Dry, dead leaves crunched under her feet as she walked, her heart stopping when she came upon the blood stained, skeletal remains of a once proud stag that had been stripped to the bone; lying not to far away were a pair of skeletons wrapped in each others arms with their bones riddled by multiple arrows that glistened menacingly in the low light. The smaller of the two corpses had several, greasy patches of strawberry blonde hair still attached to its bony scalp, its body dressed in a light blue and pink, puffy sleeved dress and short, floral skirt that barely reached its kneecaps. The larger of the two skeletons however, had a few strands of earthy brown hair left on only the left side of its skull, a tattered and heavily weathered jacket over a decomposing, evergreen sweatshirt covering its gaping rib cage where several of the bones had been snapped off and leaving only one of its skeletal feet covered by a single, brown hunting boot.

"No . . . not Ashlynn and Hunter . . ." Apple whispered, her lips barely forming the words before a low, deep hiss caught her attention. Against her better judgment, Apple slowly turned around to catch a glance at the noise and nearly felt her heart stop upon what she saw; glowering at her from behind a pair of blackened trees was a massive dragon easily the size of an elephant if not three times as big. What made the beast all the more frightening was that it didn't bare any resemblance to a dragon apple had ever had the displeasure of seeing, with the exception of Nevermore, and looked more like some sort of sick mutation. For one thing, the dragon didn't have any eyes of any kind and merely glared at her with an expressionless face, save for the two rows razor-sharp fangs that resided in its massive maw; as if that weren't bad enough, the tongue was instead a long, fleshy vein with a smaller, fang filled mouth at the end that drooled excessively, letting long strands of corrosive, acid-like saliva to drop and hiss loudly upon the ground. Never minding its frightening head, the rest of the beast a sheer monstrosity, a nearly skeletal body held together by ligaments, tendons, muscles and sinew as black as ebony that seemed too far stretched between their two points; blackened vertebrae rose up from its spine, running all the way down a very long, whip-like tail. Gigantic, curved claws tipped each and every toe and finger, digging deep into the desecrated earth when it wasn't flexing the pair of massive, mourning gray wings that acted as a pair of forelegs. Apple immediately recognized it as one of the school's dragons that were used in the Beast Care and Training and Heroics 101 classes.

"N-Nice boy," Apple trembled, taking several cautious steps back for every one the horribly ill-looking dragon took, smoke drifting forth not from a set of nostrils on its nose, but a set of gill-like slits on its thick neck. The dragon, whatever had happened to it, growled and locked its eyeless face on her, slithering the second mouth out past the cage of dagger sharp teeth that lined its first set of jaws and slowly, deliberately towards Apple; the princess winced and froze on the spot as the second mouth reflexively opened and closed, gently poking and prodding her before slithering a long, flexible tongue out past the dull teeth that lined the second mouth and tentatively licked her, sampling her before the tongue, the second mouth, and the long vein it was attached to all zipped back inside the dragon's maw faster than a chameleon's tongue. The twisted dragon than bellowed in Apple's face, shattering whatever nerves she had left and sending the princess fleeing as fast possible, screaming at the top of her lungs as the dragon took chase after her, screeching and roaring as its feet pounded the ground, the blackened, dead forest working against it with the trees forcing it to run instead of fly. This did not mean however, that the advantage was Apple's.

The princess's lungs were burning as she ran, her heart threatening to tear itself out of her chest from pumping and pounding and hammering so much within her to the point where it hurt like hex to her as she stole a peek behind her and screamed even louder when the dragon was just a feet meters away; a quick movement to the left allowed Apple to avoid getting attacked by the second mouth that instead snapped at a branch as thick around as Apple's wrist and chewed it in two with one movement, making the mutated dragon even further irritated.

"P-Please! Just leave me alone!" Apple pleaded. "Whisp! _Whisp!_ Wherever you are, help me!" she screamed as loud as possible while running before she suddenly tripped and when tumbling and bouncing down a steep embankment that scratched and pounded away at her body with rocks and blackened logs until she finally came to a stop at the trunk of an ancient oak that looked as if it had seen far better seasons. She winced at a sharp pain in her arm and shook her head to clear her vision, immediately wishing she hadn't when she saw the horrid dragon come slowly stalking down the bank and hissing venomously as the gills puffed and fluttered to release puffs of smoke from within itself.

"G-Go away! I'm w-warning you!" Apple cried, really wishing she had paid attention to those Heroic 101 classes that had been combined with her Damsel-in-Distress period as she grabbed a stick and held in front of her like a weapon; when the dragon didn't back off, Apple chucked the stick at its head, hoping to deter it from eating and make it think she was too much of a problem to deal with. Her hopes were shattered however when the second mouth snaked out faster than a whip and caught the stick in its teeth, snapping it half with a quick movement and letting the two halves fall to the ground before stalking closer, its patience at an end.

" _WHISP!_ " Apple screamed as loud as possible with the dragon but a few yards away; a puff of black smoke exploded in front of her, making her cough and wheeze even more.

"Hmmm. Lets see here," Whisp hummed as she stood between Apple and the nightmarish dragon while she flipped through a thick collection of pages stapled together. "Apple gets cornered and tries to defend herself, Apple cries out for help, Whisp comes to the rescue. A tad predictable, but I can work with this." she shrugged, closing the script and sending it away in a cloud of black smoke.

"Do something!" Apple begged.

"Righto! One knight in shining armor coming up!" Whisp cracked her knuckles before snapping her fingers and swallowing herself in another flash of black smoke that dissipated to cloth the genie in a suit of shining, metal armor that broadened her shoulder dramatically and increased her height as well, all but dwarfing Apple. A fiery pink plume stuck out of the top of the helmet, matching the brightly pink colored symbol of none other than the Omnitrix under a white skullette on Whisp's chest and the massive shield she carried in her left hand while holding a gigantic broadsword in the other. The genie in shining armor lifted the lid of its helmet up with a cocky grin before charging forward with her sword raised and ready to smite.

The dragon snarled and reared up onto its hindlegs, hissing venomously and flaring its wings as a warning, even going so far as to let the second mouth slither out past the first set of jaws; when it realized that the genie would not be deterred easily, it finally resorted to its last line of defense and fired off a hot, fiery stream of flame right at Whisp, bellowing and roaring at the top of its lungs as the genie in shining armor raised her shield to block a majority of fire before rushing forward with her sword raised and the shield over her face to protect her from the flames. The twisted dragon roared and followed her movements with its neck, snapping its jaws shut just an inch behind her as Whisp dove under the dragon's belly and stabbed her blade upwards, embedding it deep into the dragon's belly and raising her shield a second time to block a second stream of fiery breath sent her way by the irritated beast.

"Ha! Have at thee, foul villain!" Whisp cheered as she rammed her shield at the dragon's face and dazed it long enough for her to pull her sword out from its gut and slash it front of the beast's face, severing the long vein that connected the second mouth to the dragon in a spurt of disgusting, green blood. After that, the nightmarish monstrosity had finally had enough and gave a final flare of its smoke expelling gills before raising its wings to give them a single, powerful flap and flying upwards and away; Whisp gave off a loud battle cry to chase it off, a scream that made Apple's hair stand on end.

"I-Is it gone?" Apple asked as she climbed to her feet with her back pinned firmly against the tree trunk.

"Gone like a dodo, kid." Whisp grinned, snapping her fingers and sending the suit of armor she had been wearing, grand sword, and protective shield away in a puff of black smoke.

Apple swallowed and began breathing again, her pulse relaxing as she slid down the trunk of the tree with her wits still about her just in case another dragon or some other twisted monstrosity that may have been roaming the woods; the princess sucked in another breath to calm her nerves, entire frame rattling as she did so. "Wh-Where . . . where am I?" she trembled.

Whisp tapped her chin in thought before snapping her fingers and summoning a compass, a map, and a pair of glasses that she set upon the brim of her nose to peer closer at the map in her hands. "Hmmm. Off hand, I'd say Ever After." she replied casually.

"B-But what happen to it?" Apple wondered, her bottom lip quivering as she wheezed and coughed at the sheer amount of ash and embers in the air.

Whisp hummed and rubbed her chin for a second before snapping her fingers and summoning a pair of reading glasses onto the bridge of her nose and a heavy leather book in her hands. "Lets see now . . . Raven Queen and the original Snow White kissing . . . Daring discovering that his original ancestor was a necrophiliac . . ."

Apple immediately clapped her hands over her ears, singing loudly at the top of her lungs. "Stop it! Stop that! P-Please, for the love of the ancestors, stop it!" she pleaded, a shaky tone in her voice.

"Just as well. Wrong book anyway." Whisp shrugged, oblivious to Apple as she sent the book away in a puff of blackened smoke before summoning a second book into her other hand and flipping through that until she landed on the page she was looking for; the genie then snapped her fingers and summoned a telescope into her hand to glance up at the ash-filled sky above her with before turning a pile of deadened leaves into a notepad and pencil that she scribbled some calculations down and then finally pulling a coin out of her pocket that she flipped and caught between her fingers. "Just as I thought."

"You actually got an answer from all that?" Apple raised an eyebrow, biting her lip and cautiously uncovering her ears for fear of hearing anything else that she might regret or be traumatized by.

Whisp grinned. "Not a bit. I just know." she replied. "Either way, the answer is quite simple, really: Raven did this."

Apple blanked. "I must be hearing things," she muttered to herself. "This . . . all this . . . Raven did all this?"

"That's right, she can be taught!" Whisp smirked, snapping her fingers and placing a diploma and mortar hat upon the princess's head and hand.

Apple was quaking and trembling at these words. This . . . all of this death and destruction and desecration was because of Raven? But the Raven that Apple knew, the Raven that Apple loved and treasured like a sister would never resort to all of this evil . . . would she? Now that the princess thought about it, how well did she really know Raven? She knew she was the Daughter of the Evil Queen and was destined to follow in her mother's footsteps, but beyond that she knew next to nothing about her other than a few sparse facts that were little more than trivia tidbits. Maybe . . . maybe all of this wasn't that far off? Maybe Raven, as tall and as strong as she was, really was teetering on the edge of sanity and was barely hanging on?

"Where . . . wh-where is Raven?" Apple asked.

"Hmmm. I'd wager the ever ominous, looming castle way over yonder." Whisp suggested, pointing behind Apple.

"Can you take me there?" Apple asked.

"Is that a wish? Because I can't do nothing until you wish it, and I for one am pretty sure you do not want to remain stuck here." Whisp warned her.

Apple raised an eyebrow. "But what about when you saved me? Just two minutes ago?"

"Four minutes three seconds, to be exact. But who's counting?" Whisp corrected as she pulled an oversized stopwatch out from between her breasts before snapping her fingers; the golden chain slithered back between her cleavage with the watch right behind, drawing a deep blush across Apple's face as she sucked in a breath to calm herself. "And if you must know, us genies are allowed to give out one freebie when we first start out; I've been at this for . . . a year or two, give or take a couple millennium? It's so hard to keep a calendar inside of a lamp."

Apple tapped her chin in thought. If Whisp couldn't give her a way to Raven's lair (at least she hoped it would be) and she was all out of free wishes from the genie in training, then the best course of action without wasting one of her precious wishes . . . was to trick her. "Wait, hold up. You're saying that you can bring me to some fairy fail of a future and save me from some sort of mutant dragon, but you can't just teleport me or something to the castle?" she scoffed with a mocking tone that she had been practicing. "Some all powerful genie."

Whisp frowned and raised an eyebrow at this, her brow furrowing as her temper began to grow.

"I guess that's to be hexpected," Apple seemed oblivious to the genie's expression. "Guess I'll just have to walk there all alone . . . by myself . . . with nothing but a weak genie-"

 _ **THOOM!**_

A gigantic foot easily three times Apple's size came crashing down in front of her, an even bigger slipper with a curled tip fitting over the foot and blocking her path; tilting her head upward revealed the owner of the massive foot to be none other than Whisp on a _much_ bigger scale with the smoked trees looking comparable to a small meadow of blackened grass to her with Apple nothing more than a tiny insect to be accidentally crushed underfoot. "Excuse me?" Whisp snarled, glaring at the princess. "Are you lookin' at me? Did you rub my lamp? Did you wake up? Did you bring me here? And all of a sudden, you're walkin' out on me!?" she yelled angrily, her voice loud and booming. "I don't think so! Not right now! _You're getting' your wishes, so_ _ **SIT DOWN!**_ " the very air seeming to vibrate from the sheer intensity of her anger.

Apple was shaking like a leaf in a storm beneath the genie's towering height that would have made her visible for miles and yelped with surprise when Whisp was engulfed in a gigantic cloud of charred smoke that swallowed her entire form and shrank her down to a much more manageable size; Whisp then cracked her kncukles and pointed her finger at a fallen log on the forest floor, blasting a charge of what Apple could only guess to be phenomenal cosmic power or some form of powerful magic and turning the fallen limb into a magic carpet with exotic and extravagant designs in a puff of ash-colored smoke.

"In case of emergency, the exits are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here . . . _anywhere!_ " Whisp summed as she sprouted what must have been eight new arms that pointed in a total of ten different directions to Apple as she was pulled on board the flying carpet by yet another pair of arms that Whisp had recently grown before the Genie snapped all but her original pair back against her body. "Keep your hands and arms inside the carpet! _WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'RE_. . . _outta here!_ " Whisp exclaimed as the magic carpet blasted off like a rocket, leaving Apple hanging on for dear life and wondering if she had made the right choice in tricking the genie.

* * *

The Holiday Mash Up was in full swing, with the ballroom heavily decorated and full of Christmas cheer; white and blue snowflakes floated and flew across the dance floor and walls, giving the room an overall warm and fuzzy feel when once took into consideration that a grand fireplace sat against one wall of the room and was burning brightly in front of a group of chairs for those students that had grown tired from all the jolly noise and dance and simply needed a break. The towering Christmas tree stood opposite of the fireplace across the wide dance floor and in front of the large windows that looked out upon the winter wonderland outside and offered an extra dollop of holiday cheer for those that were still a tad grumpy and rather scrooge-like.

"Faybelle, what did I tell you about playing with the punch bowl?" Ben scolded the fairy when he caught her red handed while she tried to pour some sort of mysterious concoction into the holiday punch that was offered to anyone who desired a cool drink to nurse through the night.

"To not to?" Faybelle guessed.

Ben sighed and pinched his brow. "Can't you go _one_ day without being evil? We remembered to invite you to the party this time, didn't we? You got an invitation, right?"

The fairy paused. "Well . . . no . . ."

Ben raised an eyebrow at this. "But I told Maddie to hand out the rest of the invitations hours ago. We even invited the headmasters." he added. "Of course, only Giles could attend with Grimm swamped by paperwork, or so he claimed."

"So we gave him a mug of hot eggnog and some Christmas cookies instead!" Maddie laughed gleefully as she bounced up to the two of them and happily pecked her boyfriend on the cheek; the Hatter had switched out her usual teeny tiny top hat and tea themed dress, leggings, and shoes for something more festive, a red dress that just reached her knees and showed a little more leg than Ben had ever seen on her with white, fluffy ring ringing the skirt and a black belt with a golden buckle strapped tightly around her waist. A red Santa hat ringed with white fuzz and a cotton ball tip sat on her head with a sprig of mistletoe tucked into the brim as well, turning the usually mad Hatter into a mad, female version of Santa Claus.

"Maddie, I thought you said everyone got their invitations?" Ben inquired.

"They did! Earl Grey took one half and I took the other!" Maddie grinned broadly.

"And you're sure everyone got their invitations?" Ben pressed.

Maddie hesitated for a second. "Well . . . Earl Grey _did_ mention he had been chased by a rather nasty and persistent owl fully intent on making this Christmas his last . . . until he pulled the ol' Bandersnatch Fight trick, that is!" she cheered happily, high-fiving the little dormouse.

"So you're saying that Faybelle's invitation is now possibly buried somewhere under the snow right now?" Ben summed up.

"Does a Jabberwocky secretly tap dance?"

With a satisfied smirk on his face, Ben turned back to face Faybelle with his arms folded over his chest and Maddie happily hanging off his shoulder. "You see? You _were_ invited and you still are invited to this party. No need to be evil here." he said. "Now hold off on the dastardly deeds for just one night, alright? It is Christmas after all."

Faybelle sighed and relented, corking the mysterious potion and tossing it over her shoulder with a care where it landed in the open fireplace, making the flames flare and roar loudly when the bottle exploded on the burning logs. "Fine. But just for tonight." she surrendered, pointing an excusing finger at Ben. "And I better be entertained."

"What was in that?" Ben wondered with concern at the explosive potion; the fairy ignored his question and helped herself to some of the refreshments.

"Well if the consensus of the student body is the same as yours, then you're going to love what's coming up next." Skurd reminded Faybelle. "Now if you'll excuse us, we and the lovely Hatter have a concert to play."

"You? Sing?" Clawdeen scoffed, coming up to join the conversation. "That's rich."

"Admittedly, the boy's singing is not all that good. Mexico was more than enough for me, thank you." Skurd agreed with his usual, toneless drawl.

"Believe it or not, Raven and the Rebels are a musical sensation." Faybelle smirked smugly, folding her arms over her bust and fluttering her wings to lift herself off of the floor high enough to appear more imposing than the werewolf. With that being said, Ben and Maddie quickly scuttled towards the stage where Raven and Melody were already waiting and making finally adjustments to the sound equipment; several moments later, Dexter arrived as well with a clearly distressed look on his face.

"Dexter, are you alright?" Raven asked while adjusting the sparkling, glimmering purple dress ringed with white, faux fur that pulled back into a cape that hooked around her wrists for extra flare and comfort; the witchling was oblivious to how Cerise was starring at her from the shadows, unable to tear her eyes away from the witchling while she hid a deep crimson blush on her face as best as she could.

"F-Fine." Dexter reassured her, frantically flickering his eyes back and forth between Raven and the doors of the ballroom.

"Dude, you need to relax. Cupid's been through worse." Ben told the anxious prince as Raven handed him the bass guitar she had been tuning earlier and watched as he strummed a short, melodic chord before adjusting the picks. "You think watching you turn into the Beast and get blasted off the roof was fun for her? I swear, she nearly went madder than Maddie when she couldn't find you." he added as Dexter felt his face warm up slightly while he took out his trumpet and fingered the keys to warm them up.

"How are the bells, Maddie?" Raven asked, suddenly getting last minute jitters.

"Jinglin' and ring-ting-tinging, too!" Maddie laughed excitedly before she realized something pulled off the Santa hat that sat snugly on her head and reaching deep side all the way up to her elbow while she fished around for something until she finally found it and pulled out two Santa hats identical to her own with a pair of green ones coupled with pointed, felt ears that she tossed at Dexter and Melody before throwing the other two hats at Raven and Ben.

"Why do I have to be an elf?" Melody wondered as she slipped the hat on over her snow white and purple stained locks, tucking her ears inside of the fake set attached to the hat.

The Hatter shrugged casually. "Because I can't picture Raven or Ben as elves, you scoodle brain, duh!" Maddie replied simply. "Now lets do this!"

Raven sucked in a deep breath to still her jittery nerves, reasoning with herself that she had done this twice before already and was more than capable of doing it a third, no matter the occasion; her best friends forever after and boyfriend were up on stage with her to support her and she was singing her heart out to her greatly extended family of classmates and fellow fairy tales and monsters. And the way Clawdeen and Venus were smirking at Ben with taunting looks made her feel far more relaxed when Ben tried to hide the embarrassed blush that crept across his face.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Raven called out through the mic, tapping it to make sure it was in working order; once every had their focus trained towards the stage, Raven gulped and sucked in a second breath for courage before speaking. "So, uh, how's everyone enjoying the party so far?"

"I take it you're not use to addressing big crowds?" Ben guessed.

"They mostly just run away from me." Raven told him out of the corner of her mouth before returning to the microphone. "Anyways, Happy Holidays, everyone! Give a big round of applause for Briar for setting this all up!" she added as a rousing round of clapping and cheering echoed through the room; the din fell on deaf ears however as Briar dozed off wrapped in a blanket in front of the fireplace, snoring loudly.

"Should we wake her?" Dexter wondered.

"It'll be like trying to wake the dead, Dex." Melody rolled her eyes while she spun a record around on her fingertip.

"I _have_ woken the dead. I do that every morning with Spectra and Skelita." Ben joked.

Raven ignored the comment. "So with that out of the way, we'll be start off with a slow Christmas song that everyone knows and can dance to. Enjoy!" she smiled brightly as the crowd cheered and whistled with approval as Ben strummed a few chords on the bass given to him by the witchling while Maddie jumped right in with her bells and Melody backed it all up with a steady drumbeat from one of the multitude of beats and rhythms she was able to set upon her turntables.

" _I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need._ "

" _I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree._ "

" _I just want you for my own more than you could ever know._ "

" _Make my wish come true,_ "

" _All I want for Christmas is you!_ " Raven sang into the microphone with a bright smile, a grin that was only broadened when she took note of how everyone else was enjoying the music as much as she was giving it.

" _I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need,_ "

" _And I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree._ "

" _I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace._ "

" _Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day!_ "

" _I just want you for my own more than you could ever know._ "

" _Make my wish come true,_ "

" _All I want for Christmas is you!_ " Ben took note of how Skurd happily bobbing and bouncing to the beat of the song upon the Omnitrix, freezing steadfast when he caught sight of his host sparing a glance at him before returning to focusing on the playing the very jolly sounding chords; once he was sure Ben wasn't looking, Skurd resumed his little dance, hardly noticing how Dexter effortlessly blended right in with a short blast of his trumpet and few melodic notes to cover up the entry.

" _Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow._ "

" _And I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe._ "

" _I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick._ "

" _I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click,_ "

"' _Cause I just want you here tonight, holding on to me so tight!_ "

" _What more can I do?_ " _  
_

" _All I want for Christmas is you!_ " Cerise couldn't quite put her finger on it as she laughed and spun around in a circle with the cape of her hood widespread like wings, but she could have sworn that Raven might have absolutely, probably, maybe, possibly pointed at _her_ during that last line, a thought that made her heart flutter before it was immediately ground; the witchling could never fall for a halfbreed freak like her, right? They were just . . . friends? With every passing day for Cerise, that definition seemed to get weirder and more abstract. _  
_

" _Oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere._ "

" _And the sound of children's laughter fills the air!_ "

" _And everyone is singing, I hear those sleigh bells ringing._ "

" _Santa, won't you bring me the one I really need? Won't you please bring my baby to me?_ "

" _Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas, this is all I'm asking for._ "

" _I just want to see my baby standing right outside my door!_ "

" _Oh, I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know!_ "

" _Make my wish come true!_ " _  
_

" _All I want for Christmas is you!_ " Raven drew out the last as long as possible while she whirled and pointed right at Ben with a small wink that made both of their faces turn a light shade of red when cat calls and wolf whistles caught their attentions. With being said, Raven turned her attention back to the audience and summed up the song with a wave of her hand and a smile upon her lips.

The witchling grinned. " _Merry Christmas!_ "

"I think they like us." Ben remarked.

"That's an understatement." Raven felt her face turn a darker shade of red from embarrassment; it was almost bizarre how the crowd of unnamed, miscellaneous fairy tales and myths could be cheering her on, rooting for her and her wonderful music and song and then the next day, run away and scream in terror from her as if she were going to slice them in half and feast upon their organs for the mere fun of it. It was so hypocritical of them that it almost painful to the witchling, as painful as the mysterious, silvery scars that marked her body like a hideous parasite, always out of sight and yet a constant reminder to something that she would much rather forget.

The young witch shook her head slightly and averted her gaze from her shoulder and arm, mentally telling herself now wasn't the time to be reminiscing on things she would much rather forget, no, now was the time to simply put her worries and troubles aside and enjoy the warm, fuzzy feeling that wriggled and wormed its way inside of her during the holiday season and made her happy once more to be alive surrounded by her friends and those who loved her.

"Care to dance?" Ben asked as the small band quickly packed up and let Melody Piper handle the rest of the music, the DJ choosing to keep the funny, holiday themed hat Maddie had kindly given to her as she put on the latest hit by One Reflection that got everyone swinging into the holiday spirit.

Raven shrugged. "Maybe later. I think I have some competition." the witchling laughed when she caught sight of the ghouls, Maddie, and even Cedar working their way through the crowd towards the stage; Ben paled slightly at the mere thought of how sore his feet were going to be the next morning.

" _Dexter!_ "

The Son of Prince Charming and the rest of the band with the exception of Melody, who was trying to keep the small colony of mice that had swarmed over her records at the sound of her music in order, turned their head to see Giles Grimm come walking through the shifting, shuffling crowd of the Christmas party with none other than Cupid by his side, a sight that made Dexter both relax and seize up with worry.

"Cupid! What are you doing here!?" he wondered with concern. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course."

"Young Charming, you can relax. Cupid is now more than capable of walking on her own," Giles Grimm reassured him as he adjusted his spectacles and ignored the snickers sent his way when his students caught sight of the ugly Christmas sweater he had purposely worn for the occasion; the snickering increased into full out giggling and laughter when Maddie bounced down from the stage and swiped Dexter's hat off of his head and deposited it on the Headmaster's with a bright smile that made him chuckle slightly.

"Are you sure?" Dexter fretted.

"Dexter, I'm fine." Cupid reassured him with a pink, barely noticeable tinge to her pale, snow white cheeks as she held a small, heart-shaped ice pack to her head. "As long as I'm not too strenuous on my wounds, I'll be more than capable of dancing the night away with you."

Raven smiled quietly to herself as she managed to slip away just as Ben was yanked away by Clawdeen and Venus, more than happy for both her best friend forever after and shared boyfriend as she retreated towards the more quieter area of the ballroom; the witchling sighed heavenly as she sat down in one of the many comfy cushions and chairs set up in front of the roaring fireplace, taking a particularly comfortable pillow that sat in front of and little to the right of the armchair Briar had been propped and wrapped up in a blanket in until she finally woke up and would become the life of the party. Raven snagged one of the spare blankets tossed carelessly about the small, cozy area and snuggled up deep inside it, revealing in the warmth the fire provided for her.

"You're not going to join in on the party?"

Raven turned her head to see Cerise slide herself between two chairs and join her down on the floor near the fireplace, grabbing a lighter blanket as she wrapped herself up in her hood and sat down next to the witchling; Raven shrugged. "Not yet. I just want to enjoy some peace and quiet before things get hextic."

"You and me both." Cerise smiled lightly, mentally chanting to herself that she could blame the light blush upon her face on the intense heat of the fireplace while she bedded down a little closer to Raven; the Riding Hood noted to herself that the witchling had switched out her normally, lovely lavender scent for something a little more festive, a combination of crisp pine needles and holly that gently tickled her sensitive nose.

"You didn't enjoy our performance?" Raven asked.

Cerise shook her head. "No, that was fine. The music being played now is a little too loud for my liking." she explained.

The two of them lay there for a while, simply enjoying the warmth that the hearth supplied them and each others company as the party raged on behind them; Cerise couldn't help but spend the majority of that time lying there surrounded by warmth simply admiring and starring longingly at Raven when the witchling had stolen a glance at the Riding Hood. She bit her lip nervously as she flickered her gaze towards Raven, longingly to touch that soft, ivory skin and caress her long, fluid raven black and violet purple locks that seemed more like water than strands of dead, fused together keratin, and have those endless, purple pools looking at her with the same amount of love and affection Cerise felt for her.

At the same time, she was mentally berating herself, knowing full well that someone like Raven, brave and strong enough to stand up for what she believed in, to fight for it tooth, claw, and hangnail with every last ounce of strength she had, and to know when it was time to rely on others for help when she was weak and broken, could never love her; in a way, Raven had managed to create herself a tightly knit wolf pack of friends that had become an extended family that would fight for one another's safety and well being, much like Cerise's father's pack (there had been initial protest amongst the wolves, according to her father anyway, when her mother had been introduced and when Cerise had been born, but that had quickly been quelled without question by her father's strength and her mother's temper that was more than enough to make even the most stubborn of the wolves back down and admit that she was more than suited to join the pack). Cerise had no doubt that Raven and especially Ben would be just as welcome into her pack once she finally got the courage to introduce them to her extended family . . . and once and if Raven actually returned the Riding Hood's feelings for her.

" _Girl, why did you decorate yourself with mistletoe if ya don't wanna be kissed!?"_ Sparrow Hood's horrid, off key voice howled as he rubbed his lips furiously, startling and quickly backing away from Venus when he realized that his hand was stained a light red in color; the plant monster in question had sprouted a small garden of mistletoe plants from the vines that snaked and wrapped themselves around her arms, shoulders, and neck, giving the great misconception that anyone could simply walk up to her and plant a sweet kiss upon her fanged lips out of tradition.

"Because it's not for you, moron!" Venus snapped as small, lavender mourning dove alighted down on her shoulder and cuddled up to her cheek, cooing softly.

Raven snickered. "I don't think that's the kind of love bite Sparrow was looking for." she joked as Venus snorted and spat out a crimson stained glob of saliva towards the nearest garbage can, easily scoring a bulls-eye; the purple dove on her shoulder recoiled slightly and fluttered down to the ground where it quickly resumed the form of Jane, who took to scolding Venus on her manners much to the plant monster's surprise and amusement.

 _I'd show you a **real** love bite,_Cerise thought to herself. It was then that the Riding Hood casually glanced upward and noticed a sprig of mistletoe that someone had mysteriously hung from the ceiling over the comfortable hearth; Cerise gulped and gently tapped Raven's shoulder, drawing the witchling's attention to the mistletoe hung directly over their heads.

"You know, it's witch's superstition that anyone who refuses to kiss another under the mistletoe will be cursed with bad luck." Raven noted, a pink tinge crossing her ivory face.

Cerise blinked. "Y-You . . . you don't believe in bad luck, do you?"

"No," Raven replied, making Cerise relax slightly. "But I do believe in curses, and knowing some of my more villainous ancestors and members of my species, I'm not taking any chances."

Cerise was immediately rigid again, her heart hammering in her chest with her mind a chaotic storm of thoughts, emotions, and instincts. "B-But I thought witches were just people? Humans . . . like me?" she added, flickering eyes around for anyone that could possibly be listening in.

"Common misconception," Raven corrected with a slight smile of amusement. "I don't know how things work back in Ben's dimension, considering all the stories he told us, but humans are totally and absolutely incapable of performing magic and casting spells; the only exception would be if one of the parents was of magical origin, like a mage, warlock-"

"Or witch?" Cerise guessed, the blush she had continually been blaming on the snapping and crackling fireplace now a little lighter than before.

"We're actually a subspecies of humans, if that helps clear things up." Raven added.

"Like Osmosians?"

Raven winced. " _Please_ don't start on that. It was confusing enough when Ben told it." she joked lightly; the girl's shared boyfriend often regaled them with tales of his adventures across the universe, even the most unbelievable of stories no matter how complex or ridiculous they may have been. Blondie was even planning on scheduling a short segment in her show where Ben would tell the whole school about his adventures, almost as if it were a Saturday morning cartoon, much to Ben's slight annoyance (according to him there had been numerous television shows and cartoons that revolved around him and his life ever since he had received the Omnitrix, most of which had been absolutely horrendous and made him cringe whenever he accidentally flipped the channel onto one of them, especially a certain one that Ben wished to forget as much as possible).

"So . . . uh . . ." Cerise trailed off as she glanced back up at the ceiling again.

"It doesn't have to be on the lips," Raven offered. "There's nothing that says that it can't be a kiss on the cheek."

"There are rules about this?"

"More like guidelines." Raven shrugged, scooting a little closer to the Riding Hood. "So do you want to do it or should I?"

"Why are you so open about this?" Cerise wondered.

"Because I'd rather not have either one of cursed with luck so bad it could end up killing us." Raven responded, her eyes flickering away for a moment. "Lets just that my uncle Morgyn wasn't allowed over for Harvest Eve or the Winter Solstice."

"Winter Solstice?"

"We don't celebrate Christmas . . ." Raven explained, trying to ignore the memories of her as a little girl waking up on Christmas morning and opening presents with her father and the castle servants, maids, cooks, and staff like one, big, extended family that couldn't stand to be around one another for too long but loved and cherished each other dearly. "But ever since coming to Ever After High, a place dominated by humans . . . it's become one of my favorite holidays." she smiled brightly, a sight that made Cerise's heart nearly skip a beat.

"So . . . w-we're really d-doing this?" Cerise felt her face heat up once more as she unconsciously shifted closer to the young witch.

"If you don't want to have bad luck, then yes." Raven answered, the pink tinge to her cheeks turning a deeper red as she leaned in; the witchling expected Cerise to recoil slightly and begrudgingly allow her to plant a brief, barely noticeable peck of affection upon her cheek, but was completely caught off guard when the halfbreed lunged her arms forward faster than Raven could react and all but engulf her in a tight embrace and smash her lips against Raven's. The witchling was caught off guard to say the least by Cerise getting caught up in the moment, perhaps more worried about bad luck than Raven had realized, but for some reason . . . it actually felt nice.

But moment didn't last for long. The doors to the ballroom suddenly banged open, smashing against the walls as they were blown of their hinges, a freezing winter wind blowing into the ballroom and extinguishing the crackling flames of the fireplace as the electrical lights wound around the Christmas tree and decking the halls were cut out quite suddenly, plunging the room into darkness while the temperature dropped dramatically, to the point where Raven could actually feel icicles forming on the cape she had worn for the occasion, turning it into a stiff sheet that broke into a dozens shards like glass when she moved.

Her face felt like ice and when she tried to move, there was a slight tug and pull on her lips; giving a muffled yelp of surprise as she moved her hands about to discover what had happened, she absentmindedly brushed her hand against Cerise's head and winced when it was a lot more solid than usual and gave off a dull _klunk!_ A more causal approach in her investigation revealed that Cerise was cold and lifeless to the touch while simultaneously remaining smooth like glass and slightly wet as well. Having enough confusion for the moment, Raven squeezed her eyes shut and gave an almighty tug and successfully tore her lips free from Cerise's with a slight spike of pain to assure her that she was awake and not asleep.

Upon getting up from the floor however, Raven immediately wished that it _was_ a dream. The ballroom had been plunged into darkness, a cold wind blowing in from the door and scattering a dusting of freezing snow on the floor where it piled up at the base and in the crevices and folds of the many students that stood frozen in place; the witchling gulped with fear when she realized that they were all quite literally frozen into statues of solid ice that twisted their faces into eternal images of fear or happiness for those that had been caught off guard by the sudden snowstorm.

"H-Hello?" Raven called out, suddenly feeling very afraid and alone in the darkened ballroom.

"Hello? Hello! Who goes there!?" a second voice called out from the other side of the room; normally, Raven would not have been as happy as she was now to hear Daring's voice out of everyone else that had been frozen at the Holiday Mash Up, but with the very real probability that he was the only other one that wasn't currently an ice statue, she would take it.

"Daring, it's me, Raven!" the witchling called out to him a loud, hushed voice. "I'm going to try and find you. And whatever you do, not make anymore noise than necessary!" she added as an afterthought as she entered the maze of icy bodies that covered the dancefloor.

"Why?" Daring asked in a worried tone.

"Because I have a feeling we aren't alone." Raven gulped with a shaky tone as she ducked under Hunter and Ashlynn's arms, the happy couple frozen with their hands held together and the rest of them splayed out in some sort of bright, cheery dance that had been interrupted. The witchling, despite knowing that Daring was somewhere else in the room with her, could not help but feel all alone right now as she slid herself between Dexter and Cupid, the two of them stuck in a position that clearly defined them as friends but not close enough to classify them as something more, something that actually aggravated Raven; it was clear that Cupid had a massive crush on Dexter that the prince was seemingly oblivious to despite how much time he spent around her.

A sudden whisper caught her attention, sending a chill up Raven's spine as she searched around for the source of the noise; as annoying and impulsive as Daring was at times, she knew he would never resort to such childish pranks at such a time. A deeper, louder hiss made her hesitate and freeze as she rounded around Skelita, the skeleton forever stuck eating the ashes of one of the tamales she had made, and Ginger frozen in midchase after the two Crumb Cousins, the two of them each making off with massive platters of stolen pastries and treats that would have made most teeth simply disintegrate from the sheer amount of sugar in all of them combined (the two portly children seemed to have teeth made out of diamonds).

"Okay, whoever is doing that, knock it off!" Raven suddenly yelled irritably after another rustling of the snow and wind made her tense up.

"Raven? What's going on?" Daring asked from somewhere near by; the witchling ignored the prince as a pair of faded, green eyes rose out of the floor in front of her, making her freeze up as they blinked once and trained on her before the eyes, now attached to a roughly human-like head that was wavering and faded, phased up from the floor followed by a basic body structure of two muscled arms tipped with claws, lean legs with a pair of talons at the end, and four massive, insectoid wings thrusting out of the back with a pair of antennae growing from the scalp.

"Is it safe to come out?" Big Chill rasped, releasing an icy vapor from his unmoving lips as he assumed a solid form once more and making Raven relax a great deal.

"Seriously? You've saved the universe how many times and you're still asking that?" Skurd gave a mouthless frown. "And to think, I actually thought you were a decent musician . . ."

"I don't know," Raven replied truthfully, ignoring the Slimebiote's comment. "Daring, it's okay! It's just Ben!"

"That's a relief, I suppose. At least we have a third member to our party." the Son of Prince Charming added as he ducked under Maddie; the Hatter had been effortlessly lifted off of the ground by Kitty in a figureskating pose that had been part of some odd and probably bizarre Wonderland dance that most likely didn't make a lick of sense to anyone outside of Wonderland.

Big Chill blinked once. "I'll try not to take offense." he remarked. "Now can someone kindly explain to me what the Sphinx just happened?"

Before anyone could offer an answer of any kind, the sound of loud, slow clopping echoed through the empty and lifeless ballroom like the footsteps of weary mourner walking the lonely halls of a mausoleum, searching for a loved one they could not find; the three of them felt chills run down their spines as they turned towards the source of the noise, a large figure that stood at the entrance of the blown open doors with chilling intent. He was roughly ten feet tall or so, his hulking frame making him look far more bigger if one even dared to get close to him (for how could it possibly be a girl?). Even with the faint cast of the moon's illuminating light, he gave off no color that defined who he was or who he fought for if anyone, the only clue being a pair of small, crimson rings at the center of a heavy, hooded cloak that could have only been a pair of soulless unblinking eyes. For the longest time, the figure didn't move, the only sound being a heavy, almost strained breathing and the soft clinking of metal whenever the figure panted.

" _Nobody escapes . . ._ " the cloaked figure growled in a low, whispery voice like that of a heavy fog rolling in and blocking out the comforting light of the moon and stars; despite his usual, courageous demeanor, Daring was trembling with fear as the figure reached up with a hand so malnourished one could see the tendons and ligaments binding the nearly skeletal fingers together and the veins that barely nurtured them and grab the hem of his hood, slowly drawing it back and revealing a nightmarish face that one could only hope to see in their nightmares. It was animalistic in appearance, something almost like a horribly sickened dog with sharpened fangs that protruded from the torn and bleeding lips and gums as a long and heavy tongue lolled over the fangs, slurping and dripping drool loudly as a pair of pointed ears that poked out of the hood through slits twitched and picked up on the slightest of sounds, including the way Daring's heart was pounding in his chest.

Raven took note of the pair of ringed horns that thrust themselves almost painfully from the malformed creature's head, curving back slightly like those of an ibex and sprouting off into sets of seemingly random spikes that branched from the main set. Spiked chains crisscrossed the foul demon's back and broad shoulders, hanging loose and rattling softly and making the hairs on the back of Raven's neck stand on end when she caught sight of a large, sharpened hook hanging from the thick, heavy chain clutched tightly in the monster's grip, quietly swinging back and forth in an invisible breeze while its owner regarded them with almost lackluster interest. It's body was depleted and weak looking enough that one could see the individual bones that made up his rib cage if one dared to peek underneath of his heavy, torn cloak that seemed to have a cape of cold chains attached to a spiked collar around his neck and clattered and rattled behind him while he breathed a foul smelling breath like that of severely burnt gingerbread cookies and holly.

Big Chill had faced off against worse characters back home, but that didn't mean this abomination, this . . . _thing_. . . it was absolutely terrifying, right up there with Zs'Skayr and the rest of his Halloween rejects. The current and actually living monster stood on bent legs with a pair of firm hooves for feet that kept the creature balance and positioned stiffly, its hunched over posture only briefly broken whenever it shifted its hooves for a more comfortable position; a leather strap with a rusty, golden buckle was laid across his skeletal chest, blending in perfectly with his dull green cloak and loincloth around his waist and over a pair of blackened, gray bandages that functioned like a pair of pants. Clipped to the creature's belt was a rusty, metal lantern that gave off an unearthly glow and a set of ancient keys that squeaked in protest at the slightest of movement and clinked softly when the heavy chain in the creature's hand rubbed against it and towards the top of the lantern it was hooked to.

"And then there were three," the creature rasped, his grip on his flaying hook tightening ever so slightly while he let out a low, cruel chuckle. "What delightful agony we shall inflict."

"Don't I count!?" Skurd cried with frustration.

"Who are you?" Raven blurted out, not sure her tingling nerves could take any more suspense.

The hunched figure chuckled as if he knew the punch line to a joke that Raven didn't know. "My, my, my. Always to the point with youth today." he grinned a sinister, cruel toothed smile. "But if you must know the name of your tormentor, the title is none other than Krampus, the Shadow of Saint Nicholas."

"Wait, Saint Nicholas as in Santa Claus?" Big Chill raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, ice-for-brains!" Skurd sighed with exasperation.

"Ever After's not just a place of fairy tales, Ben. There are myths and legends as well, including specific holiday figureheads, too." Raven told the Necrofriggian.

"Intelligent, are we? I will enjoy breaking you the most." Krampus chuckled a wheezing laugh that made Daring whimper slightly, only making The Shadow of Saint Nicholas turn his attention upon him. "And you . . . a fine warm up." he added, chucking his hook down at the floor and embedding it deep into the marble without exercising even a tiny fraction of the strength he possessed.

"W-Warm up?" Daring gulped.

Krampus once again gave off another cruel chuckle from the back of his throat while he pulled his hook out of the floor with ease and spun it around in a casual manner. "Oh, yes, a warm up. It will make the task of killing Ms. Queen and Tennyson all the sweeter with your blood staining my hook and your soul forever screaming within my grasp once I have smeared the little booger-."

" _BOGGER!?_ " Skurd screamed loudly. "That's it! Let me at him! Let me at him!"

Krampus smirked. "My, what a feisty little glob of snot you are."

"Skurd! Find out more about the creepy bad guy _before_ you try to throttle him!" Big Chill hissed warningly as the Slimebiote attempted to ooze himself closer to Krampus without removing himself from the Omnitrix strapped to the belt around the Necrofriggian's waist.

"You're icy friend knows well, slimeball." Krampus grinned toothily as he tightened the grip on his hook slightly and shifted his legs to rest himself into what Big Chill quickly recognized to be an attacking position. "Now, any last words?" his voice like gravel on a tombstone.

"I got one," Big Chill hissed with annoyance, pushing past Daring to stand bravely in front of him and Raven as he unwrapped the wings and antennae that enveloped him like a snug, velvety cloak of icy death. " _FREEZE!_ " he rasped loudly, a blast of subzero vapor firing out from his jaws and right at Krampus, seemingly catching him off guard as icicles quickly grew from the edge of his hook and his chains, coating his furry, black body in ice crystals that fused together into a freezing cold shell that imprisoned the demon in place by the time the Necrofriggian paused to recollect his breath.

"Now that's _cold._ " Skurd mildly joked.

"What are we now, a comedy duo?" Big Chill blinked his eyes, his current physiology not allowing him to roll his eyes like he normally would; this problem was quickly resolved as the Omnitrix gave a warning beep and timed out in a flash of green light, returning Ben to the world in his original, human form with the watch-like device and Skurd now placed upon his wrist.

"Don't celebrate yet." Raven warned the two of them, pointing with a quivering finger towards the very ugly ice sculpture that had become Krampus; a thin coating of snow that blanketed the demon's form sprinkled to the ground as small, hairline cracks etched themselves along the thick base of the ice sculpture that encased Krampus and held him in place, the cracks widening and growing bigger and deeper as the ice groaned and cracked before the icy prison suddenly exploded. Ben grabbed hold of Raven and instinctively sheltered her with his body as Daring dove to the floor with his hands over his head as razor-sharp ice shards flew in all directions, smashing against the walls and floor and frozen dancers like delicate glass.

"Hmmm, whose mind shall I snap first?" Krampus snarled, snorting with annoyance and shaking lose a small layer of accumulated snow and ice; before Ben could retort with a rude comment, the Shadow of Saint Nicholas snapped his fingers, the resulting sound echoing off the hollow walls with a resounding noise as a puff of blackened flame like hot shadows exploded at his feet and died away to reveal a second, much shorter figure standing there. The creature was small, reaching only about to Krampus' knees with its height only slightly increased by the head of greasy, scraggly, ash-colored hair on its head hidden beneath a gray striped stocking cap. The gray, ash covered face was like a squash ball of dough with a bear trap mouth riddled with needle-like fangs that split into an incredibly creepy smile that made all flinch at the mere sight of it. The arms and legs were thin and wiry, the body slightly plump and out of shape, much like a bean with strings glued to the appropriate areas; the hands however, possessed strong fingers tipped with scythe-like claws that glinted in the moon's light. The creature wore a ragged, black, burlap sack for clothing and a pair of gray, curl-tipped shoes on its feet as it starred at them with a pair of gold, cat-like eyes and pointed ears.

"My dear Enthaupten," Krampus purred casually, his voice like the sound of a jagged block of granite being dragged across the floor of a mausoleum as he meticulously stroked the creature's head, a monster that Raven recognized to be an elf of some kind. "Who do you think should be the first to taste my hook?"

" _Graakc ngnejke gabagabag agahathckrik!_ " the elf garbled in some sort of unidentifiable tongue that was probably even more confusing than Riddlish (though not as complex).

"My thoughts exactly." Krampus grinned before he snapped his fingers a second time. Nearly a dozen more plumes of black fire burst to life around him, filling the air with a thick, ashy smell that burned their lungs and stung their eyes from the sharp scent while more dark elves appeared around Krampus' bent legs, snarling and cackling madly in some incomprehensible language that merely sounded like a series of unintelligent babbling, snorting, laughter, and fart noises with the occasional burp thrown in to lighten to mood.

"When I give the signal, _run._ " Ben whispered as he ever so slowly tapped the Omnitrix and hoped that the demon nor his army of evil elves saw what he was doing.

"What signal?" Daring gulped nervously; he didn't receive an answer as Ben found the transformation he was looking for and slammed a hand down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a flash of green light that warped and shifted his DNA into something new. His arms and legs ground and cracked as the bones shifted and realigned themselves, becoming shorter and more rounded like his fingers and thumbs while they turned into short, stubby claws; Ben's toes melted into three, flat claws to support his expanding weight as a small tail squirted out from the base of his spine and curled at the end slightly. His face was squashed inwards as his nose disappeared with a loud splintering noise and his mouth widened and larger to accommodate the crooked teeth that pushed out from the upper jaws. His tongue split into three, slimy tentacles with a wet ripping sound while six, fleshy lumps pushed themselves out of his head and neck and the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his pudgy stomach, completing the transformation.

"That signal." Upchuck before whipping out his three adhesive and stabbing them as deep into the marble floor as possible, tearing out a sizable chunk and pulling it back inside his expandable mouth where his diamond-hard teeth set to work on chewing it into a thick, slimy paste; with a loud burp, the Gourmand spat it back out just as the small army of dark elves started to rush at him, some of them dropping down to all fours to skitter forward on their hands and feet until one of them was blasted backwards by the disgusting, acidic ball and exploded into dark flame and ash, disintegrating.

"C'mon, Daring!" Raven grunted as she grabbed hold of the prince charming's wrist and pulled him along, charging right past the distracted elves and right at Krampus against her better judgment, catching the demon off guard long enough for her to drag Daring out of the ballroom and down the hall where he regained the ability to run on his own two feet and proceeded to lead the way.

"No, sugarplums-for-brains! Get the brats!" Krampus' voice roared loudly between the loud and rather disgusting belches and squelching noises from the ballroom. "The changeling is mine to destroy!"

"Believe me when I say a _lot_ of people have tried to do that," Upchuck burped slightly as he messily chewed his most recent mouthful. "And a _lot_ of people have failed."

"As the humans say, 'there is a first time for everything'." Krampus growled as he grabbed one of the chains off of his hulking shoulders and whipped it like a chain at the Gourmand; dodging a swipe of a dark elf's wicked claws, Upchuck lashed out with his tongues and wrapped them around the chain, pulling it taunt and struggling slightly against Krampus' immense strength while he dug his feet into the floor while trying to resist the relentless attacks of the elves as they clawed and bit at him furiously.

"Must I do everything in this partnership?" Skurd sighed in usual tone before he sucked in a deep and tapped into the genetic sample of the Omnitrix to focus on one in particular and quite suddenly belch out a fiery flame that caught the dark elves off guard and incinerated three of them before the rest could back off. With that being done, Skurd accessed another sample from the extensive database of DNA and wrapped and slithered himself around Upchuck's legs, hardening the skin and encasing it in a durable exoskeleton as the joints creaked and bent backwards, forming a thin webbing between them as the short stubby toes on the feet elongated an fused together into a pair of large, sharp claws.

"Hop to it, dear boy!" Skurd cried.

Upchuck let out a loud, long belch and quickly proceeded to hurl another glowing orb of corrosive juices at the now wary dark elves and send them scattering as the ball of stomach acids hissed and exploded, sending them flying in all directions and giving Krampus a faceful of slime; the Gourmand then bent his new legs and sprang forward, managing to lift his pudgy body off of the floor and jump over the demon's head before bounding down the hall and away from the ballroom as fast his new legs would carry him.

"After him!" Krampus howled, his cloven hooves clopping loudly on the floor. Upchuck continued to bounce and bound down the hall, whipping out his long tongues and wrapping them around some of the lifeless suits of armor that stood tall and proud against the walls until they were knocked over to form a crude barricade of sharpened steel and durable metal.

"I don't think that's gonna hold 'em for long!" Upchuck gulped as the sounds of excessive cackling and scratching met his ears, quickly followed by the howl and screech of metal tearing away; the Gourmand was suddenly engulfed in a bright flash of green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world, making him face plant hard on the ground with a loud _smack!_

"Ben, stop fooling around!" Raven hissed from around a corner, quickly grabbing the back of her boyfriend's shirt and yanking him out of sight.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ben groaned as Skurd returned his legs to their original form. "So what do we do? What does this guy want?"

"I think a more important question is why the scoundrel is after you in the first place." Skurd hummed in thought.

"Isn't that the same question?" Daring wondered. Before anyone could give an answer, the sound of scrabbling claws and savage chattering got louder and louder, signifying that they were not as safe as they hoped they would be; the three of them shared a nod and Daring turned around to grab hold of the sword in an inert suit of armor's tight grip and wretch it free, and throwing him off balance slightly under the blade's unaccounted for weight. Ben tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through his roster before selecting the Kineceleran icon and slamming a hand down on the activation button, encompassing himself in a flash of green light and scrambling his genetic code into something new. His skin started to lose it firmness as his bones began to liquidate and fade away into a thick, slushy soup before disappearing altogether while his skin turned a faded lavender in color; with no skeleton of any kind to support him, Ben quickly fell to the ground in a pile, his fingers and feet stretching and morphing out to form the very tips of what he soon quickly realized to be tentacles of some kind. He felt his body compress and fold in on itself, his chest and gut fusing together as his head and neck were absorbed as well, forming a ball of squishy flesh with four, squirming tentacles attached. His head suddenly pulled upwards, as if by an invisible hand, forming a rough oval in shape as hose skin began to fold and harden slightly into an arrow-shaped fin that ringed what Ben could only guess to be a mantel. His eyes quickly divided into a second pair, the two new eyes molding together to form a single, green orb between his original pair as his organs sloshed and squished around inside of him, pushing up into the mantel that had become his body while his brain to enlarge and swell in size; the final touch was the addition of the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing in the form of a band around his body below his eyes, where a mouth might be if it were not in the form of a beak at the center of his tentacles.

"Once again, you're fat human fingers lack the appropriate dexterity." Skurd mocked the Cephplobellum slightly; Ventrilosquid wriggled and waved his tentacles in distressed, narrowing his three, small eyes at the Slimebiote with annoyance.

"Skurd, what's going on? What did Ben just turn into?" Raven asked.

Skurd sighed and pinched his brow. "A Cephplobellum, my dear girl. They're all but helpless without a host to manipulate and control."

"Then sorry in advance." Raven apologized as she quickly bent down and scooped up Ventrilosquid in her hands, ignoring the slimy feeling on her fingers as she drew back her arm like a bookball quarterback with the Cephplobellum as the bookball and waited patiently for just the right moment while Skurd and Ventrilosquid squirmed and wriggled in distress in her hand.

"What are you doing!? Release us at once!" Skurd demanded.

"I have a better idea." Raven ignored the Slimebiote's pleas and lobbed Ventrilosquid as hard as possible, hurling him down the hall just as the crowd of dark elves came storming around the corner with the Cephplobellum landing right on the lead elf's face with a loud, wet _smack!_ The unfortunate elf screeched horribly in surprise as Ventrilosquid quickly readjusted himself with loud sucking noises that his suction cups made as he crawled off the dark elf's face and around to its back, avoiding the wicked claws and smacking hands while he drove all four of his tentacles into his host's most sensitive, neural locations and quickly assumed control.

" _Yaaaaaaaahhh!_ " Ventrilosquid, through the lips of his current host, gave off a shrill battle cry before wildly leaping upon one of the other dark elves with raw savagery as he raked his wicked, black claws across the creature's skin before clicking the claws on his other hand and touching them together to form a sharpened tip before punching clear through the elf's chest and out the other side, dissipating them in a puff of black smoke and ash.

" _Yaaaaaaahhh!_ " Daring yelled as well, diving into the fray and catching the platoon of highly combat ready yet dimwitted elves off guard before they could comprehend what had just happened. With a swing of his new weapon (his own sword was stowed in his dormitory at the request of Briar to have as little weapons as possible at the Holiday Mash Up) the prince bravely decapitated two elves in a single strike before blocking a swipe of a third's claws and running his blade through its chest and cleaving a fourth in two with a downward strike that sliced through the twisted elf like butter; all exploded into fine ash and disintegrated from the tough blows.

"Oh, what the hex? _Yaaaaaaahhh!_ " Raven shrugged with a slight sigh, rushing into the battle with her hands glowing and crackling with an unstable amount of raw, dark magic; a quick thrust of her hand and a bolt of hot energy was fired off from her fingertips, smashing into an elf's face and stunning it for Daring to run his sword through it before she whirled around and raised both her hands to form a shimmering shield over herself as another elf leaped at her, only to crash against the construct and be pulled off by the dark elf currently being controlled and manipulated by Ventrilosquid. Raven then stomped her foot down on the floor, blasting the remaining elves backwards a few feet as she closed her eyes and cupped her hands above and under each other, wiggling her fingers in strange movements and gestures that were absolutely foreign to both prince and Cephplobellum but produced a satisfying result when the ball of raw magic forming between her palms finally grew big enough to be used and was swiftly compressed by her hands; the resulting effect was a small explosion of carefully timed energy that swept out and destroyed the remaining elves in hollow screeches of agony and pain as they disintegrated like the others.

"What do we do now?" Daring panted with slight wind as he lowered his sword just as the sound of clattering chains from farther down the hallway caught their attention, sending chills up their spine.

"My suggestion is to get away from _that._ " Skurd piped up, shivering.

"Agreed." Ventrilosquid grinned toothily through the unfortunate elf that had been turned into his host. The rattling of the icy cold, frost-covered chains chased after them, nipping at their heels like a pack of wolves as they fled down another hall away from the horrid noise that echoed relentlessly in their heads.

As Raven ran, her mind was racing to try and figure out just why the chain wielding demon was after them in the first place, and for that matter who he exactly was. She had heard tales as a little girl from her father about some fairy tales that had the unfortunate fate of being lost, forgotten in the sand of time and left behind; she wondered how that was even possible, since the Grimm Brothers, long time keepers of the Storybook of Legends, did everything in their power to ensure that every fairy tale and story was filled to its full potential to ensure it would never be forgotten. But as far as the story of Saint Nicholas went, there was never any mention of someone as diabolical and heartless as Krampus.

"Raven, hurry!" Ventrilosquid shook her out of her thoughts, grabbing hold of her hand with the dark elf's fingers; it felt cold and clammy to the touch and uncomfortably ticklish where the wicked claws just barely grazed her skin as the Cephplobellum used his current body to pull her along even faster.

"Where are we going?" Daring asked as they came to a crossroads; the hallway continued on a short ways before dividing into a fork and going two separate ways while another way led to a set of stairs that led higher and higher in Ever After High's bowels.

Raven panted slightly, her current footwear not meant for such running. "I think . . . I think we need some more information."

"What are you talking about?" Ventrilosquid wondered just before the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and returned Ben to the world and releasing the dark elf as well; the evil little creature didn't get to revel in its freedom for long before Daring decapitated it with a swift movement of his sword, letting it fall as fine ash to the floor.

" _You better watch out . . ._ " Krampus' deep, velvety voice sang cruelly from far off, his echoing tone bouncing off the walls and making him sound like he was coming at them from all angles.

"Daring, have you ever heard of Krampus up until now?" Raven asked the prince, hoping that her hunch was right.

" _You better not cry!_ "

The Son of Prince Charming blinked with surprise, his heart racing at the sound of the malicious, gravely voice that was getting louder and louder by the seconds they were wasting. "Uh . . . I d-don't really . . . I never . . ."

" _You better not pout I'm telling you why._ "

"Daring!" Ben pleaded, flickering his gaze back and forth between the source of the voice and the Omnitrix on his wrist as he desperately cycled through the selection of aliens that could possibly handle the unstoppable, dark force that was hunting them.

" _Santa Claus ain't comin' to town!_ " Krampus cackled evilly, his laughter resounding and bellowing and made all the louder by the way the halls amplified it heavily, making Daring whimper and shrink back from it.

"No! No, alright!" Daring exclaimed fearfully. "Now can we _please_ get out of here!?"

Raven smirked slightly, a small part of her satisfied to see that egotistical prince lose every last shred of his dignity as he proceeded to cower and cry like a small child, using her like a shield. "That's what I thought. It seems my suspicions have some foothold after all."

"That's nice and all, Rae, but would you mind letting us in on it?" Ben asked.

"Before we all get killed!?" Skurd added desperately.

Raven gave a smug smile of sorts despite the situation. "We need to find the Headmaster."

"So, we just head up?" Ben guessed, receiving a nod from the witchling and a second, more nervous confirmation from Daring.

"Up, up, up and away, then!" Skurd declared as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix and enveloped Ben in a flash of green light, scrambling and twisting his DNA into something new. He felt his arms swell with small muscles as his skin cracked and hardened into rust red plating that raced his arms and legs and across his chest, forming horny spikes on his knees and elbows. His skull crunched and squelched as it was pulled backwards into a sharp crest while his eyebrows wove together and pulled up from his head, forming long, wispy feathers as his nose and mouth fused together with a loud, sickening crunching and cracking noise into a large, horny beak; Ben's fingers fused together into three, sharp claws as his toes molded into two strong talons and his heel thrust out behind him, forming a third. A flash of brilliant green light exploded on his back when a jetpack-like structure pushed itself out from between his scrawny shoulders, a pair of rust red gauntlets appearing on his arms while green, fingerless gloves and toeless boots formed on his hands and feet. A green and black bodysuit wrapped around his person, a flash of light enveloping his left shoulder and positioning Skurd and the Omnitrix in their new designated location.

" _RAWK!_ Hold on!" Astrodactyl squawked as he grabbed Daring by the back of his shirt and Ever After High Letterman jacket, sinking in razor-sharp claws into the fabric while hooking an arm carefully around Raven's waist and hugging the witchling close to him; the jetpack-like structure fixed to his back roared and gave off a good deal of heat before a fiery green energy blasted outwards and sent the three of them flying upwards and into the stairway, Astrodactyl weaving back and forth between the cases to avoid crashing into them as Daring screamed with fright and Raven dug her fingernails a little deeper into her boyfriend's arm.

"Something just occurred to me," Skurd spoke up over the mild din of Astrodactyl's jetpack and the sound of the wind rushing past their faces. "What are the chances that the grumpy, old fool will not just be frozen like everyone else?"

Raven bit her lip. That thought had occurred to her as well, but she was betting that even if the Headmaster had been turned into the world's fattest ice sculpture (he really needed to stop pillaging cookies and sweets from the Castleteria kitchen; the lunch ladies were starting to grow suspicious) there would be some clue or piece of evidence that they could use to figure out just what the hex was going on. Hopefully.

"That's a chance I think we'll just have to take. _RAWK!_ " Astrodactyl replied. "If Raven thinks she knows something, then she generally does. I'm not gonna lose faith in her now and not ever." he mumbled under his breath, a slight blush of appreciation crossing Raven's face as Daring screamed out of fright; sure, the prince had trained and rode stubborn dragons that twisted and rolled and attempted to throw him off while in midair, but this was absolutely terrifying going at such a speed that he was sure his crown was going to go flying off and plummet back to the ground as smoldering fireball!

"Slow down!" he pleaded.

"How about you hang on?" Astrodactyl countered. Before they knew what was happening, they had finally arrived to the floor they needed, Astrodactyl alighting down as gentle as possible on the landing above them and releasing his tight hold on Daring and Raven. Once the former had managed to stop shaking and catch his second wind, Daring climbed to his feet with the sword still in hand and gave a slow nod to signal that he was fine and would be able to continue; with Raven taking the lead, the three of them headed down the quiet hallway, flinching at the slightest whisper that rustled through the shadows or the softest scrap against the floor and the tenuous rattling of the chains that signaled death had arrived on its cloven hooves.

When they finally arrived at the olden, oak doors that would open up to the Headmaster's office, Raven halted the small procession and drew a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet; the two of them nodded before the witchling pushed against one of the doors, grunting with effort when the door wouldn't budge. A quick check of the knobs revealed it to be locked tightly.

"Simple enough to fix." Skurd chuckled as he selected a genetic sample from the Omnitrix upon Astrodactyl's shoulder and slithered and oozed himself around his host's arm; the reptilian plating warped greatly, forming a geometrical shape as bright, primary colors flashed across his skin, turning it from a dull, rust red into deep crimson, bright yellows, and vibrate blues that thrust out bony knobs from his quickly hardening skin while his claws thickened and dulled dramatically, sprouting a new digit as three strong fingers and a thumb formed on the end, completing the Segmentasapien limb. Astrodactyl whistled with excitement and drew back his new fist, closing the fingers tightly before he thrust it forward and busted the lock with one hit, kicking the door open as well with a loud _bang!_

The Headmaster coughed and choked loudly, spitting out the remains of one of Ginger's recently eaten Christmas cookies and a mouthful of scalding hot chocolate all over the three anxious survivors, their eyes wide with shock and surprise at both getting assaulted by half chewed food and seeing the Headmaster actually alive and not frozen like the rest of his students and their friends.

"Ms. Queen, Mr. Tennyson, Mr. Charming, what is the meaning of this!?" Grimm demanded with an irritated tone that quickly shrank back when he caught sight of the less then pleased look on Astrodactyl's face, the tightened grip on Daring's sword, and the way Skurd had balled his little pseudopods up into fists and was making jabbing motions at the air as if punching something.

"You," Raven narrowed her eyes at the portly man behind his desk. "Have some explaining to do."

* * *

The short flight to the ominous looming castle at the back of the blackened and desecrated Village of Book End was a long way, and the dark fortress ahead did not ease Apple's jittery nerves and mind in the slightest; it stood atop the edge of a tall cliff that overlooked a deadened forest that creaked and groaned loudly at the slightest of winds, as if its trees were ancient and would fall over any second. The towers of the castle seemed to puncture the sensitive underbelly of the, thrusting its pointed spires painfully into the clouds as murders of crows and ravens flocked around the highest points, cawing loudly so that their screams echoed relentlessly over the valley and lifeless Enchanted Forest.

And now that Apple realized the castle's location in junction to the Enchanted Forest and the Village of Book End, the princess realized with sunken stomach that the fortress she was marching herself up to was in fact Ever After High. Or at least, a far more portentous version of its former glory days.

The princess however, tried to not focus on the looming shadow of her former home, instead focusing on the dark and depressing answer that Whisp had bluntly told her (Apple was beginning to note that the genie was not only insane at times, right up there with a certain Hatter and Cheshire, but also about as crude and blunt as a dulled sword). The fiery air burned her lungs and stung her eyes as she contemplated what had just transpired, a world decimated and blackened by a broken heart torn in two that belonged to someone Apple was perhaps more close to than she ever realized; it was Raven that cared for her when she was sick and bedridden, despite her initial protests, it was Raven that she bid good night and sweet dreams to every time the sun set, and it was Raven that comforted and consoled the princess when she was at her worse. And when Apple thought about all those wonderful things Raven did for her out of the kindness of her heart despite her constant badgering to behave more like the stereotypical villain. It made her heart clench and her palms sweaty with guilt.

The princess was shaken out of her thoughts as the magic carpet started to descend towards the ground and Whisp quickly clothed herself in the crisp uniform of an airline stewardess."Thank you for choosing "Magic Carpet" for all your travel needs. Don't stand until the rug has come to a complete stop," the genie instructed as the carpet touched down to the ground and snapped it front end into a makeshift set of stairs. "Please direct yourself to the exit in front of you, thank you!"

Apple allowed herself a small smile at the genie's antics and climbed down the steps of the carpet, the grin increasing when Whisp sent the stewardess uniform and magic carpet away in a cloud of smoke. "Well, how about that, Ms. Doubting Mustafa?"

Apple rolled her eyes. "You sure showed me." she laughed. "Now about my two other wishes?"

Now it was Whisp's turn to roll her eyes and sport a laughing grin. "Dost mine ears deceive me? Two? You are down by one, kid!" she exclaimed, thrusting a finger in Apple's face.

"Actually, I didn't wish for you to bring me here. You did that on your own." Apple smirked proudly; Whisp looked like she was about to protest and correct her before she played over the little conversation they had together minutes ago and realized that, contrary to what she had believed, Apple had indeed not wished for her to be brought to the front door of the looming castle that had once been her high school.

"Oh. Well, I feel a little sheepish." Whisp felt her cheeks flare up out of embarrassment and assumed the form of a fluffy ewe with a warm, blue, woolen coat. "Alright, you ba-a-ad girl. But no more freebies." the sheep butted Apple in the leg out of frustration.

"Fairest enough." Apple laughed; with that being said, the sheep gave her as threatening of a look as it could muster before it was swallowed in a puff of black smoke and vanished, leaving Apple alone out in front of the shadow of Ever After High. Now alone, Apple turned to the vaguely familiar yet completely foreign set of stairs that use to invite any and all new students but now seemed to yawn like the maw of one of the terrifying beasts that now prowled the scorched remains of the Enchanted Forest and began to cautious and quietly walk up the steps; her heart skipped a beat when the front doors slowly creaked open on their own accord with a low groan.

Before the princess could properly react in time, a blast of chaotic, dark energy came firing out from the darkness beyond and struck her like lightning, making her nerves burn and her body scream in pain for a few harrowing seconds until it finally stopped, leaving Apple's heart racing; scorch marks now covered her body and smoke curled from her blonde locks. She coughed and began to dust herself off and flex her shaky fingers when her arm suddenly seized up on her, becoming stiff and rigid and seeming to take on a mind of its own when it suddenly slapped her across the face. The princess and screamed with surprise when her other hand began to pull at her blonde curls and her legs suddenly began to move on their own accord, taking shaky steps forward before taking off at a stiff, steady march like a soldier in the military.

Against her will Apple walked into the shadow of her former school, slowly marching through halls and corridors that had been stripped of their lockers and classrooms that had been turned into makeshift barracks and enchantment rooms and anything else that an Evil Queen could possibly need to instill fear and terror in whatever subjects remained from her loyal troop's monthly sweep through the rubble of Ever After; the further the princess moved along against her own will, the more she tensed up at what she saw. Thick coats of ivy strangled the walls and tendrils slithered and crawled across the floor, nearly tripping Apple in her uncontrollable state of mind when her attention wasn't focused on the wraith-like staff that floated and moaned about, rattling the heavy chains that were shackled to their black boned wrists and gave off an uncomfortable amount of heat from their fire-engulfed heads as they watched the princess walk past them and up several flights of stairs towards the top floor of Ever After High and down a long, seemingly endless corridor lined with gothic, stained-glass windows all the way down to the end of the hallway where a set of grand doors loomed over her; Apple whimpered as her body continued to march her all the way down the length of the hallway and came to a stop right before the pair of doors just before her head suddenly reeled back and rammed the door as hard as possible, sending a spike of pain through Apple's skull as she fell to the floor, hissing in pain.

"Talk about a doorbell." Apple groaned as she rolled and flopped over onto her back, propping herself up on her elbow as she glanced up at what had once been the Headmaster's office back in the Ever After High she knew; now its wooden doors were even more ancient and weakened, offering sanctuary to something far sinister than Apple could ever care to know. Sucking in a brave breath to calm herself, the Daughter of Snow White climbed to her feet and cautiously approached the door and rapped a tentative knuckle on the old wood, the sound barely audible to most; whatever lay on the other side of the door however, seemed to hear it just fine.

"H-Hello?" Apple gulped as the doors creaked open, half expecting monstrous tentacles to come lashing out once more; thankfully, nothing with razor-sharp fangs waiting to tear her limb from limb seemed to be lurking anywhere nearby, but the Headmaster's office had changed dramatically since Apple last saw it. The royal red rug had been replaced with an elegant ebony traced and decorated with poisonous purples and brilliant blues that formed gaping skulls and fierce ravens that flapped their wings against a blackened sky while the walls had been painted the color of ash and death with curtains of the same color draped over the large violet and white stained glass windows. Where a large sturdy desk made out of an expensive and dine wood once sat facing the doors so that the Headmaster would be able to loom over anyone that had been summoned to his office, there now was a large canopy bed with dark lavender curtains and warm black covers decorated with lilac pillows.

Sitting curled up on the bed with a thin, cruel smile upon her lips was an elegant woman with all too familiar ivory skin and all too familiar amethyst eyes and silky, fluid hair that spilled over her exposed shoulders; dark royal robes of venomous colors and extravagant, deadly design clothed the woman's well rounded figure and cupped her large breasts well while a a black crown of sorts framed her face in a way that made one focus their attention on her cold, unforgiving eyes. Curled up on the bed at her side and resting her head was a second woman with much deeper colored skin and deep earthen hair streaked with a single snow white ribbon and soft, pale lips all covered and wrapped up in a slightly torn and ragged, crimson hood the color of blood.

"Took you long enough. I hexpected that little walking spell of mine to bring you here much faster." the woman commented with the corners of her deep indigo lips curled up in the slightest of smiles as she stroked the second woman's head slow and lovingly like one might to a beloved pet; Apple found this somewhat weird and largely uncomfortable.

"Raven?" Apple gaped with disbelief.

"Long time, no see." the Daughter of the Evil Queen gave a smug, cruel grin upon her lips. "Of course, being dead would significantly make that little wait much longer."

Apple felt her palms grow sweaty and her throat go dry as she starred down what had once been the closet person in her life up until that moment. "D . . . D-Dead?" she croaked.

The now wicked Raven's smirk deepened as she shifted her weight slightly on the bed; the woman resting her head upon her thigh stirred and moaned slightly in her sleep before settling back down under the witch's soft touch. "Yes, dead. I believe you had the flesh melted right off your bones?" she tapped her chin in thought with a perfectly manicured finger. "No, wait. I wasn't as powerful as I am now. I think you were-"

"Why are you doing this, Raven?" Apple interrupted.

Raven rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Please, little miss 'Follow Your Destiny'. This is what you wanted in the first place."

"No, not it's not!" Apple argued.

"You really are the fairy godmother of all hypocrites, aren't you?" the witch frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"This is going too far!" Apple protested loudly; the woman lying against Raven sucked in a deep breath and slowly blinked open her eyes, revealing stormy gray clouds that seemed to stare blankly at Raven right into her soul while she yawned, revealing a set of sharp, canine fangs, and sat up. Apple felt her eyes widen and her breath leave her when she found that the woman was clothed only in a black and red plaid thong and skimpy top that just barely cupped her breasts and clothed her in anything but modest attire save for the tattered, crimson hood and a spiked dog collar around her neck, the princess's jaw dropping when the woman pulled her hood down to reveal a pair of furry, canine ears on either side of her head.

"Is something wrong, mistress?" the woman asked.

Raven smiled and shook her head. "No, my little pet, everything's perfectly _wicked_ as usual. You can go back to sleep, Cerise."

Apple's face was a deep red in color. "Wh-What . . . ho . . . what have you done to Cerise!?" she gaped, attempting to cover her eyes and yet found herself unable to turn away. "Y-You've turned her into a monster!"

At that last word Cerise's eyes flashed an intense amber and a low, guttural growl erupted from her throat as she turned to glare fiercely at Apple with savage intent; her razor-sharp fangs were bared and her wolfish ears were pinned back to accent her fury while she stalked towards the edge of the bed for every step a now whimpering and very regretful princess took backwards.

"Easy, my pet. The naive little girl just doesn't know how to hold her tongue." Raven tut-tutted, pulling back on a leather leash that Apple hadn't noticed before and reeling Cerise back to her side; the Daughter of Red Riding Hood relaxed only several degrees, her cold gaze never wavering from Apple as she sat on her haunches next to her mistress. Apple attempted to protest once more before Raven narrowed her eyes at her and pointed her fingers at the princess, moving her hand in a quick series of fluid motion before thrusting her fingers Apple; a short blast of powerful energy shot forth from the witch's fingertips and struck Apple's head, making her jump and nearly collapse to the floor from surprise as she tried to scream with fear. Instead, her throat gave nothing more than a silent whisper as she clawed at her neck, fruitlessly trying to speak.

"Much better," Raven sighed heavenly. "I've temporarily stolen your voice, dear. Almost like a certain mermaid now that I think about it." she added as an afterthought.

Cerise sniffed the air curiously. "Does this mean another hunt, mistress?"

The witch, much to Apple's surprise, actually laughed at the question. "I'm afraid not, Cerise. She's hardly worthy prey; all skin and bones, not to mention that she screams so much it'll hurt your poor, sensitive ears. That and the fact she won't last less than one minute."

Apple continued to try and feebly speak, squeaking and squawking a little less than a baby parrot would.

"Does the little princess have something she would like answered?" Raven cooed with a taunting tone; Apple gave a whispery breath a quick nod of her head. "I suppose you want to know why this happened, maybe even how this happened?"

The princess had given up on trying to talk at this point, giving a reluctant sigh and deflating slightly as she nodded again.

Raven's eyes glowed a dark luminescence as she sat up more erect on the bed and cast her hands in front of her face, slowly and methodically waving them in intricate patterns and forming odd symbols with her fingers while she quietly chanted something under her breath before an explosion of light flashed in front of her; the lights in the bedroom dimmed, the only source of light coming from the small, glowing singularity between Raven's fingertips giving Cerise's eyes an eerie shine as she bedded down closer to her mistress.

"I'm sure you remember the days we use to share together back when our home use to be the festering cesspool of assorted arcane magics and spells and curses and the likes, quite literally when there was so much lose magic about it could make a witch queasy just by staying in one place too long?" Raven recalled, the glowing orb of energy dissipating slightly to form a wavering image of Ever After High in its glory days when the sky was still blue and the grass was still green and the polished marble of the school shone brightly in the warm, afternoon sun.

Upon not receiving an answer (for how could Apple do anything else but make a fool of herself every time she tried to talk?), the wicked enchantress continued on, resorting to slowly and lovingly raking her fingers through Cerise's earthy brown hair to calm herself, as if troubled by the memories of her past; the Daughter of the Red Riding Hood gave off a low growl that could have been compared to a purr as Raven scratched a certain spot behind her sensitive, canine ears.

"It was just like this until Ben came along; I'm sure you remember that day when the new student, Blitzwolfer, turned out to be some sort of human in disguise?" Raven reminded Apple. "At first I had hope, a small sliver of based off of some stupid dream I had that he would be able to help me, help all of us see past the horrible fate the destinies provided us, help any of us that wanted out of the destinies laid before us and still give those that desired them their Happily Ever Afters."

At this point, Raven unintentionally tightened her grip and grabbed a fistful of Cerise's hair, clenching her fingers tightly but not yanking back on her pet's hair as Cerise froze and remained absolutely still, only offering a comforting whimper to her mistress in the hopes of loosening her grip. "But he only had eyes for you."

"'Sticks and bones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you,'" Raven then quoted, relaxing her hold on Cerise's hair and resuming her slow stroking. "That was something my father told me when I was a little girl; I was so foolish back then."

"You're not foolish, mistress." Cerise comforted her.

The wicked enchantress allowed a small smile to come to her lips. "Your comments are much appreciated, my pet." she said with a pleased tone before she continued with her tragic tale. "Unfortunately, that very statement could not have been more wrong; I had developed small feelings for Ben after his arrival to Ever After High, but he was once again only interested in you; and thus, my last hopes of finding a way out of the destiny conflict were crushed. He never talked to me, never even acknowledged me unless he was saving you or another damsel from the villain in those moronic classes they made us participate in . . . and the bullying only got worse."

 _Bullying?_ Apple thought to herself, still unable to speak as she normally would have.

Raven seemed to sense the princess's confusion somehow, as if she were able to read her mind. "People, no matter the species or background, are far from perfect, dear." the witch frowned slightly. "Even people like Ben were far from perfect, but the world is a harsh and unforgiving place; it demands perfection even from those that can't give it . . . so I decided to be what the world wanted me to be, to give into the demand and the constant bullying and reprimanding me for trying to find a better life, and show them just why I wanted to change my life." she hissed venomously, thumping a fist down on Cerise's skull in anger; the Daughter of Red Riding Hood whimpered and flinched.

"What you see around you is the end result." Raven concluded; the witch apologetically scratched Cerise behind her sensitive ears in repayment for causing her a brief amount of pain, a small smile crawling across her lips as the Riding Hood whimpered with pleasure and snuggled up to her even further like an affectionate dog to its loving master. Once the witch was sure her pet was convinced that her temper did not change her affections for her, Raven returned her attention to Apple closed her thumb and index finger together, as if choking Daughter of Snow White with one hand as her eyes flashed a light lilac in color.

"You can speak now." Raven told the princess.

"Wha . . . What . . ." Apple tested to make sure could talk once more. "What happened to Ben?"

A sinister smile crossed the witch's lips at the mention of the Omnitrix wielder's name. "He was far more emotional than I ever thought. As soon as you . . . kicked the bucket, per say, he was never the same; he didn't eat, didn't sleep, he didn't even attempt to stop me. If memory serves he died by your grave, unable to cope with the loss of the girl he was hopelessly and foolishly in love with."

Apple was trembling now, though whether it was with fury, guilt, or even fear was not known to her as the wicked enchantress merely gave a smug smile at her.

"And then I raised him from the dead and made him my loyal, undead servant for all eternity." Raven added much to Apple's shock and surprise as the witch snapped her fingers; a movement in the shadows caught the princess's attention and she turned to see a disgusting, poisonous purple slime slowly drip down from the ceiling and collect on the carpeted floor with a loud hissing noise that chilled Apple's nerves as the pile of goo began to shift and bubble and morph into a roughly humanoid figure with a dripping nose for a face and multiple feelers and fleshy protrusions dotting its body as dangerous, corrosive, green acid swirled and turned around just barely held back by the figure's sickly membrane. A blinding flash of violet light swallowed the infected Polymorph whole as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world . . . but this was hardly the Ben that Apple knew and loved.

His skin was a sickly, green color with random, purple blotches dotting his pale skin. He was missing some of his dark brown hair, a good deal of it hanging thick and shaggy over one side of his face while other greasy strands hung off his left side, leaving the rest of him bald and covered with a sharp fuzz; his teeth were crooked and uneven, his eyes no longer their brilliant green and instead a sallow violet that highlighted what seemed to be insanity. He was incredibly thin, his muscles pulled taunt and his tendons and ligaments making Apple gulped nervously when she glanced at his hands and how they were clenched like claws with razor-sharp nails at the tips of his fingers. His feet were twisted into beast-like claws that had torn his sneakers to shreds, his revival from the beyond having tattered and torn his brown pants and tearing off the right sleeve and side of his T-shirt, the Omnitrix discolored a venomous purple instead of the comforting green that Apple was use to.

"Ben, you remember Apple?" Raven purred.

"No remember." Ben snarled in a low, raspy voice.

The wicked witch rolled her eyes. "As you can see, his physical appearance is something less to be desired and his intelligence had decreased significantly, but he still gets the job done. There hasn't been an army he couldn't take down by himself." she grinned while she petted Cerise maliciously.

"Ben smash?" the undead wielder of the Omnitrix raised a bushy eyebrow to his wide eyes.

"If you'd like. Whatever you do to her, I don't care. I believe our business is done." Raven shrugged before snapping her fingers; Ben grinned wickedly and slammed his forehead down on the Omnitrix fastened to his wrist, swallowing himself in a blast of deep lavender light that scrambled and warped his genetic code into something new and horrifying. His skeleton crunched and twisted, forcing itself out from beneath Ben's skin and to the surface where it proceeded to melt together into a single casing that covered his entire body, riddled with decaying bumps and cracks. A loud crunching sound filled the air as the bone casing split along his back, chest, and limbs, becoming segmented on his belly and forming a hard shell on his back that peeled away in certain places to show pulsing pink, vulnerable muscle beneath that was accented by sickly black patches. His jaw jutted outwards with a loud crunching noise, his skin fusing with the bone as it became serrated like teeth and curved out over his upper lip like railroad spikes; curved horns formed along his one of his muscled arms, a pair of broken spikes jutting out from either side of his massive jaws. A loud and sickening splitting sound filled the air as a short, severely broken, horn-like protrusion split out from the top of his skill as his toes fused together into two claws with the Omnitrix appearing on the his chest and completing the transformation.

"Ben smash!" Zombie Eatle rasped with a low, guttural tone to his voice.

" _Bon appetit._ " Raven smirked as the undead, alien insect bellowed loudly and charged right at Apple with his jaws wide open so far that Apple could see all the way down his pulsing throat just before she yelped and ducked down to the ground with her hands over her heads; Zombie Eatle sailed right over her and smashed headfirst into the wall behind her with a loud _crash!_ The princess didn't waste any time in scrambling to her feet and all but practically tearing the old, oaken doors off their hinges in a desperate attempt to flee as quickly as possible.

"May I join in the hunt, mistress?" Cerise asked.

Raven shook her head. "I would love nothing more than to watch you tear her limb from limb, my pet, but I only reserve the best prey for you. She's hardly worth the chase." she lightly scoffed while scratching Cerise under the chin with a finger. "But don't worry. Even if the guards don't find anything worthy of you, we'll still have a wonderful time tonight . . . _alone_. . ."

"Ben chase?" Zombie Eatle asked as he finally managed to pry his large head loose from the wall in a shower of plaster and stone.

"Yes! And be quick about it, too!" Raven added, sounding an awful lot like her mother; the infected insect didn't dare to hesitate before smashing through one of the oaken doors and into the hallway, his claws digging deep into the smooth marble floor as he briefly sniffed the air for Apple's scent and gave chase soon afterwards. It wasn't that hard to track down the princess though, considering her heavy, winter boots slowed her down considerably and she was not the fastest of runners in the first place along with the fact that she was currently screaming in terror and fear, making her practically a sitting duck to the voracious, alien insect as he relentlessly pursued after her.

Zombie Eatle growled and roared with triumph upon skidding around a corner and laying his sights on the fleeing princess, effortlessly tearing out a chuck of the wall with his skeletal claws before cramming it into his mouth and chewing it into a thick, gooey paste; the broken horn growing out of his head fizzled and hissed loudly before a blast of hot, violet energy came firing out at Apple's back, missing her when an unfortunate, wraith-like servant drifted out into the hall to investigate the commotion and was instantly vaporized. Eatle fired off two more shots at his target before jogging off after her while she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Whisp! Help!" Apple screamed as she hurled herself around a corner and fled down a flight of stairs, her boots clomping loudly on the steps. "If you can hear me, save me!"

The princess was so busy running away from the haunted remains of her boyfriend that she wasn't looking where she was going and slammed right into something or someone as she rounded a corner, falling to the floor with a grunt as she looked up to see what she had run into; it was one of the many wraiths that haunted the castle, it's entire body composed of blackened bones wrapped up in a tattered and crimson stained cloak of the same color. Its skull sported three skeletal tentacle-like growths from its skull that fell back against its head like dreadlocks as ghostly green fire consumed its head and rusted chains rattled and clanked against its wrists.

" _AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_ " Apple screamed as the wraith screamed at her and lunged forth with its scythe-like claws, reaching for the fumbling princess at its non-existent feet before a shrill whistle caught its attention; the wraith glanced up to see Whisp standing behind the cowering princess with a disapproving look upon her face as she cracked her knuckles and popped her wrists. The genie then stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked in a deep breath before blowing it back out, her fist expanding and bloating like a swelling beach ball until it must have been five times the size of her head.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Death Breath." Whisp frowned before she slugged the wraith with her oversized fist and scattered its black bones into a robe-wrapped mess on the floor that smoldered and hissed with green fire.

"You okay, kid? I leave you alone in a dystopian future for more than twenty pages and look what you get yourself into!" Whisp scolded Apple as her fist deflated with a loud whining sound like that of a deflating balloon and she helped the princess to her feet.

"F-Fine . . ." Apple gulped shakily. "Whisp . . . I . . . I wanna go home now."

Whisp gave a smug smile. "About time, too. I was getting tired of this prank anyways."

Apple blinked with realization. "Wait . . . th-this . . . _all_ this was a trick?"

Whisp nodded. "Yep. To be fair, it's all real, too, but it was a trick. Genies are tricksters by nature and with our kind of power, if you're not careful or specific enough in your wishes, that leaves us to make assumptions and guesses about what you meant, not all of which are correct." Whisp explained before grabbing Apple by the front of her winter sweater and bringing her less than an inch away from her face. "In this case, this was all my little revenge for your dumb ass wish to take me away from my boyfriend. Next time, I will turn you into a cockroach." she threatened.

"Apple swallowed nervously, not wanting to incur the genie's wrath any further. "Underst-stood. C-Can we p-please go home?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Whisp smirked as she released her hold on Whisp.

" _RRRAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

"Hold said thought for a second." Whisp held up a finger. "Just what the Sphinx was that?"

"I thought you created all this? Shouldn't you know?" Apple whimpered, instinctively taking cover behind the genie for protection.

"That doesn't mean I control what's going on!"

The wall in front of them suddenly exploded as Zombie Eatle burst through and roared at the two girls, spraying them with a slimy saliva in the process as Whisp squeezed her eyes shut against the hot breath that blew her segmented ponytail back from the sheer force; the alien insect scooped some of the rubble at his feet and shoved it into his mouth, chewing it with ease and blasting it back out from the broken horn on his head, aiming at Whisp's feet to distract them before he lunged forward to slash at them with his claws.

"Lets make some noise." Whisp smirked as she tapped the Omnitrix fastened to her wrist and slammed a hand down on the activation button without looking at what she had selected and encompassing herself in a blast of dark blue light that shifted and scrambled her physical features. Her skin took on a smooth, chrome white with a soft cracking noise as her skin solidified, a much more volatile and sickening noise catching Apple's attention as the genie's frame shrank and was compressed further and further with every passing nanosecond, her bones becoming shorter and more flexible until they were simply done away with and fused with Whisp's skin. Her lips split and widened as her head swelled to a roughly football-shaped sphere as her organs oozed and sloshed around inside of her, being pushed and squished together to their limits as her lungs bloated and grew to become the largest organs in her body. Her pointed ears were pulled back into her head, fusing together with her skin and swelling to form large half domes on either side of her head that resembled headphones that wrapped up and over her head in a way that resembled pigtails of sorts as her eyes dilated and shrank while the Omnitrix appeared on her forehead, completing the transformation.

"Wall of Sound!" Sonic Doom announced as a dark blue light swept across her body and quickly divided her into five separate clones that stood firmly between Zombie Eatle and Apple; the Sonorosians all sucked in a deep breath, swelling their lungs to their full capacity before blasting it back out at an ultrasonic frequency strong to form a sturdy barrier that easily deflected the alien insect's claws.

"Ben smash!" Zombie Eatle roared with anger as he relentlessly punched the shield of pure sound before slamming both of his fists in the hopes of breaking it.

"You-"

"Asked-

"For-"

"It!" the Sonic Doom clones switched back and forth in their speech; Eatle watched with slight confusion as the five Sonorosians each divided themselves in two, creating a total of ten clones that formed a tight circle around him with him at the center; Apple took several cautious steps back, sensing that she didn't want to be anywhere near with what was about to happen.

" _Echo-_ "

" _Echo!_ " a second clone finished the first duplicate's word, adding to the amount of pressurized sound sent at Zombie Eatle.

" _Echo-_ "

" _Echo!_ "

" _Echo-_ "

" _Echo!_ "

" _Echo-_ "

" _Echo!_ "

" _Echo-_ "

" _Echo!_ " the last clone screamed, each Sonorosian yelling and screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs to be hid over the horrible din that bounced and echoed off the walls like hundreds of rubber balls as the pressurized blasts of pure sound aimed at Zombie Eatle's rotting exoskeleton only added to the deafening effect of the echo chamber. Eatle had his hands clapped over his head where his ears might have been as he screeched and howled in agony, a sickly green ooze seeping between his skeletal fingers from his bleeding ear holes. The Sonorosians only increased the intensity and volume of their yells much to Zombie Eatle's agony until he gave a final roar of defeat and collapsed to the ground; the Omnitrix fixed to his chest beeped and flashed warningly before it timed out in a blast of violet light and returned the undead form of Ben to the world.

"Is . . . is he okay?" Apple asked as she peeked through her fingers; the Omnitrix's fixed to Sonic Doom duplicate's heads blinked and beeped loudly as all of the Sonorosians fused back together into a single entity moments before the Omnitrix finally timed out in a blast of dark blue light and returned Whisp to the world.

"He'll live, er, _unlive._ " Whisp corrected herself as she lowered herself down to the ground from her original position in the air on her wispy tail and cautiously poked Ben's body with a finger. "Now I believed you mentioned something about going home?"

Apple nodded. "I wish loved all the ghouls and girls he has fallen in love with again." she wished.

Whisp gave a satisfied smile and crossed her arms over her chest, resting her elbows as she sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, as was customary when granting the desires of a Finder. "As you wish . . ." she said; the two of them, more so Apple than Whisp, fully expected the two of them to be swallowed in a flash of blinding light and to be taken away from the dystopian future that would probably haunt and linger in the princess's dreams and be returned to the world as Apple loved and knew it.

Except that they didn't.

Apple winced and cracked open an eye, deflating miserably when she found out that they hadn't moved at all; Ben was still lying unconscious at their feet, the remains of the unfortunate wraith lay scattered about, the air was still wet and damp in a stark contrast to the fiery, lung burning elements that raged outside. "W-What's going on? Why are we still here?" Apple asked with fear.

Whisp rested her hand on her chin, a calculating look upon her face as she mumbled incoherent things under breath and running through various reasons and scenarios as to why they were still currently stuck in the lair of a future Evil Queen with their undead boyfriend lying on the floor nearby. "My best guess is that it messes with the rules." she offered.

"Rules?"

Whisp nodded. "There are a few provisos. Ah, a couple of quid pro quo." the genie explained with a somewhat anxious expression, though Apple suspected it was more out of embarrassment than anything else.

"Like what?" she asked.

Whisp sighed and pinched her brow out of exasperation. "Uh, rule number one: I can't kill anybody." she explained, slicing a finger across her throat and consequently cutting off her own head much to Apple's surprise and horror when it fell to the ground and winked at her; the genie's body patted around for a few seconds before grabbing her head by the ponytail and placing it back upon her shoulders.

"Anything else?" Apple gulped.

"Uh, rule number two: I can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else." Whisp told her before quite suddenly grabbing Apple's shoulders and placing a quick kiss upon her cheek as a demonstration, much to the princess's shock; a crimson tinge crept across her face as she edged a few steps away as the genie watched with a small smirk upon her lips.

" _Rule number three!_ " Whisp suddenly exclaimed before collapsing to the ground, going limp and inert for a few seconds before her skin turned a sickly, pale shade of green and her hair grew long and greasy, an ashy black at the tips while her eyes flashed a faded yellow and looked up at Apple with sick horror and trembling, bony hands dripping with slime. "I can't bring people from the dead," the genie moaned. "It's not a pretty picture. _I DON'T LIKE DOING IT!_ " she yelled, shaking the shaken up princess by the shoulders before disappearing in a puff of smoke and resuming her original and far less frightening form. "Other than that, you got it."

Apple was clutching her left breast with gasping breaths, quite put off by the many transformations and hijinks that had ensued within the past few seconds. "S-So . . . y-you're saying were stuck here? F-Forever?"

"I didn't say that." Whisp argued lightly, setting a reassuring hand on the princess's shoulder to comfort her. "I may have all the power and occasionally all the answers, but you're the Finder here. I can't do anything until you tell me to."

"What about just now? When you saved me from Ben?" Apple raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly better.

Whisp rolled her eyes. "Rookie genies are cut some slack if their Finders are ever in danger." she answered. "Just be glad I'm not as experienced as Gigi or my Dad who, by the way, is a _lot_ crazier than I am." she added with a slight laugh.

Apple laughed along nervously; deep down inside though, she was terrified. It was after all, her selfish and panicked thoughts that had landed her in this horrible situation in the first place and she wasn't even sure that she could get herself out of it, even with a semi-all powerful genie at her fingertips. She wasn't fast or strong like Cerise or capable of performing magic and spells like Raven. She was brave and courageous like Daring and Hunter or maddeningly insane like the Wonderlandians. She didn't have sharp claws like Clawdeen or the ability to bend the very fabric of nature to her will like Venus, and she certainly wasn't capable of changing her form like Jane and Ben. That's all she was, just an ordinary, helpless maiden who was nothing more than a burden to her friends and loved ones; all she was, was just . . . normal.

"Apple? Are you alright?" Whisp asked after several seconds of silence.

"No . . ." the princess sighed, slumping down against the wall and resting her head on her knees; Whisp floated down to curl her wispy tail up like a pair of bent legs and rest upon it, briefly blasting the undead Ben as he started to come to with another round of 'phenomenal cosmic power' and putting him back to sleep.

The genie sighed. "Come on, tell ol' Whisp what's wrong." she coaxed Apple.

Apple sniffed and rolled her head up to look at the genie. "I . . . I don't know what to do." she admitted. "I never know what to do . . . all my life, I've had everything handed to me without ever questioning it and acting like some kind of coddled baby; even if we could get back, who would want me around? Ben and his ghouls will be absolutely furious with me and Raven and everyone else attached to Ben probably won't ever speak to me ever again, I've been so selfish." she sighed. "Lets face it: I'm absolutely useless to someone like Ben."

Whisp sighed and rolled her eyes, shaking her head and setting her hand under Apple's chin to draw her focus upon her. "I know what you're going through, kid. When I first got this job, I thought I'd never be as good as a genie as my sister; Sphinx, I didn't even get a Finder of my own before I was released . . . and then shoved back into this job, but that's beside the point." she digressed slightly. "You might think you don't have anything of use to Ben, but you're cutting yourself short."

"Really?" Apple sniffed.

Whisp nodded. "Of course. Do you really think it's that easy to trick a genie?"

"Yes."

Whisp frowned slightly. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you think most people could have tricked a genie into getting them here without wasting a wish?" she asked.

Apple hesitated for a moment. "No . . ?" she guessed.

"Exactly!" Whisp exclaimed, clapping Apple roughly on the back. "If you can do that and survive this long in this fiery nuthouse of doom, you'll be able to figure a way out of here in no time!" she grinned.

Apple bit her lip, a small tendril of confidence worming its way around inside of her. "I . . . guess I could give it a shot." she said.

"That's the spirit!" Whisp smiled broadly. "Now, how can we go home without making anyone fall in love? Because, just to be clear, that falls outside of my jurisdiction." Whisp explained, snapping her fingers and sprouting a pair of feathery wings and a bow and arrow into her hands for further emphasis. Apple ignored her shenanigans and began to pace up and down the hall as quietly as possible, absentmindedly kicking aside a wraith's bone in her thought as Whisp blasted Ben with another shot of 'phenomenal cosmic power' to put him to sleep again.

"Well . . . what would the consequences be if I just wished for us to be sent home?" Apple wondered.

"Extreme damage to the time line or reality that would involve a certain Time Walker to fix." Whisp answered. "In case you've forgotten, I'd like to avoid that kind of thing until the end of this story, thank you very much."

Apple ignored Whisp's oddball of a statement and continued to think. "Hmmm. What if . . . no, that wouldn't work . . . would it?" she mumbled to herself.

"What? What is it?" the genie asked.

The princess hummed with thought before asking slowly. "Whisp . . . can you tell me what happens when a Finder wishes a genie free?"

Whisp shrugged. "It happens so rarely, not many genies know. But based on what's happened to our sister, how powers are greatly decreased, only allowing us to grant small wishes here and there and much bigger ones with another genie assisting. Really, we'd only be considered powerful magicians by human standards and not gods of phenomenal cosmic power stuffed into an itty-bitty living space." she explained.

"But you can still grant wishes, right?" Apple pressed.

Whisp nodded. "Sure. Did 'em, done 'em, own 'em."

"So you could return everything to normal?" Apple continued to press.

The genie was starting to see what the princess was getting at, evidenced by a cunning grin that split across her features. "Yes. Granted, it would leave me exhausted beyond belief if I did it by myself, but if you free me, I can undo this wish of yours and we can return home without any disastrous consequences . . . I think."

"You think?" Apple raised an eyebrow.

Whisp shrugged. "There's a twenty percent chance that we'll end up getting thrown outside of the story and join the madness that is the author's notes and review answers, but c'mon! That's only twenty percent! We still got eighty more!" she waved it off without concern while Apple just looked at her as if she had sprouted a second head and had her eyes replaced by the hedgehogs the White Queen spent so much time drawing and presenting to the class like a proud child to its mother instead of teaching. But if the genie was that confident that nothing horrible or insanely mad would happen to them, who was she to argue.

"You're sure this is safe?" Apple asked one last time.

"Hey, twenty percent is saying no, eighty is saying yes!" Whisp grinned. "Let 'er rip!"

Apple sucked in one last deep breath to calm herself. "In that case . . . Whisp, I wish you were free." she said without knowing that she had closed her eyes again; the princess dared to crack one open and watched with amazement as the black lamp that had sent Apple spiraling into this whole mess slowly flickered into existence like a dying light bulb onto the floor in front of them, the top squeaking open and releasing a loud sucking noise that latched itself onto Whisp and pulling her towards the open lantern. At first, Apple thought that this was some cruel trick or critical error of some sort, but relaxed when Whisp gave her a reassuring smile and allowed a loud discharge of unknown energy to arch itself across her body, making her hair stand on end as she clenched her jaw and tried not to scream with pain or happiness, she didn't know which. The princess watched with amazement as the set of golden braces clamped tightly around Whisp's forearms to signify her servitude opened with a soft clank before clattering to the ground, useless as the lantern gave a final, dull roar and spat whatever of Whisp had been dragged in back out and closed back up, the faint light inside growing dimmer and dimmer.

"Whisp . . . are you . . ?" Apple asked softly as the genie floated back down to the ground, her face breathless but sporting a bright smile.

"Quick, wish for something ridiculous!" Whisp exclaimed eagerly, grabbing Apple by the shoulders and shaking her. "Go ahead, say . . . I dunno, 'I want the Nile'! Wish for the Nile!" she demanded.

Apple grabbed hold of the genie's wrists and pulled them off of her, lightly touching her head to clear her vision. "Um . . . I wish for the Nile?" she tried.

" _NO WAY!_ " Whisp barked in her face before laughing giddily and rolling herself up into a ball and bouncing off of the surrounding walls like a rubber pinball of energy while simultaneously screaming and cheering "I'm free! I'm free! _Free, free, FREE!_ Woo-hoo, I'm free!" at the top of her lungs like a maniac, much to Apple's amusement.

"Are you done yet?" Apple asked.

Whisp smirked. "Seeing as how I probably don't have the room to make a celebratory parade float, yes." she remarked. "Oh, I'm so happy, I could kiss you!"

"Please don't. I'm traumatized enough as it is." Apple flinched under the genie's kooky smile. "Now then . . . you can still grant wishes, right?"

"Small ones, but I think I can do this." Whisp nodded. "Technically though, it's more along the lines of a favor right now. But I guess I can let this one be a freebie." she shrugged with a mischievous smirk. "What can I say? You ain't never had a friend like me."

Apple allowed a quiet smile to grace her lips. "At least I'll have some support when we get home." she sighed before sobering up and calming herself once more. "Whisp, I wish that everything was back to normal; that Ben not loved me, but loved his ghouls and the girls again, that we were back home at Ever After High, and that my feet would stop aching. I just realized they've been killing me for the past ten minutes." the princess winced.

Whisp smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, resting her elbows as she sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, as was customary when granting the desires of a Finder, or this case a new friend. "As you wish." she grinned while she bobbed her head, a bright light swallowing the two of them.

* * *

Headmaster Grimm watched with a combination of annoyance and fear as Raven paced back and forth in front of his desk, a calculating expression upon her pale features as her heels clicked against the floor loudly and echoing off the walls; the sound made the headmaster cringe with every step she took. Daring stood guard at the door with his grip tight on the handle of his sword, his eyes following Raven as she walked back and forth, drawing Astrodactyl's attention as well while he perched on the headmaster's desk with an odd look.

"Ms. Queen, what is this all about?" Headmaster Grimm asked after a while.

The witchling paused and turned to look at him with a blank stare that made him sweat with fear. "I take it you aren't aware that everyone that attended the Holiday Mash Up was instantaneously frozen into ice?" she asked despite already knowing the answer.

Just ass expected, the portly man sputtered with surprise. "F-Fro . . . Frozen?" he gaped.

"He's even more clueless than my stubborn host! And that's saying something." Skurd cracked.

"Don't make me have Azmuth remove you again, Snot-Pocket." Astrodactyl threatened with a harsh glare; Skurd ignored the warning and relaxed on the Omnitrix for the time being, content with feeding off of the delicious DNA inside while his host interrogated Grimm. "And yeah, while you were up here stuffin' your face, _RAWK_ , everyone else downstairs just got the biggest brain freeze of the century."

Headmaster Grimm was flabbergasted. "That's not . . . you ca . . . _preposterous!_ " he struggled to keep his regal posture and vocabulary; he shrank back slightly when Raven threw what had to be the harshest glare he had received in his entire life. The occasional times his father berated him for being so foolish and even the dreaded face of the legendary Medusa made the witchling's irritated stare look a hundred times worse when it seemed to bore right into his soul with a cold bladed knife.

"I'm afraid I must side with Raven on this one, sir." Daring spoke up from the door. "Only we were so bold and lucky to avoid the terrible fate of our friends and your brother."

The headmaster's focus was hindered even further upon hearing that. "Giles . . . he was . . . frozen?" he asked quietly.

" _RAWK!_ Like a statue." Astrodactyl confirmed before hopping down from the desk and arching his back with a loud cracking noise moments before the Omnitrix timed out and swallowed him in a flash of green light that returned Ben to the world; Grimm fell back in his chair at word of his brother, barely even registering Raven's words until the young witch sighed and snapped her fingers, summoning a chaotic orb of unstable magic in her palm and lobbing it at the headmaster's head with an apologetic look that became initial concern when the portly man all but nearly fell out of his chair.

"Sorry, Headmaster Grimm, but we _really_ need you to focus." Raven apologized as she walked over and planted her hands firmly on her desk; Ben came up behind her and folded his arms over his chest with narrowed eyes glaring threateningly at the headmaster should he try anything.

"Y-Yes. Of course." Headmaster Grimm nodded as he sat up in his chair and pulled a spare hankie out of his breast pocket to dab the invisible sweat off of his receding hairline. Contrary to how he appeared to most students and members of the school's faculty, he really did care for his brother and the student's well being, despite the fact that he opposed the Rebels with as much force as possible without making him appear as a complete and utter villain that could have been along the lines of . . . _her._

"Headmaster, do you by chance still have the fake Storybook of Legends from last Thronecoming?" Raven asked.

The mustached man nodded. "Of course. It would have been much simpler to dispose of it through the school's magical waste system, but given how much time transpired until we . . . realized it was a cheap imitation . . . I've kept it nearby in case I have time to begin further investigation into its creation when I'm not handling all the paperwork and bills that are mysteriously conjured up whenever a certain _someone_ gets a little trigger happy with a certain _device_ of his." he explained as he rolled his comfy, padded chair back and and opened the main desk drawer in front of him; sitting neatly inside and starring back at him with a blank expression was the fake Storybook of Legends that had turned the entire school on its head.

"It's not my fault everyone has some sort of vendetta against me." Ben grumbled. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to ruin Pakmar's business or destroy Mr. Baumann's car every single time."

"Who?" Daring wondered.

"Not important right now." Ben waved it off as he sat himself down on the headmaster's desk without care of noticing the portly man's annoyed look while Raven took the book and began to flip through its contents. "What are we looking for anyway?"

"If my hunch is correct . . ." Raven hummed as she turned pages. "Whoever created this must of have had ready access to the original Storybook of Legends or incredible espionage and magic capabilities. Have you ever updated the locking spells on this?" she asked as a side thought.

"Well . . ." Headmaster Grimm trailed off, swallowing nervously and tugging at his ascot with discomfort.

The young witch allowed a small smile. "Then that would explain why it was so easy to steal in the first place. Even a witch as young as me could have stolen it . . . you know, if they actually control over their magic."

The headmaster raised a cautious eyebrow. "Ms. Queen, are you-"

"Not important right now." Raven waved it off as she clapped the book shut, a sound that made Daring in surprise and very nearly drop his sword at the thought of the doors being banged open by a swarm of dark elves or who knew what else The Shadow of Saint Nicholas had up his sleeve. "It's just as I thought: there's no record of Krampus in the Storybook of Legends."

This time the headmaster _did_ fall out of his seat and landed flat on his back as he starred back up at the ceiling and seemingly right through Ben and Raven as they crouched over him with curious and concerned looks upon their faces; the mustached man's grip was shaky as Raven grabbed him by the hand and Ben let Grimm use his shoulder as a support while they helped the shivering, sweating headmaster back into his seat while trying not to be suspicious or concerned about the utterly terrified look upon his aged features.

"Headmaster?" Raven said softly without receiving a response from the petrified man.

"I think the old geezer's in need of a reboot." Skurd chuckled lightly from upon the Omnitrix.

Ben flicked the Slimebiote upside the head. "He could be suffering from a heart attack, you know."

"Oh, please. You humans are always so melodramatic." Skurd scoffed.

Raven ignored the Slimebiote's comment and continued to try and snap Grimm out of his frozen stupor. "Headmaster Grimm?" she tried, snapping her fingers repeatedly in front of his face.

"I think the old man's in some sort of trance." Daring offered his suggestion from the door, relaxing only a few degrees and keeping a tight grip on the hilt of the weapon he had managed to steal from one of the inactive suits of armor from the hallway.

"Did I mention that I hate it when humans state the obvious? Because I _detest_ it when humans state the obvious." Skurd mumbled.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Go back to feeding on your DNA or something. We've got bigger problems than your pet peeves right now." he said.

" _Milton!_ " Raven curtly barked in the headmaster's ear, finally managing to break the portly man out of his immobile, psychological state and back to the world at the sound of his name; the witchling kindly dabbed his sweaty brow with his hankie and offered him a comforting hand as the headmaster inhaled deep and steady breaths to try and calm his hammering heart.

"Th-Thank you, Ms. Queen." he breathed after a while. "I . . . I-I don't know what came over me . . ."

Raven gave a small smile and squeezed her headmaster's hand to comfort him. "It's alright. But we need you to focus right now and tell us what you know about-" she paused when she noticed how Grimm's hand was tightening around her fingers, his grip turning white knuckle. "What you know about . . . _him._ " she reworded.

Headmaster Grimm nodded. "I . . . I shall try."

"I don't get what everyone's scared about. Vilgax is _much_ more scarier than this Krampus guy." he lightly scoffed with a serious tone, only now taking notice of the portly man's discomfort at the mere mention of the name. "Even _Dr. Animo_ is worse than him."

Grimm shook his head. "You don't know him like I do . . ." he shuddered.

Daring coughed uncomfortably from the door. "I don't mean to be rude, but there is currently a demon stalking the halls of our fair school in search of us and I for one would not like to be killed and/or eaten today." he said in a matter of fact manner.

"Fair point." Ben nodded before turning back to look at the headmaster. "Alright, Grimm. Spill."

Raven continued to take the more relaxed approach. "We need to know, Milton." she explained to him in a pleading manner.

The headmaster sighed and sat himself up in a more dignified manner in his chair, though Raven noticed he didn't seem ready to part from her touch just yet, as if she were the only thing keeping him calm and collected at the moment and not running for the hills. "Of course, Ms. Queen. And I would prefer if you use my appropriate title instead of what my brother insists . . . _insisted_ on calling me." he corrected him with a solemn tone before he heaved another breath and started to talk in a low, hushed voice, as if the portly man were afraid that someone would overhear them.

"It was centuries ago, roughly two-hundred years or so-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up." Ben interrupted. "Where I come from, some monsters are naturally centuries old, some even thousands of years, like my ghoul, Nefera. Just how old _are_ you?" he wondered; when it comes to lengthy lifespans, the wielder of the Omnitrix knew more than a few people that were well over the average lifespan, some both friend and foe. Nefera was roughly five-thousand, eight-hundred and forty-six years old (apparently three years older than her younger sister, Cleo De Nile, a fact that she no longer held over her sibling's head), Headless Headmistress Bloodgood was older than Monster High itself, Vilgax had lived long enough to see the Revo-boo-tionary War, and the two Time Walkers, Professor Paradox and Hexiciah Steam, were both technically older than time itself thanks to slight mishaps with the experimentation of the mechanics of time travel (a concept that Ben was only vaguely familiar with whenever he turned into Clockwork).

To think that a human could live that long without being thrown over the event horizon was something made Ben's head hurt.

"For your information, I'm well over two centuries." Headmaster Grimm frowned slightly. "Unlike your . . . _unique_ world . . . most beings here can live far longer if they have access to a considerable amount of magic to lengthen their life. And being the Keeper of the Storybook of Legends allows me to live longer than most."

"I do not think you are fit to bear that title any longer." Skurd remarked casually.

The headmaster chose to ignore the Slimebiote's comment and continued on with his explanation. "As I was saying, it was two centuries ago, a few years after I had founded Ever After High to ensure that the legacies of our stories and the magic that bound our world together would continue to live on into the far future. It was around this time that the first Rebels came about . . ."

Raven paused the headmaster with a slight squeeze of her hand. "There . . . there were other Rebels . . . before me?" she whispered curiously.

"Unfortunately." Grimm sighed. "Although I suppose it wasn't as severe as your case; they were still willing to partake in their destinies, mind you, they just wanted some changes."

Daring was confused. "Changes?"

Headmaster Grimm nodded. "Believe it or not, Mr. Charming, very few fairy tales ever ended with a Happily Ever After back then. I'm sure Ms. Queen is aware that the original Evil Queen was very nearly killed by the scalding hot, iron shoes she was forced to wear and dance in as punishment for poisoning the original Snow White." he explained, casting a minuscule glance of pity towards the young witch as she shrank slightly. "To prevent the death of important fairy tale bloodlines and royals, my brother and I made adjustments to the original tales to ensure there would be further heirs to follow in their parents' footsteps."

"That's a relief." Ben commented.

"And you wonder why most aliens communicated with your livestock. _So_ barbaric." Skurd remarked, earning a second flick upside the head from Ben, much to the Slimebiote's protest.

The mustached headmaster coughed to clear his throat and continued. "Yes, well. During those changes and edits to the script, my brother and I were greatly disturbed by what we saw; being Keepers of the Book and not fairy tales ourselves, we never truly imagined how horrible it was. This also led to the realization that some fairy tales were just too dangerous to continue repeating."

"That doesn't sound good." Ben muttered with worry.

"There you go again, stating the obvious!" Skurd grumbled; everyone ignored him.

"Multiple fairy tales were lost, their pages torn out and their stories forgotten for the sake of Ever After. As you can imagine, some of the lost fairy tales were not happy about being written out of the Storybook of Legends and their fate of fading away into the sands of time . . ."

"Krampus." Raven whispered with a slight edge in her voice.

"I'm afraid so." Headmaster Grimm nodded. "He attacked the school in a fit of rage, brutally injuring anyone he came across and very nearly killed one of Ms. White's descendants before help finally arrived."

Daring straightened up a little at the door. "Let me guess: a handsome prince charming?"

Headmaster Grimm shook his head. "No, I'm sorry to say that what I believe was one of your great-great-great-great uncles was one of the first to run away and be injured. No, help came in the form of jingling bells and the reindeer hooves."

"Santa Claus?" Ben guessed.

The headmaster nodded. "We mostly refer to him as Saint Nicholas or Nicholas for short." Grimm explained with a hint of a relieved smile beneath his small mustache. "There is, after all, a reason why . . . _he_ . . . is called the Shadow of Saint Nicholas."

"Is that it?" Daring asked, trying to ignore the slight blow to his family pride.

"Almost," Headmaster Grimm sighed. "Upon being defeated, Krampus swore vengeance on Ever After High and Saint Nicholas as a whole, promising that he wouldn't rest until he had everyone's soul trapped forever screaming in his lantern for him to toy with and our flesh between his teeth."

Ben shivered slightly. "Okay, _now_ I see why this guy is bad."

Raven nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster Grimm. But, if I may ask, do you know why we're still here and not frozen like everyone else?"

The portly, mustached man hummed and stroked his bulbous chin, pushing away from his chair to stand up and pace in front of the large bay windows behind his desk that allowed him an extensive view of Ever After when his beady eyes weren't trained on the senseless scribbles of bills and papers. "If I remember correctly . . . all Grimms are required to commit every fairy tale to memory should the Storybook of Legends somehow be tampered with . . . he specifically sought out and deliver the most severe punishment to those he deemed to be selfish and quite unsavory."

"Basically a scrooge?" Ben summed up.

"Hexactly." Headmaster Grimm nodded.

Both Raven and Daring were taken aback by the statement. "That does make any sense!" Daring argued.

"For once, I agree with Daring on something." Raven commented.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Dude, you're completely self absorbed with yourself, you spend countless hours admiring your own reflection, you're dating a new girl every other day of the week, none of which ever seem to learn their lesson and go right back to drooling over you, and if you were stuck between saving Apple from a fire-breathing and keeping your precious face, you'd let her become barbecue. If that's not being selfish, I don't know what is."

"Ooh! Burn!" Skurd giggled giddily at the shocked look on Daring's face.

The flustered Son of Prince Charming sought to try and find some ground. "Oh, yeah? Then . . . then . . ." he glanced around trying to find some source of inspiration to save his quickly shrinking ego. "What about Raven? Why is she here? Why isn't she frozen?"

Ben actually paused at that. "Now that you mention it, why are you here with us? And for that matter, why am I here, too?" he asked Raven, utterly confused.

"Hmm. That _is_ a good question." Skurd mused; Headmaster Grimm looked like he was about to retort with what Ben or Raven would most likely assume to be a cynical or snide comment, but before that could happen the doors to the dim office were given a heavy hit from the other side, a sound that made the brave Daring Charming jump and scream like a little girl into Ben's arms. The wielder of the Omnitrix gave the sheepish prince a scolding look before promptly dropping him to the ground and tapping the Omnitrix and cycling through the available roster without taking his eyes off of the door. The door was attacked again, the olden wood bending inwards from the force.

Ben finally made up his mind and selected Brawn before slamming down on the activation button and encompassing himself in a flash of green light. Half a dozen purple and black striped tentacles horrifically burst out of Ben's chest, making Headmaster Grimm quite literally very nearly toss his cookies as the horrifying appendages slithered and cracked impatiently in the air; Ben's fingers ground and cracked loudly as the bones pushed out and through his skin in a painless, yet absolutely terrifying manner while they sharpened into wicked claws. His spine cracked and crunched loudly as it lengthened and bent, forcing him to hunch over as his legs wrapped around each other like rubber and fused into a single, wiggling tail with black and white stripes that arched themselves across. Ben's skin started to shift and hang off of his skeleton, making him look like he was wearing a massive, wet, paper bag as his new, lose skin shifted and warped to form sleeve-like arms that his bony claws slipped out of them while a black, tuxedo-like suit trimmed in green made out of his skin formed around the rest of him, hanging off tattered and ragged at his ghostly tail. Ben's jaw jutted out as jagged, curved teeth ripped through his gums and let a wet, forked tongue slip out and sample the air as his eyes molded into a single, green orb and blinked experimentally. Two more fully functioning eyes thrust out of his shoulders with a wet popping sound, pushing through his suit-like skin and blinking slowly to take in the sudden amount of light the dim, moonlit office provided. The Omnitrix and Skurd formed at the center of a gruesome, bat-like bow tie wrapped tightly around his neck, completing the transformation.

" _Shhhhhhh._ " Phantux hissed, holding a bony claw up to his nonexistent lips for emphasis; Raven nodded and watched as the Draugnurite floated up towards the ceiling, fading away from her sight of vision and into the shadows moments before the door finally gave way and banged open, smashing loudly against the walls.

Daring tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as a cloud of swirling, freezing snow flew into the room, lowering the temperature dramatically as the cold fog hung low close to the floor and sent shivers up everyone's spine; especially when the loud clattering of chains came to their ears. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Daring bravely stood between the Headmaster and Raven as Krampus slowly walked into the room with his frost-tipped flaying hook spinning loosely in his hands.

"How delightful, an old family reunion." he gave a sinister chuckle. "I remember you, and you . . ." he pointed towards Daring and Raven before setting his sights on the headmaster; the portly man gulped and sweated profusely with fear when he saw those crimson rings at the bottom of their blackened bits narrow at the sight of him. "And I definitely remember _you._ "

Phantux watched from above, invisible to even Krampus' senses as the hellish demon snapped his fingers and summoned a large battalion of dark elves to surround and back him as a small group grunted and wheezed to push the doors to the office shut with deafening _thud!_ The closer the Draugnurite looked however, he noticed there were other beings shifting among the ranks of ash-colored elves, twisted monstrosities of children toys and play things that were now at Krampus' beck and call. Teddy bears with razor-sharp teeth and claws, Jack-in-the-Boxes with spider legs and forked tongues that slithered past their wide grinning smiles, ghostly-eyed dolls with extra, malformed limbs that softly called for their mommas, all these stood around and behind Krampus as he slowly and deliberately walked around the room, his hooves clopping loudly on the marble floor.

"Three naughty souls out an entire school of fairy tales," the Shadow of Saint Nicholas said, his voice gravely and deep like that of a hideous beast from the deepest depths of an ocean trench. "A shame, really."

Raven couldn't stand it any longer. "Why are you doing this!?" she demanded to know, a slight tingle of fear in the back of her throat; the witchling shrank back when the demon paused and turned around to regard her, his blood red pits starring right through her soul as he took a few steps forward.

Krampus easily sensed her fear and unease, along with an annoying amount of courage and strength that was thankfully buried under layers of uncertainty. "Oh, Raven. Oh, the eternity we shall spend together." he smiled maliciously. "I will enjoy plucking every one of your precious feathers until you are nothing but a pathetic mess just begging for death."

"Death?" Daring squeaked.

"'Death?'" Krampus mocked him before cackling loudly. "No . . . nothing that simple."

Headmaster Grimm clenched his fists and bit his lip before he sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself to stand bravely between Daring and Raven with his arms spread wide to block the demon. "Forget the children, you monster." he frowned with a slightly wavering tone in his voice. "It . . . It's me you want!"

Krampus once again cackled loudly, an echoing din that resounded and bounced off the walls of the office in a deafening tone that was accompanied by the chorus of snickering and jeering from the demons twisted elves and play things; trembling, Grimm backed down. "You amuse me, Grimm. But you can't save them, no one can save them from what I have planned."

"Why are you doing this?" Raven repeated, her long spiral of patience wearing quite thin with the demon's constant change of conversation and threats upon their lives.

"Because the wicked must be punished." Krampus answered with a chilling tone, tossing his hook down towards the marble floor and embedding it deep within the polished stone without much effort as he pointed a bony finger at Raven. "You want to know why you are here? Because you are selfish and care only for yourself."

Raven was greatly befuddled and even Daring was taken aback by the remark. "Hold it! I know me and Raven might be opposite sides of this whole Royals and Rebels business, but I know for a fact that she can't be _that_ evil. I mean, she does occasionally ruin my hair and turn the headmaster into a chicken-man every now and again, but she's never done anything large scale. And she's probably the most selfless person I know . . . which admittedly is not very becoming of a future Evil Queen, but at this point I could care less."

Krampus grinned a heartless, toothy smile. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" he growled in that rock grating voice of his. "You don't really think the little bird started this whole feud for the good of everyone ever after, do you? No, she started it for her own needs and desires, her selfish desire to write herself out of the Storybook of Legends and save herself from a destiny she didn't want."

Raven fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, but I never thought anyone else would-"

Krampus interrupted the young witch with a low, calculating hum. "Do you think I need glasses? Because I could have sworn there were three of you brats . . . he trailed off in thought before snapping his skeletal fingers in realization. "The changeling . . . where did he go?"

"What could you _possibly_ want with Tennyson?" Headmaster Grimm wondered, the ever present disdain in his voice whenever wielder of the Omnitrix's name was brought up.

The Shadow of Saint Nicholas yanked his hook out of the floor and aimlessly twirled it around in a careless circle, decapitating a few unlucky dolls that got too close for their own safety. "Hope."

The mustached man blinked with surprise. "Hope?"

Krampus nodded. "Like Saint Nicholas, your little shape-shifter brings hope to everyone around him; hope that there will be a better tomorrow, hope that everything will turn out alright in the end, hope that the world finally cease all its senseless bickering and get along for once. Hope that, for one day, that everyone can put their differences aside and simply enjoy being alive . . . a highly overrated thought, if you ask me." he added as an afterthought. "Aside from having what was rightfully mine stolen away from me, hope is absolutely worthless. There will be no better tomorrow, there will be no hope that everything will alright, there will be no hope that the world will ever reach peace, because the world is a dark and unforgiving place."

"By what do you care? I'm about to tear your soul out and make your first moments of eternal torment a living nightmare." Krampus grinned, enjoying the pale expressions on their faces; as if to further prove his point, he tapped the glass of the rusted lantern hooked to the end of his rattling chain and cautiously tapped open the hatch with a claw, quickly thrusting it out at arms length as unholy screams of pain and misery and absolute agony filled the air, bouncing off the walls and leaving Raven completely deaf as the Shadow of Saint Nicholas cackled with joy at hearing such sweet sorrow within his grasp.

Phantux could no longer take it and let out an ear-splitting screech of rage as he flashed back into sight and dive bombed straight at Krampus from behind, only to be snagged and brought down to the floor by the dark elves and toys that severed him, the twisted holiday minions dog piling on the Draugnurite and weighing him down as Krampus turned around to look at him. "Ah, right on time." he purred with a malicious tone.

The Draugnurite narrowed his single eye at the demon with great disdain. "If you think I'm going to take this lying down-"

"Oh, but you are, Tennyson." Krampus gave a smug grin as he raised the flaying hook above his head. "Torment comes in so many flavors . . . I can already imagine all the fun times we shall spend together for all of eternity. Well, fun for me, not so much for you." he allowed a low chuckle as he began to swing the frost-covered chain and hook above his head like a lasso.

"That's fascinating and everything, but I really must be going." Phantux hissed, slithering the forked tongue out past his cage of sharp teeth for emphasis before he flexed and relaxed the density altering protoplasm that made up his body and fading away and out of existence right through the toys and elves; for once, Krampus actually looked concerned as Phantux's haunting laughter now caught his attention, coming from seemingly everywhere at once.

"Not so fun now, is it?" the Draugnurite cackled.

Krampus narrowed his eyes as he searched for his target, his sensitive, animalistic ears rotating and flickering at the tiniest of sounds; without warning, the demon whirled around and raised his hook, effortlessly blocking Daring's sword with a loud metallic _clang!_ The Son of Prince Charming gulped nervously as Krampus snarled at him and thrust the flaying hook in a downward motion, cutting right through his sword as if it were butter before the Shadow of Saint Nicholas spun his hook in a tight circle and cast it out at Daring, crashing it right into his gut and sending him flying back against the wall; with a groan, he slumped to the ground and lay there without movement.

" _Wretched mongrels get the leash._ " Krampus hissed to the unconscious prince as he began to swing the frost-tipped flaying hook again, a sinister growl upon his muzzle as the latch to the otherworldly lantern squeaked open further, the screams of the souls and shades increasing to the point where nothing else could be heard.

Phantux hissed loudly and materialized back into vision. "Oh, no you don't!" he screeched as he rushed at Krampus and punched him in the jaw, snapping the demon's head upwards; the twisted toys and dark elves immediately turned on the Draugnurite, clinging to his arms and grabbing onto his tail and ruthlessly biting him as he attempted to swat them away.

"Never fear, Skurd is here!" the Slimebiote declared as oozed his gelatinous body over the Draugnurite's arms; muscles packed and piled themselves onto the already existing tissue, swelling and bloating Phantux's arms to nearly three times their original size while the bony claws crunched and distended into thick fingers perfectly designed for grasping and crushing. Shaggy fur began to sprout, turning a vibrant yellow in color that was arched by jagged black and white lightning strike bands, the transformation ending as specialized muscles formed just beneath the surface of the skin. With a toothy grin, Phantux released a powerful discharge of electricity from his new Gimlinopithecus limbs, creating terrified shrieks of agony from the elves and toys as they dropped to the ground and exploded into blackened ash.

"My, how _shocking._ " Skurd chuckled.

"You are such a hypocrite. Whoa!" Phantux sighed, yelping as Krampus swung the flaying hook at him, just barely missing the Draugnurite as he pulled the chain back for another shot.

"Give up, Tennyson! I know all your tricks far too well!" Krampus hissed.

Phantux rolled his eye. "I don't know where you've been for the past eight years, but do you know this one? Now you see me, now you don't!" he hissed darkly as a sickly, yellow powder came pouring out from under his suit-like skin and enveloped the entire room; Raven coughed and hacked as the gas poured into her lungs, making her eyes water as she glanced up and startled briefly upon seeing not one Phantux, but nearly a dozen clones that hovered in a ring over her head.

Krampus glowered. "Clever trick. But not clever enough!" he shouted as he swung his kusarigama at the nearest copy of the Draugnurite, scattering it into dust with one hit of the flaying hook; a relished grin cross the demon's face as he swung the chains again and again, destroying the illusions one by one as they began to move about and dive bomb him in the hopes of confusing him until there was only one Draugnurite left.

"Will you give it a rest already? You can't touch me, and I can't touch you. We're at a stale mate!" Phantux hissed.

The Shadow of Saint Nicholas smiled a sinister grin and chuckled darkly, a sound that was like the echo of a heavy, metal blade being dragged across cold stone during the darkest hour of the night. "That may be, Tennyson. But unlike you, I don't play by the rules." he rasped with the ancient voice that wormed its way into the darkest corners of Raven's mind; before Phantux even knew what had happened, Krampus whirled around and the chain that he carried with him like an old friend slithered out from his claw-tipped fingers and through the air right at Raven. The witchling was frozen on the spot, her violet eyes wide with fright as the hook flew right at her, aimed at her heart.

"No!" Phantux cried.

At the last second however, Raven was pulled out of the way and roughly thrown to the floor as Headmaster Grimm threw himself in the way at the last second and just barely managed to grab hold of the soul shivering chain in his hands; despite the interruption, Krampus seemed just as happy with his catch. Raven watched with horror as the demon snapped back the flayed hook and effortlessly hauled the headmaster's entire weight towards him, making the portly man yelp in surprise as he was pulled through the air. The Shadow of Saint Nicholas then cracked the chain downwards and towards his left, bringing the wailing headmaster with it and sending him right through the bay windows with the loud shattering of glass and out into the cold air.

"Headmaster Grimm!" Raven cried out as she scrambled to her feet towards the broken window; Phantux followed suit and alighted down near the witchling moments before the Omnitrix timed out in a flash of green light and returned Ben to the world; Raven gulped as she peered over the edge of the shattered glass, knowing just how far down of a drop it was to the ground and how close she had once been to falling from such a great height.

The young witch bit her lip. "Is he . . ?"

"I don't know." Ben answered, unable to see through the swirling snow that was at the mercy of the howling winds and ravaging storm; he knew he and the headmaster didn't see eye to eye on nearly every single occasion that arose, but even Ben wasn't willing to let his life be thrown away like a wad of garbage, no matter how annoying an stubborn he was.

"Well, he is quite . . . uh, insulated?" Skurd offered. "There might be a chance that the blubbery fool survived the fall."

Ben frowned. "Not the time, Snot-Pocket."

"Ah, but it _is_ the time." Krampus' ancient, creaking voice drew away their attentions. "It is time for the two of you to meet your end, just like your plump friend."

Ben rolled his eyes as he tapped the Omnitrix and selected the first alien he came across. "If we live through this and the headmaster is alive, we really need to talk to him about going on a diet." he murmured to Raven before slamming down on the activation button and engulfing himself in a blast of green light. His frame crunched and snapped as his height increased by only a few skin, his skin stretching and hardening to form a thin sheen of organic metal to cover himself in as his face pushed forward and melted into separate, roughly triangular plate that stretched out and upwards to form a pair of horns that swelled at the tips to form pulsing, purple orbs; the rest of his skull shifted and cracked loudly into a rough, boxy trapezoid as his exterior flashed deep lavenders and blacks in colors. His bones pushed themselves through his muscles and tissue to fuse directly with his skin to form a more sturdy exterior as his muscles changed composition and became more carbonaceous and artificial. Ben's hands were perhaps the most dramatic of changes with his fingers fusing together into a pair of stubby digits and his thumb rotating downwards to form a third while his arms and hands molded together into a stiff rod that was just beginning to hollow out like the barrel of a cannon that smelled distinctly similar to gunpowder and sulfur. His toes fused together into a single foot as black rings arched their away around his arms and legs and upper chest, surrounding the Omnitrix and Skurd fastened to a wide, black and green collar over his breastbone as a stiff, triangular dorsal fin tipped with a single orb rose out from between his shoulder blades and back, ending the transformation.

"Time for you to say _bomb_ voyage." Badaboom narrowed his eyes at the demon.

"We shall see." Krampus hissed.

"See this, you Dirt Bag!" Skurd yelled, forming one of his little pseudopods into a tightly clenched fist that he shook angrily before he slithered his squishy, gooey body over the Bombardian's left arm and tapped into a genetic sample from the Omnitrix attached to hist host's breast bone; the stiff cracked and snapped loudly as the organic plating split and fragmented apart until it was more like a limp tentacle riddled with pebbled armor. The lavender and black hues flashed a deep green as the techno-organic muscles and tissue shifted their physiology once more and were replaced by stretchy fibers while the stubby digits lengthened and melted together into a long, dexterous tip that made the new limb more like a tentacle than anything else.

"Now whip it, dear boy! Whip it good!" Skurd commanded, jamming a pseudopod at Krampus.

Badaboom grinned and flexed his new Florauna tendril and gave it an experimental thrust before the Bombardian cracked the flexible tentacle forward like a whip and wrapped it tightly around Krampus' neck, squeezing his grip tightly before snapping the tendril back and pulling the demon with it. With a grunt, Badaboom lifted his entire weight up into the air and threw the hellish demon over his shoulder, through the broken window of the headmaster's office, and out into the open air.

"Quick while he's on the defensive!" Skurd cried.

"On it!" Badaboom agreed as he rushed over to the window and made a move to jump before he felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to Raven standing there with a look on her face that the Bombardian had seen one too many times ever since he had met the ghouls. Daring had finally come to and staggered to his feet, rubbing his aching skull as he stumbled over to the window and quickly assessed the situation despite being somewhat delirious.

The corners of Raven's mouth quirked upwards ever so slightly. "Do I even have to say it?"

"Is there anyway to talk either of you two out of it?" the Bombardian tried.

Daring shook his head to clear his vision and puffed out his chest in a prideful manner. "Not in the name of the Charming Kingdom! I have a family reputation to restore and honor!" he replied heroically; Raven merely rolled her eyes and gave Badaboom that stubborn look he knew would drive his nerves crazy in the future but would never get him to stop loving her.

"Alright then. Hang on tight." he nodded as he wrapped his Florauna around Daring and Raven's waist and squeezed them together in a somewhat uncomfortable manner while pulling them close to his chest before he recklessly (as Skurd would later point out, despite the fact that it was his suggestion) hurled himself and the two fairy tales out the window and after Krampus and Headmaster Grimm.

Daring gulped nervously as the ground quickly approached, his fear only getting worse with the swirling snow somehow amplifying the terror of plummeting from such a great height. "Uh, not to be rude, but do you have any idea on how we're going to land?"

"Leave it to me, lad!" Skurd announced as he swiftly returned the Florauna DNA back into the Omnitrix and selected a new sample as the flexible tendril was replaced by a Bombardian's stiff, cannon-like arm while the Slimebiote slithered over his host's back and dorsal fin. The growth upon Badaboom's crunched and cracked loudly as it was split in two right down the middle, forming a pair of paper thin flaps that quickly thickened and stiffened once more, broadening into a pair of sickly, yellow, gossamer wings easily bigger than beach umbrellas that began to flap instantaneously to slow their descent towards the ground with a low thrum.

"Whoo! That was close." Daring sighed with relief as they gently fell towards the snow below them.

Raven bit her lip nervously. "I think you might have spoken too soon." she gulped as an ever familiar, frost-tipped kusarigama came shooting through the freezing, pelting snow at them and skillfully wrapped around Badaboom's leg, the flaying hook catching onto the spiked chain before pulling taunt; the three of them had approximately two seconds to react before they were swiftly pulled down through the air, the pair of Lepidopterran wings grown by Skurd reduced to useless, gossamer blankets that flapped and waved behind them until they landed roughly and painfully on the ground and in the chilling snow.

"Everyone alright?" Badaboom groaned as he sat up and let Daring and Raven go, hoping he hadn't hurt them too bad when he landed on top of them.

"I think so . . . ow . . ." Raven lied, silently hissing when she felt one of the many of old, silvery scars that heartlessly arched themselves across her body reopen and begin to trickle fresh blood once more; the young witchling greatly resented the painful markings not just because they reminded her of things she'd rather forget and didn't allow her to wear anything that might expose them to prying eyes (namely Blondie and even a Spectra Vondergeist that Badaboom had talked fondly of), but they had an unfortunate habit of reopening at the worst possible times and making her bruise quite easily, making the sheer thought of playing dodge ball in Grimmnastics a complete nightmare.

"Thank you for flying with Slimebiote Airlines . . . be sure to thank the stewardesses on your way out . . ." Skurd groaned deliriously.

"I concur with the booger." Daring winced at what he really hoped were not a set of bruised ribs; despite his comment, it seemed Skurd was too far gone at the moment to even care much about the nickname he despised so much. The soft clattering of ice-encased metal caught their attentions and they turned to see Krampus looming over a fallen figure buried shallowly in the freezing snow, his chains dragging behind him and scrapping softly against the snow as his crimson eyes burned like smoldering embers of hatred and rage.

Krampus' tongue lolled out past his sharp fangs as he aimlessly swung the kusarigama in his hand, his hooves crunching softly in the snow as he approached the fallen and weak form of the headmaster. The mustached man shrank back from his fiery glow, covering his eyes as he trembled violently and unable to move. " _Please. Please, not you._ " he whispered.

"Long ago, from the day you forsake my destiny and tore my page from the Storybook of Legends, I claimed you as mine." Krampus' voice creaked and stretched in a whispery tone, as if he hadn't spoke for ages. " _Now it is time I collect . . ._ "

Headmaster Grimm was breathing heavily and sweating with fear despite the cold, his eyes never tearing away from the frost-covered, chain-wearing demon as he scrambled backwards through the ice and snow, desperate with an urge to find a weapon some kind to save himself; his hand happened upon a fallen limb that had had been torn away from the ancient trees of the Enchanted Forest and he picked it up, holding it front of his face in the hopes of forcing Krampus to hesitate and allow him a moment to clamber to his feet and run away. The Shadow of Saint Nicholas lashed his flaying hook downward and cleaved right through the thick branch as if it were butter.

"Please! Just kill me!" Headmaster Grimm pleaded.

Krampus shook his head. " _Your death is not my desire . . ._ " he hissed darkly as the latch to the lantern was flown open, releasing a cacophony of screams and howls as he raised the flaying hook high above his head to finish the deed once and for all; the headmaster squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worse, waiting for the flaying hook to plunge deep into his chest and sink into his flesh before the dark demon would rip out his soul and imprison it into the lantern that was the torture chamber of so many.

 _ **CLANG! SCRITCH!**_

Headmaster Grimm cracked open his eye to see Badaboom standing over him, his cannon-like arm thrust out between the two of them and reduced to a mere stump with the other half lying lifeless in the snow beneath them; the Bombardian then raised his other hand and clubbed Krampus across the face before he cocked his single limb and fired off a Miniboom into the demon's gut, blasting him back and away from the him and the headmaster.

"Ben!" Raven cried as she rushed over to the headmaster while Badaboom charged after Krampus despite his missing limb; Daring rushed past them and hurriedly began to dig through the snow to pull out another fallen tree limb that he brandished like a club as best as he could; it was no grand, heroic sword, but it seemed he would have to make an exception.

Badaboom grunted as he fired off a pair of Minibooms, one right after the other, at Krampus and successfully managed to detonate one of them near the demon's shoulder while the second one was swatted away by the flaying hook and harmlessly exploded some distance away in a fiery snow cloud; the little symbiotic creatures bared resemblance to a classic, black ball with a little decorated with toothpick arms and legs and a smoldering wick-like growth sprouting out of their heads as they mindlessly ran at their targets before blowing themselves up in a sort of extraterrestrial kamikaze. Badaboom tried not to think about this as he raised his arm to block a swipe of the flaying hook, grunting under the pressure applied while simultaneously trying to focus on reforming his other arm, the result of losing it in the first place and multiple explosions making the process slow and tedious.

"You're losing your touch, boy." Krampus gave a sinister, smug smirk.

"You try losing an arm!" Badaboom shot back, gasping as he was forced down onto his knee.

"Feeling tired? Exhausted perhaps?" the demon purred cruelly.

" . . . And . . . if I . . . am?" the Bombardian grunted; a sharp yell caught their attention and they both turned to see Daring come charging through the snow as possible with his new weapon raised overhead and a fearsome look upon his face. With a roll of his eyes, Krampus snapped the fingers on his free hand and surrounded the Son of Prince Charming in a puff of blackened ash that dissipated to reveal a small army of dark elves and twisted toys surrounding him moments before they moved as one and roughly tackled him to the ground; the tree branch was snapped in half by the jaws of an elf as Daring screamed with fear and pain.

Krampus chuckled darkly. "You'll end up like him." he nodded towards Daring as a clenched hand jammed out of the pile of elves and toys with a pained scream just before a teddy bear attacked it and buried its claws and teeth into the flesh; a sudden blast of chaotic energy struck the pile of elves and toys, disintegrating them into fine ash as Daring yelped and clapped his hands over his head, waiting for whatever terror there might have been to end. A second blast of dark magic struck Krampus in the head, sending him flying a couple feet through the freezing snow with the loud clattering of his frost-covered chains to accompany him.

"Stay away from my boyfriend." Raven snarled, letting her hand drop to her side as she helped the headmaster to his feet, allowing him to use her as a support.

"Thanks for the save." Badaboom sighed with relief. "But he's got a point. We can't beat him like this. Not by ourselves anyway."

Skurd shook his head to clear his chaotic thoughts, rubbing his invisible skull with his pseudopods. "It is true. The old goat seems to have an endless amount of energy at his fingertips, enough to wear each and every last one of us down."

"I don't suppose now would be the time to pray for a Christmas miracle?" Headmaster Grimm asked before he cried out in pain and dropped to the snow, clutching his ankle tightly and viciously gritting his teeth to fight back tears of pain while Raven immediately dropped down to the ground to examine him.

The witchling bit her lip as she tenderly touched his leg, gently applying pressure to his thigh and working her way down before she finally got to his ankle and jumped back from the resulting howl of agony. "I was afraid of that. It's twisted, maybe even broken." she concluded. "Although I suppose that's kind of a blessing considering how far you fell."

"I told you he was well insulated!" Skurd cried triumphantly.

Raven rolled his eyes. "On a side note, you might want to consider a diet."

The headmaster gritted his teeth. "Noted," he winced through the pain as he tried to climb to his feet and stand up again before screaming once more and collapsing to the ground. "Great ancestors above, this hurts!"

"Screaming won't do you any good," Krampus hissed as he slowly rose from the ground, icicles and frost starting to creep across his horns and his eyes seeming to grow brighter as if he were embracing the true nature of the howling, arctic winds around him. "But it's music to my eyes." he snarled as he loomed over them all, drawing up to his full height and swinging the dreaded flaying hook over his head.

"I don't suppose you have any plans?" Raven asked as Badaboom took a few steps back from the demon, nearly bumping into them as Daring fearfully scrambled over to huddle with them, covering his eyes with his hands as he trembled.

"For once, no." Badaboom shook his head. "I'm missing an arm, I'm exhausted, Daring's absolutely useless without a good weapon, the headmaster's leg is broken, and you can't save us all at once. Looks like its end game for us."

"And I thought we would perish during that time we helped create the universe." Skurd hummed absentmindedly, unaware of a surprised and shocked look that crept across the headmaster's face; the astonished expression however, was quickly replaced by fear as Krampus continued to edge closer and closer, the snow crunching underneath his hooves with every step like breaking bones.

"Whose mind shall I break first?" he grinned sadistically. "What is it that you flesh-imprisoned brats say? Eeny, meeny, miny-"

" _Mo!_ " a voice called out through the night.

Krampus startled and searched for the source of the noise with desperate eyes, his bony grip tightening on the kusarigama until his knuckle were nearly as white as the snow beneath his hooves; he knew that voice all too well, the voice that haunted his mind and dreams, refusing to ever leave him alone as he he stalked all of Ever After in the shadows and out of the lights reach for all of eternity. The sound of tinkling bells made his ears prick up as he instinctively turned towards the sky, searching through the swirling storm for the source of the sound until his eyes caught something sailing through the air at him, landing in the snow a couple feet away and rolling towards him to stop at his feet; it was a bright red, Christmas ornament.

"Oh, no." he whispered to himself before the decoration suddenly exploded in a burst of blinding, bright light, like that of a hot firework, right in his facing; the demon cried out and clapped a hand over his eyes as he stumbled back, blinking blearily as he looked towards the heavens once more, his sights finally settling on his adversary.

" _YOU!_ " he cried, jamming his hook accusingly.

Badaboom, Raven, and Daring watched as a figure that they had only ever heard of and that the headmaster had only met a couple times before descended down from the sky, cackling with a bellowing, jolly laugh that echoed through the air like a booming, bass drum; an explosion of light like a sparkling firework of ice and snow filled the air and there it was, a seemingly large and unorthodox figure flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Four pairs, eight in all, of powerful reindeer with massive hooves, giant racks of antlers, and frost-tipped layers of warm fur as white as snow galloped graciously through the air with bits in their mouths and jingling bells tied to their leather-strapped reins, pounding the very air with their massive hooves while they pulled a grand sleigh colored the shade of holly berries with golden runnings through the swirling, icy winds. At the reins was a large man easily four extra feet taller than the headmaster and with a grand, white beard and mustache that spilled over his powerful chest; beefy arms were covered in a velvet red coat ringed with black fur that went all the way down to his ankles and a black fur hat to protect him from the wailing winds as he wore a pair of tough, leather boots and woolen pants with suspenders held up by a large belt that just seemed to barely fit over his swollen belly.

" _YAAAAAAAAAAHHH!_ " the jolly, old man cried as he gave the reins of his sleigh a swift crack and steered the reindeer down towards the ground, grinning like a maniac as the snorting animals crashed into Krampus and ran him over, pounding him into the snow with their powerful hooves and running him over with the sharp runners; the man wildly cracked the reins a second time before tying them to the front of the sleigh and jumping over the side as it began to take off again, dropping a few feet through the air before landing in a cloud of snow, standing tall and powerful as he whipped out a pair of swords from beneath his coat and spun them around in his fingers great art and skill.

"Is that . . ?" Badaboom gaped.

Raven's eyes widened. "Santa Claus?"

The jolly man laughed heartily, his belly bouncing like a bowlful of jelly. "Of course! Who do you expect, Tooth Fairy?" he joked in a heavy, Russian accent.

"I don't know who you are, but I like the cut of your jib." Skurd complimented as Krampus groaned and slowly staggered to his feet, wincing at the large bruisers from the reindeer's hooves and the sleigh's runners.

"As do I, little Skurd! But unlike you, I know much about you!" he laughed. "But please, enough with formalities. Nicholas North Pole at your service!"

The Slimebiote was taken aback. "How did you . . ?"

Nicholas laughed. "Like I say, I know much about you!" he smiled, before pointing at Badaboom, Daring, and the headmaster. "And you, you, you, and . . . I _definitely_ know you!" his smile broadened when he pointed at Raven, a light pink blush of embarrassment crossing the witchling's cheeks. A loud howl of rage caught their attention and Nicholas whirled around at the last second with sword in hand and raised above his face to deflect a strike of the deadly, frost-covered flaying hook that Krampus with a loud _clang!_

"Ah, Krampus, old friend! You haven't changed bit!" Nicholas laughed.

" _I will end you, Claus!_ " Krampus bellowed angrily, jumping back and casting the slithering, icy chains of the kusarigama forward; Nicholas laughed cockily as the chains wrapped one of his blades, the flaying hook catching on the metal links and holding fast as its hellish owner yanked back as hard as possible. Nicholas however, stood fast and pulled back twice as strong, wrenching the chain from the Shadow of Saint Nicholas' grasp and pulling him with it, throwing high up into the air as he cried out in fury and slamming him back down in the snow.

"Haven't changed bit!" Nicholas laughed before turning to the small crowd of witchling, prince, aliens, and headmaster. "What are you standing for? Join in fun!" he smiled broadly.

Badaboom smiled as he climbed to his feet and stood tall once more. "I think that can be arranged." he grinned; he grinned at his severed arm as it cracked and bowed, new metal starting to form from the olden flesh and forming a hollow tube that was coated in pulsing, carbonaceous muscles and tissue and ended in three stubby digits of the cannon-like barrel; Raven gave the fallen headmaster a hard look, one that he knew all too well in the many, fruitless hours spent trying to get her to budge and push on following her destiny as she then turned and stood next to the Bombardian. Her ivory fingers crackling and buzzing with energy before exploding into hot, dark, chaotic flames. Daring gulped and took in a deep breath before climbing to his feet and clenching his fists, glaring tightly at Krampus as he staggered to his feet and glowered at the lot of them with pure hatred in his fiery, crimson eyes.

" _No!_ " he cried. " _No, no, no, NO!_ "

Nicholas turned around to glare triumphantly at Krampus, his swords raised and shining brightly in the glow of the moon through the swirling storm. "What is it that Ben say? Have not had time to search memories thoroughly."

Badaboom grinned as he leveled his cannon-like arm at Krampus, a smug smile upon his face. "It's Hero Time!" he cried as they all rushed as one at the nightmarish demon, leaving the headmaster to watch with awe and amazement; Nicholas led the charge, thrusting his pair of swords out at Krampus and slicing them down and across his chest, cutting deep gashes that poured forth with cold, blue flame instead of precious blood. Krampus howled and lunged back, spinning the hook in a tight, defensive circle that acted like a temporary shield from Nicholas' swipes and strikes.

"I need a clear shot!" Badaboom cried as he ducked under the flaying hook as Krampus made a desperate throw and just barely missed the Bombardian and Daring; gritting his teeth, the prince ran low across the ground and past Badaboom, furiously pumping his arms as he locked onto the fiery demon and jumped, throwing his entire weight at the Shadow of Saint Nicholas and tackled him to the ground, grunting and biting back the pain as the dagger sharp tip of the flaying hook sliced across his arm and ripped through his coat as the two of them fell to the ground.

" _Hurry!_ " Daring yelled as he hooked his arms under and up over Krampus' shoulders and arms, thrusting his chest out and pinning the demon in an arch position forward with a pained expression while he fought and struggled against the prince's waning strength.

Raven closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, silently hoping that she would know what to do as she cupped her hands together and slowly moved her fingers in an intricate pattern, the pace quickening as she focused on the energy that coursed through everything, the energy that was everything; the trees that reached for the night sky with their gnarled hands, the soft, crunching snow that covered the tender shoots of the grass beneath her feet, the birds that would fly through the air come morning and the rabbits that would hop along the ground, the very air and water and earth and fire and aether that surround them all, it was all full of manipulative magic that, when focused and concentrated enough, had the power to warp the very fabric of reality to the users touch. Some species, namely witches and fairies, were born with the innate or natural ability to use such power, and some were able to tap into the ebb and flow of it after much trial and error, but most neither had the patience or the 'touch', as it had been called, most magic manipulators had.

" _Badickinis Metalalurca!_ " Raven recited as her eyes glowed a vibrant violet in color; Badaboom's eyes widened upon hearing those words and he faltered the chains that adorned and decorated Krampus' cloaked shimmered and glowed a bright lavender in color, rising up and slithering about like venomous snakes as the demon finally broke free from Daring's grip and jammed his elbows into his gut, causing him to drop to the ground on his knees before receiving a hoof to the face and being kicked back in a fashion very similar to a fool standing behind an irritable mule. The chains rattled and clattered loudly as they moved as one, ignoring Krampus' yells and roars of fury and confusion as they wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and letting the kusarigama he wielded with such terrifying skill drop to his side while the chains squeezed tighter and tighter, restricting all movement.

Nicholas laughed as Krampus struggled against his bonds. "Is like carnival game at Spring Fairest he laughed.

"Hit the bottles and win a prize, if I'm not mistaken." Badaboom smirked as he leveled an arm at the demon and fired off a Miniboom right at him, smashing into his gut before detonating the little creature in a small discharge that blasted him back against the wall of the school with a dull _thud!_ and shaking the icicles that hung from the roof high above, some nearly as long as Raven was tall. Glancing up, Krampus grinned as a wicked idea crossed his mind and he rammed himself against the side of the towering castle in the hopes that his vibrations would be enough to shake the icicles lose as they wiggled and wobbled ever so slightly in the wind before finally giving way and plummeting through the air; Krampus smirked and twisted his body just so, watching as the icicles fell and smashed against the ancient chains that bound him so, watching with a mixture of amazement and cunning as the chains broke and fell lifeless to the ground, freeing him and leaving him with his trusty flaying hook once more.

"How about I hit you instead!?" Krampus roared as he cast the chain out again and managed to wrap it around Nicholas' ankle, tugging back and felling the giant of a man with one pull, his swords falling out of his grip and to the ground.

"No! Aurora and Sasha!" he cried, grasping for his swords as Krampus dragged him back, pulling him in like a fisherman with a catch he had just been wrestling with for the past hour; the latch to the lantern clacked open, the souls screaming once more as Krampus grinned greedily, his mortal enemy now within his grasp and so close to death; while technically immortal, there was still the possibility that he and Nicholas, along with a multitude other characters and beings, could still be killed in combat and war, a concept that the Shadow of Saint Nicholas was more than willing to exploit.

Raven bit her lip and ran towards Nicholas' fallen swords, glancing at him as he was pulled towards Krampus, knowing he wouldn't be able to defend himself effectively from such an angle; Badaboom didn't posses the necessary digits, and she herself didn't know how to effectively wield a sword and she doubted she would be able to perform a miracle under such pressure. That left . . .

"Daring! Catch!" Raven cried as she threw the pair of shimmering swords at the Son of Prince Charming as hard as she could; Daring hissed and held his bruised stomach as he staggered to his feet and reached up to just barely catch one of the shimmering blades in his hand, snapping his other hand out and catch the other by the handle, noting how relatively light they were compared to his far heavier, grander looking weapon that he used during his Heroics 101 training. A grin crossed his face as he sneaked up behind Krampus while he was distracted in reveling in his soon to be victory.

"How shall I torture you, Nicholas? Break those precious fingers of yours that you waste making toys and gifts, or maybe forcing you to eat your precious reindeer? Or maybe I'll- _GRAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!_ " Krampus cackled before suddenly howling in pain as Daring jammed one of the two swords into his shoulder, the icy blade burning like fire against his skin and only intensifying when the prince stabbed the second weapon into his other shoulder and kicked him fiercely in the small of his back, forcing him to drop to the ground and release his hold on his prisoner.

Nicholas allowed a small frown to cross his beard face as he climbed to his feet and cracked his knuckles loudly before rolling up his sleeves and turning around to face Krampus with his arms folded over his strong chest; the words 'Naughty' and 'Nice' were grafted onto his skin in the form of tattoos that must have been hundreds of years old and yet looked like new as slowly lumbered up to the demon. "I believe is time that I introduce you to babies, Nice and Naughty." he grinned in a low, cold voice that made Krampus shiver moments before Nicholas drew back his fist and slugged him in the jaw with a loud _crack!_

"Ooh, that's gonna sting." Raven winced.

"It'll do more than sting!" Nicholas laughed cheerfully as he decked Krampus across the face again and reached to pull out his blades from the demon's flesh, barely noticing how they hissed loudly and allowed smoke to curl off of them before he plunged them into the freezing snow to cool them. This allowed Krampus to lung forward and ram his horns into Nicholas' jiggling gut, knocking him over as he scrambled to his hooves and made a run for it, whipping around to cast out the flaying hook at Daring to keep away and swing it out to hold off Raven; the demon quickly skidded to a stop to dodge a Miniboom that detonated mere feet away from him and began to run even faster, his hooves digging deep into the snow as he ran for the edge of the Enchanted Forest while dodging Minibooms as Badaboom chased after him, never relenting as he jammed his arms down and fired off a pair of Minibooms and instantly detonated them, blasting him high up into the air and over Krampus, cutting him off as he landed.

"It's over, Krampus. You've got nowhere to run." the Bombardian threatened, leveling a cannon-like arm at him.

The demon glanced back at Nicholas as he climbed to his feet and quickly dusted himself off while Daring and Raven fast approached from behind, surrounding the demon as he turned back to look at Badaboom and Skurd as the later gave him an incredibly rude gesture; a quick form of realization crossed the Shadow of Saint Nicholas' nightmarish face and a cold, sadistic grin curled his lips upwards in a cruel smile.

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" he laughed. "But the truth of the matter is, I've already won."

"What the dickens are you talking about, man!?" Skurd raised an eyebrow.

Krampus grinned smugly. "You may have beat me and I may have failed in capturing your souls, but I've already gotten what I've truly come for," he cackled softly. "You really think it was that hard to follow you, Tennyson? You're like a minotaur in a china shop."

"What are you saying?" Badaboom frowned.

"Lets just say that I'm not the only one that doesn't like having their part cut in the grand scheme of things." Krampus smirked. "Until next time . . . I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon." he gave a raspy whisper as his nearly skeletal body shuddered and exploded in a blast of freezing winds and darkened shadows, dissipating and settling down as new fallen snow on the spot of earth where he had been moments before; silence fell over everyone as they gathered around the spot Krampus had vanished.

The Omnitrix beeped and timed out in a flash of green light, swallowing the Bombardian and returning Ben to the world, a concerned and exhausted look upon his face. "What did he mean by when he said he 'already gotten what I've truly come for'?" he wondered, his voice barely a whisper with his eyes unmoving on the bare patch of snow.

Nicholas sighed and clipped his swords to the side of his belt, folding his arms across his chest and inhaling deeply. "The dark times . . . they are ahead. I can feel it in my belly . . . and my belly is never wrong." he added, patting his jiggling stomach.

"So what do we do?" Raven asked.

Nicholas sighed once more and stroked his beard in thought. "I sense a disturbance will arise and that all of our world, the entire fate of Ever After, will rest upon our shoulders in times soon to come." he said as he dug a hand inside of his heavy coat and fished around for a few seconds before pulling something out; it was a large, shimmering orb about the size of a basketball with two round, metal caps on both ends and a swirling vortex of vibrant colors pulsing brightly in the middle as Nicholas gently handed the sphere to a stunned Raven with a small smile on his face. "But whatever it may be, know that you have allies in the North. Just toss into sky as far as possible . . . the rest will do itself."

Raven gasped with amazement as she watched colors swirl and spin and tumble around each other. "Th-Thank you, Mr. Claus." she whispered.

Nicholas North Pole laughed heartily and clapped her on the shoulder, nearly knocking her over in spite of himself. "Please, it is just Nicholas to all." he smiled before clapping his hands together. "Now then, I must go. Much flying and delivering of gifts to do!" he announced with a smile. "And if I were you, I would head back to your party; I sense a great longing and confusion from certain people." he grinned knowingly as the reindeer and sleigh descended from the sky and landed on the ground nearby, coming to a stop as the jolly fat man climbed aboard and took hold of the reins.

"Wait! Am I on the Naughty List?" Daring wondered.

Nicholas tapped his chin in thought. "Eh . . . is best not to think about it."he shrugged.

"What about me?" Ben asked.

Nicholas let out a loud bark of laughter. "Are you kidding!? You hold the record!" he laughed, sending a small wink Ben's way before he gave the reins a swift crack, the reindeer snorting and bellowing lowly as they galloped across the ground and took off into the air, climbing higher and higher into the night sky as Nicholas laughed brightly, his loud, resounding laughter echoing through the night sky.

"I don't understand what the dickens just happened." Skurd said after a while.

Ben allowed a quiet smile to grace his face. "In our line of work, it's best not to question it." he said as he turned around and made his way over to the headmaster, ignoring the chilling wind as he helped the portly man to his feet and let him throw the majority of his weight onto his shoulders to keep his sprained ankle free of pressure. "Come on. Party's not over yet."

"But what about Krampus? Raven wondered.

"Trust me, I'm just as worried, too. But that's something to be saved for another time." Ben reassured as he and the limping headmaster made their way around to the front entrance, the later trying to hold back feminine sounding screams of pain while Daring slipped himself under his other shoulder; Raven hesitated for a second, glancing at the strange, glowing ball in her hands and back up at the night sky as the snow swirled and fell around her, wondering just long it was going to be before everything she knew would change for better or for worse.

* * *

Cerise anxiously paced back and forth across the floor in front of the fireplace, nervously gnawing on her lip as she wrung her hands in thought; her mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour, wondering what in the name of the ancestors had just happened while she flickered her gaze back and forth between the floor and sprig of mistletoe above. One moment, she and Raven were sitting side by side in front of the hearth, discussing the very real possibility of being cursed upon forsaking the traditions of the accursed plant above before Cerise had stupidly lost control of herself and . . . kissed Raven right then and there.

The Daughter of Little Red Riding Hood knew that all sorts of odd things and embarrassing shenanigans occurred at parties, especially if they were hosted by Briar (who was still conked out and wrapped in a comfy blanket just a few feet away from Cerise), but this was beyond more than she could handle. The kiss had been absolutely wonderful, putting all those anxieties and frustrations over her suddenly growing feelings for the young witchling to rest, only to have them skyrocket back into place when she opened her eyes mere seconds later and found herself kissing nothing but air. Cerise knew she was being foolish in pretending she should be hurt by such actions, but if it weren't for the fact that she knew nobody with the exception of a transformed Ben could move that fast without her knowing, she would have simply accepted her feelings would never be returned; but now, she wasn't sure she would ever know. She couldn't find Raven anywhere.

No one else seemed to be incredibly concerned about the witchling's disappearance as much as Cerise was, though she had technically only realized it mere minutes beforehand, and that was not enough time for something as big as this (at least to her) get spread around.

"Hiya, Cerise!" Maddie smiled madly as she skipped over to the hearth with two mugs of whip cream-covered hot chocolate in hand, the fluffy, white tip of her Santa hat bouncing up and down as the Hatter moved merrily.

"Hi, Maddie." Cerise paused in her pacing for a brief moment before continuing.

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "What's got you tied up tighter than a tongue-tied mocking turtle?" she wondered.

Cerise sighed as the Hatter waved one of the mugs of hot chocolate in her face, not taking no for an answer until the Riding Hood finally excepted a mug and took a quick sip to try and calm herself down. "It's just . . . Raven's gone."

"What happened?" Maddie asked.

Cerise took a deep breath. "Well, we kinda sat underneath the mistletoe and . . ."

"To avoid being cursed you two kissed?" Maddie guessed, a small smile creeping across her lips. "The Narrators told me so."

"What'd the Narrators say now?" Kitty's voice purred as a pair of pearly whites attached to small lips materialized on a comfy arm chair before being followed by the rest of the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat in a glimmering light, a curious look on her face and a cheeky smile upon her lips.

"Raven and Cerise kissed to avoid getting cursed," Maddie explained bluntly as a deep crimson crossed Cerise's face while she took a deep sip to try and save what little dignity she had left. "And now she can't find Raven anywhere."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "She's right over there, Dog-Breath." she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder; the two Wonderlandians just barely managed to close their eyes in time as Cerise spat out her hot chocolate and dropped her mug to the floor, turning her attention towards where Kitty had pointed to see Ben, Raven, and Daring come walking through the main doors of the ballroom with winded expressions upon their face; faster than most participants of the dance could blink, Cerise was racing over through the crowd and slamming full force into both Ben and Raven, tackling the both of them to the ground and leaving Daring both uncomfortable and rather left out.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" Cerise breathed with relief.

"Why wouldn't we be? Did you forget who you're talking to?" Ben joked as Cerise allowed the two of them to sit up on the floor; Cerise rolled her eyes and merely hugged the two of them tightly, relieved that Raven was okay and not cowering away in some corner with her thoughts scattered about her.

"I thought something horrible happened to you after we . . . you know . . ." Cerise trailed off uncomfortably.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Is there something I should know about?" he asked.

Raven shrugged. "We kissed under the mistletoe," she replied. "It was either that or get get bad luck for who knows how long."

"Fair enough." Ben chuckled as they climbed off the floor and stood up. "Just don't go stealing my girl, Cerise." he joked; Cerise grinned sheepishly and rubbed her arm uncomfortably, attempting to hide the intense blush well hidden beneath her hood.

"Wh-Where were you anyways?" Cerise asked as she fought to suppress the crimson tinge to her face as much as possible, tugging on her hood in an effort to cover herself.

Ben flickered his eyes across the ballroom, making sure no one making an effort to listen in an effort to cause mass panic; Briar Beauty was still asleep by the hearth, now accompanied by a dozing Kitty and Maddie as the Hatter was chipping away at a block of ice with a pick and quiet chainsaw at her feet that had appeared under mysterious circumstances that Ben was pretty sure he didn't want to know. The Crumb Cousins were once again at it, marching a full scale invasion on the buffet table and leaving Ginger to scramble to try and cover all the positions until several tendrils of holly vines curled and slithered around the the Son and Daughter of Hansel and Gretel's ankles and suspended them above the air under Venus' command until they surrendered the treats they had managed to capture. Dexter and Cupid were watching the whole scene with hints of amusement on their faces as the former brought mugs of eggnog over and promptly tripped over the form of a fleeing, purple cat from Blondie as the reporter tried to get an interview from Jane, consequently dousing Cupid in the scalding liquid and making her yelp with slight pain as Dexter apologized professedly and tried to find something to help her clean up. Melody was jamming away at her turntables, oblivious to how Sparrow was constantly trying to make attempts to get up on stage and steal the show, only to be thwarted by Duchess, Lizzie, and a severely sound-sensitive Clawdeen at every turn while Hunter and Ashlynn shared a dance underneath the grand Christmas tree.

"Lets just say that the Shadow of Saint Nicholas paid a visit," Ben whispered to Cerise, her sensitive ears picking up every word over the loud thrum of the holiday music. "But you can't tell anyone!" he hissed when he caught sight of the expression on her face.

"It'll cause mass panic, and that's something we _definitely_ don't want." Raven added with a pleading expression; under the combined looks of her boyfriend and unrequited crush, Cerise quickly agreed and a move to turn around and head for the buffet table to try and grab some of the leftover mutton, only to be tackled to the floor by a fearful Jane that managed to worm herself inside of Cerise's hood, her feline tail making her sneeze briefly as she climbed to her feet and yanked her hood tighter over her face just as Blondie rushed up.

"C'mon, Jane! I just want a few words!" the reporter pleaded while she panted to catch her breath. "Ancestors above, she just might be faster than you, Cerise."

The Riding Hood raised an eyebrow as the lilac cat poked her head out of her hood and hissed angrily at Blondie before cuddling up to Cerise's cheek, purring contently when she reluctantly scratched her behind the ears. "I doubt that," she scoffed lightly, a small smile crossing her lips.

"Blondie, can't you take a break?" Ben sighed. "It's Christmas, a time to _take a break_ from work and spend time with friends and family, and Jane _clearly_ does not want to talk. She's incredibly camera shy."

"But-"

Raven stepped in. "Blondie, hand over your Mirrorphone, notepad, and pencil. _Now_." she said in a demanding voice that made it clear that she would not have the patience for such shenanigans at the moment; the reporter gulped, fearful that she might get turned into a fruitcake, and quickly handed over the aforementioned items, relaxing a little more when Raven promised to return them once the party was over (Ben also had to throw in the promise of another interview, but that was beside the point).

"Well that was close." Ben sighed with relief as Blondie walked off towards the buffet table to see if they had any gingerbread flavored porridge available; once she was sure she was gone, Jane climbed out of Cerise's hood and jumped down to the floor, resuming her original form in a whirl of purple fur and whiskers.

"Thank you." Jane rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "She is awfully persistent, isn't she?"

"That doesn't even _define_ what Blondie," Raven smirked before her eyes caught sight of movement beneath Jane's feet. "And I don't think she's the only one." she added as the holly vines snaked and slithered themselves up around Jane's legs and waist, steadily making their way higher and higher as a fierce blush crossed Jane's face until Venus hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Miss me?" she smiled.

Jane faltered for a second. "Uh . . . yes?"

"Good answer." Venus chuckled, pecking her on the cheek before one of the holly vines lashed out and wrapped around Ben's wrist, hauling him towards the pair where he was immediately pulled into the warm embrace with Jane in the very middle. "Mmm. My two favorite people." the plant monster purred happily.

"Ghoul, get yourself under control." Clawdeen scolded her as she, Skelita, Kitty, and Maddie wearing a pair of goggles and covered in a thin layer of ice flakes walked up to them; Ben raised an eyebrow at the Hatter as she pulled the goggles off and shook herself free of the ice, following where she pointed with a maddening smile and felt his eyes widen when he saw a very intricate and details ice sculpture of herself and Ben doing some . . . rather inappropriate things that were quickly drawing attention.

"Uh, Maddie? _Why_ did you make an ice sculpture of us doing . . . _that?_ " Ben wondered, a fierce shade of red crossing his face.

Maddie shrugged. "I don't know! Why do I do anything!?" she laughed with a pair of crossed eyes; Skurd thankfully, mercifully, took pity on Ben for once and oozed and melted himself over his host's free, right arm, tapping into a DNA sample of the Omnitrix as Ben's skin bubbled and smoldered with a loud hissing noise as his skin cracked and divided itself into bumpy, rock encrusted islands only separated by moats and barriers between them that quickly filled with molten lava. With an appreciative grin on his face, Ben cocked his new Pyronite arm like a gun and fired off a jet of flame from his index finger right at the statue, melting it with a loud hissing noise and cloud of steam.

"Maddie, if you _must_ do some carving, try doing something that won't likely get you and Ben expelled." Raven suggested with a tentative hand on the Hatter's shoulder as she pouted.

The Daughter of the Mad Hatter relented with a sigh. "Alright, alright. I just thought considering Ben and his ghouls-" she said before Clawdeen clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling everything else she might have said; the werewolf only released her hold once she was sure that Maddie was done babbling and was going to carve something that wasn't so private.

"How she did she even know?" Clawdeen hissed to Ben as Maddie merrily skipped back over to the fireplace, taking up the chainsaw and pulling the ripcord with a bright smile; it was noted that several participants of the dance backed away from the hearth once they caught sight of the Hatter.

"My guess? The Narrators." Ben shrugged, a small chuckle escaping him when he caught the look of disbelief on Clawdeen's face. "Now that that's out of the way, something just occurred to me: where the Sphinx is Apple?" he wondered with concern. "It's been a while since the party started and I haven't seen her anywhere."

Raven rubbed her chin in thought. "Now that you mention it . . . I haven't seen Apple either."

"Is it wrong that I'm kinda glad she's not here?" Clawdeen asked, quickly backing down when everyone from Ben to Skelita and even Jane threw her hostile glares. "I was joking." she quickly corrected herself, fighting back the submissive whimper and backward movement of her ears that she was instinctively compelled to do, much like Clawd and his obsession with chasing cars and Howleen's guilty pleasure of chewing on a squeaky toy whenever she was anxious.

Ben tapped his chin, mulling over plans and ideas in his head. "Okay, so if I were Apple, where would I be and what would I be doing?" he wondered.

It was at that moment that the doors to the ballroom banged open and Raven, Ben, and everyone else standing the way was immediately knocked over and tackled to the ground by Apple as she came barreling through, hugging every last one of them tightly and babbling incomprehensible things about Cerise being Raven's pet and Ben trying to eat her and Maddie getting crushed beneath her father's tea shop before she caught sight of the Hatter cackling merrily as she hacked away at a new block of ice with her chainsaw.

"Apple! Slow down!" Ben said, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking the princess to calm her.

The Daughter of the Snow White was visibly shaking as she grabbed Ben's wrist and quickly hugged him tightly, as if she needed some confirmation that he was real and that she wasn't still stuck in some maddening dream that never seemed to end. "Are y-you . . . you?" she asked.

"Who else would I be?" Ben asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"It is you!" Apple cried with relief, hugging Ben once more.

Raven and pretty much everyone else was completely confused. "Apple, what the hex are you talking about?" she asked.

Apple's bright and relieved smile slowly dissipated away at the question, her usually bubbly and perky demeanor now uncomfortable and guilty looking, something that Raven quickly caught onto and folded her arms over her chest, throwing Apple one of them many looks that she had mastered into getting the princess to spill the beans on whatever trouble she had somehow managed to create or get into. "W-Well . . ." Apple tapped her fingers together nervously. "When we were finding a tree, I kinda . . . found something . . . o-or someone?"

Venus was definitely curious. "Who?" she wondered before she felt a tapping on her shoulder and looked over to see nobody standing there; a second tap on her other shoulder caught her attention and she turned to once again see no one standing there. A third tap came from her head and she snapped her focus upwards, now visibly irritated until she saw who was responsible floating in the air above with a cheeky smile on her face.

Whisp waved. "That would be me."

" _Whisp!_ " Ben and the ghouls cried happily as Venus snapped a holly vine up and around the genie's waist, pulling her down into the middle of a tight embrace between them all while Raven, Cerise, and Kitty looked just confused; Apple was looking more ashamed than anything else.

"How did you get here!?" Ben grinned like idiot after Whisp roughly kissed him on the lips, immediately latching onto him with an iron grip that would most likely not be pried off any time soon or ever.

Whisp shrugged. "It's a long story, babe." she smiled. "But lets just say that the laws of this place . . . wherever it is . . . shoved me back in a lamp again; not a fun time, if you can imagine. Eventually, your little princess friend- excuse me, _girlfriend._ " Whisp corrected herself. "Don't worry, I approve. Anyway, she found me and we went through the whole genie business; Finder finds lamp, Finder rubs lamp and summons genie, Finder makes a stupid first wish, Finder uses second wish to fix it, Finder uses third wish to forget ever meeting me." she shrugged casually.

Ben blinked. "Uh, what did Apple wish for?" he asked, flickering over to the princess and taking note of an incredibly guilty look upon her face that was already drawing suspicious glares from Raven Cerise, and Clawdeen and a less irritated one from Venus.

Apple gulped nervously. "I . . . I-I, uh . . . wished that . . . Ben only loved me?" she winced, yelping with fear as both Cerise and Clawdeen immediately threw themselves at her, only held back by Ben's quick reflexes and Venus' even faster vines that wrapped themselves tightly around their wrists and shoulders to hold them back as the princess cowered and whimpered under their harsh glares.

"What!?" Ben exclaimed with a much calmer look than the one the two wolf girls were wearing, though he was no less angered; it was mostly just confusion and hurt though rather than pure rage, knowing full well from experience and Raven's many, many, _many_ tips on how to rein in the Daughter of Snow White that she was somewhat of a difficult case to control and deal with at times, especially when she got the wrong idea about something.

"I . . . I panicked, okay!?" Apple cried desperately, yelping with fear as Clawdeen managed to edge forward and snap her fanged-filled flames just a mere four inches away form her face before Venus was able to pull her back; Kitty was enjoying the entire experience with a wide, cunning smirk upon her face that remained a shimmering white like new fallen snow as she disappeared in a glimmering light and reappeared by Maddie's side, nodding with approval upon catching sight at what the Hatter was carving. "I thought that with so many of your ghouls popping back up all over the place that you wouldn't like me anymore, that you would just see me as ordinary!"

"There'll be nothing ordinary about you when I'm done with you!" Clawdeen snarled.

Jane gulped. "She's _really_ taking this the wrong way, isn't she?"

"That's an understatement." Venus grumbled, pulling back on the vines a little more.

Whisp however, didn't seem the slightest bit fazed. "Oh, don't worry. I took care of everything!" she smiled. "We genie's are tricksters by nature," she added with a seductive grin to Ben that made him raise an eyebrow of slight confusion while he kept a firm hold on the back of Cerise's shoulder. "Sent her to a fake, dystopian future and _boom!_ Problem solved and lesson learned!" she snapped her fingers.

"Lesson _thoroughly_ learned." Apple trembled.

Ben sighed and released his hold on Cerise and Clawdeen, not even acknowledging the fact that the two wolf born girls managed to restrain themselves from mauling and maiming Apple on the spot while the holly vines slowly slithered off of them, ready to snap back into place and hold them back should they so much as lung at the princess; instead, they walked off, mumbling incoherently under their breath as they stole a combined half of whatever remained of the smoked mutton on the buffet table.

Raven pinched her brow with exasperation. "Apple, where do I even begin?" she wondered to herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm really am!" Apple apologized, holding her face in her hands out of shame. "I don't know how to say it any better!" she sniffed miserably.

Ben shook his head and sighed. "Look, Apple, I'm not mad . . . just _really_ disappointed." he told her. "You still mean a lot to me, and I can't toss you aside like yesterday's trash, but if you're going to be a part of this harem, you're gonna have to get use to it and earn the trust of the ghouls back, one way or another." he told her in a tone of voice Apple had never heard him use before, but from the shifting glances upon Venus, Jane, and Skelita's face, it was not something to be taken lightly; Whisp's happy, go lucky expression turned slightly sorrow as she allowed Ben to retreat and think as the of the ghouls slowly trickled off to either go and try and offer a word of comfort to Ben or partake in the dance's many activities until it was only Raven, Apple, and Whisp left.

Raven sighed again and rested a hand on the princess's shoulder as she slumped back against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, a completely miserable look on her face as she covered her eyes. "Apple . . . I've told you this numerous times, Ben's told you this numerous times, everyone's told you this numerous times . . . Ben comes from a different world, full of strange and unusual beings and monsters that are as commonplace as knights in shining armor and beautiful maidens. From the stories I've heard, they've been through a lot together . . . Ben fought in a _war,_ for ancestors sake. Even with genie magic, you aren't going to break them anytime soon. You need to accept that." was the witchling's final word before she gave Apple one last, small smile and stood up to walk back into the party in search of Ben, hoping that he wasn't sulking somewhere or being swarmed.

Apple sniffed and rested her on head on her knees, hugging herself tightly while he blonde curls tumbled and spilled over her shaking shoulders; she felt all alone now, as if she had been cast out from the group she had slowly begun to adjust to with its constant additions and craziness. The princess felt like she was trying to unsuccessfully swallow a large rock, her throat dry, and her fingers shaky as she fought back tears of worry and concern, wondering just what was to become of her until she felt a comforting arm slowly snake its away around her shoulders and hug her close, a pair of delicate yet firm fingers softly running through her hair and ever so slowly calming her.

With a deep intake of breath, Apple wiped her eyes and rolled her head up to see Whisp sitting next to her, her ghostly, wispy tail now traded in for a pair of legs clothed in a set of baggy, silk pants and pair of curled slippers. "Everyone hates me . . ." Apple croaked miserably.

Whisp shook her head, making her segmented ponytail bob and slither back and forth through the air like a serpent. "Not everyone," she said. "When I said, 'you ain't never had a friend like me', I meant every word of it."

"Really?" Apple felt a smile grace her lips.

The genie nodded. "Granted, you fucked up _big_ time, and that's just gracing the surface," Whisp shrugged, oblivious to the red tinge that crossed Apple's face at the mention of such a volatile that would have gotten any average student at Ever After High sent to clean the dragon stables for a month and a half, three if it was a maiden. "You made mistakes, gigantic mistakes, _To'kustar-sized_ mistakes, and in order for you to make up for that, you need to realize that while Ben may love his ghouls, he also loves you. He'll always care for you and try to spend time with you whenever possible, but in his line of work there's always interruptions."

"So it would seem." Apple nodded.

Whisp grinned and embraced Apple once more, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Apple's back before they parted and she climbed to her feet. "Well, I'm going to go drink myself silly with eggnog and some of that Hatter's Wonderland tea and try to catch up with Ben, if you don't mind. You're more than welcome to join me." she offered.

Apple once more felt a crimson tinge cross her face as she shook her head. "N-No, thanks."

Whisp shrugged. "Eh, your loss. Just a suggestion though, you _might_ want to steer clear of wherever Ben's crashing these days; something tells me you aren't going to be welcomed."

"Noted." Apple sighed with hint of exasperation. "But expected."

"There we go, you're finally usin' that head of yours!" Whisp laughed as she rapped a knuckle on Apple's skull; the princess rolled her eyes and comfy on the floor, deciding that she would join in on the festivities at a later time once she knew the repeated pattern of where Cerise and Clawdeen patrolled, taking note that they each crossed paths with Ben at least twice.

"Remember, kid, you ain't never had a friend like me." Whisp smirked, bending down to softly peck Apple on the cheek, a gesture that drew a sharp touch of crimson to the princess's face, before swiftly departing in a flash of blackened smoke and reappearing by Maddie's side to admire her ice sculpture and offer some suggestions on what to add and what to cut (mostly what to cut. The Hatter still didn't seem to grasp the concept of what was appropriate and what would get her and her boyfriend hassled into the headmaster's office faster than Jack B. Nimble leaping over a candlestick with the seat of his pants on fire) before snapping her fingers once more and vanishing in a second puff of ash-colored smoke to reappear by Ben's side.

"You okay?" Whisp asked as she snapped her fingers a second time and summoned a pair of mugs filled with warm, hot chocolate covered in fluffy, whip cream.

Ben took the mug graciously and took a sip, licking off the whip cream around his lips before Whisp quickly snapped up the small dollop on his nose with a cheeky smile. "I guess," Ben shrugged with a hint of a snicker in his voice. "I just wish Apple would understand what I went through with you ghouls . . . and why I can't imagine a day without you."

Whisp rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Ben in the shoulder. "Please, it's cliché enough in here as it is." she laughed before she downed her entire mug of hot chocolate, whip cream and all, in one gulp before slamming the mug down on the buffet table and shattering it with a wild grin; Melody Piper cranked the volume up on her turntables and put on another record before plugging in her Mirrorphone and selecting one of the latest hit songs.

"Alright, men and maidens, here's the latest hit by Faun Mendes!" Melody announced. "Find your significant other, and head to the dance floor!" she grinned as the song began to play nice and quiet for the moment, nothing more than a simple guitar playing by itself as couples started to push the still single fairy tales out of the way.

Whisp turned to Ben, offering her hand. "Care to dance? It might help you take your mind off things."

"It's worth a shot." Ben shrugged, taking a long sip of his hot chocolate and setting it down on the table before taking the genie's hand and following her out onto the dance floor as the lyrics started to play.

" _I thought that I've been hurt before,_ "

" _But no one's ever left me quite so sore._ "

" _Your words cut deeper than a knife!_ "

" _Now I need someone to breath me back to life._ " the warm, male voice sang as the clapping of hands and drums accompanied him into the pre-chorus of the song that felt absolutely foreign to Ben yet so familiar as well; Whisp took his hand spun herself around into his embrace with a broad grin on his face, unaware of the shocked and inspired look upon Maddie's face before she pulled off her Santa hat and pulled out a lit match and blew on it, igniting the flame greatly and melting her second ice sculpture before it could be criticized for its contents.

" _Got a feeling that I'm going under,_ "

" _But I know that I'll make it out alive._ "

" _If I quite calling you my lover,_ "

" _Move on!_ " the voice crooned moments before the drums kicked it up and washed over the crowd like a tidal wave of music into the chorus; Whisp went back on her spin, pulling back out from Ben and taking the lead as she moved to the beat, clicking her feet against the floor and gently kicking Ben's feet to the rhythm while dancing in and out in a strange, addictive movement that Ben felt himself catching onto and copying.

" _You watch me bleed until I can't breath,_ "

" _Shaking, falling onto my knees!_ "

" _And now that without your kisses,_ "

" _I'll be needing stitches!_ "

" _Tripping over myself, aching begging you to come help,_ "

" _And now that I'm without your kisses, I'll be needing stitches!_ " the music died down to the lonesome guitar once more, drawing Whisp back into Ben's warm and comforting embrace as she rested her head in the crook of his and grasped his hand tightly, finally glad to be back where she belonged.

" _Just like a moth drawn to the flame,_ "

" _Oh, you lured me in, I couldn't sense the pain._ "

" _Your bitter heart cold to the touch,_ "

" _Now I'm gonna reap what I sow._ "

" _I'm left seeing red on my own._ " Whisp once again took the lead, as if she were mentally instructing Ben on how to follow her lead, a smirk crossing her lips when she caught sight of Hunter and Ashlynn attempting to copy their movements and doing a somewhat decent job until Hunter slipped on a puddle of spilled eggnog and landed flat on his face; the genie rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers once in time to the beat, engulfing the huntsman and princess in a puff of black smoke, yelps of surprise and amazement coming from them when they found out at their shoes were moving on their own accord and moving his legs in time to the rhythm and beat, copying Whisp's movements with ease.

" _Got a feeling that I'm going under,_ "

" _But I know that I'll make it out alive._ "

" _If I quite calling you my lover,_ "

" _Move on!_ " the pre-chorus ended before swiftly moving into the chorus without faltering, Whisp's grin broadening widely as Ben grabbed her by the hips and lifted her off of the ground with a joyous smile upon his face as he swung her around before setting her back down on the ground just in time to kick shoes once more; Whisp took his hand in hers once more and captured his lips in hers for the briefest of moments, savoring the taste of his lips after such a long absence and making a mental note to steal some more while she broke away from him to allow him to breath once more.

" _You watch me bleed until I can't breath,_ "

" _Shaking, falling onto my knees!_ "

" _And now that without your kisses,_ "

" _I'll be needing stitches!_ "

" _Tripping over myself, aching begging you to come help,_ "

" _And now that I'm without your kisses, I'll be needing stitches!_ " _  
_

" _Needle and the thread, gotta get you out of my head._ "

" _Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead!_ " Apple watched Ben and Whisp start to slow down with the dying music, their faces but an inch apart as they hugged each other tightly, as if both of them were trying to full grasp what had happened and transpired over the last couple of hours and trying to find some sort of stabilization to keep them from joining Maddie in madness; the Hatter herself had finally finished an approved, appropriate statue of Whisp and Ben frozen in midstep, forever locked in a loving dance of frost and ice as she wiped her brow and slumped to the floor, taking out a teacup and pot from the depths of her Santa hat and pouring herself a cup to relax.

" _I'm without your kisses,_ "

" _I'll be needing stitches!_ "

The princess sighed longingly and rested her chin on her hand, drumming her fingers on her knee in thought; her gaze faltered and she caught sight of Cedar sitting glumly off to the side, nursing a plate of barely touched Christmas cookies as she watched Ben and Whisp dance across the floor with a wistful expression that Apple knew all too well. Perhaps if she did something a little more nice than she usually did and . . . would it work? A casual glance out the window made her eyes widen when she caught sight of the silhouettes of eight powerful reindeer pulling a grand sleigh and jolly, laughing man across the night sky and glowing moon allowed the ghost of a smile to grace her lips; after all, I reindeer could fly, then her chances with Ben weren't totally sunk just yet.

"Merry Christmas." she whispered to herself.

" _ **I think I may be forever scarred for life."**_

 **Trust me when I say that her method of feeding that creature nearly threw me for a loop, too. I guess you get used to it after a while? I dunno. It hasn't bugged me in a while.**

" _ **You'd think she'd at least do it in another room . . ."**_

 **Dude, there's only one room in this entire dorm, save for the closet and the tiny bathroom we all now have to share. Hope you can deal with cold water every now and again. At least _NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin_ hasn't moved in a while . . . I think he might be dead. Ah, well, at least that's extra kibble for Mr. Nibbles. Ironic, now that I think about it; he was actually the one that gave us the horrific monstrosity in the first place.**

 _ **Stop calling Mr. Nibble's names or no more kisses for you!**_

 **Stop feeding him like that and I might consider it! Seriously, aren't you ever worried that thing is going to eat you instead?**

 ** _Nope!_**

 **Hatters. What can you do? * _A flash of bright light explodes in the middle of the living room, blinding everyone and making Mr. Nibbles squeal and run for cover as the light finally dies down to reveal Deadpool looking worse for wear; deep scratches and gouges mark his uniform, one of his swords is missing with the other one bitten or broken in half, and his right arm is bent at an unnatural angle. Lying limp in his free hand is a mint green and black Omnitrix lying deactivated and waiting*_**

 _ **'I hope you know what I had to go through to get this. Bad Ben wasn't willing to part with it so easily.' *Tosses Omnitrix at my head and collapses to the floor, asleep***_

 **Alright, _Zachery,_ you wanna be useful? And helpful? And repay me for the damage to my ceiling? Put this on.**

" _ **Uh, okay?" *reluctantly reaches for the Omnitrix and yelps with fright as it suddenly comes to life and leaps at him, tightly wrapping around his left wrist and humming softly, blinking and beeping a bright, mint green in color before settling down* "What do I do now?"**_

 **Turn into Pesky Dust. I gotta job for you. _*watches as Zachary taps the Omnitrix and cycles through the roster before finding the Nemuina icon and pressing down on the activation core, swallowing himself in a blast of mint green light that scrambled and shifted his genetic code._ _His skin began to crack and harden slightly, scrunching up and pinching in certain places as his pink skin flashed a light violet in color while his bones faded and liquefied into nothingness, fusing together with his soft exoskeleton; his tall, lean frame was compressed and compacted down until he was less than two feet tall. Zachary felt an itching sensation on his backside and turned to look behind him as a pair of delicate, butterfly-like wings slid and oozed of his back, still damp and wet before they became stiff and rigid as they dried out and turned a light magenta and pink in color. His toes cracked and melted together into two, small claws as white gloves appeared over his delicate fingers and bright pink and purple markings arched themselves over his face and arms while his hair turned a dark shade of violet and curled back as a pair of feathery antennae sprouted from his forehead above his eyes. His eyes sharpened and became pointed as a mint green and black dress wrapped around him, completing the transformation as the Omnitrix appeared upon his chest._**

" _ **Okay, rrrrrrr what now? Because this is kinda rrrrrrr humiliating."**_

 _ **No it isn't! Bill Cipher's on the rampage and is gonna hurt Soos and-**_

 **Look, just take Deadpool's watch and pop in on over to Raven Queen's dimension? Protect her dreams and mind and keep her safe from Bill Cipher at all costs. Report back if something goes wrong . . . if you're able to, that is.**

" _ **Why do I get the feeling I fell into the wrong story?"**_

 **Welcome to my world, kid. * _watches as the Nemuina flutters down to Deadpool and strips the dimensional jumper from his wrist, wrapping it around his waist and slamming a hand down on the activation buttons before disappearing in a flash of blinding light*_ Well, that takes care of that particular problem. I hope.**

 _ **Knowing the One-Eyed Nacho Chip, we'll never know.**_

 **Agreed. Now then, as always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Hasta Luego!**


	22. Hunting in a Winter Wonderland

_**Heigh-Ho!**_

 _ **'Heigh-Ho!'**_

 _ **Heigh-Ho!**_

 ** _'Heigh-Ho!'_**

 **Heigh- _NO!_**

 _ **'Wow, way to be a buzzkill, Four-Eyes.'**_

 **Well excuse me for trying to keep us on track! Not only do we have over _100_ or so people that loyally review waiting in the audience, but need I remind you that you two are usually the ones that are keeping the random nonsense in check? Which, now that I think about, is actually really ironic.**

 _ **I'll cooperate all nice like and everything if . . .**_

 **If what? Another tea party?**

 _ **You could say that . . .**_

 _ **'I don't follow.'**_

 _ **Lets just say I hope you like your tea with extra sugar!**_

 _ **'Ugh. This conversation is so sweet my teeth are rotting away from all the cavities! Either make it stop or get me a girlfriend, too!'**_

 **How about I put you back in the closet, eh? That way you won't have to see the two of us happily make out without a care in the world? Or I could press compact you into an area the size of a dictionary and stack you on my bookshelf?**

 _ **'Onto the reviews!'**_

 **That's what I thought.**

 _ **ajir12 –**_ **Well, we'll just have to see if ol' Grimmy remembers Whisp or not . . .** ** _hint, hint._**

 _ **'Okay, enough of the hinting, Four-Eyes. We've wasted enough time as it is.'**_

 **We just started!**

 _ **Extra sugar . . .**_

 **Of all the times for me to not have been an undead Kineceleran . . .**

 _ **TerrorKing10 –**_ **As celebratory and awesome as that is, I'm actually dreading that moment. Knowing my roommates, our celebrations will be enough to wake up the entire Underworld and set Hades back for months on end!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **That was my full intention for this version of Santa. While the classic one that everyone knows and loves is nice and all, the one from** ** _Rise of the Guardians_ is my all time favorite incarnation of him; not only is he still quite true to the lore, but he's incredibly lovable, kind, jolly, and an all around badass that you just love to have fighting by your side in any sort of battle. He's like your favorite uncle that you only get to see once a year! Oh, and the tattoos. _Love_ the tattoos.**

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze –**_ **I doubt any of the other Guardians (I'm not sure they can actually be called that in this case/world) will appear like this version of Saint Nicholas did (just a quick explanation, the one that I wrote in is** ** _NOT_ the one from _Rise of the Guardians._ They are very similar, but not the same). And trust me, as long as A.U.N.T. (I suppose it's better than O.W.C.A., the Organization Without a Cool Acronym) allows us to do our _thang_ , you'll have ol' Trinity Force's top hat as a trophy in no time.**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **Maddie! Send a message to** ** _Zachary Hance_ about the unicorn hair!**

 _ **I'll have it done in two changes of Jabberwocky's tail!**_

 _ **'Dude, I can't believe you forgot about that old trick.'**_

 **That closet sure looks comfy . . . either way, yes, I wanted to try and make that reference. _Sigmu_ is, if you haven't noticed, one of the main inspirations behind the Ever After High aspect of this story simply because their work is so influential and just downright good. I'd recommend any Ever After High fan to them; and yes, an update to _When Life Gives You Lemons_ is in the works . . . somewhere. And while I suppose the ghost versions of Ben's aliens are good, that could only happen if Ben was a ghost; in this case, Ben was more or less brought back as a zombie, making all his transformations as such.**

 _ **'Zombies all the way!'**_

 **No argument there. Anyway, I realize how similar Saint Nicholas is to North from _Rise of the Guardians,_ but I honestly believe him to be the best inspiration at this point; this does not mean however, that they are one and the same. For instance, my version of Saint Nicholas does not have yetis working in his work shop.**

 ** _So you're a Reaper, hmmm? Hat-tastic! River Styxx has been really lonely as of late . . . she doesn't even want to party anymore! All the confetti cannons gone!_**

 **Oh, no. I sense a pairing phase coming on.**

 _ **You bet your teacups!**_

 **Run, Deadpool, run! Before she ships the both of us together!**

 _ **'What kind of numbskull wrote me into this fanfiction anyway!?**_

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **At least someone's feeling bad for our Daughter of Snow White ;)**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Lets hope that this 'Maddie Moment' isn't contagious!**

 _ **What are you talking about? The world can always use more madness!**_

 _ **Right . . .**_ **either way, I'm a little skeptical on the evil genie idea you suggested simply because I've been holding off on multiple ideas, namely** ** _Way too Wonderland_ and fem Ben, for far too long. That, and I already have enough genies to deal with, Gigi, Whisp, Genie respectively (the later two being the most difficult to control). And now that you bring that little challenge up, I shall indulge in making more people aware of it. Jack x Raven for the win!**

 _ **Wolfslick –**_ **Remind me to send you a couple coils of unicorn hair rope to protect your little base of operations a bit more. Thank goodness Maddie has ties to Ever After and I have my little keyboard/reality warping skills, otherwise we'd be in big trouble.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Agreed. Continuation shall commence!**

 _ **mechazard01 – Gracias, mi amigo!**_

 _ **'I didn't know you spoke Spanish.'**_

 **Maddie, kindly give ol' Deadpool a couple lumps of sugar. I believe his teacup is a little bland.**

 _ **'What does that even mean?'**_

 _ **BANZI!**_

 _ **'AGH! Don't K-word me! Don't K-word me!'**_

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Believe it or not, I never did have the time nor resources to watch** ** _Krampus_ while writing this, but the commercials and ads were so compelling and spine chillingly good that I knew I just had to write him in to the story. And yes, you are correct about some more . . . questionable fairy tales making an appearance.**

 **Apologies for confusing Savara for your creation. I could have sworn she was yours . . . it's gotten to the point where I have so many reviews and PMs that I've nearly lost track of who's who. Well, better crack the ol' Tetramand knuckles and do some detective work-**

 _ **Sherlock Maddie, at your service! And my trusty sidekick Dr. Nibbles Watson!**_

 **Either way, your little gadget sounds incredibly useful. What we need however is a way to close Bill, trap him in Gravity Falls with his only connection to an outside dimension being my dorm; regardless of whether or not we can seal him in his own dimension as it bleeds into Gravity Falls long enough for us to gather our resources and march our army forth, we need to keep his grubby mitts off of Raven. I don't care if you have to shave the entire unicorn species to do it, but he is not to touch a single hair on Raven or harm a single brain cell in her head, do I make myself clear? On a side note, remind me to infuse you with the genetic code of a Varjoain, a temporary transformation if you so desire; I have no doubt that it might have its usefulness, if only to make you more powerful.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **First, let me say I am** ** _so_ sorry that I didn't give you the proper credit for the creation of Savara; thankfully, the author I wrong credited kindly pointed this out to me, so expect some corrections to be made.**

 _ **'Speaking of wrongly credited . . . I believe I was robbed of my rightfully asked question?'**_

 **Oh, can it, Deadpool. You got the modified gun from Jak's world, didn't you? Not to mention the RYNO, right?**

 _ **Thanks for the pop-up version, Isom! Ooh, I love my new braclets already! I can't wait to starting bashin' and smashin'!**_

 **Agreed. And hey, thanks for the Earth ring! Granted, I didn't expect everyone to be technologically advanced enough to create nanites by the hundreds, but this works just as well. Not with my gauntlets, I can split an entire planet apart! If I have to that is . . . and three-pointed banana . . . well played.**

 _ **'When and if we crack this three-pointed banana . . . what would that make him then? Some kinda weird mathematical banana split?'**_

 _ **Yummy!**_

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **The Christmas theme horror movie is not as uncommon as you think; a lot of people were actually against the movie because it just seemed to pile onto the growing gothic feelings towards Christmas (something I think** ** _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ started, loved that movie BTW). And yes, Nicholas St. North from _Rise of the Guardians_ was the main inspiration for my version, made evident by this dual swords, tattoos, and jolly, Russian accent; also, I absolutely love the Blondie idea.**

 _ **NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin –**_ **Ah, so you are alive!  
**

 _ **'And here I was hoping I could finally have a dummy to practice with!'**_

 **Do _not_ make me use that cube on you, you Spiderman wannabe. Unless of course, you'd rather find out what food makes Mr. Nibbles, or whatever gender he may be, multiply? I'm sure they'd _love_ to feast on you.**

 _ **'Nope! I'm good!'**_

 **Smart. BTW, thanks for the replacement table . . . although I dread to think what it might have been made out of when you said 'fire-breathing demon trees'. On a side note, Maddie, stop waiting in that corner with your hammer. Just because you can hit him when he comes out doesn't mean you should.**

 _ **Party pooper . . .**_

 _ ***sigh***_ **I know I'm gonna regret this, but isn't it Mr. Nibbles feeding time?**

 _ **Ooh, yay! Come here, Mr. Nibbles! Time for num-nums!**_

 _ **'Remind me why we let her feed him like that? You'd think she'd wait for-'**_

 **It's just better to go along with it. That, and she has a hammer that's more than capable of turning us into squash 'n stretch pancakes.**

 _ **Zachary Hance –**_ **I believe being given a copy of the Omnitrix and sent to protect Raven's dreams from a certain, one-eyed trinity force constitutes as being part of the story; on a side note, remind me to send you some unicorn hair as a precaution, as well as a quick mention that I hope you learn whatever forms you have unlocked on that thing** ** _quickly._ I sense ol' Bill's getting impatient. And before you argue, let me say that watching someone use a transformation and then actually using it yourself is much more different than you think.**

 **Bring in ol' Looma, eh? I think I can arrange that . . . lets just hope she doesn't try to fight _me_ instead of _you._**

 _ **Not if me and my mallet have anything to say about it!**_

 _ **'Are you almost done feeding that thing? Because I'm pretty sure that that's not appropriate for a T-rated story . . . just sayin'! I don't wanna get K-word into oblivion by the peeps that run this site!'**_

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Krampus' design and concept was all my own doing. I was mostly inspired by the lore and the trailers I've seen for the movie of the same title, but several of his lines, powers, and most importantly, his lantern, were inspired by the** ** _League of Legends_ champion, Thresh the Chain Warden. If you haven't heard of this game, I highly recommend playing it as it is super addictive and the world's number one MOBA for a very good reason.**

 _ **I like Shaco the best!**_

 _ **'Katrina all the way! One good blade deserves another, am I right?'**_

 **Eh, give me Braum or Illaoi any day. Either way, I severely apologize for the great length between this chapter and the promised fem Ben, but several things need to happen before Ben can become a girl (sorta): Cedar needs to join the harem, Darling needs to debut and that can't happen until _Way too Wonderland_ is finished, and the Forever Knights need to reappear again (it's been how long?), among other things.**

 **As a wise Wuju bladesman once said, patience is a virtue.**

 _ **ImmaSupa Stargirl –**_ **I think it's just you. Was Cerise really that creepy?**

 _ **Slappy –**_ **You, my creepy and sadistic friend (that being a compliment, BTW), have a deal! Anyone that can scare the ever living daylights out of Deadpool and Bill just by mysteriously teleporting through the dark is okay in my book! Two conditions: One, you do not watch me while me or Maddie sleep (Deadpool's fine if you must sleep watch), and two, you do not hit on my girl or I will put you the wood chipper. Follow those two simple rules, and you'll have Bill's eye as a bowling ball faster than you can say-**

 _ **Goosebumps!**_

 **Exactly!**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **True, Leia is technically human, but she apparently qualified for Watchmojo's Top 10 Sexiest Aliens List or something along those lines.**

 _ **But none are better than me, right?**_

 **Are you going to hit with your hammer if I say 'yes'?**

 _ **No . . .**_

 **I kid! You're adorable, cute, and downright maddening! You mean more to me than any of the previously mentioned woman (although I must admit Looma is impressive. What can I say, I'm a Tetramand and she's a descent warrior). Besides, I prefer my girls sweet, beautiful, and not ready to kill me; hitting me over the head with a mallet, thankfully, does not constitute as killing.**

 _ **Awww!**_

 _ **'Ugh, someone put me out of my misery. This is so cheesy, I'm starting to become lactose intolerant.'**_

 _ **You're just jelly, Wade!**_

 _ **'Shut up!'**_

 _ **DracoAngel17 –**_ **As Deadpool has been so** ** _kind_ to point out, I'll admit that was a bit uncalled for . . . in my defense, flossing ones teeth with another's spine is the equivalent of flicking someones nose on Khoros . . . you know, if we Tetramands had actual noses to flick. And, uh, Maddie?  
**

 _ **Yes?**_

 **Did you take _DracoAngel17's_ tea?**

 _ **Does a Bandersnatch know how to play Go-Fish?**_

 _ **'No?'**_

 _ **Yeppers!**_

 **But then if you didn't take it, who did?**

 _ **Well, it could always be my evil, dark clone that loves madness as much as I do but in a really creepy and non-Wonderlandiful way that'll scare the madness right out of ya . . . if she doesn't kill you first.**_

 **Wait, you're saying you have an evil clone?**

 _ **Well, I wouldn't really call her evil, just . .. I really can't believe I'm saying this, but she really needs to have the straitjacket put on her!**_

 **Coming from you, that absolutely terrifies me.**

 _ **'No kiddin''**_

 _ **Nada Sign in –**_ **You make a fair point. Of course, this means** ** _Way too Wonderland_ would have to be pushed back farther . . . I think . . . I'm gonna have to crunch some numbers. Either way, Lorna would make for a descent choice, especially since she got so little 'screen time' and was kinda thrown in at the last second during my last story (I think I need to go back and smooth out some bumps and what not).**

 _ **CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!**_

 **Oh, Sphinx. Now look what you did! Either way, I'll have to do some serious thinking regarding Courtley and/or Luna, especially considering so many people are vouching for the former; either way, there's always the one-shots!**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Yes, both Krampus and Santa were inspired by their respective movies. As for what Krampus came for . . . lets just say that the Headmasters (particularly Milton) made some fairy tales** ** _really_ angry, not to mention vengeful.**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **I was referring to the fact that some of those love scenes between Ben and the ghouls back in** ** _We're All Monsters_ were a little more adult oriented than they needed/should be; I've been working on smoothing those out in order to avoid having the whole story taken down. Either way, thank you. Yes, I do consider myself a genius!**

 ** _'Yeah, but only_ you _do, Four-Eyes.'_**

 **Shut it, Wade! Ahem. Regardless of _certain fourth-wall breaking mercenaries,_ you are actually not far off in what Krampus actually came for (stealing Grimm's soul was just a possible bonus). Now that I think about it, that's almost kinda scary . . . _have you been reading my mind!?_**

 ** _Bill Cipher –_ Okay, that's it! Deadpool, get me Zachery and unlock the Master Control! Surround all of Ever After High and Book End in as much unicorn hair as you can and triple encompass the Well of Wonder; at this point, I don't care if the entire unicorn population goes extinct, _BILL CIPHER IS NOT TO GET TO RAVEN!_**

 _ **Creaty, you're starting to scare Mr. Nibbles . . . and me . . .**_

 **Sorry, Teacup, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Deadpool, listen _very_ carefully: as soon as you are done securing Ever After High, follow this instructions to a _T_. No arguments, no room for error.**

 _ **'So serious . . . where were you several chapters back?'**_

 **Wade? For once, save the wise-cracks for later. And listen here, you _/censored/ /censored/ /censored/ /censored/ /censored/ /censored/ /censored/ /yup, still censored/ /censored/ /censored/,_ as soon as February 15th rolls around . . . _prepare for PAIN._**

 _ **BOOYAKASHA!**_

 ** _Fanfic Fan –_ Then how did you . . . _WADE!_**

 _ **'I do nothin', I swear!'**_

 **Liar, liar, _pantalones en el fuego!_**

 _ **CHILDREN!**_

 **. . .**

 _ **'. . .'**_

 _ **Ahem. Seeing as how I'm the only one here who, ironically, seems to be the most mature (not for long!), I think I can answer your question. And the answer is: we can't tell you! Ha, HA!**_

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **I think Cerise is more worried about the later two; she knows that theoretically, Raven wouldn't care about how she looked as she is already aware of Cerise's heritage. Considering how Headmaster Grimm gets all upset whenever something extreme happens to threaten the legacies, she figures that any yuri relationship made public would be trouble and she's worried about being in a relationship with a boy that both she and Raven love and Raven herself; Venus and Jane get away with it at the moment, under Grimm's standards anyway, because they are not fairy tales themselves and don't have to abide by those rules at the moment. That, and Grimm isn't foolish enough to go up against the two of them plus Ben.**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **A masterpiece, eh? Think it'll hang in a museum?**

 _ **'Nope!'**_

 **I wasn't asking _you,_ Wade. And now that you bring the whole dreaming idea up, it actually sounds really fun . . . wait, hold on a second . . . I JUST HAD A BRAINSTORM!**

 _ **'Do tell.'**_

 _ **Thank goodness I remembered my umbrella!**_

 _ **NaruFuu Forever –**_ **Very perceptive, but here's a little secret: Deadpool snacks are chimichanga-flavored biscuits!**

 _ **'Will you knock it off!? Cut it out, or I don't do anymore of your dimension-jumping errands!'**_

 _ **Would you do it for Deadpool snack?**_

 _ **'Nope!'**_

 **How about two Deadpool snacks?**

 _ **'Try again!'**_

 _ **How about this entire box of Deadpool snacks?**_

 _ **. . . You are so lucky they are chimichanga-flavored, Teacup.**_

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **I honestly don't know. I'd like to try and keep this story's ending as different from WAM as possible, but it's definitely something I'd consider. I'd have to put to a poll just to be sure.**

 _ **Blazorna Ibara –**_ **I have got to stop getting involved with this people . . .** ** _DEADPOOL!_**

 _ **'Yes, oh Screaming, Four-eyed one?'**_

 **Kindly explain to me what you needed _3,000 D-volt batteries_ for!?**

 _ **'Hey, you think dimension-jumping's cheap!? I needed those to run your last errand and the next several you got me doing!'**_

 **If this weren't so important, I would strangle you right now. Ugh. Seeing as how I probably can't pay that many batteries back your boss, _Blazorna,_ tell him I'll take a crack at him jumping in and every now and again to ruin my life; it's not like I haven't been putting up with this kind of mess before hand.**

 _ **Shocking, eh?**_

 _ **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf –**_ **You bring up some very good points. Either option sounds viable, so we'll just have to wait to see where this goes.**

 _ **Blackstriker94 –**_ **Interesting idea. I think Raven would have more than enough trouble with her mother though.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **It is unknown at this time. Thankfully, whatever ol' Cipher seems to be doing doesn't seem to affect my carefully sculpted universe directly; he only ever seems to have an affect on these little author's notes . . . hopefully it stays that way.**

 _ **masterart –**_ **Congrats on the new computer! Maybe you can pit that to good use by reading my stories?**

 _ **'Shameless propaganda. You've hit an all time low.'**_

 **I have, haven't I?**

 _ **'Yes. Yes you have.'**_

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **The Lizzie scene could work quite well for what is to come :) As for your other two questions, Cupid's full name (the C.A. Part included) is Chariclo Arganthone Cupid. I think you can guess why she goes by 'C.A. Cupid' or just 'Cupid'. On a side note, the reason Apple only got three wishes compared to Howleen receiving thirteen is because of a multitude of reasons; rookie genies, in Whisp's case, are given fewer wishes to grant and receive more over their time in service and the fact that Ever After's unique physics limits the default number to three, since that is how many the original fairy tale genie granted.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Yeah, I'll admit that everyone's favorite little Daughter of Snow White can get under my skin as well as times, but it's mostly just because she's so naive that it's annoying. And hey,** ** _Zootopia's_ coming out a day before my birthday where I'm from! And yes, I absolutely love _Sigmu's_ Ever After High works, especially since they're my main source of inspiration for this work.**

 **Huh. Did not know that about reindeer. You'd think the males would keep them year round and the females would lose them, considering its the males that fight for the right to mate . . . or maybe extreme knowledge of animals just doesn't extend to caribou as far as I thought. Either way, there will be an episode where Ben gets turned into a girl, but its not exactly what you think. He _will_ become a member of the female species, that much I can guarantee.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **First off, let me just say that I am honored to have received this pretegious award of the Maverick Moxey Seal of Approval. Granted, a rework might be in order in the future, but it's impressive nonetheless; hopefully I can do better next time!**

 **Second, you make some very valid points in labeling the ghouls and how they react, especially with that insight to Ginger. I always found her a difficult character to like, mostly because she appeared in so few webisodes to make any significant impact like Raven or Maddie. Either way, Briar and Ginger's abilities/powers for the final battle are definitely interesting to boot and should bring a unique spin to the fight when it arrives (after several eons of waiting).**

 **I suppose the alternate future is something of a cliché, but a very useful and clever one to utilize nonetheless. And yeah, Grimm really does seem to be setting up the girls to be absolutely useless in the future with the classes he's making them take (something I plan to have Darling _point_ out with a pointy sword later on). And the whole 'listening to Ben's heart' idea is absolutely genius, not to mention freaking adorable.**

 **As much as I'd love to see Apple get bent over Ben's knee and get 'disciplined', I doubt that would ever be within his capability to do such a thing (even if it is Apple), not to mention I would probably get a lot of negative feedback about it (even if it is Apple). You would not believe some of the reviews/PMs I got when I posted the sex chapter in WAM before relocating it to its own story: Biggest. Mistake. Of. My. Career. But I have no doubt that Snow White will probably be having a serious talk with her daughter.**

 **And yes, the boys will be utterly humiliated when they are defeated by Ben and his ghouls even without the use of the Omnitrix to aid them XD**

 _ **Moon Phase 12 –**_ **It is unknown at this time as we are currently away fighting an interdimensional chaos demon. Please try after the beep.**

 _ **DEATH BATTLE –**_ **Bill Cipher. No contest.**

 _ **'Agreed.'**_

 _ **Yeppers!**_

 _ **Jeptwin –**_ **Well, there's only so much one can do in a chapter. And as for you specifically, I'll deal with you later,** ** _mi amigo._ Right now, I have a chaos demon to stop!**

 _ **Genie –**_ **Politics: 'poly' meaning 'many' and 'ticks' being a parasite. You learn something new everyday.**

 _ **'I don't wanna be a poodle!'**_

 **Get use to it, Wade!**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **I guess you could say it's** ** _unknown_ right now, but it's not a bad idea! As for _Dragon Games_ they will be included, but with . . . _minor_ changes XD**

 _ **'Oi. Puns.'**_

 _ **Matthew Gemm –**_ **Don't plan to!**

 _ **Shadowman –**_ **Fortunately for me and Ben, we are dating two entirely different Maddies. Both are the technically the same, but are from different dimensions. That's the magic of the omniverse for ya!**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Huh. Now that you bring Hades and Persephone up, that would technically make Ben a prince and, apparently, a pseudo demigod (not that he needs** ** _anymore_ power). Either way, the reactions will be hilarious XD**

 _ **Writing Warrior –**_ **You and me both, kid. You and me both.**

 _ **Killer Croc –**_ **While I would love to see a character like Dr. Phacilie (I hope I pronounced that right. I'm too lazy to look it up), I try to keep as many canon fairy tales in as possible; as far as I know, the Shadow Man's an original Disney character like King Louie (who was not from the story** ** _The Jungle Book_ is based on).**

 _ **Anomyomous –**_ **A chaos demon and roommates, that's who.**

 _ **undertale fan –**_ **Creaturemaster's dorm is closed at this time. Any attempt to get inside will result in instant death, no matter how immortal or indestructible they may. One does not simply just fight Bill Cipher. One has to fight Bill Cipher and** ** _win._**

 _ **Paluetena –**_ **Over there is a gift shop. Knock yourself out.**

 _ **'Literally?'**_

 **Wade, stop that. Fighting a chaos demon here.**

 _ **'Geez, since when did you get so serious?'**_

 **Since we started fighting a chaos demon here . . .**

 _ **Kaiju Avenger –**_ **Read on, wayward reader!**

 _ **Smokescreen2814 –**_ **No promises on when I might be able to check it out, but I prefer to not receive any recommendations or requests to read stories written by my viewers; I dunno why, nothing against you of course, but it just seems kinda like begging or something' like that . . . ugh, I've been without sleep for too long.**

 _ **Discord –**_ **Just because I'm dead, doesn't mean I'm a rotting corpse! Sheesh!**

 _ **'I have to agree with Four-Eyes on this one, you Frankenstein monster reject. You really think Teacup would willingly love a festering carcass?'**_

 _ **Now that's just being mean! I mean, I suppose it's true, but there's no need for name calling! You're upsetting Mr. Nibbles! As for your question, Sir Discord, I simply have not had the time . . . besides, I am saving it for a much more**_ **deserving** ** _if you catch my drift._**

 _ **Is that like catching the flu!? 'Cause this one time I caught equestrian flu and I was really, really, REALLY sick and was throwing up all over the place and was unable to eat anything, I mean, ANYTHING! I couldn't even use my cannon, can you believe that!? I-**_

 _ **'WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE!?'**_

 **My thoughts exactly, Deadpool. As if we didn't have enough madness around here already.**

 _ **You like madness, too!? I love madness! I-**_

 _ **'That's it! I can't take it anymore! Either she leaves now, or I send her to the glue factory!'**_

 _ **Ooh, is that like a place where you can make lots of arts and crafts and get all sticky and stuck to every little thing around you?**_

 **Maddie, you speak madness, right? Can you tell Pinkie we don't have time for this?**

 _ **Afraid not, baby. Madness isn't exactly an exact language and it has no control! It wouldn't be called madness then, now would it?**_

 **Good point. Pinkie Pie, I hereby evict you from my dorm before the story starts!**

 _ **No, I wanna stay until after!**_

 **Before.**

 _ **After!**_

 **Before!**

 _ **After!**_

 **Before!**

 _ **Before!**_

 **After!**

 _ **Before!**_

 **AFTER!**

 _ **BEFORE!**_

 **YOU'RE STAYING HERE UNTIL THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, AND THAT'S FINAL!**

 _ **If you say so!**_

 **Wait, what?**

 _ **'Dude, you just got tripped by sugar fueled pony. I am so disappointed in you right now.'**_

 **ARGH! That is it, Pinkie Pie! You have duped and/or frustrated me for the first and last time! As soon as this chapter is over, you are out of here!**

 _ **Okie, dokie, lokie!**_

 _ **'I have no idea what that means!'**_

 **Ahem. Onto some more positive news, those that have been following my previous work will recall that I promised a Xover collaboration with another author by the name of _Blazorna Ibara_ that will be a canon combination of both our Ben 10 Xovers (a Xover within a Xover, to be exact). Well, that truth has finally come to light and production is finally under way as well! So be patient, my loyal viewers!**

 **On a side note, _Blazorna Ibara's_ Xover is with Ben 10 and an anime series called Queen's Blade that has many highly sexual and occasionally offensive themes, depending on who you might be; the story's rated M for a reason, so be smart and don't read this if you are not old enough to. Just to be on the safe side (I doubt our Xover will hold any content of the sort, but you never know).**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!  
**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **I give up.**

The snow was absolutely relentless in its arctic downpour, the individual flakes mounding and amassing on the ground into an army that slowly marched its way across the ground and covered everything in a layer of white; the storm had forced any weary traveler that was desperate enough to make their way back home for the holidays to take detours and take shelter in any nearby inns or ramshackle places of residence off of the beaten path to protect them from the howling winds and freezing temperatures.

Such was the case when the silver bell that hung tiredly above the door of the _Golden Griffin Inn & Tavern _rung merrily, its cheery call echoing loudly through the empty inn and only drawing the bar tender's attention for a brief second before the beer bellied man returned his focus to the kegs and mugs whose bottoms were stubbornly laden with layers of alcohol and mead that absolutely refused to be worn away by any normal means of cleaning. The person in question that had broken the silence of the tavern stood motionless at the door dressed in a black and brown cloak with a bow and quiver of arrows strapped to his back that obscured any visible features or distinguishing traits as the cold winds rattled and battered against the tavern walls; within seconds, the bar tender realized that the strange figure had left the door wide open, the temperature dropping fast.

"For ancestors sake, lad, close the damn door!" the bartender growled in a deep, baritone voice as he slammed an empty on the bar out of annoyance.

The figure shifted slightly and kicked the door shut with a flick of their foot, shaking lose some snow from the outside as they looked around the empty tavern; for the most part, it was empty with several tables and elevated stools to cover the floor and a chairless bar that had a wide assortment of alcoholics and other beverages to choose from. What could be described as a couple of wenches of varying ages and beauty lazed around the bar in rather exposing clothing, bored out of their minds with the majority of the two or three customers still there having recently passed out and the rest having retired to the rented rooms above the tavern floor.

"What'll be, lad? We're closin' for the night in but a few." the bartender rumbled.

The figure didn't say a word at first as he slowly walked up to the bar, his leather boots thumping heavily against the creaking wooden planks of the floor until he came to stop at the counter, his face unreadable or visible; nothing but the faint howling of the wind and and the settling of the _Golden Griffin_ broke the silence for several awkward moments as the bartender continued to clean his mugs and the waitresses started to take mild interest in their latest visitor.

Finally, after an age, the figure spoke in a low, hoarse voice, as if they hadn't spoken for an age. "I'm looking for an informant . . . I was told he would be here?"

"Depends." the bartender lazily paid attention, reaching with a fat finger to get to the bottom of the keg he was cleaning. "How much-"

 _ **THUMP.**_

The bartender paused and set the keg he was cleaning down, his eyes widening slightly when he caught sight of a fist-sized pouch that had been tossed with great weight onto the counter; he quickly snapped it up with his sausage fingers and drew it open, his eyes widening even further when he caught sight of the glittering coins inside. It was more than what he charged for one, maybe three night's stay at his inn alone! With a slight cough and short gesture of his eyes at his waitresses towards their latest arrival, the pair of woman quickly sauntered over and latched onto each of his arms with seductive smiles upon their full lips as they shamelessly flaunted their curved figures at him; the figure didn't respond to the touch for a split second before reaching inside of his cloak and whipping out three throwing knives that were expertly pinned between his four fingers.

 _ **THUNK! THUNK! BOING!**_

The bartender cautiously peeked out from under the bar and gulped at the throwing knife embedded two inches deep into the wall above him, exactly where his head had been mere seconds before he was lucky enough to duck; the two wenches, for lack of a better term, had thrown themselves to the floor of the tavern with the other two knives still vibrating slightly from the bar's counter, right where theur still pumping hearts might have been had they not moved in time.

"Do not make me get out the other four." the figure threatened.

The bartender shakily set a beefy hand on the counter and hauled his great girth up with fearful eyes. "Of . . . of course, lad. No need to bring out the weaponry and likes . . . the name be Gragas by the way." he stuck out his hand; the figure didn't move in the slightest, save for the twitching of his fingers, as if he were already losing his patience and slowly moving for a weapon.

"I'm looking for an informant." the figure repeated his previous statement.

Gragas harrumphed and slowly slid the pouch of coins protectively against his great belly, as if afraid that they would be taken away from him. "I believe the lad ye be lookin' for is over there." he pointed towards the farthest, darkest corner the tavern had to offer before he slipped the coins into his pocket and returned to cleaning his mugs and kegs, trying to ignore the knives embedded in the counter as the figure barely nodded and calmly stepped over the fallen woman on the floor and to the corner of the bar.

The table was a corner booth, meant for the bigger parties of large, burly men that would laugh loud and often as they clashed their beer kegs together and drank themselves silly while regaling themselves with tales of valor and strength that were often mostly made up due to the excessive amount of alcohol in their systems, but the table was only occupied by a single figure draped in a large trench coat that covered his entire figure and any surprises that may have been lurking around inside, a fedora covering his pale, snow white face. Unafraid, the cloaked figure slid into the booth next to the other.

"Haven't seen you around, stranger," the shadowy figure in the trench coat noted. "'Course, I never can tell which strangers are real and which are the voices in my head." he added with a slight chuckle.

The cloaked grunted with annoyance and drummed his fingers impatiently on the table. "I need information."

"And I have what you seek, the trench coat-wearing figure chuckled sinisterly. "If only you could make it worth my while . . ."

With a sigh, the cloak wearing man reached into the folds of his clothes and tossed out an even larger sack of coins out onto the table, the clattering of the golden pieces instantly drawing Gragas' attention as he watched suspicious from the bar, absentmindedly polishing an empty mug as he tried to listen in; when he could not hope to hear the low tones of voice the two men in the corner were using, he coughed loudly, a sound ignored by the two indistinguishable men in the corner but quickly picked by the two hired wenches as Gragas nodded over to the table and, more importantly, the impressive sum of money sitting at its center.

"Now your speaking my language," the trench coat-wearing man grinned toothily, exposing a wide, yellowed smile that would have made anyone else flinch or cringe with fear; the figure in the cloak barely reacted. "What would you like to know?"

"I'm looking for a beast of legend," the cloaked figure explained with an earnest tone. "A voracious monster whose appetite is absolutely endless, a monster so savage it will devour an entire village and continue on in its eternal quest for a food, a monster that can bend the very nature of the world to his whim . . . a monster that I have searched the four corners of Ever After for."

"I believe I know the beast you seek," the trench coat-wearing man grinned toothily. "As for its location . . . well . . ."

The cloak wearing man was at his wits end and reached inside of his cloak, pulling out the four other throwing knives and fixing his gaze on the man sitting across from him before seemingly carelessly throwing them away to his right; a yelp of fright quickly followed.

 _ **THUMP! THUNK! THUNK! BOING!**_

The four knives had all but disappeared from the cloak wearing man's fingers and two of them had embedding themselves deep into the wall of the bar quite a distance away with shreds of torn cloth speared onto their tips; one of the waitresses that had attempted to eavesdrop on the conversation or attempt to try and make off with the bag of gold was now covering her bare breasts with a pale expression of horror and embarrassment on her face as her coworker fought to keep the shreds of her skirt together and in one piece, large pieces of the fabric embedded into the floor boards by the other two knives. Gragas had wisely decided to cower beneath the bar until the knife wielding maniac he had foolishly let into his tavern left, his belly fat jiggling and quivering as he trembled.

"You've got moxy, kid!" the trench coat wearing figure laughed merrily. "Normally I'd feed moxy to the hyenas, but I think you get the _point!_ " he cracked.

The cloak wearing, knife throwing man was quickly losing his patience. "Where. Is. It." he hissed.

"The last I heard of the beast, it was heading towards a place I believe you would have heard of before . . . a place called Ever After High?" he leered with his sick and twisted smile. The cloaked man quickly got up from his seat, barely passing a glance towards the half nude waitresses as he calmly and easily yanked all seven of the knives out of the walls, floors, and counter before swiftly leaving, the door banging open and letting in the freezing wind once more before it closed once again, leaving the inn and tavern to once again fall into an uncomfortable silence. Satisfied that his work was done, the trench coat wearing man sighed happily and put his feet up on the table, removing his fedora to set it on one of the big, red clown shoes he wore on his feet, a sadistic smile upon his bright red, painted lips as he casually pulled out a Mirrorphone he had stolen weeks ago and turned it on, accessing the limited stack of photos and pictures he saved after erasing all evidence on the device to pull up a picture of a boy with emeralds for eyes, hair as dark as wet earth, and an odd device fastened to his wrist.

"Soon, Tennyson." he grinned maliciously. "Soon we shall meet . . . and then fun can truly begin."

* * *

F.N: _T'was the night before Christmas and all through the school of Ever After-_

M.N: _Oh, stop it! We are not doing that nonsense again!_

F.N: _But it's tradition!_

B.P: _While two crazy guys are out to get my Ben and his friends, you two are arguing over tradition!? I swear, I was swapped at birth!_

F.N: _Dear, that's not very nice._

M.N: _And what do you mean by "my Ben"?_

B.P: _Nothing! Uh, er, maybe the ghouls are up to something? Their dreaming, right? About Ben?_

F.N: _Yes, they are. But next time, read the script, dear. You_ _ **are**_ _still grounded._

B.P: _But that was four chapters ago!_

M.N: _Now dear, mind your mother._

B.P: * _sigh* I bet Ben wouldn't have grounded me . . ._

* * *

Cerise wiped her brow off the thin line of sweat that had manifested on her forehead as she yanked the ax out of the tree and briefly rested on it, the blade sinking up to the hilt in the snow; the wind often nipped at her noise like an overexcited wolf pup, turning her cheeks a rosy red in color as she absentmindedly tugged her crimson hood down a little farther to shelter her from the cold. Heaving one last breath, Cerise pulled the ax out of the snow and gave it a mighty swing, cutting clean through the rest of the tree's trunk and sending it crashing down to the ground with a cloud of snow.

Not wasting any time, she quickly started to whittle and hack away at the branches, lopping them clean off with a single swing of her ax, reducing the full grown tree to a massive log that she quickly hack into several much more manageable pieces; despite her great strength compared to most fairy tales, as she set her ax to rest against the tree's stump and lifted two logs easily more than her entire body weight combined onto her shoulders and began to shuffle through the snow, even she couldn't drag the whole tree back to the house. At least not on her own.

"Need a hand, babe?"

Cerise turned around in a circle in the snow, the two logs on her shoulders blocking her view, to see a large Loboan come wadding through the snow with a heavy harness around his strong chest and neck hooked up to a sled that trailed behind him on top of the thick layer of snow and frost that covered everything; the Riding Hood allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she turned around to shuffle back through her tracks and set the logs she had taken onto the back of the sled, repeating the process with the other logs she had cut before taking her ax and lying down on the sled as well before bravely mounting the Loboan and grabbing onto fistfuls of shaggy, gray fur that all but instantly warmed her nearly frostbitten fingers.

"I can walk myself you know." Cerise said after a while of Blitzwolfer trotting briskly through the snow on all fours, his thick layer of fur and under wool keeping him perfectly warm in the frigid winter while Cerise was forced to wear her mother's red hood, woolly gloves, fur-lined boots, and a comfy jacket underneath it all to keep the wolf blood running through her veins and keeping her warm from working overtime.

Blitzwolfer chuckled slightly. "I know. You just like havin' me carry you around."

"Are you saying that I'm fat?" Cerise challenged with a raised eyebrow. The Loboan wisely did not answer his wife and continued to trudge through the snow, not wanting to spend a night sleeping on the couch instead of curled up under the warm covers of the bed he shared with his wife; instead, he shifted his attention away from Cerise's temper and back towards walking through the woods, finally emerging from the forest and into a sheltered clearing that the trees kept draped in a cooling shade when the leaves were broad and full of life in the summer.

"Heads up, Dad!"

 _ **SPLAT!**_

Cerise attempted to hold back her laughter as she climbed off of Blitzwolfer's back and allowed the Loboan and stand back up and wipe the remains of a snowball from his face while slipping the sled's harness off and grabbing a a pair of hefty logs to deposit onto the wood pile, grumbling under his breath. "Crimson, don't throw snowballs at your father." she scolded.

"Sorry." a little girl that was somewhere between five and eight years old apologized; she had deep brown hair the color of earth with a single black and white streak that split her scalp in two, heavily accenting the pair of shimmering emerald eyes that she had inherited from her father as she was enveloped in a smaller version of her mother's hood that kept her warm and toasty where certain anatomical parts failed. Instead of skin tone, she was covered from head to toe in a thin layer of brown hair that formed a warm, fur coat and barrier against the biting winds, a case of hypertrichosis is what she suffered from.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Blitzwolfer grinned as he finished stacking the firewood before he was swallowed in a blast of bright, green light that returned the Loboan to his original, human form; he was tall and lanky with lean, muscled arms and legs that would have snapped like tree branches against Cerise's crushing fingers but kept him strong and fit and about a foot or so taller than the Riding Hood. He was bundled up in a thick, black jacket with white, faux fur at the sleeves and hems to combat against the cold winds and wore a pair of green gloves and boots with white laces to keep them upon his feet and the snow out (he couldn't remember the amount of times Cerise had berated him upon smelling the odor his wet, woolen socks gave off when they weren't dry enough).

"Come inside before you catch cold, dear," Cerise told her daughter as she trudged up through the snow and towards a warm, log cabin that was wedged comfortably under the bows of a pair of conifer trees, their evergreen needles heavy and laden with snow that occasionally landed on the roof with a wet _thump!_ and echoed through the house below. "Your mother's making popcorn for movie night."

Crimson bounced up and down excitedly. "Yay!"

Ben's eyes flickered around the clearing, as if searching for something. "Just out of curiosity, have you seen your sisters?" he wondered before he was slammed into from behind and shoved into the snow, his entire vision engulfed in white as he and whatever had landed on him tumbled a short distance through the snow before coming to a stop; with a quick snap of his arms, he latched onto something with each hand and pulled a pair of girls about a year older than Crimson that struggled and fought in his grip to try and hit each other with red mitten covered fists. Both of the girls had dark, peach skin and sported green eyes the color of deep, glacial ice as short, black hair spilled down on their shoulders and passed over a pair of canine-like ears on either sides of their heads with sharp fangs just behind their lips that they snarled and bared at each other.

"Adalwolfa! Astrid!" Ben scolded angrily, instantly silencing the two bickering girls.

" _She started it!_ " the two of them whined in unison, pointing fingers at each other.

Ben sighed and rolled his eyes, climbing to his feet and keeping a firm grip on the twin's crimson hoods that seemed to be a standard dress for the family. "Stop fighting over who the alpha is or you can forget about your movie night privileges and go straight to bed." he scolded. "Besides, if anything, your mother is alpha of this family."

"Aw, thanks!" Cerise cooed with a smirk as the three girls retreated back inside the cabin with Ben at their heels to herd them in the right direction. The Riding Hood smirked mischievously as she grabbed Ben by the shoulder and pulled him back, slithering her arms tightly around his back and shoulders and she hugged him tightly, resting her head upon his chest and in the crook of his neck.

"Oh, no." Ben joked slightly with a grin. "What do you want now?"

Cerise wiggled her eyebrows and softly kissed his cheek, hugging him a little tighter. "It's time." was all she said.

" _Again?_ " Ben raised an eyebrow. "That's the fourth time this week!"

"Well, it _is_ mating season."

Ben and Cerise's attentions were drawn towards the door where a tall woman but a couple inches taller than Cerise and shorter than Ben stood leaning in the frame with a smug smile upon her deep, indigo lips; her skin as pale as ivory and she bore a pair of dark, lilac eyes under her deep indigo and violet locks that framed her face and was pulled back into a braided ponytail that draped down her back. She was dressed in a short purple skirt with a soft, black silk skirt underneath as well with knee high black boots with indigo laces all the way up. A soft, purple, woolen jacket wrapped around her slim shoulders and figure, draping down to her hips and over an old, gray T-shirt with a purple raven on the front and a pair of silver headphones around her neck connected to her Mirrorphone.

Raven smirked as she unfolded her arms from across her chest and sauntered over to the two of them, leaning on Ben's shoulder with a slight smirk on her face. "Does this mean I'll have to sleep on the couch again?"

Cerise smiled and reached out to gently cup Raven's cheek in her hand, her smile broadening as her fingers brushed over her soft, ivory skin before she pulled Raven into a small hug and pecked her with care upon the cheek. "You're always welcome to join us, dear." she winked mischievously.

Raven blushed and patted her stomach region at the suggestion. "It's tempting," the witch admitted. "Maybe it's time to make little Syndra or Veigar a reality."

"Only after you pick better names." Ben smiled jokingly, earning a quick cuff upside the head by both Cerise and Raven at the same time.

"I'll have you know those are traditional witch culture names!" she scolded irritably. "My grandmother was named Clawstorm!"

Ben rubbed his aching skull; why did he have to fall in love with and get married to two woman that cut through an entire tree with a single swing of their ax or enhance their strikes and blows with a great amount of enchantment and magic to the point where it felt like getting hammered by a cinder block? "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! They're perfectly good names! My, uh, great-great grandmother was named, um . . . Wingfang!"

Cerise burst out into laughter at her husband's feeble attempts to not get creamed. "Oh, for ancestors sake, Rae. Looks like we're gonna have to teach him some manners tonight." she grinned hungrily like an apex predator would at cornered prey.

"Agreed." Raven smirked with a slight leer that sent shivers down Ben's spine as he hurriedly escaped inside the log cabin and out of the freezing winds, quickly raising his voice once more when he caught Astrid and Adalwolfa bickering on the couch once again while Crimson was either oblivious to the din or was very good at ignoring it while she perused through the wide selection of movies available for them to watch. Raven was about to head inside as well and help her husband out, forcing the twins apart and pinning them to the walls with a spell or charm if necessary before Cerise caught her by the wrist and pulled her back out into the cold, wrapping her crimson hood around her to entice the witch to remain out in the snow for a few more precious seconds.

"What is it Cerise?" Raven wondered.

The Riding Hood didn't answer and merely latched onto Raven with a tender, yet vice-like grip that pulled the witch close against her, increasing the warmth they shared as a light blush crossed Raven's face moments before Cerise gingerly pressed her lips to the enchantress' and immediately entered paradise; this was why she loved she loved Ben and Raven and not one over the other. Whenever she was feeling in a rough and playful mood, Ben was than capable of giving her a good time, fighting back and pushing her to her limits whenever they were passionate together. Raven on the other hand, was soft and fragile, as if she could possibly break at the slightest touch in Cerise's often rough but tender grip. Without hesitation, Raven slithered her arms around Cerise's neck and eagerly returned the kiss, eagerly rimming her wife's lips with the very tip of her tongue and giving a muffle exclamation of surprise of when Cerise fought back with extreme vigor.

" _Ahem._ "

The two of them instantly broke away with deep crimson tinges to their faces and varying degrees of embarrassment as Ben leaned in the door frame with Crimson at his feet with her hands over her eyes and Adalwolfa and Astrid childishly gagged and held their throats out of disgust. "Save for tonights, dears." he smirked.

Needless to say, the twins were thoroughly horrified when both of their moms lashed out with their hands and pulled their dad into their tight grip and promptly began to kiss him without mercy; Crimson shrugged it off and scurried back inside, having the couch, TV, and popcorn all too herself until Astrid and Adalwolfa were able to stop gawking at their parents.

* * *

Cerise stirred and slowly blinked open her eyes, an oddly warm feeling creeping its way through her chest and into the rest of her body as her eyes began to droop shut once more. She was so warm, enveloped in her hood and nuzzled up close to Ben's still, comforting figure with one of his arms wrapped protectively around her; before the Daughter of Red Riding Hood could slip back into slumber however, a slight shift of movement caught her attention as it brushed against her fingers and hands, shaking her out of her unresponsive state and fully awakening her to find that she had pulled Raven's ivory figure close to her, her hands closed particularly tight around the witchling's breasts and chest, right where her beating heart pulsed just beneath the skin.

With a barely contained yelp of fright Cerise hurriedly pushed Raven's passive figure away, her breathing quick and her heart pulse racing as she watched the witchling roll about a foot across the bed to slump lazily against Clawdeen and pin the sleeping werewolf against the wall; other than herself, no one but the Riding Hood was awake to witness her panic attack. Skelita had taken up residence in a chair beside the bed wrapped up in a warm blanket to keep her bones from rattling loudly while Venus and Jane were curled together, the fingers intertwined with the others lovingly against Ben's other side with his other arm wrapped tightly around Venus as Kitty had once again taken the place of Ben's pillow from some odd reason that Cerise wasn't sure she wanted to know, especially whenever her boyfriend's head lolled lazily across the Cheshire's exposed stomach; Maddie and Whisp had take up the rest of the area at the foot of the bed, the former deciding to sleep over for the night, as Hunter and Ashlynn remained blissfully unaware in their own bed across the room.

Absentmindedly, Cerise began to realize just crowded it was getting in Ben's dorm, especially where his bed was concerned, and wondered just what would happen if more of his ghouls arrived by various means or just how many other girls were going to find themselves apart of her boyfriend's growing harem; they had already forced Skelita to sleep somewhere else, which made Cerise a little guilty for but a moment before her mind returned to something that was a combination of extreme terror, fear, and embarrassment.

Why was she torturing herself like this? Why couldn't Cerise just walk up to Raven and Ben and tell them how she felt, tell them that she loved the both of them more than she thought she had ever loved two people in all of existence. Why was it so hard for her to just tell the two of them that she loved them both and wanted to be in a relationship together with them? With a sigh, Cerise sat up in bed, carefully prying Ben's arm off of her as she sat there, hugging her knees close to her chest as she slowed her breathing and absentmindedly glanced towards Jane and Venus; the plant monster shifted in her sleep, mumbling something under her breath before tentatively planting a soft kiss to Jane's forehead and slipping back into slumber.

Briefly, Cerise wondered why she couldn't be more like Jane and Venus; the two of them loved each other very much and never left Ben out on any of that love either, the three of them forming an inseparable bond with one another that Cerise highly doubted would ever break any time soon. But of course, they could get away with such antics, considering they were not of this world and thus could be subjugated to the words and will of Headmaster Grimm in his firm belief that every maiden was to have a prince, no exceptions, which was one of the reasons why he despised Ben so much. Cerise doubted that even if Ben was okay with Cerise dating Raven and if the witchling even swung that way, their relationship would hardly last for long under the steely eye of the headmaster.

Realizing that she wasn't going to fall back to sleep on the matter anytime soon, Cerise casually glanced at the nearest clock and found it to be roughly about eight in the morning. Christmas morning, Cerise realized after a split second. She decided that with no other option, she could head down to the student lounge to at least grab whatever gifts she had received before the mad rush from the gathering students arrived; making up her mind, she carefully climbed over the many bodies in the bed and tiptoed across the floor, her fingers curling around the knob of the door and pulling it open (the fact that it was kept shut by a high tech, password-encoded lock on one side yet opened by a simple doorknob on the other always confused her). She was about to slip out without waking anyone up when she suddenly bumped into something, a yelp of surprise coming from the thing as it suddenly lurched towards Cerise and forced her to stumble back; the loud rattling of plates and silverware caught her sensitive ears as they stumbled about in an unstable fashion as the Daughter of Red Riding Hood tried to find a footing of some kind until she finally fell right onto the bed she had been sharing with Ben and the ghouls with a loud and all but deafening _**CRASH!**_

"What the Sphinx!?" Clawdeen yelped as she awoke with surprise moments before her face was splattered with a wet, sticky substance of some kind.

" _Que!?_ " Skelita cried, her eyes snapping open before she was suddenly splashed with something sweet smelling.

" _OOF!_ " Ben gasped when Cerise and whatever she had collided with landed full force on his stomach, forcing the wind out of him as he and the Riding Hood were hit full force with the brunt of various objects, some of them crispy and crunchy while others were wet and sticky, all of which were accompanied by a myriad of smaller that bounced off of them or stuck firmly to their bodies. Once he had managed to breath once more, Ben sat up and shook his head, sending droplets of a liquid of some kind splattering in all directions; Maddie was wide awake and laughing gleefully as what turned out to be orange juice and cream dripped from her wild, untamed locks with bacon bits and tropical fruits to compliment the odd choice of fashion.

Venus mumbled something under her breath about flavoring pancakes with the blood of her extended family as she wiped a significant amount of maple syrup from her face and squeezed a fair amount of what looked to be tea from her wild, unkempt hair. "What hit us?" she wondered moments before realizing that Jane was covered in strawberry jam, a toothy smile crawling across her lips as a deep blush crossed the shape-shifter's face.

"Something related to a certain, unwelcome princess, that's what?" Clawdeen snarled after taking a quick sniff of her nose and wiping a fair amount of scrambled eggs off of her face; Kitty had been doused with milk and cream and was eagerly sucking it off of her fingers and arms with licking her lips as Skelita picked breakfast potatoes and strawberries from out between her rib cage while Whisp snapped her fingers and summoned an old rag to scrub the coffee off her face and peel a stray waffle off of her chest. All looks, even those belonging to Hunter and Ashlynn from clear across the room, turned to look at Apple as she stood over the bed with a sheepish and nervous smile on her face, absolutely covered in everything that she had been carrying moments before hand.

"Apple, what are you doing?" Raven sighed, pulling an orange wedge out from between her cleavage and peeling a syrup-covered pancake off of her head.

The princess giggled nervously, wincing when she caught sight of the narrowed eyes of Clawdeen and Cerise that oddly resembled a pair of hungry predators that looked like they had decided their next meal was her. "I . . . uh, decided to make breakfast?" she cringed as Clawdeen growled and bared her teeth.

" _Apple. Run._ " Ben hissed through clenched teeth.

The princess paled considerably when she caught of the way Clawdeen was glaring at her, her golden eyes now an intense amber as she pushed herself past Raven and crawled over Ben and Cerise to the edge of the bed, snapping an arm forward and grabbing Apple by the front of her nightgown. "Let me make this as clear as possible, _princess,_ " Clawdeen growled in a deep, guttural voice that sent shivers up Apple's spine.

"As long as I am Beta, as long as I am Alpha, as long as I am in this harem, you will never be a part of this family. Leave with what little dignity you have left, because if you can't accept the fact that you are not the only girl that Ben is capable of loving, then you don't deserve him at all!" she roared in Apple's face, flinging the frightened princess towards the ajar door and watching as she stumbled to the floor, quickly scrambling to her feet and escaping the dorm in a fit of fear induced tears; sticky footsteps of syrup and orange juice trailed as Clawdeen watched her flee with slowing, ragged breaths.

"Clawdeen-" Ben broke the silence after what seemed the longest of time; Ashlynn and Hunter had buried themselves deeper into the covers and sheets they shared as Jane hid behind Venus and Ben out of fear. The werewolf whirled around and snarled irritably at her boyfriend while her eyes dimmed back to their original, golden glow before she climbed off the bed and stalked over to the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it.

"What's her fairy fail?" Kitty wondered as Ashlynn excused herself from the room and went off to try and comfort Apple while Hunter decided to see if he couldn't take a shower in a dorm that didn't look like it was about to explode from the sheer tension in it.

Ben sighed and took hold of the bed sheets to begin drying himself, reasoning that they could be washed free of their delicious breakfast stains while Skurd, naturally, remained completely oblivious to the entire situation as he dozed peacefully on the Omnitrix and occasionally mumbling things in his sleep that Ben couldn't make out. He loved all of his girls and ghouls to pieces, with him being there to support them in whatever en devour they were partaking in and they would support him in turn whenever he was down as well; but it seemed that Apple just couldn't see that. The princess was so rooted in her firm beliefs of the fairy tales, so far brainwashed into believing that following ones destiny in life was the only thing that mattered in life, that it she simply couldn't accept the fact that she shared a boyfriend with other females of varying species. That is, until she learned the hard way.

"Whisp? Can you do me a favor and check on Apple? Make sure she's at least alright?" he asked the genie.

"I was about to do it anyway. _Chao._ " she gave a playful wave before disappearing in a puff of blackened smoke that briefly rose a small coughing fit from the others until it cleared.

Maddie was still smiling happily. "Now this is what I call breakfast in bed!" she grinned.

"I suppose that _is_ an upside to things." Raven shrugged with a small smile at the Hatter's undeterred peppy attitude.

"And what's better is that it's _snowing!_ " Maddie added, bouncing off the bed and rushing over to the window to plaster her face and hands up against the cool glass to watch as millions of crispy, white snowflakes fluttered and sprinkled onto the ground, only adding to the thick layer of snow that covered the school grounds outside; Kitty vanished from her place on the bed in a showering of glimmering light to reappear beside Maddie with a similar smile upon her face.

Raven knew the look on the two Wonderlandians all too well. "Grab your boots and mittens everyone." she sighed with a roll of her eyes and a knowing smile on her lips.

"Why?" Venus wondered before her long, dexterous tongue slithered out paste her lips and slowly, proactively slid over Jane's entire face, licking off the excess amount of jelly and jam before the plant monster's tongue whipped back past her lips, leaving Jane's face clean and with a fiery flare to her cheeks.

"Because we don't get snow in Wonderland," Kitty replied. "And anytime it _does_ snow-"

"We don't waste a scoodle-brainned second!" Maddie cut off, eagerly bouncing towards the door. "Last one outside is a rotten Mock Turtle egg!"

Ben watched the Hatter skip off down the hall moments before Kitty flashed away to beat her to the dorm they shared. "We don't have much a choice, do we?"

"If Maddie's involved, no." Cerise smirked. "And if Kitty's involved, you can forget coming inside for hot chocolate if your nose turns blue."

"I take it you speak from experience?" Jane guessed, fighting back her intense blush.

"I couldn't smell for two days straight."

* * *

 _ **Knock-knock-knock.**_

Snow White stirred and mumbled something incomprehensible under her breath as she pulled the plush, ruby red covers up closer around her chin to snuggle deeper into her pillow and reach for the soft, grasping hand of slumber. The queen was warm and immensely comfortable in the queen-sized bed that had been provided for her to sleep in, thus allowing her to comfortably live at the school on the girl's side of the dorms in her own private chambers that came with a lavish bathroom; this of course meant that she would have to work long hours, put up with the antics of some of the more troublesome maidens and princesses, and have to deal with Mrs. Her Majesty the White Queen upon her return, but she supposed that it was worth it.

 _ **Knock-knock-knock.**_

Or it would be if whoever was knocking on the door at such an ungodly hour had any common sense.

 _ **Knock-knock-knock.**_

Realizing that she wasn't going to get anymore sleep with the relentless noise the queen inhaled a sharp breath and sat up in bed, her ebony black hair a nasty jungle of snarls and tangles that had spawned upon her pillow as she blinked her sleepy eyes and briefly stretched, ignoring the knocking as she did so. Once she was sure she was awake enough to give enough effort to move, Snow White pushed the warm sheets off of her and scooted towards the edge of the bed, swinging her legs over the side to touch down to what she quickly found out to be an absolutely freezing floor; she ignored the odd feeling in her bare feet and toes and hurriedly made her way over to the door, curling her fingers around the knob and pulling it open far enough to poke her head out and nearly jump back at what she saw.

"Apple?" she blinked with surprise.

"H-Hi, Mom." the princess said sheepishly as long, sticky strands of syrup dripped down from her blonde curls accompanied by orange juice and milk while strips of crispy, greasy bacon and fluffy scrambled eggs found themselves stuck fast to Apple's shoulders, neck, and breasts thanks to what could be argued to be an excessive amount of syrup, jelly, and jam. Her red nightgown suffered from the squished remains of pancakes and waffles with bacon bits, breakfast potatoes, and various fruits decorating her figure with the multiple choices of drinks soaking her night clothes all the way through so that her crimson undergarments seemed to glare blindingly out for anyone that caught sight of her.

"What happened?" Snow White asked, pushing the door open wider to lean against the frame; the queen wore nothing more than a deep red thong and thankfully much more concealing top that really only kept her sizable breasts from flopping all the way out and pinned against her chest while a train clipped to the bottom half of her top formed a half skirt of sorts that covered her backside but left everything else absolutely exposed for one to stare at if they so chose to.

" _Mom!_ " Apple instantly forgot about herself as her face turned red from embarrassment at the sight of her own mother clad in such a revealing outfit. Snow White sighed and rolled her eyes with a small smile as she grabbed her daughter by the wrist and pulled her into her private chambers, closing the door behind her and quickly rushing to the bathroom to grab a towel for Apple to try and clean herself off with.

Snow White sat next to Apple as the later started to dry herself off and the former began to pick bits and pieces of fruit and bacon off, despite how much her daughter struggled and squirmed and eventually yelped with surprise when the queen reached to pick out a stubborn strawberry that had managed to slip between the princess's breasts.

"Oh, please, dear." Snow White rolled her eyes. "I've done far more than that. Remember those baths we use to share when you were younger? I swear, you would have lived like a troll if I let you!"

" _MOM!_ " Apple blushed fiercely, covering her face out of embarrassment.

Snow White smirked and pretended to ignore her daughter's protest. "So what exactly happened, dear? You look like you were caught in the middle of a food fight." she remarked, raising an eyebrow of confusion when her daughter winced and sported a look very similar to that of a guilty party that had just royally screwed up. "Apple . . ."

" _I LOST BEN, ALRIGHT!?_ " Apple suddenly screamed before immediately breaking down into tears and curling herself up into a tight ball of fear and confusion right then and there on the bed next to her mother; the queen was slightly taken aback by this but quickly swallowed her surprise and wrapped her arms around Apple's shivering frame to haul her up onto her lap and hold her close to her, affectionately running her fingers through her daughter's blonde hair.

" _Shhh, Shhh._ It's alright. Mommy's here." she cooed lovingly.

Apple was too distraught to complain at the use of such childish language. All she wanted to do was simply push herself deeper into her mother if that was possible and hide away from the world and the many mistakes she had made. All she wanted to do was just stay there within her mother's loving touch as she gently coaxed her into telling her what had happened; what followed was little more than a tear soaked babbling of jumbled words and gibberish that would have even made a Wonderlandian absolutely baffled to whatever the princess was going on about.

All the while Snow White was listening with attentive ears, her eyes widening further and further until they looked like they were about to pop right out of her their sockets with shock while her blood boiled at the poor choices her daughter made; though, now that she thought about it, she and several close friends had also made some less than careful choices in life. She could still remember the day she all but very nearly threw away her carefully laid out destiny for someone who she had grown quite close to and had, in fact, fallen in love with. The queen could remember the day they had admitted their feelings for each other, a fairly warm day in the fall when the leaves had turned crisp shades of scarlet and gold and created a fiery shower of colors around the gazebo that sat quietly in the Enchanted Forest; it was at that very place on those very steps watching the sun set and turn the changing leaves several hues of intricate colors that they had proposed their shared feelings for one another . . . and where Snow White had gotten and given her first kiss.

Their love was a forbidden one, the two of them being from opposite sides of the fairy tale and they would often send each other coded messages that could only be found by taking a certain path that wound and twisted its way through the Dark Forest to a certain tree with a certain knot hole that bore resemblance to that of a broken heart, of which they carved their initials into as a token of their love. It seemed impossible that she, a proper princess, and he, a vile villain, could ever feel the same way for each other, but she had never felt so alive than back in those days she now looked back so fondly on.

If only they had lasted.

"Well, it sounds like someone royally messed up." the queen shook herself out of such thoughts when she realized that Apple had finally cried herself out and was simply just hugging her mother fondly; Snow White curled her finger under her daughter's chin and raised her head up so that she could give her a calculating look of motherly disappointment that made Apple swallow slightly with fear. She didn't dare move as Snow White shifted her legs slightly and then proceeded to move her daughter into what the later assumed or hoped to be something of a more comfortable position until she realized that her mother was lying her down on her stomach across her legs.

"Mom, what are you-"

 _ **Smack!**_

Apple bit her lip and tensed up at the sharp spike of pain that shot right through her like a lightning bolt, her face screwed up into an odd mixture of discomfort, abashment, and gratification that both intrigued and unnerved her in a sense. The princess flickered her eyes back and winced upon seeing her mother raise her hand and swiftly bring it down on the princess's exposed ass, her nightgown pulled up to expose the bare skin and leave it to the queen's mercy; Apple dug her fingers into her palms as she wondered just what her mother was doing.

 _ **Smack! Smack!**_

Snow White struck twice more, each time striking swift and quick so that Apple had to suffer little more than a little second of martyrdom before the majority of the odd sensation she was feeling went away, only to come back once more; each time, Apple bit her lip harder, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and fighting back tears of betrayal and confusion.

 _ **Smack!**_

Finally, mercifully, it was over and Apple gasped for air, not even realizing she had been holding her breath as Snow White sat her back up and hugged her lovingly close to her chest; the princess was completely befuddled as to why her mother would do such a thing as spank her and then hug her the next as if nothing had ever happened. Awkwardly, he returned the hug and buried her head into her mother's chest as the queen bent down to kiss her on the forehead and pull her away to look at her.

"Wh-What was t-that for?" Apple wondered.

"Discipline, dear." Snow White explained. "I should have had your tutors do this to you years ago instead of sending you into a time out; you probably could have avoided this whole mess had your father and I been better parents."

Apple shook her head. "N-No, this is all my fault." she said softly.

Snow White allowed a small smirk to cross her face. "I'm glad you realize that, sweety. So now that you've been properly punished, I assume you are going to try and make up for your actions? I did say that Ben was a keeper, after all." she reminded her daughter before a devious grin crossed her face. "Of course, if you change your mind, I'd be more than happy to-"

" _MOM!_ " Apple yelled for what must have been the third time that morning, her face flushing a deep red out of embarrassment. "What is it with you trying to steal my boyfriend!? You're already married to dad, for ancestor's sake!"

Snow White scoffed slightly, her grin never leaving her. "My, how you've grown. First you couldn't bear the thought of a man loving more than one woman, and now you're reprimanding your own mother for trying to get in on the good stuff. And who says a harm is only restricted to men?" she teasingly raised an eyebrow that only made Apple blush even further. "So what _are_ you going to do?"

Apple debated amongst herself for a few seconds. "What if I asked Whisp-

Snow White quickly cut her off. "Dear, think about this before you rush into another mess." she warned her daughter. "You can't fix everything with magic, no matter what kind of friends you may have. And besides, this is _your_ mess that _you_ need to fix _without_ anyone's help. Not Ben, not Raven, not even this Whisp you mentioned." she scolded Apple. "Otherwise, I'm afraid it you will require some more disciplining . . ."

 _Is it bad that that doesn't actually sound as bad as it should be?_ Apple wondered before mentally slapping herself for thinking such thoughts. She was a princess and a Daughter of Snow White no less! With the exception of the quickly changing image of her own mother, Apple was not about to turn to such thoughts, especially during such times as this. "I-Is it alright though if I ask for some advice?" she asked.

Snow White nodded. "I suppose that's fairest enough. After all, you did come to me, of which I am immensely proud of you for." she added, hugging Apple once more. "Before you set off though, do you want to clean up a little?" the queen offered before a smirk crossed her face. "I could help you reach some certain tough spots-"

" _MOTHER!_ "

* * *

If Ben had known Maddie would have been this excited about playing in the snow, he would have turned her dorm into a winter wonderland a long time ago. Then again, the Headmaster would most likely have a heart attack if he did and the wielder of the Omnitrix didn't want to give the portly man anymore reason to hate him; that, and he didn't want to be responsible for his death should he actually decide to kick the bucket.

Currently however, Ben was more than happy watching as Maddie giggled and laughed while she skipped and bounced around in the snow; the Hatter was dressed in a puffy, purple parka a pair of polka dotted mittens and earmuffs with a small top hat fixed tightly to the band to keep her nice and warm while a pair of bright blue boots kept her feet from freezing off. With a laugh, Maddie eagerly grabbed hold of Ben's wrist and pulled him down into the snow with her where she proceeded to make a snow angel, sending snow flying in all directions as her arms and legs were whipped into a fury until she had created an almost perfectly image of herself in the snow while simultaneously covering Ben from head to toe in a layer of snow.

"Oops! Sorry Ben!" Maddie smiled brightly.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! I told you I don't like the cold!" Skurd huffed with annoyance, folding his pseudopods over his chest and pouting upon the Omnitrix's watch face.

Ben rolled his eyes. "You know, you could always go back inside."

"And miss out on sampling such glorious DNA samples worthy of the gods!? I think not!"

It seemed a good portion of Ever After High's student population had decided to put off opening their morning Christmas presents until later, choosing to enjoy the fresh layer of fluffy whiteness before it got too cold; and with the promise of warm soup and whatever leftovers miraculously remained from last night's Holiday Mash Up for lunch, it seemed that the only logical choice was to enjoy the winter activities first and then enjoy the warm feeling that would sink into them once they had eaten a good meal.

This involved a great many of winter activities to chose from; Hunter and Ashlynn had taken to ice skating on the nearby frozen ponds with the later teaching her boyfriend how to properly skate and not make a fool out of himself as Duchess naturally showed off and put her delicate and well balanced ballet skills to good use, quite literally skating circles around everyone else while giving Tiny a wide berth. Despite his gargantuan size and the fact that his own pair of specially made ice skates were more likely to be used for felling trees and cutting timber, the giant was quite skilled in skating on such a small surface in comparison to his body weight.

Alistair Wonderland and Bunny Blanc, the former wearing a simple blue jacket trimmed with faux, gray fur and a pair of gloves of the same color while the later wore a pink parka ringed with white fluff and a muff for her mitten covered hands, had decided to build snowmen and maidens together; Lizzie had also decided to join in, quickly sculpting a legion of loyal soldiers at her beck and call before quickly dismembering every last one of them with a flick of her wrist and a slice of her finger much to the shock and unease of her childhood friends. This quickly turned to fear when Sparrow followed by his Band of Merry Men came whizzing by on various sleds and snowboards right through the battalion of snow warriors, decimating them into small piles of snow; it was several harrowing seconds that Bunny realized she had instinctively jumped into Alistair's arms just as he quickly set her back down.

Lizzie was too busy chasing after the Son of Robin Hood while spouting off Wonderlandian curses that made Alistair and Bunny blush something fierce to notice.

Raven had opted for a much quieter activity, deciding that watching her friends and fellow fairy tales whiz by on ice skates was entertaining enough as she tossed some bird seed that Ashlynn always kept on hand to a small flock of crows and other winter hardy birds that had gathered at her and Cerise's feet; the Daughter of Red Riding Hood would have much preferred to romp around in the snow with Ben, but it seemed he already had his hands full with Maddie, who looked like she was on the mother of all sugar highs.

Raven however, ignored her much loved boyfriend and best friend forever after in favor of watching as Cupid all but eagerly dragged a hesitant Dexter Charming towards the ice rink, two pair of ice skates hanging lose over her shoulders as she succeeded in getting him to sit down on a log long enough for her to jam a pair of skates onto his feet and tie them into place with a knot that the witchling recognized to be a Lover's Knot; this was a knot so tight and well tied that it was all but impossible for anyone but a pair of seriously committed lovers or someone related to the House of Eros to untie and loosen. With that being said and done, Cupid put on her own pair of pink, heart decorated skates and skated out onto the rink, pulling Dexter along with her and teaching him the basics while he slid and stumbled and fell flat on his butt more than once.

A couple of times.

Several actually.

Okay, it was a lot.

Ben's ghouls had also taken to the winter wonderland; Venus was laughing and whooping with joy as she and Briar Beauty were briskly pulled through the snow in a rickety sled that Hunter had obliged and made on short notice for them by a large and burly musk oxen that plowed right through the snow like a freight train on tracks, her great size and strength easily shoving the snow away as easy as one would swipe their hand through the air.

Daring was currently playing a game of hockey on the second of the two ponds under Ever After High's jurisdiction and quickly made a slapshot for the open goal with enough force to punch clean through a solid plank of wood, only to have it stopped right in its tracks with a mighty whack of Clawdeen's own hockey stick; the werewolf grinned maliciously, briefly frightening Daring before she lunged forward right at him with the puck being expertly balanced between her hockey stick, tapping it back and forth as she powered right towards the prince charming and suddenly swung her stick to drive the puck under and between Daring's legs. Clawdeen quickly dropped down to her knees and followed suit, sliding beneath the prince before springing back up and gave an almighty slapshot that ricocheted the puck off and around the edges of the rink before bouncing off a rock and sailing through the air, colliding with the back of Tiny's skate as the giant performed a pirouette and zooming back through the air like a guided missile to knock of Daring's crown and just barely miss his head by an inch and crash right into the open goal.

"Game. Set. Match." Clawdeen smirked triumphantly, spinning the hockey stick victoriously on her finger.

"Teach me how you did that." Daring demanded, though it was more like a pathetic plea from Clawdeen's point of view.

The werewolf was immensely enjoying herself. "What, the mighty Son of Prince Charming wants lessons from a lowly, mangy werewolf?"

"I withdraw any rude comments, remarks, and insults I have said and/or thought about thy beautiful maiden." Daring seemed to apologize, dropping down to one knee and clasping his hands together tightly in a groveling gesture. "Now please, teach me!"

Clawdeen smirked. "You are _so_ lucky my boyfriend isn't the jealous type."

Skelita watched as the prince charming groveled comically at Clawdeen's feet while she, Ben, and Maddie aimlessly wandered about in search of something entertaining to do that wouldn't involve getting Skurd any colder than he already was; the Slimebiote was already complaining enough as it was and Skelita personally did not feel like hearing his voice assault whatever she had in place of ears. "Perhaps we should try ice skating?" the skeleton suggested.

"Yes!" Maddie exclaimed eagerly before pulling off her top hat and shaking it out over the snow; Ben and Skelita's eyes widened with shock as three sets of hockey sticks, helmets, padding, guards, and ice skates came tumbling out from within the depths of the hat, soon followed after by a conch shell, a pineapple, and a mounted moose head that seemed to blink and regard them for several seconds while they starred at it. Maddie ignored the odd statements and merely scooped them up to shove and cram them back into the hat before allowing Earl Grey, wrapped up in a tiny, striped scarf and mittens, to come crawling out and perch on her shoulder with an even smaller mug of warm tea between his paws.

"Why yes, Earl Grey, I did just happen to keep these for this sort of occasion!" Maddie beamed brightly. "I always wanted to play hockey with Raven when we were little!"

"What stopped you from trying?" Ben wondered as he bent down and picked up a set of skates and a hockey stick.

The Hatter hesitated for a second and cast a short look at the witchling's back, taking special notice in how Raven seemed to just barely tense up while waiting for her response, even from some distance away and amid a flock of cawing and croaking crows that fluttered their wings loudly when they weren't scratching for seeds. "She was . . . uh, busy! Learning all sorts of evil witchy spells and stuff!" she lied.

"A fat good of use that did her." Ben grumbled. "So I take it we're playing hockey instead?"

Maddie was back to her sunny disposition. "Yeppers!"

Ben turned to Skelita. "Are you sure you wanna do this? I mean, no offense, but you're kinda fragile compared to Clawdeen or Daring." he pointed out as the skeleton snugly fit a helmet securely over her skull and experimentally swung a hockey stick, nearly taking Ben's head off in the process.

" _Si._ I will be fine." Skelita grinned mischievously; Ben raised an eyebrow but nodded and quickly slipped on his set of skates before dressing himself in the protective gear that Maddie had happily provided for them all to wear and finally strapping his helmet into place. With that said and done, the three of them shuffled through the snow and stepped out onto the rink with wobbly steps at first before finally gaining balance and skating out to the middle of the pond where Clawdeen was currently humiliating Daring in front of a considerable crowd of other players that mostly consisted of village folk and much less important fairy tales that lacked any name or identity to be cared about for the moment.

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow as daring quickly scrambled to his feet to save what little dignity he had left. "What are you three up to?" she wondered.

"We challenge you to a glorious battle of hockey, where one team may go in but only one comes out alive in a battle to the death, where honor, glory, and respect be the prizes, with the addition of your enemies blood to taste and drink at your hearts content!" Skurd cut in before Ben could answer.

"Uh, what the Snot-Pocket said . . . but less . . . life threatening." Ben corrected the Slimebiote.

"Oh, please. As if you humans aren't barbaric enough. Just like your Osmosian friend, the lot of them." Skurd huffed.

Skelita interrupted with a cough. "So, do we have a game?" she asked.

Clawdeen taped her chin. "I dunno. We'd have to even the playing field a little bit." she hummed as she waved away the small crowd of nameless fairy tales for her to think as Daring gulped nervously at the werewolf's calculating look; she had become his hockey instructor less than five minutes ago and he was already regretting it. "Maybe three on three?"

"But where are you going to-" Ben started to ask before he was interrupted by a shower of ice as Briar quickly zipped up to them decked full out in hockey equipment with her grip held nice and firm on a hockey stick and a cunning grin on her lips; how the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty had managed to jump out of the moving toboggan, put on such bulky equipment, and dash onto the pond in a matter of seconds was a mystery to Ben, much less how the princess even heard them.

"I call goalie!" she declared excitedly.

Skurd hummed with humor. "You were saying?"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Alright, I've been wrong before." he said before a grin crossed his face as he glanced at the Omnitrix and tapped the watch face with a finger. "But lets even the odds a little." he said before he slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix and encompassed himself in a blast of green light, his genetic warping and scrambling into something new and not of this world. Muscles quickly piled themselves onto Ben's arms and chest as his skin began to blister horribly until short, brown feathers crawled up his arms and legs, turning a lighter shade of brown on his chest and stomach; his mouth and nose melted together like butter, hardening into a yellow, horny beak as his teeth shifted and realigned themselves inside. The feathers continued to cover his body, racing up and over his back and stomach, growing over nearly every inch of his body while Ben's wrists and ankles began to harden while thick scales appeared on them, his fingers crunching and grinding loudly as they molded together into three, strong digits. His fingers grew longer and bigger, becoming curved, black talons as his toes all formed together into a pair of long, sharp talons with his heel bone thrusting out the back and forming a third. A white plume appeared on Ben's head, looking something like a Mohawk of sorts as a pair of large, edged blades thrust out of his elbows, glinting in the bright, winter light; green wrist and ankle guards materialized on his body, a pair of black briefs and a green and white belt soon followed, with a green mask covering his face and a green strap vest manifesting over his chest with the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on the vest hooker.

"Oh, so we're allowed to use our alien powers now?" Clawdeen smirked with a wolfish grin; before Kickin Hawk could say anything, the werewolf slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix around her left wrist and swallowed her in a burst of yellow light, the changes beginning immediately. Her fur began to fuse together with her skin, hardening and forming a durable armor as her bones almost painfully pushed her muscles and tissue aside, the Omnitrix numbing any pain she might have experience as her bones pushed to meet with her skin and coalesced together to form a thick exoskeleton that turned a faint shade of pink as the transformation continued; her fangs cracked and groaned as they dissolved together to form two plates of teeth that were quickly shredded and split apart to form baleen while they were twisted into a permafrown accented by black markings around her mouth that looked distinctly like feminine lips. Clawdeen's claws and fingers molded together into a pair of crab-like pincers with a loud crunching noise as her legs bent into bug-like joints with her toes and feet thinning out to form spikes for legs that dug sturdily and fast into the ice. A loud squelching sound filled the air as a pair of identical legs ruptured out from Clawdeen's insides, glistening with moisture as she balanced herself on her new limbs while her head exploded in size, her eyes moving farther apart as her brain grew bigger and bigger. Patches on the joints of her elbows and legs turned a dull purple in color, but Clawdeen hardly cared about that as the armored plating that protected her brain split down the middle; she could now see the world more than just a TV show she could interact with. Rather, she literally began to see the world's inner workings as complex equations mapped out the quickest and safest escape routes, analyzed the her opponents and teammates, and cataloged their various strengths and weaknesses. A purple and golden neck brace and loincloth appeared on her body, the Omnitrix appearing at its center and completing the transformation.

Cerebella blinked experimentally before speaking in a chipper tone. "With my sophisticated mind and talents, my victory is all but assured!" she chuckled with mirth.

" _Veremos._ We shall see." Skelita shook her head before activating her own Omnitrix and encompassing herself in a blast of orange light while Daring whimpered with worry. Her bones cracked and ground heavily as they rotated in their sockets to position her arms above her head, her fingers stretching to a near impossible length while her rib cage grew bigger and bigger, her bones fusing together to become thicker as her vertebrae molded together into a long, spinal cord that outwards into a cup-shaped dome that quickly connected with her growing rib cage and encased the skeleton in a large shell. Flesh and tissue began to form over her arms and legs, connecting the bones to strengthen their mobility as internal organs started to form within the safety of her carapace. A large heart appeared in the center of her chest with massive lungs appearing on either side of the beating organ as skin began to coat the fresh muscle, tissue, and fat that had formed over her skeleton; a sickening cracking filled the air as six, massive holes opened up in the front of her shell as it ground heavily and became more teardrop-shaped in the process. Her jaw bones snapped and crunched loudly as they hardened into a horny beak, her eyes moving apart as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest, completing the transformation.

" _Que?_ I asked for Furryosa!" Tortuga sighed with exasperation, cradling her head with a flipper out of annoyance.

Kickin Hawk smirked. "It's Humungousaur all over again." he rolled his eyes before tensely gripping his hockey stick. "Now lets play! Game on!"

Daring yelped and dove out of the way as Cerebella and Kickin Hawk dove after the puck, their sticks immediately locked and fixed against each other as either side tried to figure out a way to gain an upper hand or claw, as the case may be; the prince quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed into the mess, the paddle of his stick skidding across the ice as he performed a risky move and jumped over and between the two clashing aliens, flicking the puck up and out of its locked position, thus setting the game in motion.

"Maddie! Body check 'em!" Kickin Hawk cried as he managed to gain the upper hand on Cerebella and shoved her back long enough for him to skate around the Cerebrocrustacean, his skates having been ruined and destroyed and thus leaving him to use his wicked talons to get around (not that there was much difference).

The Hatter grinned madly (as usual) and rushed after Daring, easily keeping pace with him as he swiped the puck from side to side to push it forward and towards the opposing team's goal; it wasn't until he was nearly there that he was suddenly having regrets upon seeing the massive flippers Tortuga sported and wielded like a dual pair of hockey sticks that seemed more than capable of slapping him clear across the rink. Fortunately for Daring, he didn't get that far as Maddie lashed out with her stick and suddenly tripped him, sending him crashing to the ice as she stole the puck back and whizzed across the rink in the opposite direction.

" _Booyakasha!_ " Maddie howled at the top of her lungs as she spun around and gave the puck an almighty slap; Cerebella skittered as fast as possible across the ice, her jointed legs working overtime to reach the racing puck and try to prevent a goal from being made until a loud _slap!_ assaulted her eardrums and sent the puck across the rink in little more than a black blur as it whizzed through the air and collided squarely with Tortuga's chest, sending the Geochelone Aerio toppling over onto her back from the sheer force of it.

Kickin Hawk's eyes widened and he snapped his head back towards the opposing goal to see Briar standing there with a smug smirk on her face and her hockey stick spinning triumphantly on her finger in a showboating manner. "Game. Set. Match." she smirked.

"Repetition! Amusing." Cerebella noted with mirth and a classy accent to her voice. "Shall we continue?"

"You bet your teacups! Game on!" Maddie cried loudly; Kickin Hawk nodded and the game was once more in motion, slowly starting to draw the attention of others as Daring, Maddie, and the two aliens rushed and zipped and slid back and forth across and around the rink in an absolute frenzy, the whacks and slaps of Tortuga's flippers and Briar's stick down on the ice making the gathering crowd wince and cringe and cheer for whatever team they were routing for when a goal or slapshot was blocked just in the nick of time. With every crack of the hockey stick and the crash of the puck, the crowd cheered louder and louder as the teams clashed time and time again, neither side giving in to the other for long with Briar's sheer aggression, Maddie's absolute madness, Kickin Hawk's strength, Tortuga's determination, Cerebella's intelligence, and Daring's dedication to the game keeping each other in check.

"Go Ben!" Venus cheered loudly from her seat next to Jane and Cerise.

The jungle ghoul was confused, having never even heard of the sport of hockey deep within her former, jungle home. "What is the objective of this game? Are they trying to hit each other with sticks?" the she wondered.

"More like knock each others brains out." Cerise half-joked, leaning back on the bench and watching as both sides clashed time and time again; her point was further proven when the hockey puck took a wild shot and collided straight with Cerebella's skull plates, stunning her long enough for Kickin Hawk to zip by and slap the puck right past Briar's head before she could raise a gloved mitt to stop it.

"It's all tied up." Raven noted, sitting on the edge of her seat as the two sides faced off once more for the final match.

Cerise snorted as Maddie stole the puck and slapped it across the ice as hard as she could, dropping down on her belly before shifting her body enough that she could continue forward on her hands, balancing her hockey stick between her skates as she chased after the runaway hockey puck; Raven could do little else but roll her eyes and hope that the Hatter didn't lose a tooth. "Kinda like a certain princess. All tangled and tied up in a mess she can't get out of."

"At least she's trying." Raven sighed as Tortuga blocked a shot with her flipper and sent it racing back across the ice, only to have it be blocked by Cerebella; the Cerebrocrustacean skittered across the ice with the hockey puck in grasp, only to have it be stolen by Kickin Hawk with a loud screech while he raced towards Briar with Cerebella at his heels. The two aliens duked it out while simultaneously balancing the puck back and forth between them, switching between using their hockey sticks to push the puck along and as weapons to whack each other over the head and poke them roughly in the side much to the enthusiasm of the crowd.

"Keyword being 'trying'." Cerise grumbled. "I swear, the things they say about blondes . . ."

"Cerise, that's not nice!" Raven chided the Riding Hood; Kickin Hawk shot the puck right at Briar, only to have the princess crack her stick hard against the ice and send it scattering back across the rink and between Cerebella's legs where it started to drift about aimlessly until Daring picked up the pace and rushed at Tortuga. The Geochelone Aerio prepared to defend the goal as the prince raced at her until Kickin Hawk managed to skate past him and slide right in the way, delivering a rough body check to him before racing back towards Briar.

"Crush 'em, Ben!" Venus cheered with joy.

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so interested in this?" she wondered with a little concern.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a shadowed figure watched from the treeline of the Enchanted Forest, hidden stealthily amongst the bare branches and brambles and the snow laden bows of the evergreen trees that stubbornly refused to give in to the winter's cold and relentless grasp. He sniffed the air cautiously and breathed a slow, deep breath that rose from his lips like the smoke from the angry maw of a fiery dragon on the rampage; he shifted silently on his feet, the soft clinking of metal accompanying the movement before he leaped clear and low across the ground with nary a sound, as if he had a pair of invisible wings to keep him aloft moments before he landed on the trunk of a tall tree whose branches clawed and raked the air hungrily. He effortlessly climbed the tree, his nibble fingers catching and fitting into the tiniest of cracks and footholds among the bark that allowed him to finally reach a bow high above the ground that gave him a clear view of the ponds and the crowd it drew some fair distance away, roughly twenty yards or so, give or take a couple feet.

This was hardly of concern to him.

He noiselessly grabbed his bow and drew one of twenty arrows from the quiver strapped to his back, each one tipped an unsettling and venomously purple that was so dark it was almost black, setting it against the relaxed bowstring and drawing it nice and taunt as he took aim towards the crowd, ignoring the other, oblivious and ignorant princes, maidens, and village folk that surrounded the pond and cheered loudly like fools; he took a closer aim at the at the more unusual creatures that lurked around the lake in clear sight without fear, as if they were mocking him.

It was not the beast he sought after, no, the monster whose head he desired upon his mantel and its pelt upon his floor as a rug was far more dangerous than the oddly human-like monstrosities that sat on the bench next to a pair of unaware maidens in broad daylight, as if they had the gall to openly defy him. They were of little consequence to him and would have barely registered on his radar had their odd appearance not raised some attention; but the creed he lived by, the silent and unspoken oath he had dedicated his life to, refused to let such vile creatures slip by. For the moment, he ignored the creatures skating around on the ice like fools and aimed his drawn arrow towards the smaller of the two odd monsters on the bench.

The hideous creature wouldn't even know what hit it.

"C'mon, Briar! Hit 'em hard!" Cerise cheered.

"I thought you didn't like hockey?" Raven raised an accusing eyebrow. "And why aren't you routing for Ben?"

Cerise smirked. "Someone's got to route for the losing side."

"I still don't get what the point of this game is," Jane mumbled. "And just why it involves hitting each other with sticks."

Venus rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. "They're not hitting each other with sticks, Sweet Mango. They're-" she started to say before a loud shout caught their attention and the four girls turned to see Hunter racing right towards them, colliding with all four of them and knocking them into the snow; the plant monster spat out a mouth of snow and turned to regard the huntsman out of curiosity while Cerise fought back the irritated growl at the back of her throat.

"What in the kingdom-" Cerise started to berate Hunter before Jane suddenly screamed in agony from atop of the pile of entangled arms and legs, the jungle ghoul sent rolling through the snow and onto her side where she bit her lip viciously to fight back another howl of agony and the tears that were starting to form from her eyes while clutching her shoulder in pain. Hunter scrambled lose from the mess of bodies and crouched down to the injured shape-shifter, grimacing at the long arrow that embedded quite deep within her shoulder tissue with a fair amount of blood leaking form her jacket; the huntsman didn't remain there for long as he was all but flung out of the way by a simultaneously terrified and furious Venus as she screamed for Ben between fits of panic stricken tears and trying to calm her ghoulfriend down while she babbled nonsense in between animalistic snarls and howls.

Venus sobbed uncontrollably, her howls bringing the intense game on the ice to a screeching halt as panic began to spread. "Jane! C-Come on! P-Please, say something! A-Anything!" she pleaded.

The jungle ghoul let out a pained cry as she clutched her chest violently, struggling to remain as composed as possible in the snow until she could no longer and promptly vomited right then and there with tears leaking from her eyes and what was quickly found to be an unhealthy amount of foul smelling blood pouring forth from her lips as she struggled to breath; she was shaking all over, as if she was extremely cold despite all out of winter wear she had to keep her warm and was fighting just to keep from falling back down when she tried to shift herself up into a kneeling position.

"What the hell happened!?" Kickin Hawk demanded as he roughly pushed himself through the crowd of fairy tales with Cerebella, Tortuga, Daring, Briar, and Maddie right behind him moments before flashes of orange, yellow, and green swallowed the aliens and returned Skelita, Clawdeen, and Ben back to the world; the wielder of the Omnitrix was stuck in a combination of horror, disgust, and fear when he caught sight of Jane on the snow, trembling and shaking as she continued to vomit up her precious blood.

" _WHO DID THIS!?_ " he roared with fury, his voice deafening and full of rage; everyone present visibly flinched and cringed from the volume.

Hunter sat up and rubbed his head, crawling back over to Ben and wincing upon seeing the state Jane was currently with Venus openly sobbing over her and trying to comfort herself more than Jane as Ben was stuck somewhere between trying to hold back tears of his own and unleashing every last bit of fury he had on anyone within range.

"Ben, I-" he started to say before a second movement caught his attention; his huntsman instincts kicked in right then and there as he lunged at Venus and tackled her to the ground, much to her chargin just as a second arrow sailed overhead and just barely missed Venus' head before landing firmly in the snow with a soft _thunk!_ Ben whipped his head towards the sound and grasped the arrow in his hand and yanking out with a quick movement of his hand, his eyes quickly analyzing and looking over the projectile as Hunter removed himself from Venus; Cerise quickly tugged her hood down over her head as she and Raven joined the group, the later covering her mouth with horror upon seeing Jane.

"Hunter. Do you by chance recognize who this might belong to?" Ben asked in a steely voice that was more of a demand than anything.

Hunter frowned slightly. "Just because I can shoot arrows, Ben, doesn't mean I can tell who shot them." he said, scratching his chin in thought as he examined the arrow in Ben's hand before glancing at the spot where it had landed and making some calculations in his head; while Crownculus and mathematics weren't exactly his best subject, he could almost instinctively tell where an arrow had been fired from, how much force had been behind it from the bowstring, and even estimate how tall the shooter could have been from how much strength it would have taken to send the arrow flying that far.

"What is it, Hunter?" Ashlynn wondered, coming up behind her boyfriend and just barely holding back her upset stomach when she caught sight of Jane convulsing every now and again on the snow.

"If I'm right . . ." he trailed off, his eyes building a mental map as he calculated the trajectory. "The arrow came from somewhere over . . . there." he pointed at a small section of trees out of the entire Enchanted Forest. Ben narrowed his eyes as he shielded his brow from the glare of the winter sun and looked carefully towards where the huntsman pointed, his eyes widening with surprise and anger when he caught sight of an all too suspicious figure sitting in one of the highest bows of the trees with what looked to be some sort of weapon . . . _a bow with a notched arrow!_

"Get down here, you bastard!" he roared at the top of his lungs, jamming a finger at the figure high up in the trees; the cloaked man promptly threw him an incredibly rude gesture and threw himself out of the tree, his cloak and cape billowing in the wind behind him as he fell to the snow and took off into the forest without looking behind him and further flaring Ben's temper.

"We're serious now, aren't we?" Skurd remarked as Ben tapped the Omnitrix and slammed down on the activation button without looking at what alien he had dialed in, swallowing himself in a blast of green light that warped and shifted his genetic code into something new. His skin hardened into a thick exoskeleton, becoming jointed and plated as it turned a dull green in color. His bones vanished as his skull became pointed and even thicker than before while his eyebrows took on a physical form and formed into two, horn-like growths; his teeth cracked and ground loudly into needle-like fangs that neatly fit together when Ben closed his mouth. His legs ground and fractured as hie knees bent backwards into a completely different limb, a sort of thin webbing forming between the joints as his toes ripped out of his shoes into a pair of large claws as a third was thrust out from his heel bone. His two middle fingers snapped and groaned as they were sucked back into his hand, the remaining digits twisting into sharp claws as his body pinched in two sections; his rear end swelled into a slim abdomen as pointed spines popped out of his arms and ankles and a pair of green overalls with black stripes all over materialized on his new body just as the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his stomach, completing the transformation.

Crashhopper ground his teeth against each other, creating sparks that cracked and leaped over his fangs with agitation as he turned to chase after Jane's attacker before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head just enough to see Clawdeen with a vengeful glare on her face. "Clawdeen, I know exactly what you're thinking. Forget about it."

The werewolf was taken aback by this. "Excuse me?" she snarled.

"You heard me." Crashhopper frowned. "Jane's down and for all we know she could kick the bucket anytime soon; I'm not about to let that happen to you, Skelita, or anyone else that I care about if I can help it."

Skelita stepped forward to protest. "But-"

"No buts." Crashhopper shook his head. "As Alpha, I'm putting my foot down on this one. I'm not about to risk your lives against this maniac." was all the alien insect said before he bunched up his legs and soared high into the air; Venus didn't even look up as she held Jane close to her chest, sobbing as the jungle ghoul's pulse was slowly starting to trickle away like the melting ice while her skin began to lose its dark, purple hue as she wheezed and struggled to even breath.

Clawdeen was stuck between obeying her natural instinct to follow her Alpha's orders without question and forgoing any punishment that she may receive to help avenge a fallen pack member; that was what she and her siblings had been taught from a young age, to never abandon the pack and to always stand together as one, no matter the problem they faced. And to see Jane, a member of the group of ghouls led by a trouble magnet of a boyfriend that had formed and turned into something of a second family to Clawdeen, lying sick and most likely dying on the ground, absolutely helpless and unable to at least seek a glorious death while fighting? The choice was hardly difficult to make.

"If those three think they can slip off to help Ben without me, they've got another thing coming." the werewolf snarled as her sensitive ears pricked up to catch Hunter, Daring, and surprisingly Raven sneak away from the group to rush to the aid of a certain alien arthropod.

* * *

Crashhopper slammed his feet into the ground, bunching up his legs at the same time before springing back up into the air with a determined glower upon his face as he soared over the bare branched trees with the greatest of ease; his eyes scanned desperately for the faint figure he had seen on the edge of the woods, the one responsible for what could be the loss of one of the ghouls he held most dear to his heart. To be fair however, he loved every single last one of his ghouls and couldn't imagine life without them by his side to help him fight through whatever the universe had to throw at him, not after what they had been through together. A tale worthy of true heroes had been laid out for them and forged them together with a bond stronger than steel that couldn't be shattered by the mightiest of forces.

"Look! Over there!" Skurd pointed out with a slimy pseudopod; Crashhopper followed the Slimebiote's direction and set his sights on the cloaked figure as he effortlessly leaped from tree to tree as if he were a monkey, bouncing off tree branches and swinging his entire odd weight a great distance with a single hand before back flipping through the air to land on another tree limb and continue the entire process again.

With a grunt, Crashhopper crashed back down to the ground before bounding away once more, shooting through the air like a guided missile at the cloaked figure and overshooting him to land on the closest branch in front, swiping at the cloaked man with his claws; the archer expertly flipped over his arm and continued his hectic race through the treetops only to have Crashhopper try and cut him off a second time with another swipe of his claws that the cloaked figure simply ducked under and threw himself out into empty space to plummet down towards the ground. At the last second, he landed on a flexible tree limb and was sent flying through the air as the branch snapped back up and high into the trees once more as Crashhopper landed back on the ground and leaped once more to ram his head right through the tree branch the archer had just landed on and send him plunging through the air a second time.

"I'll admit, he's good." Crashhopper grumbled when he caught sight of the cloaked figure slow his descent by grabbing onto a branch and using his momentum to swing his entire body weight around and send him flying towards the next branch like a wild gibbon swinging through the trees. "But not good enough!" he added as he bounded off of the stump of the branch he was resting on and threw his entire body weight into the cloaked figure, successfully crashing into him and sending the two of them falling to the ground while they thrashed and struggled and grappled about until they finally landed in a puff of wet snow with the unknown assassin being fortunate and skilled enough to land on top of Crashhopper and pin him in place.

"So . . . the legends _are_ true." the cloaked man said with a silken whisper, grabbing the front of Crashhopper's overalls to pull his face less than a foot to his. "But why waste such power?"

"You call _this_ wasting!?" Crashhopper snarled, shifting his powerful legs underneath of the cloaked figure and kicking him back into the trunk of a tree, shaking some snow lose to fall down on him; the alien arthropod climbed to his feet and glowered at the cloaked man as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"Alright, _you_ , I want some answers! And I want them now!" he demanded angrily, jamming an accusing finger at the assassin.

Skurd spoke up, puffing his chest with pride and trying to look furious. "You heard the lad! Starting spilling or I get nasty!"

"You mean nastier than you already are, pond scum?" the archer snarked.

"Pond- why you-!" Skurd growled angrily; granted, it was not the dreaded insult that involved bits of biological matter that came forth from ones nose that was occasionally picked at under the guise of scratching an out of reach itch, but the words still stun like glass embedded in ones foot.

"Enough games!" Ben shouted angrily. "Either start talking or I put the hurt on you!"

"By all means," the cloaked figure hissed as he climbed to his feet and reached inside of his cloak with a hand, barely moving as he seemed to wait for something; what it was, Ben had no idea. "But I never comprise."

"Comprise _this!_ " Ben yelled as he activated the Omnitrix and slammed down on the core, swallowing himself in a blast of green light that warped and scrambled his genetic code into something new. A coating of light, blue fur raced over his body, covering him from head to toe as his spine arched and forced him down onto his hands just as his fingers molded together like hot candle wax into three, firm digits designed to grasp and swing as his toes lengthened and became three, strong digits as well; Ben's skin flashed a dark blue as his shoulder swelled slightly and became muscled and furry while his chest expanded and muscles and tissue piled themselves up onto his body. His skeleton crunched and snapped loudly as he was compressed down to the size of a large dog, his spine arching and cracking nosily before a long, prehensile tail snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking back and forth with anticipation as several special organs formed at the base of the appendage. His lower jaw was thrust outwards as the warm fur covered his face and his eyes split into two more pairs of green orbs as the shaggy hair on his head flipped up to form a pair of furry horns. The most dramatic transformation however was when a pair of identical arms to his original pair suddenly burst forth from his sides from underneath him, flexing and moving on their own accord as two, green sashes formed across Ben's chest with the Omnitrix at the center, completing the transformation.

With a horrendous screech, Spidermonkey lunged at the masked assailant, slamming into him and pinning him against the tree trunk with all four of his arms and legs as he leaned in while chattering irritably. "Enough monkey business! Who are you!?"

The cloaked figure by slugging the Arachnichimp across the face, knocking him to the snow as the cloak wrapped archer brushed himself off. "Pathetic," he murmured. "But if you must know, the name is Jeager the Beast Hunter."

" _Ook! Ook!_ Did your mommy give you that name?" Spidermonkey taunted as he pushed himself back up onto his feet and assumed a fighting stance, gesturing with two taunting hands to come at him as he narrowed his eyes.

Whatever the reason however, this seemed to be the hunter's trigger; while Spidermonkey couldn't quite put his sticky, grasping finger on it, something about him seemed to change from being cold and emotionless to something little more than a loud and enraged warrior, much like how the Arachnichimp was feeling at the moment. With a loud yell, Jeager simultaneously reached inside of his cloak and whipped four razor edged throwing knifes that glinted in the sun for the briefest of seconds before they were hurled through the air with deadly accuracy right at Spidermonkey. The Arachnichimp screeched with surprise and bent over backward as far as possible; time seemed to slow down as he shifted and flailed his arms to avoid the blades as they passed between his arms and head, the fourth just barely grazing past his face as he leaned back just an inch further to avoid it before time seemed to speed up once more and finally allow the blades to stab deep into a fallen log a distance behind Spidermonkey, sinking in up to almost three inches.

Spidermonkey didn't have to admire the assassin's skill as he just barely back flipped out of the way of Jeager's as he attempted to strike him while distracted; the Arachnichimp whipped his tail around and shot off a jet of wet silk at the hunter's face, successfully blinding him as he landed and giving him enough time to charge forward on all four of his knuckles and spring into the air, landing a quick kick to Jeager's chest that sent him reeling backwards while Spidermonkey landed squarely on the ground, assuming the same fighting stance as before.

"You filthy primate . . ." Jeager hissed as he tore the sticky silk from his face and spat at the ground.

"Takes one to know one. _Ook! Ook!_ " Spidermonkey smirked, gesturing with his fingers.

Jeager was all too happy to oblige and quickly reached inside of his cloak, sliding what remained of the seven throwing knives he carried with him at all times and lunged forward with the blades held between his fingers with a clenched fist, giving him the appearance of steel claws as he lunged forward and swiped at Spidermonkey's face, just barely missing as the Arachnichimp leaped back and out of harm's way, firing off twin jets of silk that Jeager ducked under the first and leaped over the second, slashing at Spidermonkey once more with his knives.

"Never fear! Skurd is here!" the Slimebiote declared as he oozed and slithered his gelatinous body over one of Spidermonkey's four arms and tapped into one of the genetic samples of the Omnitrix; the silken, blue fur bristled and became crusty, hardening into glimmering crystals that melted and oozed together like glistening molasses before solidifying into a bulky, crystalline arm that quickly generated and formed a wide and tough shield just big enough and in the nick of time to block a third swipe of Jeager's metallic claws. To his surprise, the knives shattered against the tough diamond like glass, the glistening shards falling to the snow as the fallen feathers of a helpless bird nailed in midflight by a falcon fluttered and fell through the air.

"And you say I don't do anything useful." Skurd winked at Spidermonkey.

"Guess that's just the way the banana peels." Spidermonkey smirked at Jeager as the hunter briefly mourned the death of his weapons. This didn't last long as he charged straight at the Arachnichimp head on, startling him into raising his Petrosapien shield at the last second and shove into his chest, rolling the hunter over him and throwing him behind him where he crashed upside down against the trunk of a tree and slumped to the ground, greatly annoyed. "Alright, big, bad, and brooding, cut to the chase! _Ook! Ook!_ Why are you here!? _Ook! Ook!_ "

Jeager grumbled something incoherently under his as he righted himself and charged straight at Spidermonkey with deadly intent, flipping over the fallen log and easily yanking his four throwing knives out of the tough, rotting wood to hurl them at the Arachnichimp, aiming high and low so as not to miss; the alien primate yelped and quickly blocked the first two with his shield before flipping and balancing on his head to dodge the first and pushing up and jumping over the fourth to slam his shield into the snow, kicking it up and blinding Jeager in the process.

" _Ook! Ook!_ C'mon _,_ talk! What's the fun of getting revenge if you don't say anything!?" Spidermonkey snarled with annoyance as the Petrosapien arm and shield vanished and the DNA was returned to the Omnitrix by Skurd.

"You pathetic . . . disgusting . . ." Jeager hissed as he once again reached his coat and pulled out a small, glass orb that crackled and rumbled violently with a dark, unstable energy that vibrated and rattled dangerously in his grip before he roughly pitched it at the ground; the sphere exploded in a cloud of putrid, blackened smoke and energy that blasted Spidermonkey back a short distance and cut off his acute hearing and leaving him all but blind and unprepared as Jeager charged forward and tackled him to the ground, grabbing hold of his tail and swinging him around and around in tight circle to throw him against a tree with a loud _thwack!_

"Ben!"

Spidermonkey groaned and shook his head as he picked himself up and rubbed his throbbing, aching skull. His vision must have gotten messed up from the blow, his sight spinning and making him see and hear things; for a second, he thought he heard the cry of his beloved Raven caress his eardrums. And then he quickly found out that he wasn't hearing things when the witchling rushed up behind Jeager and clapped her hands together, firing off a concentrated beam of unstable and chaotic magic and energy that slammed into Jeager's back and sent him sprawling through the snow where he came to a stop with groan.

"Ben! Are you alright?" Raven asked worryingly, kneeling and placing her hands upon the Arachnichimp's shoulders while she looked him over.

Spidermonkey waved her off, greatly confused. "I'm fine, Rae. But what are you doing here!? _Ook! Ook!_ "

Raven rolled her eyes. "Like we're going to leave you fight alone." she scoffed.

" _We?_ What do you mean by _we?_ "

A loud yell caught his attention. " _Eat cold, hard steel, you knave!_ " he heard Daring shout loudly as the prince swung at Jeager with what one could be compared to as somewhat sloppy; it wasn't his fault though, considering he had grabbed hold of the first sword within reach and hadn't anticipated it to be heavy than what he was use to. He found this be inconsequential at the moment with Jane's life on the line and Spidermonkey in need of any leeway he could get. The Beast hunter growled as he bobbed and weaved his head to avoid the cutting blade before reaching inside and behind his cloak to pull out a short bladed sword that he quickly slammed against Daring's blade to bring the two of them to a standstill.

" _Pathetic._ " Jeager growled as he inched his blade forward and quickly pushed Daring off of him, only to just very narrowly avoid getting shot from above; a quick glance at the trees revealed hunter with a bow and a limited supply of arrows sniping from the branches with a deep scowl upon his face as he took careful aim and just barely missed as Jeager leaped into the air and did the splits, the arrow just barely missing his nether regions before sinking deeply into the tree behind him. Daring took the assassin's distraction to his advantage and gave an almighty downward swing with a loud yell that alerted Jeager into raising his sword up in an attempt to block the strike, only to widen his eyes with shock when Daring managed to slice right through and break the blade in two.

With little time to spare, Jeager jumped above a quick cleave from Daring and up to the lowest branch some dozen feet above the ground, swinging himself upwards before he launched himself through the air, spinning his body tightly while doing so to grab the last spare daggers he kept on hand and only in emergencies to hurl at Daring, missing the prince's head by mere centimeters as he bent his legs and landed low to the ground; the Beast Hunter snapped his arms out to the side, revealing a pair of glistening, sharpened wrist blades affixed and strapped to his forearms as he blew a strand of jet black hair out of his face.

"Enough monkeying around," Spidermonkey glowered as everyone stood motionless, barely breathing; Raven turned to face Jeager with a cold, venomous glare could have frozen even the hottest of flames as her fingers and hands danced with unstable, chaotic magic she was cursed by and forced to manipulate and bend to her will while Spidermonkey edged forward on his knuckles with his tail aimed and ready to fire at a moments notice. Daring tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, sweat dripping down from the previous sudden act of motion as Hunter watched them all like a hawk from above, his eyes flickering from friend to foe and back again to pick up on the tiniest, minute shifts in body movement to know when to strike. "We have you four to one.

"Ahem. I believe you mean _five_ to one." Skurd coughed to signal that his existence was still sound.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Either way, when you do the math, you're outnumbered."

Jeager passively began to slow his breathing to steady his pulsing heart as he glanced from foe to foe, his mind racing and calculating the number of ways he could attack or be attacked, defend or be defended from, and just about anything else that might happen thanks to his years of endless searching and hunting for the hideous creatures and beasts that lurked within the inky black shadows that the world attempted to sweep them into and forget about; the prince was most definitely overconfident and cocky and would most likely be his own downfall, foolishly leaving a spot open for him to exploit upon. The fight would have to be taken to the air or trees to take care of the huntsman or figure our a way to bring him down to the ground, but he could tell that while he was much more levelheaded than Daring, he was nonetheless easily coaxed into going too far and making a fool out of himself when he lost. The witchling was undeniably unpredictable, but would no doubt be the easiest out of the bunch to take of in a number of ways, especially with several special tricks up his sleeve. The Arachnichimp and his slimy parasite of a partner however, posed a problem; with the device the two of them were linked up to, one could change into any of nearly an infinite amount of forms to attack him with while the other could access the other forms and bring them out into the world through the use of weapons and other devices to aid in an assault. They were the true wild cards.

And in Jeager's world, there was little room for wild cards.

"Alright, you vile villain, start talking!" Daring demanded, edging his sword forward to emphasis his point. "Why have you attacked yon helpless, fair maiden, Jane?"

Spidermonkey gave him an irked expression. "If you talk like that about my ghoul one more time . . ."

Daring coughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

Jeager took the chance given to him and spun around in a wide circle, his hidden blades whistling through the air as he slashed right at Daring and knocked the distracted prince's sword out of his hands and sent it skidding and sinking into the snow a good distance away, too far out of reach for him to get to in time; the hidden blades vanished back into the sleeves of his cloak as Jeager lashed out with his leg and swept Daring's feet out from underneath of him, sending him landing face first into the snow with a groan.

Hunter quickly fired off his drawn arrow and began to notch, draw, and fire off more and more, succeeding in creating a rapidly raining storm of arrows; the wrist blades slid back out from Jeager's wrist as he raised them in time to block an arrow aimed at his shoulder and swiftly blocked another aimed at his abdomen, quickly adjusting the blades as needed to block the upcoming onslaught of arrows moments before he back flipped through the air and landed squarely on Daring's back with a sickening _crack!_ and a loud yelp from the prince. The Beast Hunter ignored his pitiful whimpering and used him as a spring board and launch himself towards the tree trunk behind him to then ricochet off and leap right towards Hunter with fingers raised and clenched like claws and his wrist blades gleaming in the sunlight. Time seemed to slow down once more as Hunter's eyes widened and he lowered his bow, making a move to run and jump down to the safety as time seemed to speed up again and allow Jeager to slam full force into his body, the two of them landing on a thick branch some distance down.

"Show me what you've got, Huntsman." Jeager sneered as the two of them stood and balanced upon the branch, the assassin blowing another strand of ash colored hair aside before hacking and spitting and then proceeding to lung at Hunter with the sharpened blade forcing him to bend back to avoid getting sliced in half. With his heart in his throat, Hunter ducked under another swipe of the blades and jumped over the third, landing on the flat of the blade and succeeding in kicking Jeager in the face; this allowed the huntsman to now use his fists and punch the archer in the gut as hard as possible before decking him across the face. The wrist blades slid back into hiding once more just before Jeager effortlessly caught Hunter's next strike between two of his fingers, a dark and glowering expression upon his face as Hunter gulped nervously. Faster than he could react or even blink, the Beast Hunter swiftly flicked his wrist and easily twisted Hunter's arm around, driving the heel of his boot into his back and eliciting both a cry of pain from Hunter and a loud _snap!_ from his forearm and hand.

Raven winced. "That's gonna hurt in the morning."

"No kiddin'." Spidermonkey crined as Hunter was roughly thrown over the side and landed face down in the snow with a groan, his arm twisted at an unnatural as Jeager jumped and landed down on the ground with barely a scratch upon; to make matters worse, the Omnitrix decided right then and there to time out, returning Ben to the world in a blast of green light.

"Your true form, I can assume?" Jeager spoke in an emotionless tone. "You show potential and great skill, kid. But why waste your talents on creatures that hardly deserve them?"

Ben glared, balling his hands up into fists. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I sure as hell don't like it; you shot my _ghoulfriend_ and injected her with some kind of poison! She could die!"

Jeager scoffed. "That's the point, kid. She isn't worth keeping around for whatever dirty deeds you use her for."

Ben gritted his teeth with a quickly reddening face. "That's not . . . you- _she was my ghoulfriend!_ " he snapped angrily.

"Emphasis on the 'was'," Jeager seemed to drawl with a barely amused tone. "Hydra blood-tipped arrows: like a living acid, it will slowly infect the body and dissolve tissue and muscle, causing internal bleeding and an abnormally high fever with sporadic hot and cold flashes. She'll be dead within an hour."

That did it for Ben. "Skurd," he growled in a threatening tone as he narrowed his eyes at the Beast Hunter. "Get me Rath."

"It would be my pleasure." the Slimebiote bowed as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix and encompassed himself in a flash of blinding green light. Ben's arms swelled as his veins popped out, alien blood coursing through his systems as muscles piled themselves on top of each other, increasing his size and considerable bulk while his legs increased in strength and length, stretching his growing frame upwards until he stood a good four feet taller than Raven and Jeager. A deep, orange coat of fur sprouted all over his body as his hands, feet, chest, and neck bleached and turned a snowy white while black stripes arched and etched their way across his broadening shoulders; a handful of whiskers sprouted from his face as his jaw crunched forward and his curved over his top lip, tearing through his gums as they did so. His hands became stronger and more powerful as a single, black claw thrust itself out from the back of either hand and a black and green luchador outfit materialized on Ben, completing the transformation when a massive belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared around his waist.

With a loud roar, the Appoplexian pounded his fists against his chest like a mighty gorilla and slammed his fists into the snow for extra emphasis as he glared and growled at the Beast Hunter with pure hatred in his eyes. "Lemme tell ya somethin' Jeager the Beast Hunter, stupid assassin that shot Rath's beloved ghoulfriend, Jane Boolittle! You just boarded the pain train! Prepare to have your ticket punched: _SEVERELY!_ "

Jeager blinked with slight amazement at the enraged Appoplexian towering over him and sucked in a deep breath as the hidden wrist blades slowly slid out from their hiding spots with the low sound of metal on metal. The two foes starred down at one another for what seemed an eternity, neither party moving before the other, until Rath had finally had enough and dropped down to all fours to charge head long at Jeager, snorting and growling like an enraged bull as he did so. "Satyrian Headbutt!" he shouted as he rammed his skull into the Beast Hunter's chest full force, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him to the ground as Rath passed overhead and screeched to a halt some distance away, turning around and snorting with annoyance.

"Thep Khufan Sarcophagus Shot!" Rath roared as he grabbed hold of a nearby rotting log and easily hefted it over head to swing it downward like a club and try to drive Jeager into the ground like a stake just as the cloaked man swiftly dodged to the left and narrowly avoided getting crushed; he then made a leap for the nearest tree, to try and attack from above with his bow and arrows where he would have the advantage of blackmail as he was quite sure even the dimwitted Appoplexian was capable of understanding that getting shot with an arrow dipped in Hydra's blood was not going to be a pleasant experience. Before he could however make a run for it however, a shimmering wall of energy erected itself between him and the nearest tree, holding firm when he slammed right into it and stumbled back in a daze.

Raven frowned, her fingers thrust out and glowing a suspicious lavender in color. "You aren't going anywhere."

"What she said!" Rath added as he broke the rotten log over his knee and broke in two and chucked one of the pieces at Jeager before following up with the second; the Beast Hunter easily sidestepped them and quickly ducked to the ground to slid between Rath's legs as the Appoplexian charged at him with a shoulder shot, slamming into a tree with enough force to topple it over where it landed with a loud _crash!_

"Watch the crown!" Daring groaned from the ground as the Appoplexian whirled around and threw a punch at the spot where Jeager had been standing mere seconds ago, only to suddenly swing to his left and narrowly miss the assassin once more; Jeager back flipped out of the way of Rath's meaty paws as he yelled "Tetramand Cymbal Clap!" at the top of his lungs and crashed his hands together in an attempt to squish him. The wrist blades slid out once more just in time for the Beast Hunter to block a swipe of the Appoplexian's claw and then push up the blades to shove him back and slash at him; Rath made a move to try and grab, his hand slamming into the ground where the assassin had been mere seconds before only to have him run up his arm and use his back as a springboard, launching himself high up into the air and back into the forest's branches.

Rath growled in annoyance. "Lemme tell ya somethin', Jeager the Beast Hunter! Rath is quickly losing his patience! Not that he even had any in the first place!"

Skurd sighed. "Will you stop your silly bellowing and go after him already? Your ghoulfriend's life hangs in the balance!"

"Lemme tell ya Skurd the Slimebiote, a parasite I never wanted in the first place but am beginning to begrudgingly like in spite of myself! Rath is gonna-"

"Ben! The more time you waste, the less time Jane has to live!" Raven yelled at him.

"Right. Sorry." Rath growled as he launched himself at the nearest tree and stabbed his claws deep into the wood and bark, hauling his considerable bulk up just in time to duck under a swing of Jeager's blades as he leaped from his tree to the Appoplexian's, landing on the same branch as him. With a roar, Rath swung his fist at him, missing as the Beast Hunter leaped up over the strike and landed on his shoulders before back flipping onto a higher branch above just as the Appoplexian jumped and slashed with a claw, slicing the branch in half and sending the two of them tumbling over the side where they landed on another branch, Rath slowing his fall by digging his claws into the bark as Jeager landed on his back and ducked under a swipe of Rath's claws and dodged another attempt before he then just barely dodged a third downward swing that forced him to spread his legs apart as far as possible to avoid getting impaled.

Jeager sighed with relief before clapped both of his legs together, smacking them as hard as possible against Rath's jaws and sending him stumbling back along the branch as the assassin climbed to his feet and pulled his second sword out from under his cloak and slashed at the Appoplexian, missing by mere inches; he then quickly jumped back as Rath lunged at him, grabbing hold of a smaller branch and using his momentum to swing himself around and kick Rath in the jaw before landing on the branch opposite of him.

"That's it! Lemme tell ya somethin' Jeager the Beast Hunter! It's go time!" the Appoplexian bellowed. "Incursean Ambassador!" he yelled as he lunged at the assassin and missed.

"Cosmic Drop!" Rath shouted as he cupped both hands together into a single fist and attempted to crush Jeager beneath him, missing once more as he grabbed hold of the Appoplexian's shoulders and flipped himself over to avoid getting struck.

" _Sirius Butt-Kicking!_ " Rath roared as he successfully managed to kick Jeager in the gut and send him crashing against the tree; his sword fell to the forest floor below, out of reach. With his heart hammering in his chest, the Beast Hunter turned to face the lumbering Appoplexian as he stomped along the branch to bear down on him, shaking the limb with every step as he slammed a hand into the trunk above his head and edged the sharpened tip of a claw to Jeager's throat as a low growl escaped his lips.

Skurd coughed. "On behalf of my host, I believe the safest option would be to start talking. Nothing short of one of your crude atomic bombs would stop an enraged Appoplexian." the Slimebiote seemed to smirk.

Jeager glared up at Rath with pure hatred in his eyes, attempting to find some kind of weakness he could exploit, but nothing short of the Appoplexian's limited intelligence would save him now and even that was out of reach with his sights entirely set upon him; with nothing else to lose, Jeager took a deep breath and began to speak in a low and forced tone, as if every word was like stabbing a knife through his beating heart. "Just like you will lose your vile monster of a spouse, I loss something long ago," he spat angrily. "It was getting close to nightfall and I had been out gathering firewood to keep my family warm, for the night's were getting to be chilled and cold. I was deep in the wood, picking up sticks and kindling to feed the fire and was heading back when I saw them: horrifying, monstrous, vile, disgusting, awful killing machines flooded out of the blackened forest that bordered my village, attacking the livestock and villagers and anything that moved with a beating heart that attempted to flee. With a scream I grabbed hold of the nearest weapon, a discarded pitch fork and rushed to try and defend the only home I knew; I fought for every last cent I was worth, trying and killing as many as the wretched beast's as I could to try and salvage as much as my life as could be saved."

Rath never wavered in his dark glare, snorting with annoyance to ask for Jeager to continue. "It was then I heard the scream. The scream . . . of my mother." the Beast Hunter said with a slight shake in his voice. "I-I . . . I ran as fast as I could through the village, my only goal to save my family as he pushed through the hordes of terrifying monstrosities as they tore into the bodies of my friends and neighbors and savagely feasted upon their still living bodies; I didn't care about them then, I only had my sights set upon saving my family." he recounted before taking a deep breath. "And then _he_ appeared."

"Who?" Skurd raised an eyebrow.

" _I'm getting to that, alright!?_ " Jeager snapped angrily, immediately jerking his head back as Rath edged his claw closer, forcing him to continue. "It was a creature that absolutely dwarfed me with hooves strong enough to crush rocks like pebbles, a rack of antlers bigger than a full grown bull intertwined with vines and ivy, a mouthful of razor-sharp, dagger-like teeth, a decaying form that reeked of rotting flesh, and those eyes . . . I would never forget them as he pulled his claws out of the still bleeding corpse of my little sister and starred at me . . . and laughed . . . like this was all a joke to him." Jeager shuddered, his eyes squeezed shut as he sat there for a minute or two, swallowing deep breaths while Rath and Skurd shared a look before he opened his eyes once more and began talking in a cold, heartless tone of voice. "With tears of rage, I rushed at him with the intent to seek vengeance upon my father, mother, brother, and sister, all of whom I was too late to save, but he hurled me back like I was nothing but a nuisance to him; the last thing I saw before he sent me into oblivion, leaving me to wake up later with my life spared and everything I knew destroyed, were those eyes of his . . . h-he . . . he _knew_ what he was doing . . . and was _loving_ it, absolutely loved it as he shattered my life in thousands of pieces."

"And that gave you the right to shoot Rath's ghoulfriend!?" Rath yelled angrily.

" _YES!_ " Jeager shouted back, slapping his legs together around the Appoplexian's ankles and twisting his lower half just enough that Rath lost balance and fell over and off the branch, hanging on only by his fingers as he glanced at the ground below him and back upwards while Jeager climbed to his feet, brushed himself off, and promptly stomped his boot down on the Appoplexian's fingers, eliciting a fought back growl of pain. "From that day on I swore I would seek vengeance and would not rest until _every, last, wretched monster_ upon his miserable world was extinguished and knew the agony I went through as I tried to piece back together the broken shards of my life; but I save a special place on my mantle for that beast . . . for that cruel _monster_ that changed by life forever."

"And I don't suppose you'd let us off with a warning?" Skurd guessed.

Jeager ignored him. "And I am not about to let a traitor to his own species that refuses to use the power he has been given for such a worthy cause to get in my way." he snarled as he raised his foot up again and stomped it down as hard as possible upon Rath's hand, succeeding in popping two fingers lose as the Appoplexian howled in pain.

"Never fear! Skurd is here!" the Slimebiote declared as he tapped into the genetic database of the Omnitrix fastened to the buckle of Rath's belt and oozed and slithered his gelatinous body over the Appoplexian's free arm and into his hand; a long cable of packed with biological muscles that weaved and intertwined with one another sprouted from between the muscular fingers while skin as dark as ebony grafted itself over and enveloped it in blackness just as a bronze-colored plug with forked protrusions formed at the end, crackling and buzzing with an unstable amount of electricity while the back end of the weapon formed into a tough, black hilt tipped with a second, closed off plug with a pair of metallic bolts popping lose on either side and completing the Conductoid whip.

With a grunt, Rath lashed his new weapon up and wrapped it tightly around Jeager's ankle, snapping the whip taunt and pulling the Beast Hunter over the side just as his fingers gave way and he followed suit. "Lewodan Anvil Drop!" the Appoplexian roared as he thrust out his elbow and landed painfully on the assassin gut just as they landed in the snow; Raven winced and cringed as Rath staggered to his feet and was encompassed in a flash of green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world.

"Nice work," Ben noted as he gave the Conductoid whip a loud crack, releasing a jolt of electricity from the other end as he did so. "I think I'll call it Livewire."

"And the silly naming begins again." Skurd sighed before a sudden movement caught his attention. " _Watch out!_ " he warned a second too late as Jeager popped back up onto his feet and slugged Ben across the face, grabbing him by the shoulders and thigh and lifting his full body weight off of the ground to swing it around several times before throwing him as hard as he could across the clearing and into the trunk of a tree with a loud _thwack!_

"Ben!" Raven cried with worry before turning to face Jeager with an angry expression; there was little that would greatly upset the witchling and make her use the dark side of the powers she had been cursed with from birth, things such as a certain guitar playing thief interrupting her performance or the Headmaster's attempts irritating her enough to turn him into a chicken-man and spend the next couple of horrors literally signing his papers in chicken scratch, but watching her beloved boyfriend being attacked was the all time trump card. Raven balled her hands up into fists and felt the chaotic and twisted magic course through her veins as much as her blood did, radiating and concentrating at her fingertips as she slowly began to lose the firm grasp she kept on her conscious mind. " _Mercuta Ver-_ "

She was quickly cut off as Jeager reached inside of his cloak for what seemed the infinite time and pulled out another small, glass orb that crackled and rumbled violently with a dark, unstable energy that vibrated and rattled dangerously in his grip as he clenched his fingers pinched the sphere at Raven; the next thing the witchling new was absolute agony and pain as her entirely vision was encompassed in a blinding light and a blast of energy that sent her flying against a tree where she slumped down to the ground, severely dazed and disoriented. She couldn't tell which way was up or which way was down, what was light or what was dark, what was hot or what was cold, all she could tell that was that she was absolutely helpless now and that everything hurt with a severe, numbing sensation.

"I said I wasn't about to let anything or anyone stand in my way," Jeager snarled as he reached down and picked up his fallen sword; Daring feebly tried to reach for the weapon with shaking fingers, failing as the Beast Hunter picked up the sword and experimentally ran the sharpened blade along his thumb to test its sharpness. "I honestly was planning on leaving such creatures as yourself out of my vendetta, I really was; but you leave me little other choice than to end you."

Raven could barely comprehend the words that flowed and babbled like Riddlish from his lips as he spun his sword with great skill around in his fingers; she attempted to try and erect a protective dome over herself or cast a charm or spell to save her, but the moment she tried if felt like her hand was submerged entirely in a bucket of scalding, hot coals that made her hiss painfully and instinctively thrust her hand into the snow to try and cool it down.

"Magic bomb; numbs the senses and blocks the pathways of energy that allows a magic user such as yourself to perform spells, charms, curses, and the likes." Jeager explained in a casual manner. "It's a pity, really. You seemed like such a nice girl."

Raven could little else other than give of a sickly groan that sounded hard on her throat.

"Just to show you there aren't any harsh feelings, I'll grant you a swift death. No suffering and all that." Jeager promised as he raised his sword above his head with the pointed end aimed for her back right where her heart would be beating in her chest; before the Beast Hunter could finish the job however, a loud, guttural roar assaulted his eardrums and he turned a second to late to see Cerise running on all fours through the snow with her eyes glowing an intense amber and her sharp canines bared and ready to tear into flesh as she leaped into the air and pounced upon him, tackling him to the ground and roaring all the while.

"No one touches my Raven!" Cerise roared in a deeper tone than what she known for as she savagely raked her clenched fingers across Jeager's face and body like claws, leaving harsh scratches and bruises that occasionally drew blood wherever they dug too deep; Jeager's eyes were wide with confusion and surprise as he retched his hand free and delivered a swift uppercut to Cerise's jaw, stunning her long enough that he could get his legs up underneath of her and kick her away.

"What in the kingdom are you!?" Jeager growled, leveling his sword at Cerise.

"Werewolf." was all the Riding Hood said.

Jeager raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like-" he managed to say before a long howl cut him off and he turned around just in time to be slugged across the face by Clawdeen, the werewolf relishing in being able to use her own hands for once and not have to depend on the device gifted to and strapped to her wrist all the time.

Cerise coughed and held her bruised stomach as she glanced up at Clawdeen with a small smile. "Perfect timing as usual." she commented; before the werewolf could retort, the halfbreed scrambled to her feet and rushed over to Raven, landing on her knees as she carefully turned the paralyzed witchling over and briefly set her sensitive ears to her chest to make sure her breathing and heartbeat were normal. When she pulled away, she felt her breath catch in her throat upon catching sight of the witchling now in her care, how with her eyes closed she looked so peaceful despite undoubtedly being in an unbearable amount of pain right now. With great care brushed a lock of violet hair out of Raven's face and gently pulled her up to rest her against the tree, wincing when her head lolled limply to the side.

"R-Raven? Can you hear me?" she asked worriedly.

The young witch mumbled some incomprehensible as she attempted to blink her eyes open and gain a better understanding of her surroundings now that her sight was start to ebb back to her like the trickle of a river before the mighty flood. "Cer . . . ise . . ?" she moaned.

The Riding Hood sighed with relief as she hugged Raven tightly. "Glad to see you're still with us." she smiled jokingly before turning to glare venomously at Jeager as he stabbed his blade into the ground to help him to his feet. "But if you'll excuse me, I have someone to maim."

Clawdeen dropped down to all fours and slowly began to stalk Jeager in a circle, a rather awkward gait for her to be moving in as she regarded him warily, her golden eyes narrowing and shifting to inspect every part of him with the calculating look of a predator towards its prey; she didn't know much about her adversary, but from the way Daring, Hunter, and Raven were lying either delirious or unconscious amongst a meadow of discarded knives and broken weapons that seemed to spring up like flowers, he was a worthy adversary. With a low growl, she bared her teeth and came to a pause, her breath slow and calm before she bounded forward with a loud roar just Jeager swung his sword; the werewolf leaped over the blade, the glinting edge just barely grazing her breasts as she flipped and tucked herself in a tight ball to roll against the ground and sweep her leg out to swipe the Beast Hunter's feet out from underneath him.

Ben groaned as he propped himself up on his elbow, watching as Cerise pounced on his back and shoved his face into the snow with her clenched fingers clinging to the back of his neck moments before he gave a twist of his body and knocked her off, sending her plunging into the snow where he managed to reverse positions and pin her down; Clawdeen snarled and lunged at him, tackling the assassin off of Cerise and to the snow where a short scuffle ensued between the two of them with claws meeting fist and fangs greeting steel until Jeager managed to flip his sword around and grab it by the blade to ram the hilt of the weapon in Clawdeen's gut and knock the wind out of her long enough for him to grab her by the leg and swing her around to slam into Cerise, sending the two wolf-born tumbling through the snow, dazed.

"It's time to end this once and for all," Ben moaned as he climbed to his feet, using the tree as a support as Skurd returned the Conductoid DNA to the Omnitrix's genetic database.

The Slimebiote nodded. "I couldn't agree more." he said before he compressed himself down upon the Omnitrix and swallowed his host in a blast of green light that rearranged and scrambled his genetic code into something new. Ben felt every fiber and cell within himself being ripped apart at the molecular level, becoming lose and separated with no distinct connection between any of them yet remaining loosely locked in place; he felt a sort of darkness within himself, a vile serpent that was curling its way around his heart and soul as the dark fibers began to condense and pack back together into a somewhat more solid form. Ben could feel every part of the painless, numbing transformation as the black fibers wound and wove together to form the standard body of a four-legged animal complete with four, powerful legs that ended in sharp, black hooves like that of obsidian and volcanic rock and a tail that consisted mostly of stray hairs much like one would find on a horse or other equestrian. The shadows began to form what seemed to be a head, only for Ben to discover that the fibers were morphing themselves into a muscled torso as four, thin, muscled arms formed on the chest and torso with two on either side; a somewhat human-shaped head formed on the end of a slim neck as pointed ears sprouted forth from the back of the jawline while a pair of green orbs opened up at the front, blinking experimentally as dark, midnight hair sprouted from the scalp, tightening and condensing into a long, wavy wolf tail. A dark, green chestplate that contrasted nicely against his shadowy skin materialized on him followed by wrist guards, spiked shoulder pads, and a Roman-styled helmet with a bright, green plume, completing the transformation as Skurd and the Omnitrix appeared on his chest.

Phobos glowered and hissed venomously at Jeager, scuffing the snow with a hoof before he realized that thin wisps of smoke were curling off of his ever shifting body much to his horror. "Wrong transformation, Skurd!"

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" the Slimebiote cursed as he tapped into a familiar set of genetics and oozed his slimy body over every available part of the Varjoain; his ash-colored skin condensing and hardening as the vaporous, black fibers that made up his body began to bristle and become crusty, forming familiar crystals that molded together into flawless, durable diamond that shifted and shapened itself into armor to cover and protect the Varjoain from burning up in the harsh, winter sun.

Nodding with appreciation, Phobos summoned a kusarigama with dark, rattling chains the color of soot and a curved, sharpened blade like that of carefully crafted obsidian that gave off no glint of light against the winter's sunlight, and hurled the flaying hook through the air at Jeager, wrapping the hook and chains tightly around his sword and yanking it out of his grasp to toss carelessly over his shoulder. The Beast Hunter dared a peek behind him and hesitated upon catching sight of the shadowy creature covered in protective, Petrosapien armor that glimmered and shone while he swung the fearsome blade of the kusarigama in his grip.

" _Run._ " Phobos rasped in a deep, demonic voice that sent shivers down Jeager's spine as the Varjoain reared up onto his hind legs and estimated the air with his hooves as he did so, slamming back down into the snow and surging forward with the flaying hook swinging wildly, hungrily begging to be sent out to hunt for an unlucky soul and reel them back in; the cloaked moan quickly reached for his bow and notched three arrows at once, firing them off before drawing several more and firing them off at rapid speed in the hope of striking Phobos down and killing him with the addition of several poison laden arrows to speed up the process. This unfortunately proved to be absolutely fruitlessly as the arrows either bounced off of the strong, Petrosapien armor that coated the Varjoain's sensitive skin, passed right through the constantly shifting shadows, or were knocked aside by a single swing of the kusarigama.

Now out of arrows, Jeager resorted to the last two of his magic bombs and chucked them both at Phobos in the hopes of giving him a chance to escape, but both of the chaotically glowing spheres were merely whacked aside and exiled into the Enchanted Forest far off, detonating safely without harming anyone as the Varjoain continued to slowly, carefully, almost teasingly stride towards the Beast Hunter without ever blinking or tearing his gaze away. With one last trick literally up his sleeves, Jeager summoned the hidden wrist blades and assumed a shaking fighting stance that he attempted to hold while taking a cautious step back for everyone Phobos took forward; without a word, he lunged forward and leaped into the air to try and gain the upper hand with a strike from above, only for the Varjoain to cast out the kusarigama's curved flaying hook and clattering chain and succeed in wrapping it tightly around Jeager's shoulders and chest, pinning his arms and the sharpened blades to the side as Phobos yanked the chain down and slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

Jeager coughed and gasped for breath, watching as Phobos set a hoof down less than a few inches away from his face. "Go on, finish me. Kill me like the monster you are." he growled.

Phobos didn't answer right away and bent down to grab him by the front of his cloak and shirt with a single hand, easily hauling his entire frame off of the ground to bring him even to his face, lightly cocking his head as if regarding him with interest before he narrowed his eyes and pulled him closer so that he was but a breath away from the Varjoain's face. "I'm not going to kill you," Phobos hissed. "Rather, you are going to learn why you do _not_ go around killing innocent people, be they monsters or not."

Jeager coughed. "As if-"

" _SILENCE!_ " Phobos snarled, his eyes widening as they glowed a venomous green, forcing the Beast Hunter to stare right into them; no matter how hard he tried to look away, he found that he couldn't that he was absolutely helpless to gaze into the Varjoain's eyes and see the unspeakable.

He was back at his village, back at the place he had known all his life before it had all come crashing down on top of him like the fractured base of a towering structure to crush him and make him absolutely miserable. The air was thick with the choking smell of blood and decay, making it nearly impossible to breath as embers pelted against his pale skin from the blazing fires that consumed and engulfed the fallen and decimated houses and huts; the air was heavy with screams of villagers and the frightened howls of livestock mere moments before a thunderous roar would cut them off and end them with the sickening sound of wet flesh and crushing bone. Bodies of friends he had since childhood and neighbors that had known him far before then littered the ground, dead or dying as their blood stained the earth a dark crimson in color.

And then _he_ appeared.

One moment he wasn't there and then the next the hulking monstrosity was before him, towering over him even when resting his full body weight on his massive and calloused knuckles and giving off an absolutely horrendous odor of festering flesh and rot. The shoulders utterly massive and broad, attaching two a pair of bulky arms that looked like they could split whole logs in half with a mere flex of the impressive muscles underneath and tear out whole trees with the powerful fingers tipped with claws that could have dug through bare rock. Antlers above a small set of horns thrust themselves almost painfully out of his skull with the rotting remains of once green ivy draped among them like the cobwebs that insisted upon taking residence up in an ancient attic and hooves bigger than Jeager's skull studded the powerful legs that could have launched the beast dozens of feet into the air. But it was those eyes above a cage of gnarled and disfigured teeth that made his breathing quicken and his pulse race, those eyes that him sweat uncontrollably, those same eyes that looked upon him with a cruel and sadistic intelligence that knew full well what it was doing was hurting him specifically, that made the emotionless and unwavering Beast hunter cower like a frightened child.

The horrific monstrosity leered sadistically at Jeager, his head brown eyes glowing through the haze of smoke and ash like a pair of headlights as he uncurled one of his knuckles to reveal the massive claws the adorned each finger and slam it down into the dust, knocking the assassin off of his feet with thunderous _boom!_ accompanied by the sound of squishing flesh; Jeager gasped with fear, scooting back with shaking hands and feet when he caught sight of the corpse of his father underneath of the beast's claws, his mother's lifeless body lying under the creature's bulk with his younger brother and sister wrapped protectively in her arms. Their expressions were of one of pure agony, their mouths agape and eyes widened with horror, frozen forever in an eternal cacophony of screams while wondering _why._ Why had they deserved this? Why had they been taken? Why had their beloved son and brother not been there in time to save them?

"N-No . . . no! St-Stay back! Stay back!" Jeager yelled in a trembling voice. "G-Get away!"

The horrific monster merely growled, its cage of teeth twisting up into a cruel smile with a series of loud cracking sounds as it tore its claws out of the corpse of his father and stalked forward on its knuckles, blatantly ignoring the Beast Hunter's pleas.

"P-Please, go away! L-Leave me alone!" Jeager begged.

The monstrosity continued to ignore his beseeching and lumber towards him, his powerful shoulders slinking up and down with every movement as crimson stained saliva and drool dripped from his maw accompanied by a sinister growl.

"J-Just kill! Please, k-kill me!"Jeager pleaded, curling up into a tight ball and sobbing uncontrollably as he hugged his knees and buried his head into his chest.

Phobos watched with a somewhat awkward expression at the heaving, sobbing shell of a man on the ground at his hooves, a powerful and deadly hunter reduced to crying like a small child begging for some terrifying creature that went bump in the night go away; the Varjoain glanced away from Jeager and towards Cerise and Clawdeen as the former support Raven and Hunter with her shoulders and the later attempted to help Daring stand up without eliciting a horrifying crack from his back and pained scream from the prince.

Skurd coughed awkwardly. "Well . . . I think he's had enough, don't you?"

"Clearly." Phobos agreed as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in a flash of light while Skurd removed the Petrosapien armor that now adorned his host and returned it to the powerful device upon which he sat like a mighty throne. With that done, Ben proceeded to kneel down and cautiously poke Jeager in the arm, snapping his hand back when he lashed with his hand tightly grabbed Ben by the wrist.

"Y-You . . . ho . . . h-how did . . . is it-t over?" Jeager rasped with fear.

Ben nodded. "Yeah. It's over."

Jeager repeated the gesture with wide eyes and a blank stare, as if he were not entirely there with Ben at the moment despite his grip remaining firm on him; Clawdeen and Cerise bared their teeth and growled but held back after receiving a look from Ben. "H-How . . . why d-did . . . why did you show mercy . . .?" the Beast Hunter wanted to know. "A-After everything that I've done . . . injured your friends . . . harmed your loved ones . . . killed someone you held dear to you . . . w-why did you grant me mercy? I-I . . . I _scarred_ you for _life._ "

Ben sighed and shook his head. "See, that's the thing, Jeager," he said, curling his fingers around the Beast Hunter's wrist and carefully pulling him to his feet and holding him steady on his shaking legs. "The things of the past don't matter, not even the death of your family . . . what matters here, right now, in the present, is what you choose to be now."

Skurd hummed. "Surprisingly wise words."

"You could choose to continue on the path set out for you, the easy route that was opened up when your life was destroyed," Ben said, removing his hand from Jeager's grip to clap him on the shoulder. "Or you can choose to be something better . . . and less life threatening to those around you. Those feelings of fear and horror and sorrow you had? That's exactly how every monster feels when you cut down their friends, their family, their loved ones without being provoked for a good reason."

Jeager nodded, breathing heavily. "I . . . I never thought-"

" _BEN!_ "

Ben immediately whipped his head around at the sound of his name to see Venus come running through the woods as fast as her legs and the snow would allow her, her breath quick and sharp with tears streaming down her face as she held something wrapped up in layers and layers of borrowed coats and scarves and blankets; the plant monster stumbled on a hidden log and nearly crashing to the ground with the object in hand before regaining her footing and running faster towards Ben until she skidded to a stop and dropped to her knees, breathing heavily and ignoring the chilled feeling against her bare skin with her jacket hampered on top of the pile.

"Venus, what is it?" Ben asked urgently.

The plant monster choked and sniffed, not answering at first as she began to undo the tangle of scarves and blankets and coats that were tightly interwoven with one another until the entire half of one end of the object was undone to expose Jane's pale face; the shape-shifter looked even worse for wear, even with the arrow now removed from her shoulder in what must have been a painful manner for both ghouls with her pale, lilac skin that was nearly a deathly shade of white and the way she gasped for every single trembling breath with a shaking hand. Her whole body trembled violently as if she were eternally locked in a chilled state despite being cocooned in warmth and her eyes were half closed and rolled into the back of her head as she fought over every single last breath through her inflamed throat. "Sh-She's dying," Venus croaked. "I-I don't know how much time she has left!" she sobbed.

Ben immediately knelt down and placed a hand to Jane's forehead, hissing with worry when it was ice cold to his touch and just as freezing as the surrounding snow and frost; he checked her pulse and realized with a sickening apprehension that her heartbeat was getting deathly slow to the point where he could barely make it out. It was normal for Ben to shed tears or cry even during the worst of times, usually being the unmovable object that everyone could rely on to comfort them, but even he felt his eyes moisten and his face start to streak with salty tears.

"Venus . . . I think-"

" _Don't!_ " Venus shouted in anger stricken tears. "Don't say it!"

"Venus . . ."

The plant monster sniffed and covered her eyes with her hands. "I know, Ben, I know! B-But I c-can't lose her . . . I d-don't _want_ to lose her!" she sobbed, throwing herself on top of Jane to hug her tightly and try to share her body warmth with her in a fruitless attempt to save her beloved ghoulfriend. Ben sighed and grabbed Venus by the shoulders, pulling her off of Jane to stare hard at her with moist eyes on both parties, a mournful atmosphere forming over the whole group.

"Venus . . . let her go . . ." Ben sighed wearily.

"N-No! Never!" Venus cried, retching Ben's hands off of her before she turned to the Omnitrix strapped to her wrist. "I-I I know! I-I'll turn into Electra! I c-can save her! I can save her!" she cried hysterically as she beat a fist against the device upon her wrist in a panic stricken manner. Ben sighed and was about to tell Venus that it wasn't going to do any good, that Jane was too far gone to be saved no matter how he desperately wanted to, when he felt a cautious tap upon his shoulder and turned around to just in time to hear two words.

" _I'm sorry . . ._ " Jeager's voice whispered in his ear.

The Beast Hunter was nowhere to be seen, his various weapons lying discarded and forgotten in the snow for the elements to handle and take care of; in the spot where he had been standing before Venus' arrival, in the shallow pit his body had created upon reliving his living torment, was a small vial of some kind of green liquid with a cork in the top and a strip of tape with the word "Antidote" scrawled across in black marker.

Without wasting any time, Ben grabbed the vial in hand and uncorked the top, slipping his free hand under Jane's head to prop her up as her lips lolled apart to try and suck in desperately needed air; Venus watched with a worried expression, turning and covering her eyes in preparation for the worse even though she dared to peek through her fingers while Ben tipped the edge of the vial to Jane's lips and pour the entire contents into her mouth, rubbing her throat to get her to swallow and lay her back down into a restful position, hoping that everything would be alright.

"Is that stuff going to work?" Venus wonderedafter a few silent minutes in a more pleading manner.

Ben hesitated. "I . . . I don't know," he said as he turned over the vial and found a small, compacted list of ingredients. "It's made up of mandrake root, salamander blood, lionfish spines, ground unicorn horn, and wolfsbane if that helps . . ." he read off; a sudden gasp of breath caught their attentions and they looked down to see Jane breathing steadily once more, her breaths long and ragged but far more relaxed and at ease than the struggle to breath than beforehand; the jungle ghoul's pale, lavender skin was starting to darken and regain its color once more, her violent shakes and trembling reduced to the slight twitching of her fingers.

"It worked . . ." Venus croaked hoarsely with a relieved smile upon her lips as she took hold of Jane's and gave it a strong squeeze before hugging her tightly; Ben didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the both of them, finally able to relax knowing that what pieces of his family he had left were still whole and with him still. He could only hope that it would stay that way.

* * *

Cupid sighed happily as she snuggled in deeper to the warm, wool blanket that she had wrapped around herself while resting on a couch in front of the fireplace in the student lounge that the school offered to those that were in the higher of their classes compared to their peers; the lounge was open to all during the holidays, but for now it was surprisingly empty save for her and Dexter.

The young deity couldn't have been happier.

"H-hey, uh, Cupid?" Dexter asked.

"Mmmmh?" Cupid mumbled sleepily, getting herself nice and cozy inside of the blanket while using the prince's arm as a pillow to support her head.

"Um . . . er, you're k-kind of on my arm?"

Cupid mentally smiled, knowing that when her crush spoke in that tone of voice he was speaking with the red blush to his handsome face that drove her absolutely wild; her wings shifted slightly to press against her back in an attempt to keep them from making Dexter uncomfortable. "Is that a problem?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Kinda."

"Why's that?" Cupid asked without moving.

"Because Apple needs to ask you something. At least, I _think_ it's Apple?" Dexter sounded confused. "Is it my imagination or did she go goth?"

Cupid's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Apple standing over the pair with an apologetic look upon her face, though this wasn't even close to what caught her attention; she wore an outfit mostly composed of a black dress with a dark, purple stripe down the middle that attached to a black, silk skirt that left little the imagination if one were to look long enough at her lavender leggings and sharp, black heels. A black leather jacket with spiked shoulders pads wrapped around her and finger-less gloves of the same color adorned her hands and fingers; a fair amount of black eye shadow made her soft, blue eyes now sharp and piercing with a faint scar that now ran vertically over her left eye, giving her a frightening look if the clanking, chain belt around her waist and spiked fog collar around her neck weren't anything to go by.

"Apple?" Cupid starred; Dexter found that he couldn't take his eyes off of the Daughter of Snow White, though whether it was out of fear or admiration he did not know.

"Cupid," Apple nodded, her crimson lips now twisting in a harsh frown as she narrowed her eyes. "I need your help?"

The Daughter of Eros raised an eyebrow. "Doing what, getting out of that ridiculous outfit of yours?"

Apple narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, bending over and glaring angrily at Cupid. " _Now._ " she demanded; Cupid shared a quick look with Dexter and reluctantly slipped out from under the blanket and away from her crush, following Apple a short distance away.

"How'd I do?" Apple asked once she was fairly certain that Dexter was out of earshot.

Cupid cocked her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Apple sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm working on my evil!"

Cupid pinched brow. "And can I ask _why?_ " she asked in an exasperated tone.

Apple deflated slightly, holding her hands together and biting her lip nervously and sighing heavily all at once, as if it were a sensitive subject to talk about. "I . . . I lost Ben," she admitted weakly. "I got kicked out of the harem and . . . I'm trying to redeem myself. I thought Ben's ghouls would appreciate something more . . . sinister? Dark? She tried out some words.

"Dare I ask _how?_ " Cupid sighed wearily.

"It's a long story," the princess offered sheepishly before getting back to the point. "Either way, I need some advice; what's the best place for a date?"

Cupid blinked for a second and looked at Apple with a look that was wondering if she was actually being serious or not. "Are you joking?" she raised an eyebrow, immediately withdrawing the question when she caught sight of the look upon her face; the young goddess gave a reluctant sigh and put her hands on the princess' shoulders to look her square in the eye. "Apple, think about what you're doing here for a second and try to imagine what Ben and his ghouls might be going through right now: I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Jane was shot with an arrow and it's set everyone on edge; I swear, I've never seen Ben so mad than when he was yelling at us to get inside and running off to go pound someone into the ground. The ghouls are no doubt upset, too . . . maybe you could give them peace right now instead of making their lives like a horror movie with constantly giving them surprises and jump scares?"

Apple immediately brightened up. "A horror movie! That's it!" she snapped her fingers before making her way towards the door. "Thanks for the help, Cupid!"

"Wait! No! That's not what I-" Cupid attempted to say before giving up when she realized that Apple was out of range; with a sigh, she turned back towards the couch to work on charming Dexter a little more and making a mental note to give Ben a phone call to try and give him some prior warning to whatever scatterbrained idea was buzzing around inside of Apple's head like an irritated wasp.

Apple hurriedly ran down the hall, her mind racing at a hundred miles an hour as she made notes of numerous plans and preparations she needed to make if her plot was to succeed; she was busy thinking things over, she hardly even noticed Headmaster Grimm as he hobbled down the hallway on a crutch to keep his weight off of his twisted ankle.

"Ms. White? Ms. White!" Grimm tried to catch Apple's attention and inquire why she was wearing such clothes in spite of her lineage and destiny, but the princess didn't even seem to register he was there as she hurried down the hallway with her Mirrorphone in hand to make some necessary calls and texts. With a sigh, he continued his routine walk upon healer's orders to keep his leg, no matter how twisted or broken it was, well fit and active as much as possible, which left him with a fair amount of time to think about things; his encounter and consequential battle with Krampus the previous evening had opened up some long forgotten memories he had mentally locked away behind closed doors and admit things that he would have scolded himself for prior. For instance, as much as he hated to admit it, Ben's appearance was beginning to become more useful than a handicap and he had to come to terms with himself that if it hadn't been for the wielder of the Omnitrix and his slimy sidekick, he would be currently sitting inside of the twisted demon's lantern and put through unspeakable horrors for all of eternity.

But that wasn't what was bothering him at the moment. Rather it was something the gelatinous mound of goo, Skurd, if he remembered correctly, had said during those harrowing moments between Krampus and the timely arrival of Nicholas North Pole, something the Slimebiote had merely mumbled as a last and final word before they met their end.

" _And I thought we would perish during that time we helped create the universe._ "

Those words tumbled and tossed and turned around inside of his head while Grimm hobbled down the hallway, trying to figure out what those words meant; he had his suspicions, many of them really, about what the meaning of those casually said words, but he knew better than to jump to conclusions. Not only would it most likely anger quite a few powerful people but it would most likely make a complete fool out of himself, more so than when he had attempted to peg Ben as an incubus for the several weeks he had been attending his school.

If he could only figure out how the Slimebiote's words and his suspicions about Ben connected . . .

A puff of ash-colored smoke suddenly exploded in front of him as he covered his face with his arm to try and hold back a rasping cough that resounded through the hall as the arid smoke burned his lungs and stung his eyes; as the smoke began to clear, a figure began to appear, taking on the form of something vaguely human-like, with a head and arms in the appropriate places, but the where the legs should have been was instead a ghostly, wispy tail that trailed all the way down to the floor with the rest of the figure floating several feet off of the ground. It was clearly feminine and possessed pale, pink skin, bright blue hair pulled back into a segmented ponytail with a magenta streak, pointed ears, and stormy gray eyes that of a brewing thunderstorm/ She wore somewhat skimpy attire compared to what the majority of the headmaster's female students were allowed to wear, the outfit consisting of a blue and pink top that showed off her midriff and cupped her breasts quite nicely, showing off a dark pink, scorpion tattoo, and a pink sash around her waist that seemed to taper into a pair of black pants; strapped around her wrist was a familiar blue and pink watch-like device.

"You haven't seen Apple, have you?" Whisp asked the stunned headmaster before snapping her fingers and summoning a tape measure into her hands. "About this tall, blonde hair, skin white as snow, and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of mischief?" the genie listed off while she pulled the measuring tape out to a certain length.

"I . . . y-you . . . how . . .?" Headmaster Grimm stammered, pointing with a shaking hand behind him in the direction Apple had walked down.

Whisp smiled. "Thanks, pops!" she waved good-bye as she flew off over Grimm's head and in the direction he had been pointing with a dropped jaw before pausing and turning around. "Close your mouth, pops. You'll catch flies." she smirked with her hands folded over her cleavage before a long, elastic tongue suddenly lashed out from her lips and snapped up a nearby, buzzing fly right out of the air before snaking back in and disappearing with a loud and satisfying _smack!_ With that, Whisp snapped her fingers again and vanished in a puff of blackened smoke, leaving the stunned headmaster alone in the hallway.

"She . . . I-I . . . how did . . ." Headmaster Grimm stuttered, absolutely baffled before he sucked in a deep breath to calm himself down before smacking his face out of exasperation. "Just walk away, Milton, just walk away and relax before you worry yourself bald over the mistakes you've made." he mumbled to himself as he turned around and hobbled down the hall to continue his walk and try to put off worrying for the moment.

* * *

Jane felt absolutely horrible. Everything from her little toes and delicate fingers to head and face felt like it had been jammed inside of a hot furnace for hours on end and suddenly thrust into a bucket of the coldest ice available, creating a painful stinging sensation that made her want to cut her digits off just to end the numbing agony; unable to keep her eyes closed any longer, she stirred and slowly blinked blearily, trying to take in her surroundings and understand where she was. Despite the aching feeling that came her everything, she was also aware that was warm and comfortably so as well.

"She's awake!" a familiar voice cried.

The jungle ghoul grunted as something crashed into her and hugged her tightly, as if it were unaware of her current condition as soft and eerily calming hands caressed her cheek and slithered themselves all over her aching body to massage just about everything that hurt and eased the pain significantly. With a moan she opened her eyes fully and gazed upon Venus' shining face once more, a sleepy smile crossing the shape-shifter's face when Ben came into View beside her with a relieved look. "What happened? Did I go anywhere?" she yawned while she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"You could say that," Ben chuckled. "But we're glad you're back."

"Don't _ever_ get shot again!" Venus cried, hugging Jane tightly to the point where she was having trouble breathing again; Ben thankfully managed to pry the affectionate plant monster's firm grip off of the jungle ghoul before any permanent damage could be done.

"Easy, Venus. She's still fragile." he half-joked.

Jane yawned a second time. "And sleepy." she added.

Ben nodded. "Then in that case, you better get some more rest. You're gonna need it."

Jane mumbled something incoherently under her breath and lay back down on the soft, comfy head, nestling her head deep into the pillow provided as Ben pulled the covers back up nice and tight over her, kissing her sweet dreams on the forehead as Venus followed up with a quick peck to the cheek. The two of them then stood there with Ben's arm around Venus' shoulders as she leaned into his chest watching their beloved ghoulfriend sleep peacefully once more, sheltered and protected from the dangers of the world again.

Contrary to popular belief, the beds that Ever After High's infirmary provided were quite comfortable with heavy, warm blankets provided in the cold winter and lighter sheets for the warmer months of the year with pillows available whenever needed among the myriad of hospital equipment, such as the IV jammed into Jane's arm, cluttered about the place. Lying on several other beds and either nursing various injuries and wounds or sleeping them off were Daring and Hunter, with the former suffering from a mangled back that would require the best ogre masseuses Ever After had to offer in order to fix and the later suffering no worse than a dislocated shoulder and arm that would leave him unable to shoot the bulls-eyes he was renown for.

A door at the back of the small clinic the school provided opened up and Raven came walking out hanging onto the gnarled, old hand of kindly old crone with hair as gray and white as the fur of an ancient vole and eyes small beady that were enlarged to the point where she looked like an owl thanks to the set of spectacles upon her pointed nose that bared odd resemblance to a bird's beak; a name tag clipped to the left breast of her lab coat read "Healer Sternum" in a fancy, cursive writing.

"She'll be fine," the old witch informed Ben as Raven carefully reached out for his hand and curled her fingers around his. "Ms. Queen here will be out of it for the next couple of hours, stumbling about with limited vision and senses, but she'll be fine by then. If it gets any worse however, catch the first dragonfly you find and report back to me; and try not to get burnt." she added as a side note before disappearing back into her office.

Venus watched the old crone go. "She seems nice." she remarked.

"Baring the things that she said when we came walking in," Ben rolled his eyes. "I don't even now half of what those words even _meant_ but I'm pretty sure I shouldn't repeat them in public."

"Especially the last one." Venus nodded before turning her attention to Raven and snapping her fingers in front of the witchling's face. "Rae, can you here or see me?" she asked.

It took a delay of several seconds for her to respond. "I-I think so . . . yeah, I can hear you." she concluded as she reached with a hand to massage her scalp. "Ugh. What in the kingdom hit me?"

"Magic bomb if I remember correctly." Ben hummed as he helped Raven walk over to one of the available chairs in the room and sit her down; Clawdeen and Cerise each occupied separate chairs the clinic provided, the former somewhat drumming her fingers impatiently on her arm while the later cast worried glances between Raven and Jane. "You sure you'll be alright?"

Raven waved him off. "I'm fine, Ben. As long as I have someone to help me around for a few more hours, I should be okay. At least I'm able to move." she added with a humorous smirk.

"I may be unable to move much at the moment, Raven, but I can still hear you loud and clear!" Daring called out from his bed. "Oh, I hope this gets fixed soon. I have an itch I need to scratch that I can't reach!"

Ben smirked before sucking in a calming, deep breath and running his fingers through his dark, brown hair out of habit. "Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's nice to finally be able to sit back and relax for once." he sighed happily.

"Agreed." Clawdeen remarked as she sat back in her seat with her arms rested behind her head in a relaxed position. "Things couldn't be better."

Skurd promptly slapped his face out of exasperation. "You nitwits! You've doomed us all!" he exclaimed. "For all we know, trouble could some walking right in through that very door!" he pointed dramatically towards the exit out into the hallway from the healer's office.

Raven scoffed. "Oh, come on. I think you're over exaggerating."

As if right on cue, the door banged open and Apple White came marching in with a spring in her step and an exaggerated swag in her hips that showed off her curves and the twisted frown upon her lips, a hand on her hip as she came to a stop and paused to chew a wad of bubblegum loudly before blowing a bubble and letting it pop only to repeat the process again.

"Well you were right about the trouble bit." Clawdeen growled and bared her teeth, making a move to quite literally throw the princess out of the room if need be until Ben stopped her with a motion of his hand; at least, for the time being.

"Apple . . . before I even ask why you're here, can you _please_ tell me _why_ you're dressed like that?" Ben sighed wearily, wondering why the universe always seemed to enjoy screwing him over.

The Daughter of Snow White smiled innocently. "I-I thought you and your ghouls would like it if I tried out a d-different wardrobe . . ."

"It's an improvement, I'll admit." Clawdeen frowned with impatience, drumming her fingers against her arm as she glowered at the princess.

"It would be even better if you stopped borrowing my clothes." Raven sighed.

"You were gone! I couldn't wait!" Apple protested before sucking in a deep breath to calm herself and get to the point. "But that doesn't matter right now."

Clawdeen glared. "Yeah, what matters is you leaving. _Now._ "

Apple frowned and whimpered slightly. "Please, just listen to me for a minute?"

Ben rolled his eyes; he had been hoping to teach Apple a lesson temporarily kicking her out of the harem, both for her safety and a necessity to drive her point through her thick skull. "One minute. That's it."

The princess nodded and began to speak. "I know I messed up and a mistake . . . several even, probably . . . and I know that I probably don't deserve to be forgiven for those mistakes by any one of you, not now and probably not ever." she sighed sorrowfully. "But . . . I want to make up for those mistakes as best as I can, through anyway possible. If I have to spend the rest of my school years doing it, I want to try and make it all up to you as best as possible."

Cerise and sighed and lay back in her seat. "I suppose that's a start . . ."

Apple gave a small smile. "Which is why I've arranged for you all to attend the opening of the latest, kingdombuster movie tonight."

"I withdraw the statement." Cerise frowned bitterly, unpleasant memories coming back to her from the last time she had set foot into a movie theater.

" _Please?_ " Apple begged. "I didn't know what else to do."

Ben raised an eyebrow and regarded each of his girls and ghouls, the final decision coming down to him as Alpha; he admitted that this was probably the best Apple was going to be able to do without going completely overboard and doing something drastic, such as paying off Sparrow to follow them all wherever they want to serenade them with horribly off-key songs that would no doubt be absolute murder on Cerise and Clawdeen's sensitive ears. The only issue however was that at least three of his ghouls would not be able to attend even if they wanted to, with Jane being far too tired to do little else than sleep, Venus too worried to leave her fragile ghoulfriend behind for more than a minute, and Raven needing constant supervision for at least the next couple of hours until she fully regained her senses.

"Depends," Ben began. "How many tickets did you get?"

Apple smiled sheepishly. "Well . . . Blondie just made a newscast about what happened at the skating ponds and . . . I figured at least two of your ghouls would be unable to attend given how worried you looked," she nodded towards Venus. "Skelita said that she was spending the evening in the kitchen with Ginger and Maddie baking and making treats for the upcoming bake sale and I haven't been able to find Whisp anywhere, so I only bought five . . ."

Ben rubbed his chin. "That's one for me, Clawdeen, Cerise, and Kitty, I assume. So who does that leave with the fifth one?"

Apple rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "It was originally meant for Raven, but . . ." she gestured lamely to the witch. "I . . . t-took the liberty of . . . finding a replacement?" she winced, clenching her eyes shut in preparation for Clawdeen to tackle her to the floor and begin tearing her limb from limb or for Cerise to start throttling her with her surprising strength and speed; when nothing came, she relaxed and recomposed herself.

"Who?" Ben asked.

* * *

Cedar Wood zipped up her deep purple jacket with a fuzzy, magenta inside and tugged mittens of the same color a little tighter of her wooden hands as she strode down the main street of Book End; despite being made of wood and feeling very little of the biting cold that forced the majority of everyone else to bundle up or retreat inside thanks to that habit, her pulse (she doubted she had one though) was racing and she felt unbearably hot as she walked down the street less than foot away from Ben by her side. On her left was Cerise and Clawdeen with Kitty on Ben's right side and wearing her ever present, cheeky smile that usually spelled mischief and doom for the victims of her pranks.

The Daughter of Pinocchio was thanking her lucky stars and the ancestors above that she had been fortunate to be in Apple's way as the princess proceeded to insult her and call her several nasty names that would have hurt her feelings had they not been poorly chosen before offering her a ticket to a movie . . . _with Ben._ Granted, it also involved several of his ghoulfriends as well, but this mattered very little Cedar as she gazed up at Ben and turned a bright red when he smiled back at her.

Though, there was one thing that was bothering her. "Um, can I ask you something?" she wondered.

"What?" Ben asked.

"Why did you tell Apple all those things back there?" Cedar inquired.

"Apple volunteered to look after Jane while we were out." Clawdeen replied.

"And did she really need to know all that stuff?"

"Yes." Ben nodded. "Orangutans are strong as five men, elephants have over one-hundred thousand muscle clusters in their trunk, Humboldt squids are cannibals, crocodiles have the strongest bite force of any animal, the whale shark is the largest fish on the planet, a Komodo dragon's jaws are lined with over fifty types of bacteria, honey badgers are immune to black mamba venom, a _Tyrannosaurus Rex_ can swallow a man whole, and the fact that asking a parrot to stop copying you only makes the situation worse are all things she needs to know if she even wants to stand a chance against Jane. She's rather . . . jumpy."

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "Was it really necessary to give her the cattle prod?"

"That was Kitty's doing."

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat grinned broadly and linked her arm through Ben's elbow, nuzzling her head against his shoulder as the group approached the Multi-Hex. "I just _love_ a little bit of chaos." she purred.

"Not too much chaos. Be on your best behavior." Ben scolded her playing, earning a small lick from Kitty's tongue upside his cheek, bringing a red blush to the two of them. Cedar felt a pane of jealous overcome her upon seeing that and absentmindedly glanced at her mittens, knowing full well that a pair of wooden hands would greet her instead of soft skin and sensitive fingers to touch and caress and feel with. It made her ponder how Ben could ever love someone like her, someone that wasn't real, someone that paled in comparison to the real thing, something that was a _fake._

Her thoughts were shaken from her as they entered the Multi-Hex and were immediately swamped with the relieving warmth and heat that the theater provided to entice customers and movie goers alike inside and out of the bitter cold and snow; immediately the smell of fresh dragoncorn provided and popped by little flocks of microdragons and sweet soda flavors caught her attention and she felt her stomach rumble slightly, blushing furiously when Ben raised a playful eyebrow at her.

"Hungry?" he guessed.

"N-N . . . er, uh . . . um . . . _yes?_ " she gulped, mentally cursing herself.

Ben smiled. "Buy whatever you like. It's on Apple after all."

Upon hearing that, Clawdeen and Cerise were all too eager to indulge in gorging themselves on whatever snacks and treats the concession stand had to offer, ordering two large buckets of dragoncorn, a pair of sodas, and an assortment of candies and gummies that they would no doubt be snacking on for weeks afterwards; to avoid putting a massive dent in Apple's family wealth, Ben simply ordered a small soda for himself and Cedar along with a bag of popcorn for each, with Kitty ending the long order with a Fairy Berry smoothy sprinkled with catnip.

Kitty shrugged off her periwinkle and black paw-print decorated coat and pulled off her finger-less gloves as well. "What movie are we seeing anyway? Ooh, I hope it's something really gory!"

"I think it's called _Rose Red's Revenge?_ " Ben tried to remember what Apple had told them when she had volunteered to look after Jane while they went out and enjoyed themselves. "I think it's about some long lost White relative going insane from being forgotten that foes about killing everyone . . . which is really weird considering _Apple_ of all people suggested it . . ."

"Works for me!" Clawdeen grinned cheerfully as she shifted her great assortment of unhealthy treats around in her arms. "Time to watch some princesses get slashed!"

"She seems too enthusiastic about this for some reason . . ." Skurd mumbled suspiciously; nobody seemed to notice how Cedar swallowed nervously and tried to fight back the way she was trembling and shaking at the thought of getting into a dark theater to watch a horror movie filled to the brim with violence and blood and gore. Ever since was a young puppet (at least, young in mind), she had only been allowed to watch movies that her grandfather Gepetto could watch without getting a heart attack from, which often meant anything that was rated over her current age would be instantly ruled out. In short, this would be her first time seeing a movie specifically directed at fairy tales her age and a horro movie no less.

With this in mind, she tried keep a level head and her mouth shut as she followed Ben and the others through the swinging theater doors and into a large clearing at the center of a band of trees that formed a thick canopy overhead that kept any and all heat from escaping and keeping the place nice and toasty despite the fact that normal trees would have shed their leaves long ago; Ben quickly shrugged this off as some of the magic that was prominent in Ever After and found a row of seats front and center that would give them a good view of the movie.

"H-Hey, Ben? C-Can I ask you something?" Cedar gulped nervously, taking a quick sip of her soda to calm herself.

Ben popped a kernel of dragoncorn into his mouth just as the first trailer started to come to an end. "Sure. What?"

"W-Well . . ." Cedar started to say before she was suddenly cut off by a pair of unfortunate;y familiar voices.

"All good things must come to an end."

"What's that got to do with this movie?" a second voice asked before the two of them burst into laughter; several groans and moans and curses came from the audience as a pair of puppets, one of them being a squat, elderly marionette with rusted, red wood, a pair of trousers, white stockings, and a black bowler and the other a taller, thinner figure with a short mustache, deep brown wood, a pair of lederhosen, and a jacket, guffawed and hooted with glee in the balcony seats overhead.

"Oh, no. Not these guys again." Kitty sighed with exasperation.

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow as she chewed a gummy fairy in her mouth. "Who are they?"

"My uncles." Cedar squeaked with embarrassment. "They come here every day to heckle and make fun of the movies and generally make watching them annoying. They even came to our school once and heckled us during the talent show! Poor Hunter's still in therapy . . ."

"Say, isn't that our niece down there?" Birchman peered over the railing of the balcony seats.

"It must be. She's a chip off the old wood block for comin' here!" Oakler cracked with laughter, oblivious to how a majority of the crowd and audience turned to glare in Cedar's direction with loathing and annoyance that made the Daughter of Pinocchio just want to curl up and hide in the smallest place possible away from all those prying eyes that seemed to stare straight into her soul.

Things only worsened when the second trailer came to an end. "Lets put this show out of its misery!" Birchman declared moments before two arrows came whistling through the air and landed just short of the silver screen, earning more laughter from the two elderly puppets as the third trailer rolled around.

" _Moooooooo!_ "

Clawdeen did a double take. "Is that . . ?"

"Yep." Ben confirmed.

"No, no! _Boooooooo!_ " Oakler corrected the cow that had somehow managed to get into the balcony seats while simultaneously chewing a wad of cud in its fat lips.

" _Boooooooo!_ " the bovine bellowed in response.

Birchman chuckled. "Hooray!"

" _Hooray!_ " the cow repeated, much to Birchman and Oakler's shock; Ben didn't even question how that was possible and proceeded to simply eat another handful of popcorn as the fourth and final trailer rolled around. Cedar remained mostly silent as she tried to look invisible and avoid the stares everyone was shooting her as her uncles continued to relentlessly heckle and poke fun at the movie and trailers that rolled across the screen.

"How rude! Can you imagine someone like that constantly insulting you on a daily basis and ignoring any attempts to get them to go away!?" Skurd exclaimed as he yanked on his antennae.

" _Yes._ " Ben, Clawdeen, Cerise, and Kitty all replied at once.

Oakler shivered uncomfortably in his seat, creating a hollow knocking on wood sound the reverberated through the theater. "That trailer scared the pants off me!"

"You sure you didn't just forget to put them on again?" Birchman commented, earning a much appreciated resounding round of laughter from the audience at Oakler's expense as he fell silent and stewed.

"By the way, I thought your wife was coming tonight?" he commented.

Birchman shrugged, scratching the cow they now shared the balcony with behind the ears. "Eh, the old bat couldn't make it." he waved it off before the distinct flapping and fluttering of leathery wings drew their attentions and they looked up to see a small cloud of bats come darting weaving in through the intricately woven branches to then swarm around their seats and heads with relentless squeaking and chattering.

"Looks like the rest of them did." Oakler shook his head in amazement.

With that being said and done, the lights began to dim and the theater's resident fireflies buzzed and swarmed across the screen to light up and begin rolling the movie; thankfully, with the combination of the recent addition of the flock of bats, a cow that was starting to nibble and chew on Oakler's jacket, and many threatening glares and gestures thrown their way, the two puppets decided to hold off on their hijinks and shenanigans.

Immediately Cedar was having second thoughts of attending as a teenager with long, bushy, crimson pulled back into a tight ponytail, a black shirt with a bright, red rose formed around her left breast and over her heart, a short skirt of the same color, knee high boots lined with white laces and red leggings, and two leather straps over her chest that was decorated with various bottles and vials filled with strange and volatile liquids amongst several knives and daggers that stained various colors, came racing across the screen with a twisted and insane look in her eye; with out a word she yanked a pair of daggers from her belt and threw one at an unsuspecting prince and slashed his throat with the second.

"W-Why is she doing-" she was about to ask when the teenager pulled a vial of strange chemicals and loomed over a trembling, cowering princess that she had cornered on the floor of the room; without hesitation she smashed the bottle against the princess' face, slashing and cutting deep into her pale, flawless skin as a loud hissing sound filled the air among the agonizing screams of pain that follow from the unsuspecting victim while she held her melting face.

"That?" Ben guessed as Cedar covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut, rocking back and forth in her seat as she fought back the bout of bile and vomit in the back of her throat; the puppet nodded and trembled violently in her seat as Clawdeen and Kitty eagerly cheered the insane redhead on with gusto. All Cedar wanted to do was run away right now and hide under her bed and not come out until she was sure that the sun was at its highest point to ensure that nothing could hide or slink about in the darkness of the shadows, such as blade wielding maniacs hellbent on eradicating an entire royal family line.

"Oh, my. You humans truly _are_ barbaric." Skurd remarked. "And yet, I can't find myself to look away . . ." he mumbled as he stole another kernel of Ben's popcorn; the Slimebiote's commentary was not helping Cedar's mood in the slightest.

It wasn't until Ben slipped an arm around her slim, wooden shoulders and hug her close to him, rubbing his strong, firm fingers against her tense back and shoulders to ease her into peace did she finally, truly relax; she found that the images on screen were less horrifying than before, even when the insane redhead stabbed the king in nine different places and the queen in three times as many, staining her fingers a bright crimson in color as she smeared the blood of her victims over her face and arms in intricate tattoos and patterns, they were less terrifying. Cedar was still frightened of certain parts naturally and instinctively buried her head into Ben's chest every time something of the likes happened, but this didn't seem to bother the wielder of the Omnitrix in the slightest as he kept his focus half on the movie and half on comforting Cedar while remaining completely ignorant of how Skurd was sneaking bits and pieces of his precious dragoncorn away while sipping away at his soda.

After a while, the Daughter of Pinocchio became aware of a dull, thumping noise that pounded its way through her head like a hollow drum and filled her ears with nothing else but the sound save for the occasional scream of agony that came from the movie screen some distance away; at first, Cedar was confused as to what it was before she realized quite suddenly that it was none other than Ben's heart beating strong and soundly in his chest just beneath the skin and her ears; her eyes widened for a split second before they began to slowly drift close to the steady rhythm of Ben's beating heart, her hand unconsciously drifting to her left breast over the area where her own heart would have been had she had one of her own. She longed for a heart, to feel blood rushing through her veins and to feel muscles and tissue stretch and contract over her bones as she ran and skipped and jumped for joy with the wind in her hair and actually being able to feel it and enjoy it for the first time.

And she wondered what it would be like for Ben to be there with her.

"You gonna be okay?" Ben whispered in her ear.

Cedar nodded. "Mmmh. Y-You . . . don't mind?"

"Mind what?" Ben asked.

Cedar gestured to herself hugging Ben tightly before squeezing her eyes shut at the last second just as the redhead maniac on screen cackled darkly while she repeatedly stabbed an unsuspecting princess in places the Daughter of Pinocchio was glad her tough, wooden exterior would have been protected against; at least, until someone got an ax or a hacksaw. "M-M-Me . . ." she whimpered into his chest.

Ben raised an eyebrow and casually glanced over to Clawdeen and Cerise, the former with a mouthful of dragoncorn as she paused and saw Cedar trembling in her seat, hanging onto Ben for comfort, her eyes flickering back and forth between the scene and the movie on screen just another victim met a gory and gruesome fate by way of an ax; the werewolf then shrugged and nodded before returning to enjoy the movie as Cerise kindly patted her shoulder before resuming cheering on the insane psychopath.

Kitty seemed completely oblivious as she slurped her smoothy as Ben ran his fingers through Cedar's chocolate, brown hair, smiling kindly as the frightened puppet began to relax at his touch and hugged him warmly, even when the wicked redhead on screen carelessly tossed a mysterious vial into a locked room full of cowering royals and locked the door from the outside, walking away in a teasing manner as a loud explosion came from the other side followed by dozens of pained screams.

"That's exactly how terrible this movie is!" Birchman commented.

Oakler laughed heartily. "I know, right? It makes me want to scream, too!"

The two puppets were met with a series of irritated shushing that Ben and Cedar simply ignored for the most part, the former only pausing to hurl what was left of his popcorn up at the two puppets among a rain of other discarded theater treats that the cow in the balcony was all too eager to eat up; Cedar care much about that anymore, ignoring the irritated glares sent her way. She was just finally happy to be able to spend some quality time with Ben without any interruptions taking him away from her before she could gather up the courage to tell him how she felt, before her curse forced her to say before she was ready.

But he couldn't love _her_ , could he? It was always like that with her, with an ever present nagging voice in the back of her head that expressed her worries and assumptions and fears to her just whenever she seemed to be having a good time; it would always come out, poisoning her mind with such worried thoughts. Could Ben ever love someone like her, someone that had wood instead of skin, someone that couldn't feel the world like he and the rest of his ghouls could, someone that could get a splinter just by touching her or holding her hand? Would we ever want to kiss her, knowing it would be the equivalent of kissing a desk or knowing that her eyes would always blink with an audible click or that she had a fear of woodpeckers?

"Cedar? The movie's over." she heard Ben's voice shake her out of her worries and thoughts.

She cracked one eye open and sighed with relief that the movie was indeed over and that the crowds were starting to leave in the time she had spent wrestling her insecurities in her head, among other things; during that seemingly short time that was actually a really long time for those that had their eyes open, she had scooted herself so far into Ben that she had eventually ended up on his lap in the midst of things, a truly embarrassing move on her part that made her face flare up into an intense blush as she all but threw herself off of Ben and to the sticky, dragoncorn and soda laden floor of the theater, trying hard to not look back at him as he knelt down to try and help her to her feet.

"S-Sorry . . ." she stammered.

Ben took her hand and carefully helped her to her feet as Kitty tried to hold back the broader grin than what was usually plastered to her face whenever she was in one of her moods; before Ben could do anything else, the Cheshire had snuck behind him and slithered her lithe arms around his and shoulder, nuzzling her head affectionately against his. "Great movie, Ben," she purred, scratching Ben under the chin with a finger and n ever present grin upon her lips. "I assume our little _guest_ didn't ruin the experience?"

Cedar felt herself turn a bright scarlet as Ben raised an eyebrow at Kitty's behavior with his fingers still intertwined with hers in a firm, comforting grip; the Daughter of Pinocchio was deeply enthralled by the gesture yet at the same time was wondering what was taking him so long to let go of her. Her insides churned uncomfortably as she tried to mentally debate whether she wanted this feeling to continue going on or whether she wanted it to end to save herself from even more embarrassment.

Of course, just like her crush, the universe seemed to just love to screw her over.

She felt her lips tremble and quiver against her own will, her tongue twitching every now and again as she tried to fight back the urge to speak, but naturally the curse placed upon Cedar worked against her. "I-I . . . er, uh . . . I . . . I-I-I . . . um . . . I, er . . . I-I . . ." she stammered, her eye twitching uncomfortably.

Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "Is she alright?"

Cerise shrugged. "Maybe? She kinda has this truth curse placed on her . . . and it kinda comes out at the worst of times."

"Like now?" Clawdeen guessed.

"Probably."

Ben shook his arm free of Kitty and grabbed Cedar by the shoulders, shaking her slightly to try and get to focus. "Cedar, c'mon, what are you trying to say?" he asked with concern.

Cedar trembled. "I, er . . . I-I . . ." she stammered before she suddenly and inexplicably broke down and fell to the floor on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably in a sudden emotional outburst that startled Ben greatly. "I'm so, so, so, so, _so, so_ sorry, Ben, but I've had a crush on you for the longest time and I can't help but love you and feel this way even though I know you can never love someone like me and never will love someone like me because I'm not like other girls and I'm nothing more than just a stupid puppet that can't even keep a single, stupid from someone as amazing as you!" she babbled incomprehensibly.

She sat there sniffing and shivering on the floor with Cerise and Clawdeen's wide with surprise and Kitty still sporting the ever present smile she wore nearly every single day possible, making Ben wonder for the briefest of seconds if her cheeks were even capable of feeling anything anymore; he quickly ignored that thought and bent down to pull Cedar into a hug, not moving in the slightest as she buried herself into him even further.

"Cedar . . ." Ben started to say.

The wooden girl flinched. "Y-You must h-hate me . . ."

Ben shook his head. "Cedar, that's the farthest from the truth it could be." he told her. "I don't hate you, I couldn't hate you if I even tried."

"R-Really?" Cedar sniffed weakly, shifting her attention to look at Ben.

"Really." Ben smiled. "You might not think much of yourself, but I do. You're a wonderful, and an amazing artist, too. Maddie goes on and on about them all the time whenever she's not drinking tea and just be . . . Maddie, I guess." he chuckled, earning a small smile from Cedar. "There's the girl I love."

Cedar blinked in surprise. "L-Love?"

Ben nodded and was about to say more when a series of loud crashes and clattering startled them all, wood chips and splinters and twigs raining down from overhead as roughly a dozen or so large, bulky figures came falling through the canopy overhead and landed in the theater below, crushing seats wherever they landed. Ben had instinctively shielded Cedar from anything that might have caused them harm and rolled his head up to try and get a good look at what they were up against, his eyes widening with shock and surprise; each figure was encased in a heavy, tight, metal suit of armor quite similar to that of the knights that rested on their stood vigilant and silent on their stands in the halls of Ever After High, save for a few differences such as spiked studded knuckles, shoulders, and helmets that sported a plume of short, bristly, red feathers similar to that of a Roman helmet. Each knight wielded a shield and either a long broad sword or a mace, neither of which seemed to have been kept in very good condition if the stains and rust covering them were anything to go by, but an eerily familiar symbol of an infinity sign over a shield bearing crossed bones stood out almost blindingly. What drew Ben's attention the most however was none other than the crimson figure of the Forever Ninja standing over him with a bright energy sword clenched tightly in its grip.

Clawdeen bristled immediately. "What the- the Forever Knights!?" she snarled.

"Not these guys again!" Cerise growled angrily.

" _Again?_ "

Ben stood up and between Cedar as she glanced up with confused and frightened eyes, watching as Ben bravely stood over her with her fists clenched. "Alright, Ninja Boy, what's your game?" he frowned.

Naturally, the Forever Ninja didn't respond.

"Is that piece of scrap metal even capable of talking back, much less insulting you?" Skurd wondered.

Ben blinked. "You have a point," he said as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the available roster of transformations. "But why am I even bothering trying to reason with this thing? It's time to kick some butt. Humungousaur style!" he grinned as he slammed a hand down on the activation button and encompassed himself in a blast of green light that warped and scrambled his DNA into something new. His bones cracked and splintered loudly as they began to liquidate and dissolve inside of him, slowly turning his arms and legs into fleshy noodles that flopped at his sides and dropped him to the ground as the rest of his skeleton began to compress in on itself and vanish, leaving Ben little more than a pile of fleshy jelly as his organs and muscles rearranged and shifted themselves; he could feel new, elastic tissue and muscle weave and wind themselves around his limbs as his fingers fluidly melted together into a single digit that began to resemble the club of a squid tentacle, even more so when suckers started to pop and burst forth his skin like dozens of pimples and zits. His kin turned a bright orange covered with mottled, brown spots as his hips and torso fused and became one, shortening his body greatly despite the fact that he was growing bigger. His jaw thrust outwards in a jiggling, quivering fashion while teeth splintered and cracked until they were nothing but baleen to filter feed with as Ben's head was pulled into a short mantle that forced his eyes farther apart than before. A suddenly, uncomfortable feeling overcame him until six whipping, crackling tentacles burst forth from his guts and chest, each one tipped with a sucker covered club that relaxed and fell limp to the ground, supporting his weight as a green bodysuit with a black stripe down the middle and a white cuff for each tentacle materialized upon him, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his chest.

The Cephalod-ae slowly blinked his eyes and glanced over himself with surprise. "Whoa! Haven't seen Squidstrictor in a long time!"

"Enough with the family reunion! Duck!" Skurd warned as the Forever Ninja took a swing at the distracted Cephalod-ae with his glowing energy sword, missing by bare inches as Squidstrictor ducked down just in time."Attack!"

"Give me a second! It's been a while since I've used this guy!" Squidstrictor yelped as he pulsed his tentacles just enough to jump over the hot, glowing blade as the Forever Ninja came in for a second swipe; as the Cephalod-ae came back down, he lashed out with a whip-like tentacle and wrapped it tightly around the crimson droid's neck and was consequently snapped back right at the drone like a grappling hook, slamming full force into the Forever Ninja as he instinctively wrapped his strong, sucker laden tentacles around its crimson, exterior plating and held on tight as it thrashed about and tried to pull him off.

Clawdeen snarled and growled as the knights began to move now that their leader was in danger. "C'mon! Ben can't fight them all off at once!" she yelled as she charged head long into battle and tapped the Omnitrix attached to her wrist without looking at which alien she had dialed in as she was swallowed in a flash of yellow light. The first and most noticeable part of the transformation began when the fur and skin around Clawdeen's head suddenly melted off, the bare muscle and tissue quickly solidifying and turning a hard, metallic sheen as Clawdeen's head head suddenly separated from her body, a forked eyebrow-like crest forming above her yellow eyes. Her shoulders pinched upwards, forming large points and then an upside down arch with her head floating between them, held in place by some magnetic field; the werewolf's chest swelled slightly, forming a more noticeable bust. Her skin turned a durable, metallic black with bright, silver lines and spots as her claws crunched and snapped loudly to fuse together into a pair of large pincers, her frame shooting upwards until she stood at a towering ten feet. Her toes ripped out of her boots in two pairs of large claws, a tingling sensation coursing through her entire body as the Omnitrix appeared on her chest between her metallic breasts.

Polarizer briefly glanced over herself to figure out what she had been turned into before she launched herself into the air and clapped her pincers together; a pair of the silent knights were levitated off of the ground, their shields and weapons torn away from them and tightly compacted together as the female Biosovortian crashed the two warriors together with the loud shriek of metal smashing and bashing against each other in an unsavory manner before one of the knights were tackled to the ground as Cerise gave off a long howl and launched herself at one of them, disappearing into the theater seats as Polarizer smashed the other one into the ground.

"Quick! While he's on the defensive!" Skurd cried as Squidstrictor began to remember how to properlu use his latest form, grunting uncomfortably as he fired off a slick, wet stain of black ink from between his tentacles, a process that he didn't want to think about as the Forever Ninja stumbled about wildly with completely blind intentions. The Cephalod-ae tightened his grip on the crimson drone, his eyes widening with surprise as the Forever Ninja pitched the sword into the ground and proceeded to try and pull him off, firmly grabbing hold of one of his tentacles and managing to pry it free after some difficulty, keeping a firm grip while moving onto another of his ten tentacles.

Skurd hummed in thought. "Quite stubborn, isn't he?" he remarked as the Forever Ninja pushed and tugged and strained to remove Squidstrictor from his face, succeeding in removing two more of the stubborn arms but not having much else until it came to an eerie pause that the Cephalod-ae knew should be a warning; this was taken too late as a dangerous amount of hot, red energy and electricity snaked across the droid's metal plating and coursed violently through Squidstrictor's body.

" _YEOW!_ " the alien cephalopod yelped, quickly releasing himself from the Forever Ninja and jumping back as smoke curled off his body and gave off a disgusting smell. "I know Lorna likes steamed calamari, but this is ridiculous!"

"Smells delicious." Kitty purred moments before she vanished in a glimmering shower of sparkling light just as a pair of knights that had been charging at her from opposing directions crashed into each other with a mighty clatter of metal as they collapsed into a heap and tried to remove themselves from each other; the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat snickered mischievously from the canopy above, her cheeky smile instantly turning to one of worry as the Forever Ninja collected its fallen sword and leaped straight up into the air to land swiftly and silently on a branch overhead.

"Get away from her!" Squidstrictor yelled angrily as the Forever Ninja took several swipes at Kitty.

"I'm afraid we've got bigger problems than that now, dear boy!" Skurd cried moments before a knight rammed into him with its shield and sent him flying across the theater where he landed with a wet _splat!_ on a tree trunk and crawled up into the branches overhead once he sure he wasn't going to hurl. The Cephalod-ae whipped out a tentacle and curled it around a branch to swing him over the ground from above and releasing a jet of slimy, black ink from overhead down onto an unfortunate knight below before dropping down to begin tearing away at the metal suit as fast as possible.

All Cedar could do was watch from the floor, curled up in a trembling, wooden ball as Polarizer rushed at another knight and slammed her pincers into its chest, blasting the metal warrior back from the build up of the magnetic field and sending him flying through the air where he crashed with a second knight that was about to cleave Cerise in two with its broad sword as she wrestled with another knight on the floor; with a low, savage growl, she quickly turned the tables and managed to heave the knight's entire weight up into the air on her shoulders, chucking him a fair distance away and taking out a row of theater seats while doing so.

The Daughter of Pinocchio wanted to help, wanted to able to do _something_ to aid her friends in battle, but that ever nagging voice in the back of her head came back around again; she wasn't strong or fast like Cerise, she couldn't teleport and vanish without a trace like Kitty, and she most certainly couldn't transform into a variety of extraterrestrial forms to help herself in battle like Clawdeen and Ben could. She was useless to them, just as she was usually useless to everyone else on an average school day at Ever After High.

But now that she thought about it . . . there had been a moment when she could sworn she felt _something_ , just the briefest moment of some sort of power or tingling sensation from the first and last time Achilles of the Ten Blades had followed a foolish Daring Charming back to school; she wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but she thought she had done . . . something at the very least. With little else to lose Cedar propped herself up on her elbow and cast a hand towards the ground, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she tried to concentrate as much as possible on something, _anything_ that might give her a hint of power. To her, it was a guessing game where the answer always seemed to be 'something', but she couldn't quite figure out _what._

A loud crack came from overhead and Cedar glanced up just in time to see the branch the Forever Ninja had leaped off of at the last second as it made a wild swing of its sword at Kitty come crashing down through the air and land loudly on the ground behind of Polarizer; the Biosovortian whipped around at the source of the noise, leaving herself completely exposed as a knight slammed into her and roughly knocked her to the ground, sending her head flying off and away from between her shoulders and landing somewhere between the maze of seats of the theater.

"If I hear one head joke . . ." Polarizer's head warned.

"Kinda busy!" Cerise grunted as she grappled with another one of the knights.

"Clawdeen? Where is your . . . head?" Cedar winced at the word.

The Biosovortian's voice spat violently and grumbled something incomprehensible. "Somewhere between a mess of cottoncandy and sticky soda covered in peanut dust, that's where. I'm the only talking head!"

Cedar coughed awkwardly. "Right . . ." she said as she began searching while Polarizer's body picked itself up and began to blindly stumble around, narrowly missing collisions with knights and theater seats alike; Squidstrictor leaped off of his opponent and wrapped a rubbery tentacle around its ankle, hauling it off of the ground and slamming it roughly into the ground twice like a child would beat in a wooden block through a hole before hurling it off somewhere through the dark theater where it slammed against a tree trunk with a loud _thwack!_ and fell silent.

"Am I the only one that's noticed these guys haven't said a word since they started attacking us?" Squidstrictor realized moments before the Omnitrix timed out and swallowed the Cephalod-ae in a blast of green light, returning Ben to the world.

"The butterfly's oblivious to the brightest flower until its picked!" Kitty shouted in Riddlish overhead as she narrowly avoid another swing of the Forever Ninja's sword, back flipping to land on another branch before flashing away to another some distance off.

Ben grunted as he ducked under a swing of a knight's mace and swept its metal legs out from underneath it as he dropped down to the ground and popped back up again. "I don't know what that means, but I'll take that as a 'no'." he said before a loud scream caught his attention; he immediately whipped his head towards the source of the noise to see Cedar just barely dodging the wide and powerful swings of another knight's sword, ducking under or leaning back at the last second to avoid getting hacked in half by the blade until she tripped over a discarded soda cup and fell flat on her back, leaving her a literal, sticky situation.

"Cedar!" Ben cried, rushing to try and save the wooden puppet.

At the last second however, a dark figure dropped down from the trees overhead in between Cedar and her attacker and slashed at the knight with a pair of blades that glinted in the winter moonlight, forcing the knight to step back as the figure then lunged forward and drove the two pointed edges through the chest of the knight and tearing them out to the side with the loud shriek of metal; the knight shudder for a second before falling to its knees and slumping over, lifeless. Ben peered closer and watched as the blades the figure carried softly slid back into the sleeves of a cloak with an empty quiver and bow strapped to his back; the cloaked man then reached up with pale fingers to pull off the hood and reveal a pale face with a single scar over the right eye that traveled all the way down to his lip where a black beard and goatee had sprouted in greasy and shaggy strands upon a head of jet black hair.

"They're enchanted. Magic." Jeager the Beast Hunter explained short and curtly. "If you ever need me, just yell. I'll be there before you know it." he nodded in Ben's direction before pulling the hood back over his face and leaping back up into the canopy in a rustling of leaves, leaving no other trace behind as Cedar starred at the spot her savior had been standing moments ago with short, ragged breaths.

"The lad _does_ know how to make an exit and entrance," Skurd mused. "But I believe we have bigger problems than that!" the Slimebiote yelped as another of the enchanted knights rushed at him and Ben and collided with him like a freight train; Ben's shoes dug into the ground and skidded through the dirt as he pushed and strained to hold back against the knight's tremendous strength, able to gain some ground for a short time before losing ground once more.

With a grunt, Ben pushed off of the charging knight and slammed a hand down onto the waiting activation button of the Omnitrix, not caring which alien he got as he was swallowed in a flash of green light that warped and rearranged his genetic code into something new and unseen before. Dark indigo fur began to sprout all over his body, growing short and shaggy as it traveled from between his shoulders to across his arms and down his chest and sides, snaking down around his hips and legs as his face was engulfed while his skull shifted slightly with a loud series of snaps and cracks that resounded loudly through the air; his shoulders broadened as muscles piled themselves up onto his arms beneath the layer of deep purple fur, his fingers growing stronger and more powerful as they lost any sort of hair they might have had or gained while turning a pitch black in color and losing the fifth digit was it was pulled back into his hand with a loud cracking noise. Ben's legs crunched and snapped loudly as his ankles bent in half and pulled back into a new joint as his feet tore through his shoes, his toes fusing and melting together to leave the toenails that molded together to form a tough, blackened hoof that split to form a cloven pair. Creamy, white fur sprouted from his chest as a short, fluffy tail popped out from the base of his spine and a pair of white, curled horns like that of a ram's thrust out from either side of his head. Ben's skull began to thicken, layers of new bone forcing its way into existence as special chambers filled with fluid formed in his head while the rest of his skeleton reinforced itself as he was compacted and compressed down into a smaller frame of about half of Cedar's height. The transformation completed as green bands formed around his wrists and arms and a belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd around his waist above a pair of black briefs, completing the transformation.

"What the- a new alien?" the Satyrian starred in shock at his new hands for the briefest of second before he was quickly reminded of why he was here as the suit of armor's shield butted into him, nearly knocking him off of his cloven hooves as he struggled against the suit of armor's great strength and weight, pressing his head tightly against the shield. When this seemed to gain him some form of leeway, he did the only thing that came naturally: he used his head and bashed it against the shield as hard as he could, knocking the surprised knight back a couple of feet.

With a wicked grin, the Satyrian pawed the ground with a hoof before charging forward as fast as possible with his head and horns lowered to the ground and jerking them up at the last moment to deliver the maximum amount of power it took to send the magical suit of armor flying through the air and landing roughly against a tree trunk where it slumped to the ground dazed; this was quickly changed to lifeless when the Satyrian charged right it and plowed straight through the shield and tough chestplate like it was butter, pulling his head to shake his horns free of metal shards.

"That's it! I'm callin' this alien Smashface!" the Satyrian grinned.

Skurd rolled hie eyes. "How original."

Smashface frowned. "If you're not going to help-"

"Oh, fine! But only because you insist!" Skurd cut him off dramatically as he tapped into the Omnitrix's extensive genetic database and selected one of its many samples whole sliding and slithering his slimy body over the Satyrian's head and horns; the tough, bony, keratin of the horns bubbled and cracked horribly, separating into dozens upon thousands of tiny islands that blackened and splintered while hot, steaming magma poured and oozed down through the cracks and gave off a smoldering odor as the rock encrusted horns suddenly burst into flames.

" _Nice._ " Smashface grinned as he cracked his knuckles and turned to face what remained of the enchanted suits of armor before surging forward with his fists clenched tightly, his head lowered to the ground, and his flaming horns aimed where it hurt; what followed could only be explained as three of scenes of Smashface ramming his entire body through the chest of one of the suit of armors, rapidly and relentlessly kicking another knight in the gut with his sharp hooves, and finally headbutting a third knight with his flame covered head in a small explosion of hot metal. With quick breath, the Satyrian landed on the ground to rest as the scraps and remnants of the knights fell and pelted the ground around him like rain.

Cedar felt her jaw drop at the sight as she climbed to her feet and watched as Cerise chucked the last remaining knight through the air towards Smashface mere seconds before the Satyrian dashed forward and rammed his flaming head through its gut, destroying it completely; out of the corner of Cedar's eye she caught sight of Polarizer finally stumbling across her discarded head and set it back into place seconds before the Omnitrix timed out and swallowed her in a flash of yellow light to return Clawdeen to the world.

"Where's Kitty?" Cerise wondered.

"Up here!" the Cheshire cried from above. " _Yow!_ " she yelped as she narrowly dodged a thrust of the energy sword that just barely missed her armpit.

Smashface cupped his hands over his mouth. "Get down here, quickly!" he cried; little before those words had left his mouth had the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat vanish in a shimmering, glimmer light, leaving a taunting smile behind for a few more seconds before she reappeared by the Satyrian's side, taking note of his new form for the briefest of seconds before yelping when the Forever Ninja flipped over the side of the branch and landed squarely on the ground with its grip tight and firm on the hilt of his energy sword. Smashface socked his fist into hand and raced forward down on all fours, crashing into the droid's legs like a bowling ball through pins before bending his legs and backflipping onto its back to smash its metal skull into the ground.

The Forever Ninja lifted itself up and shook Smashface free, whirling around to slice its sword in a fashion that would have normally taken a being's head off head off had the Satyrian had horns and a skull that could be compared to either Taydennite or a an Appoplexian's intelligence level a the glowing blade and hilt smashed and shattered upon contact, much to the droid's surprise. Before it could reach for another weapon Smashface surged forward and plowed his entire body into its durable plating, sending it bouncing and tumbling along the ground with a series of clattering metal and weaponry that finally rolled to a stop some distance away.

"Go ahead. Try it." Smashface snorted angrily, clenching his fists as the Forever Ninja staggered to its feet and absentmindedly glanced between the Satyrian, werewolf, Cheshire, Riding Hood, and puppet before it decided that it was not worth risking further injuries to its system and reached for a small bomb strapped to its chest; before Smashface could stop it, the Forever Ninja pitched it towards the ground where it exploded in a cloud of odorless smoke that made every cough and hack violently and their eyes water, giving the Forever Ninja more than enough time to escape.

After a while, the smoke began to clear moments before the Omnitrix timed out and encompassed the Satyrian in a blast of green light that returned Ben to the world as Skurd returned the Pyronite DNA to the wondrous device as well. "Well, I'm beat." Ben said after a while.

"And you aren't the least bit worried about the Forever Knights coming back?" Clawdeen raised an eyebrow. "Not to mention why they're here in the first place?"

Ben sighed. "It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow over breakfast. Right now, it's getting late. And cold."

"Agreed."Cerise nodded, tugging her crimson hood a little tighter around her; Cedar didn't say anything as she and the others quickly gathered up their jackets, coats, mittens, gloves, hat, scarves, and every other conceivable winter clothing they had brought with them before scurrying away lest they be blamed and charged for the damage to the theater, leaving Birchman and Oakler all alone once more.

"I loved tonight's movie!" Birchman grinned broadly.

"You did?" Oakler asked in bewilderment. "What was the best part?"

"The ending, that's what!" Birchman cracked, earning ancient guffaws and laughter from the two elderly puppets that resounded aloud and out through the empty theater for no one to hear in particular.

* * *

"So what's the verdict?" Ben asked as he sat on the edge of his bed with Cedar beside him and gripping his hand tightly, her wooden fingers intertwined with his firmly as Clawdeen lay across the bed on her stomach beside him, giving off a low growl that could be considered the canine equivalent of a purr from the processional scratches she received behind the ear from her boyfriend; sitting at the head of the bed with what Ben quickly learned to be an aching back was Venus was Jane curled up and trembling in her lap, only calmed and soothed under the plant monster's relaxing touch as she softly petting her and ran her fingers through her hair. Cerise sat up against the wall next to Raven while Kitty was curled up and half asleep a little ways off, Skelita and Maddie taking a spot on the floor having arrived late and covered in flour that she didn't want to get all over the bed, with Whisp hovering over them on her wispy tail having only recently appeared in a puff of blackened smoke after giving up on finding Apple right away.

Venus sighed. "Well, Apple did a _somewhat_ decent job of watching over Jane while I caught some sleep."

"Then what happened to the healer's office?" Ben wondered.

"That's the what happened when Apple forgot Jane was a vegetarian and tried to feed her some chicken soup . . . it didn't go over well . . ." Venus explained.

Skurd rolled his eyes. "I can imagine."

Cedar dared to rest her head on Ben's shoulder, relaxing when he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "What happened after that?" she asked.

Venus shrugged. "Well, after the disaster with Jane, we sent her to go help Skelita, Maddie, and Ginger with the bake sale."

All of the attention turned to the floor where Maddie was eagerly sucking the flour off of her fingers between sips of herbal tea and Skelita was trying to just get it off of her; fortunately, the later had an answer ready. "Apple was most helpful at first . . . but then we left her with the oven."

"Is that why I thought I smelled smoke?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

Maddie nodded with a bright smile. "You bet your teacups! And we even got to put it out, too!"

"What about you, Ben? How did things go on your date?" Skelita asked.

The wielder of the Omnitrix briefly glanced between Cerise as she shifted a little closer to Raven to ease herself, Clawdeen as she rolled over onto her back with a weary and tired expression, Kitty while she dozed off and slumbered right then and there in a warm spot found deep within the blankets and covers of the bed, Skurd as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix for a little midnight snack, and then finally to Cedar who turned a bright mahogany in color. "Same as usual, I guess: I try to relax and have a normal day for once, and the universe insists on screwing us over."

"So overall, not too bad of a night?" Maddie guessed.

"Do gorgons turn people to stone?" Ben countered with his classic, goofy grin. "But if there's one good thing that came out of tonight-" he turned to look at Cedar only to be met with a sudden, quick kiss to the lips that completely caught him off guard as the wooden puppet gulped and quickly peeled away out of embarrassment. Ben sat there out of shock for a few split seconds before curling a finger under Cedar's chin to turn her back towards him just as he softly kissed her upon the lips, his hand moving to cup her cheek as she sat there absolutely stunned and mystified before she relaxed and felt her eyes droop shut under Ben's comforting touch as his hands traveled up her smoothly polished arms and looped around her waist and clutching her hand tightly while her hands blindly searched around for something to hold onto and deciding his shoulders wee a good place to start. Cedar was practically melting in Ben's arms and never felt so relaxed or so . . . _wanted_ in all her life; sure she had received comforting and loving hugs from her father, grandfather, and godmother, but this was something entirely on a different new level, something she couldn't describe or put in her words as Ben eventually ended the sweet kiss after several more heavenly seconds that left Cedar with a dreamy smile on her lips as she leaned heavily against Ben.

Clawdeen smirked in bemusement. "And there's the ol' Tennyson charm we all know and adore."

"I-I take it she now associates with us?" Jane guessed.

Cerise coughed awkwardly. "That still leaves the issue of Apple to deal with . . ."

Clawdeen grumbled under her breath and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't wanna let her off the hook so soon, but back in the theater, watching royals get hacked and slashed into bits and pieces and then beating the living daylights out of the Forever Knights . . . there's just something so . . . _therapeutic_ about it."

Whisp shrugged overhead. "If you ask me, she's suffered enough. Not only is she probably going to be scarred for life for that little trick of mine, but she already feels horrible enough as it is." the genie presented her case. "She's practically prepared to leave the harem if necessary, finding a replacement."

"Cedar is _not_ a replacement." Ben argued back. "But you both make good points. She still deserves punishment of some kind and she already feels bad enough as it is . . . no reason to make her feel any worse."

Skurd cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "What say we ask dear Raven if our sour apple should return or not, yes? After all, if I remember correctly, they _are_ roommates."

All heads turned to look at Raven with varying looks of curiosity and need for guidance, though Maddie was her usual, happy, mad self and was perfectly content with drinking her tea on the floor, as if she somehow already new the outcome of the matter at hand. "Well . . ." Raven took a deep breath. "Apple can be somewhat . . . thickheaded at times, but once you've nailed her hard enough to get the message across, she's definitely more willing to listen, like right now." she began. "So, if we make it clear that she is not entirely off the hook yet . . . maybe on a probation or something, then she could probably be allowed to join the harem again?" Raven concluded, though it sounded more like a question than an answer with the words feeling somewhat foreign in her mouth.

Ben nodded. "Alright. All in favor of letting Apple back in the harem on probation?" he called out, raising his own hand in the air; Raven, Venus, Skelita, Whisp, Maddie, Jane, and Cedar all raised their hands with Clawdeen and Cerise opposed. Kitty remained asleep and oblivious to anything else other than her current catnap.

Whisp clapped her hands together happily. "So it's settled then! Apple's back in!" she smiled brightly.

"Yeah, yeah." Clawdeen grumbled. "She's still trouble if you ask me."

The genie shrugged. "Well, that's your opinion. I'm gonna go tell her!" she exclaimed happily, twirling around in the air as she descended down to the floor and traded her ghostly tail in for a pair of legs and a pair of baggy, black pants and curled slippers that she paused to wiggle the toes of before walking over to the door of the dorm; this confused Ben slightly, wondering why Whisp just use the simple genie trick of teleporting to ones location, until Whisp grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open to let Apple fall in and flat on her face having been leaning up against the door to try and listen in.

Raven sighed. "Apple . . ."

"Sorry," the princess apologized. "I-I couldn't wait . . ."

" _Que?_ How much did you hear?" Skelita asked.

Apple gave a sheepish smile as she sat up and rubbed her arm uncomfortably. "Everything . . ."

"In that case, ghoul, you're sleepin' on the floor." Clawdeen said from the bed next to Ben with a satisfied smirk upon her lips. "Just hope Jane doesn't roll over in her sleep on you . . . I hear sleeping under a buffalo is not a pleasant experience." she added with a small chuckle as Apple paled considerably. Mostly though, she was just relieved that she had been able to fix her mistakes . . . for the most part at least.

* * *

The Forever King, ever since he had willingly drank a concoction of chemicals and alien blood to satisfy his selfish desires, had become a much more arrogant and aggressive being since his arms had swelled with muscle and power and the shaggy fur had sprouted all over her body to give her the appearance of a large, hulking gorilla that his slack jaw and his habit of resting his body weight on his knuckles when he wasn't sitting upon his sorry excuse of a throne; the current place they were forced to call home, a relatively dry section of the sewers that weaved and coursed underneath the Village of Book End, did not help sooth his temper with its pungent odor.

"M-Me l-lord." Sir Morton's chilled voice called him by title.

With an irritated sigh, the Chadwick looked from his fixed gaze upon the scribbling and inscriptions of the spellbook before and upon the shivering, chattering form of his second in command. "What is it?"

"The l-lads an' I w-w-were w-wonderin' if we c-could light a couple o' l-laterns to stay warm an-"

The Forever King roared angrily and cracked a fist against the frozen, slime covered floor of his chamber, riddling the ancient stone with cracks and fissures as he shook his fingers free of pebbles and chips. "You fool! These tunnels are filled with methane!" he growled angrily. "You'll blow us all to kingdom come!"

Sir Morton nodded with his arms folded over his chest in an attempt to stay warm. "Of c-course, me lord." his teeth chattered. "I d-don't suppose there bein' any progress made on the magic learnin'?"

Joseph Chadwick growled. "Some. The very magic I sought to extinguish but now must manipulate for our plans to unfold, makes things rather difficult at times . . . why, I have no idea."

"P-Pardon me for s-sayin', b-but perhaps it b-because yous aren't of magic t-type." Sir Morton suggested. "Me an' th-the boys have b-been doin' sc-scoutin' out an' about and haven't seen many humans doing all this hocus-pocus stuff o' yers. Mayhaps th-there be a d-differ-"

The bulky knight was cut off as the Forever King roared angrily, his howl echoing off of the walls of the sewers and ringing off far down the tunnels for miles to come, stirring the inhabitants of the tunnels that had chosen to hibernate the sudden cold flash away in their caves and lairs of their choice. "Don't _ever_ suggest something like that again! _Ever!_ I am a Forever King! I will do what I wish without consequence!"

"Of c-course, yer majesty." Sir Morton bowed, his voice quivering, though whether it was from the cold or from fear was up to debate. "Also, m-me an' the boys have s-stumbled across somethin' of particular interest that you may . . . uh, find interestin'."

The Forever King narrowed his eyes. "What could possibly interest me?"

Sir Morton coughed uncomfortably. "Well, before I be sayin' anything, the droid's returned without his platoon . . . reports and data indicate it tangled with Tennyson and lost . . ." he flinched upon catching sight of his master's thick fingers curling into a massive fist that could have easily crushed him. "B-But on the b-brighter side of things, we be catchin' a creature of alien d-descent th-that claims to be able to perform magic."

Chadwick snarled and lumbered over to his second in command, easily dwarfing him with his impressive frame and gigantic knuckles that all but dragged against the ground. "How could this off world scum interest me?

"M-Maybe you c-could learn m-magic from him?" Morton suggested.

"'It', Morton. I could learn magic from 'it'." the Forever King corrected with a snarl. "Bring it in." he demanded, turning around so that his back was to Morton; the knight quickly bowed and left the room with the clanking of metal; several moments that felt like hours later to the impatient monstrosity that had formally been the Forever King passed before two sets of footsteps walked into the room with the sound of something being dragged across the floor glowing suit. Chadwick turned around to see the Twins standing there each holding a thick, rusty chain that attached to the thick metal collar around the neck of the prisoner, its hands shackled behind its back. The being bared resemblance to a gigantic, bipedal turtle with a sharp, jagged shell and segmented carapace, razor-sharp claws sprouting from the ends of his flipper-like arms and acting as short, stubby toes on his feet. Dark, green markings covered his arms and the back of his weathered legs while bright, purple flames crackled and cooked around his blackened skull, held in place by a neck of what looked like sharp fangs and horns; red armbands with yellow cuffs wrapped around his arms and a red belt of a similar design sat around his waist with a bull skull in the middle and a crimson loincloth attached.

" _Leave._ " the Forever King ordered the Twins; the two mask-wearing knights did as they were ordered without a sound and left the room to the creature and Chadwick.

The Forever King grunted. "Creature of the stars, I am not a patient man."

"And I have a name. Adwaita, Rightful Ruler of Ledgerdomain." the altered Geochelone Aerio grumbled unenthusiastically. "What is it that you want from me anyways?"

Joseph clenched his fist tightly, squeezing his fingers with enough force to crush bones. "Power. And to final destroy Ben Tennyson, the traitorous scum."

At that, Adwaita's attention spiked. "I assume you have a deal then?"

"I do," the hulking beast nodded. "You teach me how to wield the power of this world properly and amass an army strong enough to cleanse this world and destroy all who appose me, and I will let you live. Teach me the ways of this magic, and I will allow you to . . . fight by my side in our common goal against the brat." he shuddered as the last words felt like acid in his mouth. Making such deals with such a filthy creature as this went against everything he believed in everything he worked for, but in his tireless pursuit of his goals, sacrifices had to be made; after all, the Forever Knights had utilized alien technology to carry out their plans for centuries. And who said that a weapon had to be made of steel and metal to be of use.

"I will require better quarters than this," Adwaita spoke up in a grizzled, ancient tone. "And access to any and all books and magical artifacts you may have. Do we have a deal?"

The Forever King gritted his teeth fiercely but steely nodded. "We have a deal, alien scum. We have a deal."

 **And there we go!**

 **Whew! Sorry this took so long! Things just kept on getting in the way. On a side note, Smashface belongs to _kjmarch_ on _Deviantart._ Look 'im up some time. You won't be disappointed. **

_**Really? Me, too! You know this one time-**_

 **That's it, I can't take it anymore! * _Thankfully, mercifully, Deadpool reappears in a flash of white light, sustaining multiple injuries and missing an entire arm as he cradles a deactivated Omnitrix colored a dismal gray in color and a pair of black and orange gauntlets with a stretched out, hourglass figure of the later color decorating them; fluttering next to him is a Nemuina wearing the Omnitrix symbol on his chest*_ Deadpool! Thank goodness you're back! Send th-this . . . this . . . _thing_ away! Now!**

 ** _'Who, Mr. Nibbles?'_**

 _ **NO!**_

 **No, Wade, not Mr. Nibbles. I'm referring to the pretty pink horsie using the bunk beds as a trampoline.**

 ** _Whee!_**

 _ **'Gladly. Adios, muchachos.' *taps device on his wrist with his nose and Pinkie Pie disappears, much to everyone save Maddie's relief* 'Now then, take your junk and let me sleep. If we're gonna fight ol' nacho chip I need my beauty sleep for when I die.'**_

 **Whatever you say, Deadpool. I take it NegaBen and Mad Ben 10,000 weren't happy to see you?  
**

 _ **'You have no idea. Good night.' *flops down on the floor and snores loudly***_

 **Well, with that out of the way, I guess the only thing to say is to watch out loyal readers! A story detailing our glorious triumph or death (hopefully the former) over Bill Cipher, Master of Chaos and Madness, will hopefully be posted by the end of the week. On a related note, this story will be on temporary hiatus until I update my other stories at least once; I can't even remember the last time I wrote a chapter for _Cupid's Crystal Ball._ So sorry!**

 _ **Viva la revolution!**_

 **What the Hatter said. TO ARMS, ZACHARY, TO ARMS!**

" _ **I really fell into the wrong story."**_

 **You're just realizing this now? Either way, as always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below.**

 _ **Hasta Luego!**_

 **TO ARMS! FOUR ARMS, THAT IS!**


	23. Swine of the Times

**And here we are again, dancing to same old dance and song! Welcome back, one and all, to the ever amusing saga of _Once Upon a Tennyson_** **that I entertain one and all with!  
**

 _ **Happy Unbirthday, Creaty!**_

 **First off, babe, it's just my birthday. Second, my birthday was on March 5th. Thirdly, aren't unbirthdays reserved for every other day of the year except for your actual birthday? I'm trying to remember my Wonderland culture and history which, in all honesty, is just about as maddening as the place itself. And that's not even taking into the account of what your people use to do and how vicious the wildlife is!**

 _ **Aw . . .**_

 **It's not unappreciated though. Especially that little surprise you got me.**

 _ ***Giggles mischievously* I didn't think it would fit into such a tiny hole.**_

 **Knowing you, you would be able to easily take it.**

 _ **I know, right? That cake was ginormous! Who knew Lady Persephone was such a good cook?**_

 _ **'Given how busy her husband is, I'd say she has some time on her hands. And those could be doing a couple more useful in things with them in my opinion-'**_

 **Wade, let me advise you to stop thinking about your sexual fantasies for a second and remember that, even with your little healing factor that makes Wolverine go like "I wish I had Deadpool's healing factor, bub", our dear goddess will not hesitate to incinerate you in a column of hot fire and continue to do so if you somehow come back, which is highly doubtful.**

 _ **Hiddle dee, hiddle dum, ashes and roses burn in a boat full of water.**_

 **What she said. Now then, how do you like them apples? And if you say anything related to Maddie's chest I will personally compact press you into an area the size of a dictionary and hand feed you to Cerberus.**

 _ **'Uh, how about some reviews?**_

 **Excellent choice.**

 _ **ajir12 –**_ **Me, too, but I think we're going to have to delay that a bit, unfortunately. Why do I feel so obligated to slowly transition between my chapters!? Damn you, my head! Damn you!**

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze –**_ **Believe it or not, my much appreciated ally, the threat of the one-eyed Trinity Force has passed and we can all rest easy . . . at least until another one billion years or so have passed. But by then, the human race will no longer exist and neither will the universe, so I' think we're alright for the time being. Also, do I detect a bit of romance between our Wonderlandian friends?**

 _ **Looks like someone has been reading Sigmu's work! The babbling brook reads to the minnows and cattails!**_

 **What she said.**

 _ **Luffy1010 –**_ **Dat universe works in mysterious ways, don't it? Either way, Apple was somewhat intended to speak like that, as she was attempting her evil persona again that isn't really all that evil to talk to Cedar (which again, was not all that evil). For some reason, I really like an evil/bad/creepy Apple better than the one they give us in the webisodes, and I sense a lot of my readers do, too, like there's just some hidden desire to see the sweet, innocent, and naive turn into a twisted, demented, blood lusting monster. Regarding** ** _Cupid's Crystal Ball,_ wait no more!**

 _ **Mr. Dark –**_ **First off, a lot of people found it to be interesting and were requesting it. Second, it is highly amusing in my and many other peoples opinion.**

 _ **The cane toad tap dances while the jabberwocky sings!**_

 _ **'What she said?'**_

 **What she said.**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Believe it or not, 'Bad Apple', as some have come to call it, is a very fun and interesting role for me to write; not where she's truly evil, but where she's attempting to be evil, 'channel her inner Raven', and fails miserably at it. And I know, right? The Forever Knights just can't stay away from the silver screen. As for your cold and your inability to keep track of which or how many Ever After girls there are in the harem, there is approximately six (Apple, Raven, Cerise, Maddie, Kitty, Cedar).**

 _ **Zachery Hance –**_ **No promises, dude. Since the time of the Triangular-Dude-Whp-Must-Not-Be-Named has passed, there will be a significant decrease in a need for fighting; you may keep the Omnitrix though. I believe Looma finds it highly attractive on you (send her my regards. As well as a restraining order. Man, I am so glad I lost to her).**

 _ **Jeptwin –**_ **The Forever King might have gotten stupider or he is using underhanded tactics. I'll leave that up for you to decide.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **I'm sure our little princess has learned about meddling in the affairs of her boyfriend's affairs, but I can safely say that she has a little more ways to go before she'll be more open-minded; at least, when it comes to the whole destiny conflict. And you have our thanks, from me and Maddie, for the date. As soon as the great tale of the defeat of Ol' Nacho Chip is engraved upon the stone walls of the Underworld and carved upon the bones of his fallen warriors (ancient Wonderland tradition), we'll be more than happy to indulge in some tea.**

 **On a side note, Savara Beast the Queen of the Forest is completed and up on my Deviantart account for your viewing pleasure!**

 _ **'Lady Death? Pardon my French, but dost mine ears deceive me!? Holy /censored/ chimichangas! Forget you two loons, I'm goin' after my dream babe! Woo!' *promptly runs to the door and yanks it open to run out, only to find that it is closed off by a wall of solid, stone bricks***_

 **That's gonna leave a mark.**

 _ **'What the- who did this!?'**_

 **Hades. You can't leave, I can't leave, Maddie can't leave, Sphinx, even Mr. Nibbles can't leave until we're done disgracing Bill's name.**

 _ **'CURSE YOU, HADES!'  
**_

 **Moving on . . .**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **You'll have to see how ol' Trinity Force went down in flames ;)**

 **A lemon-flavored harem fic with River and several other ghouls and monsters, eh? Sound enticing, I'll admit. But then again, I'm the guy writing a lemon fic of my own! Who am I to judge? And hey, don't do anything I wouldn't do, alright? She's a good friend of mine and I don't want to see her getting hurt; in short, treat her well and I won't tie you into a knot. The denizens of the Underworld are like a second family to me and I don't need said family getting hurt by outsiders (no offense. Most of the undead don't take too kindly to the living, always getting jealous of the warm flesh and blood they don't have).**

 _ **Rexfan1333 –**_ **Fun Fact, my good man: there are actually animals that are entirely female animals out on our very own planet. A species called the New Mexican Whiptail lizard are all in fact female, laying eggs that hatch and grow into healthy lizards without the need to be fertilized by a male; the offspring are exact and complete genetic duplicates of the mothers (** ** _clones!_ ), with one female 'role-playing' as the male to stimulate the other into laying her eggs before they switch roles after a couple of weeks through a process called _parthenogenesis,_ which can be found in a variety of arthropods, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and even birds (mammals are unable to do this as of yet. Give it a couple million years, and we'll have to see what pops up).**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Your wish is my command!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **Congrats on your brother! Me and Maddie still have yet to tie the knot-**

 _ **A Gordian Knot!**_

 **Uh, right. Either way, to answer your question, it's unknown at this time. I put it up to a poll, but I felt that didn't get a lot of answers, so I'll have to put it up again. I could really go either way, but that might end up being predictable, with the whole 'younger brother succeeding the older brother in everything that they do after being overshadowed all his life'.**

 _ **Blazorna Ibara –**_ **Why you son of a-**

" _ **Lemme tell ya somethin' Creaturemaster, undead Tetramand author of various fanfictions that are meant to be a punishment but really aren't! Rathpool doesn't know where he is or what just happened, but if you don't fix it, Rathpool is gonna-"**_

 **For once in my undead life, can someone give me a break!? I'm just about ready to live! And what then? Who'll write these stories you like reading, eh? How's that for a problem!?**

 **/Sticks and stones may break ones bones, but words fly like bats!/**

 **Maddie? Translation _por favor?_**

 _ **He said he pities you and doesn't pity you at the same time! The jub-jub birds talons are sharp and the monkey has no bananas!**_

 **What does _that_ mean?**

 _ **You don't wanna know. Hee hee hee hee!**_

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **Once again, it's my story and I am free to chose who and what gets put into my stories. That being said, I hope Foxflare's appearance in** ** _Cupid's Crystal Ball_ was enough to satisfy your hunger for the time being :)**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **Has it been long enough for you? XD**

 _ **masterart –**_ **The patience is much appreciated,** ** _mi amigo._ As appreciation, enjoy the following chapter!**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **The award for The Biggest Groaner goes to . . .** ** _Menatron!_**

 _ **'I dunno. I thought his joke was a little**_ **wooden** ** _!'_**

 **I stand corrected. The award for The Biggest Groaner goes to Deadpool.**

 _ **'Viva la victory!'**_

 **Yes, well. Ahem. Either way . . . you naughty dog, you! Ben's not gonna be doing any of that until much later (whether this involves him picking splinters out of himself or not is up to debate). Anyways, I think Jeager and Lilith might share a few things in common, though she'll probably be more likely to slap him upside the head or yell at him the first time she meets him and finds out what he's been up to (granted, she's no better, but still). And don't worry, as soon as the next chapter is up and posted, the ghouls from _Great Scarrier Reef_ will be added to the list!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing – 'What? I wasn't gonna say nothing!'**_

 _ **The fish's lips are sealed but water leaks through the gills!**_

 **What my dear Hatter said. And yes, I believe once it's been driven through Apple's skull with a nailgun manned by a Vaxasaurian, she can be calm (in other words, you have to make it crystal clear and repeat more than once otherwise it just goes over her head; further development of character will be necessary and included later on in the story).**

 _ **'And guess what, my little devil of darkness? Zombozo isn't here at all!'**_

 _ **Wade! Stop ruining the script for Creaty's readers! Honestly, I can't believe he hasn't written your schoodle-brained butt out of here already!**_

 **Wait, I can do that? Really? _Seriously?_ I could do that!?**

 _ **'No! Wait! I beg of you! The world can't continue on without my handsome looks and witty commentary!'**_

 **I'll keep that in mind. On a side note, _you_ should keep in mind that I now wield the power to erase you from existence and out of life for good! _HAHAHAHAHAHA!_**

 _ **Ahem.**_

 **Right. Sorry, babe. Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed the cameo of your OC (she will make an official debut later on) and the appearance of Ever After's versions of Statler and Waldorf. And now that I think about it . . . I had been get all that gear of mine back if I'm going to keep Briar from killing me . . . ancestors knows she's probably ticked. Regarding the Varjoain DNA, it will have to be applied with a shot to ensure it's injected deep within your bloodstream, and the transformation will most likely be unsettling or slightly uncomfortable, but it should last a little less than a few seconds . . . _hopefully._**

 _ **Aw, thanks! Maybe I should go bare-legged sometime!**_

 **I'd know it'd drive me wild, too. And for once, I don't feel the need to remind someone what happens if they try hitting on my girl . . . _for some reason_ . . . _WADE, GET YOUR HANDS OFF THE KEYBOARD!_**

 _ **'I didn't touch anything, I swear!'**_

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Believe it or not, Snow is actually one of the few character I have little control over when it comes to writing; I just point her in a direction and she just takes off to Sphinx knows where . . . which is actually kinda frightening, now that I think about it. As for Ramona Badwolf, I imagine you'd be correct; no joining the harem however, as Ben is practically already snatching up every other available princess, witch, and maiden there is at Ever after High whether he's trying to or not. I imagine that she and Daring, once his egotistical personality is smoothed out, might be a suitable choice for her considering Cerise harbored a small crush on him before finding out that Ben was far superior (not being opinionated, it's fact!).**

 _ **wolf –**_ **First off, the Ultimatrix was canonically removed and replaced with the fully complete version of the Omnitrix, which is the one that Ben currently has in** ** _Omniverse._ The reason the Omnitrix keeps on mistransforming is because Ben has a habit of slamming down on the core every time and inadvertently, the scroll pad, every time he tries to transform, thus making it a toss up at which alien he gets transformed into (this is also, canon. Have you seen _Omniverse?_ ). Second, if I gave Ben the Ultimatrix, there wouldn't be much conflict or story or outside involvement if he could just go Ultimate every time, now would there? The ghouls wouldn't be involved, the girls wouldn't be involved, Sphinx, even Gwen, Kevin, and Rook might be rendered useless. The Ultimatrix, in my book and this one, is to be only used in dire emergencies when Professor Paradox dictates it is the right time.**

 _ **marshman101 –**_ **Thank you for that small bit of madness-**

 _ **'Yay!'**_

 **Anyway, the Forever Knights arrived in Ever After through a device they invented dubbed 'The Battering Ram' that they invented from scraps of alien technology stolen in Undertown to punch a hole through space/time to Ever After in the hopes of finding some method of ending the off world scum of aliens and finally defeating Ben once and for all; I believe this was explained in a previous chapter?**

 _ **DracoAngelus17 –**_ **Glad you enjoyed the chapter, dude. Jeager's official artwork is in the works and will be published as soon as Achilles is finished and posted on my Deviantart account; on a side note . . . trust me when I say your pathetic, metal stick isn't going to cut it.**

 _ **Creaty's right! My sister . . . doppelganger . . . clone . . . creature lurking under your bed . . . is more terrifying than you think! Granted, she loves tea just as much as I do, but she likes to blow stuff up (nothing big scale, just something about the size of the Queen of Heart's palace . . . it's happened once!), talk in absolute nonsense (the non-fun kind), and has a habit of turning into a gigantic, demented spider creature with her own head being able to rotate three-hundred-sizty degrees with a mouthful of anglerfish-like teeth whenever she's upset!**_

 _ **'So . . . fun, right?'**_

 **WADE!**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Remember, reality's an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold!**

 _ **'Whoa. So close to being slept with the fishes!'**_

 _ **Creaty, you forgot to tell Royal Rebel that Achilles was done!**_

 **Oh, yeah. Um, well, I guess Achilles of the Ten Blades is done and available on my Deviantart account? _Awkward . . ._**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Take it from a guy who practically lives in one. Get out of that straitjacket and experience some of the** ** _good_ madness Wonderland has to offer. As for the Queen of Hearts, the threat of the Clown Prince of Chaos is somewhat low considering he's been hiding out for the moment, quietly manipulating certain parties into play for the true madness to begin; once things start to act up, I think it's safe to say word will get out. And yes, I believe I can get the narrators to narrate during that chapter XD**

 **As for your idea . . . words can not even begin to describe how freaking awesome it is. I thought the movie _Zootopia_ (my family is a HUGE animation and Disney fan) was awesome, but this completely blows it out of the water; the only issue I have is that I'm attempting to try and write the Evil Queen in a slightly more positive light. For instance, Snow White was all but ready to throw away her destiny to date a 'bad boy' during her time at Ever After High (if you can guess who it is, I will be thoroughly impressed) until he never talked to her again for some strange reason, breaking her heart and allowing her to move forward with her destiny; perhaps the Evil Queen wasn't all that evil before either, like Raven, and was turned to the dark side by something nobody else understands or remembers.**

 **If you can somehow make that work, then the light turns green. Either way, I absolutely love your idea (why you don't have an account on here and aren't publishing stories of your own is a mystery to me).**

 _ **'Me, too!'**_

 **Quiet you.**

 _ **Slappy –**_ **All that can be arranged, my good man! Er, puppet? Is that offensive?**

 _ **'I don't know and I don't care! He gives me the creeps!'**_

 **Quiet, you.**

 _ **Soos –**_ **There comes a time in every man-child's life, Soos, when his greatest moment is achieved and he sets out to find another . . . this is that time, dude. So take it from down here in the Underworld from all of us when we say . . . job well done, dude. Have fun running the shack!**

 _ **'Quick! Get the earplugs and run for cover! Maddie's about to explode with happiness!'**_

 _ ***Sucks in a deep breath and proceeds to guzzle down an entire teapot of Wonderland tea* THANKYOU,SOOS! YOUARETHEBESTOMNIVERSALTEMPORARYHANDYMANOFTHEAPOCOLYPSEAHATTERCOULDEVERKNOW!**_

 **Yeah, good luck putting spaces between those words . . .**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **You make some very thought provoking points. Cerise's main problem at this point though, is just trying to come to terms with how she feels and getting the courage to tell her best friend forever after and her boyfriend how she feels; the public announcement of the whole thing would come next. And yes, Venus and Jane will play a significant claw and talon in helping Cerise out.**

 _ **Story Artist –**_ **Your question seems to be a common one that's come up recently, and I actually really like the idea; the ghouls all got one in WAM, so I don't see why the girls can't!**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Your username is more appropriate than you know. Answers in the order you asked for them: Jeager is more of an ally at the moment, so Ben won't be likely to try and hurt him on sight and vise versa; the beast Jeager was hunting** ** _is not_ Krampus and shall remain unknown for the time being; keep reading and you'll find out; our Terrible Trio will appear sometime later, perhaps starting with small cameos and whatnot before jumping into the main plot so that everything doesn't seem as 'random' as WAM was at times; keeping reading and you'll find out. Just don't tell him you didn't get the punchline or he'll punchline _you_ ; I'm sensing the aforementioned characters are favorites of yours, no? Don't worry though, they'll get their turns in the spotlight; time just requires that spotlight to be focused on others for the time being.**

 _ **NaruFuu Forever –**_ **Actually, that's going to happen sometime in the next chapter or two; considering how crowded Ben's bed and his dorm in general has become with his ghoulfriends now popping onto the scene every now and again and his girls taking a liking to sharing a bed with him, an upgrade might be in order.**

 _ **Writing Warrior –**_ **Technically, Darling has appeared, but her official debut won't be until the end of** ** _Way too Wonderland_ , just like it was in canon. As for your question on Apple . . . well, you'll just have to wait for the inevitable lemon chapter that may or may not pop up much later in this story's life time. We'll have to see what everyone thinks.**

 _ **Shadowman –**_ **I don't see why Maddie would be concerned about it. I mean, they may be the same person (sorta), but that doesn't mean one dictates the life of the other. Of course, that doesn't stop one of them from interacting with the other, much to my annoyance . . . Maddie, put the mallet down.**

 _ **Awwww . . .**_

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Me and my big mouth . . .**

 _ **'I know, right? You'd think you'd have learned by now!'**_

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **And something tells me it's gonna be this chapter!**

 _ **The Alliance –**_ **The help is much appreciated, it really is, but and I can't believe I'm saying this. To borrow a quote from the most infamous, tentacle bearded warlord the galaxy has ever known, "Your assistance is no longer acquired."**

 _ **Curtis Payne –**_ **Granted, there are a lot of aliens and some fit the bill of the situation better than others, so that might be a recurring theme.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **Finally, someone shares my sympathies! The triangular nuisance was starting to grate my nerves; he just won't die (until Fill came along)!**

 **Harem Lemon – You make a good point. Then again, we're talking about a kid who's been saving the universe since he was ten-years old with literally the entire galaxy after his head and wrist.**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **I haven't seen it yet, but based on one of the stories I read,** ** _A Marriage of Convenience_ by _Sigmu_ (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend you do), my Snow White and the canon Snow White might as well be two completely different people; more than one person I've talked to is actually scared of her!**

 _ **Cheeeeeeeeeeeese –**_ **Oh, she will, will she?**

 _ **Does a jabberywocky secretly tap dance?**_

 _ **'What does that even mean!?'**_

 _ **KittyWolf – Nice to have you back!**_

 **Agreed.**

 _ **'Get lost, cheapskate!'**_

 **SMACK!**

 _ **'Mommy . . .'**_

 **Anyway, Deadpool was briefly turned into a poodle by Bill during our little skirmish and we were unfortunately unable to dress him up in any cute/black mailing outfits. And yes, Apple has thoroughly learned her lesson about messing with Ben's love life . . . still working on the whole destiny conflict, but that'll be fixed quite soon. As for Cedar . . . well, you're just going to have to wait!**

 _ **Cartoonfan10 –**_ **That is a very compelling question, and I honestly have to say that I wouldn't know; the only piece of evidence I have is when Ben broke his arm when he was Clockwork and the damage carried over to his human form when he timed out. The next time he used the Omnitrix (Ultimatrix?) and turned into Swampfire in the same episode, his arm was wither and all bent out of shape, as if it were still broken. Another example would be when Tetrax destroyed Diamondhead to bring back Chromastone to resurrect Petropia and the Ultimatrix successfully repaired all the damage there was (Diamondhead was still alive and little more than a pile of rock, crystal, and a talking head beforehand). If the wearer of an Omnitrix was in pieces before transforming, I have no idea what would happen.**

 _ **Killer Croc –**_ **In passing, several new and old characters will debut back with the ghouls in Ben's world and Astranova will appear farther along the story's timeline; as for other ghouls that are not part of the harem ending up in this little mess, well . . . all in due time I guess!**

 _ **Cyber Ninja –**_ **I am well aware of this (Maddie wouldn't stop talking about it).**

 _ **Great Scarrier Reef!**_

 **GAH!**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Wait, there's another Teen Titans reboot coming sometime that might** ** _potentially_ actually make sense!? Someone stop the presses and set my DVR to record this coming year! 2016's a great year for TV, baby!**

 _ **'That's gonna be kinda hard to do since Mr. Nibbles started teething, Four-Eyes.**_

 **Wait, what!? _NO!_ Not my flatscreen TV! That was a gift! * _sigh*_ On a side note, those EA girl stereotypes (I'm not sure if that's what you could properly call it or not) are much appreciated and should help me further write this series, not to mention that I absolutely _love_ the Cedar dream idea. And finally, someone who doesn't want to horribly mangle Grimm on sight and suggests that he help do something productive (eventually).**

 _ **Aw, Lizzie likes you!**_

 **Yeah, in more ways than one. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, dude! Better yet, don't do anything Deadpool would either.**

 _ **'Hey!'**_

 **Moving on, Teacher Tennyson will be both fun, absolutely hilarious, and downright terrifying to write (from his student's point of view), and with the proper incentive for the ghouls and girls, it's going to be a living nightmare for someone like Daring; on a side note, how funny do think it might be if Snow White joined in on a couple of these classes and easily managed to destroy Daring or Hunter in battle, baring the fact that neither of them would attack or hit a lady, much less someone as in power as her?**

 **Next, the sleepover idea is just perfect and will definitely happen if I'm between 'dramatic arcs' without a good plot.**

 **Finally, the rest of the deadly sins; I eagerly await their submission (Jason should appear some time after _Way too Wonderland_ ), but remember to make them actually beatable without Ben turning into one of his more powerful aliens such as Alien X or Atomix, because that's what some of them are starting to sound like. Another to try is to attempt to make sure that none or at least most of them don't have overlapping powers if they aren't related or members of the same species.**

 **On a final last note, regarding Vanity, what is your opinion on a future look/outfit I've been thinking about giving her? Essentially, look up _Mutants: Genetic Gladiators_ , find the wiki (because there's a wiki for everything these days), and look up 'Grim Reapress'; the outfit and massive scythe are what I had in mind, but I felt you should have a say in this. And if you haven't played the game, I suggest you look into it. _So many_ monsters and mutants to chose from and battle, so little time . . .**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Not sure if Ascalon will appear, but it's a strong possibility. Concerning Duchess, she's not one of my favorite characters as she's just mean because she's jealous of other maiden's stories; at least Nefera lacked self esteem and suffered under the 'tyrannical' rules of her father about how she should live her life. Duchess' just mean because she can be and thus, like Toralei, I don't think will have much room for redemption sadly. Faybelle would be a pretty good place to start though . . .**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Yes, believe it or not, I am still alive and in one piece contrary to popular belief. And finally, someone kind enough to make sure that I don't tear my hair out from the sheer insanity that's going on around here; all I ask is for one simple, quiet evening with my girl with no mercenaries, sugar addicted ponies, bizarre monsters trying to bite my face off to ruin it.** ** _IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK!?_**

 _ **Aw, you do care about me!**_

 **Who said I didn't?**

 _ **'Deadpool.'**_

 **WADE! _Ahem._ Brooke does seem to like Ben, now doesn't she? XD And regarding Snow White, I am fully aware that the canon version is less than appealing compared to mine; one of the stories I read by _Sigmu_ (I highly recommend you read their stories if you haven't, especially if you like this story) briefly talked about her and even ships her with the freakin' Evil Queen!**

 **And yes, regarding _Zootopia_ , I must praise Disney for being able to discuss such topics like that in a childrens movie of all things and make it feel like it just simply belong; this is something that you could take your kids to and they would understand what's happening, what's going on, and be able to compare that to the real world should they ever experience such issues. And for those that don't get it, they'll simply love watching the lovable and funny anthropomorphic animals parade around on screen.**

 **And yes, I did know all that. I am quite the actual and theoretical biologist; I even have a theory on how dragons could possibly breath fire if there was a possibility of them ever existing.**

 _ **Fill Cipher –**_ **You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Seriously, ol' Trinity Force was driving me us all up the wall and, no offense, but if I see another Cipher it'll be too soon.**

 _ **Drop by anytime!**_

 _ **'Normally, I hate anything overly happy and excited and sappy (like a certain pony who shall not be named unless she wants a one way trip to the glue factory), but in this case I'll make an exception.'**_

 **Agreed. Now if you'll excuse us, Fill, I have an eyeball to mail to _Jeptwin_ via harpy and a hat and cane to send to _LegionnaireBlaze_ via fury.**

 _ **cjboughton –**_ **In the words of Gigi Grant, "As you wish!"**

 _ **Imagi –**_ **The ghouls will arrive one by one (one by one being either groups or individually), so don't worry! I have been trying to bring the ghouls that didn't get quite as much screen time in my previous work out into the spotlight some more, which is why Skelita is in Ever After and not Frankie or Spectra. Lorna herself might have to wait a little for what I have planned, but she'll definitely play a bigger part than in the webisodes and previous story.**

 **There will actually be a moment when Lorna's ex meets Ben . . . and knowing him, it probably be when he's saving the day just to really give Fin an idea at who is suddenly being outclassed by XD**

 **While I do have plans to bring a few more new ghouls into the harem to keep things interesting, Luna Mothews (I think I spelled that right) is not among them. Plus, why would Apple specifically ask to bring the moth man's daughter to Ever After? Plus, despite being free and being a genie, Whisp's power is greatly depleted and be unable to perform a task such as that without practically draining herself into a coma, something not even Whisp would be willing to do. While Whisp retains some of her genie abilities, such as flight, teleportation, limited shape-shifting, and various magic spells, she can't do anything large scale such as replacing the entire school with gigantic cookies and candies or counter the curse on Wonderland.**

 **Sadly, I can not confirm Briar or Courtley, as there are many people who would rather see them with Ben than anyone else, and I have to agree. Don't worry about Hopper though, there's someone just as tough and Briar-like as Briar for him to love in the future ;)**

 **Melody Piper unfortunately, as much as I love her character, doesn't have enough development in her personality, story, and general character for me to pair her with Ben; we don't even know _why_ she's a Rebel. Being a member of Raven and the Rebels however, she'll have some development and appear more times than before, but she'll end up with someone else in the future (if you can guess who she'll end up with in the epilogue, you get a virtual cookie)!**

 _ **Malchior the Bad –**_ **That's the plan!**

 _ **Cyber Ninja –**_ **Seeing as how Ben has already been tangled up in the mess of** ** _Spring Unsprung_ and so much as happened already, I think it's safe to say that much chaos will ensue.**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **Believe me, I like** ** _that_ version of the Easter Bunny much better (badass, deadly with boomerangs, and from Austrailia!), but there's only so much I can put in before it becomes redundant. While I can confirm that the Easter Bunny exists _somewhere_ in Ever After, it's not somewhere within range of the trouble-attracting magnet that is Ben.**

 _ **Leon the Leo –**_ **Glad you're enjoying things so far XD As for** ** _Dragon Games_ , there _are_ plans for it to be written into the story, but after that there's probably not going to be any more specials written in; as for the following special, _Epic Winter_ , I have no plans to _officially_ include, but there will probably be a rewrite of it for what I need around that time.**

 _ **'Whew! I think that just about covers it!'**_

 **Finally. Now, if you'll excuse us, me and Maddie have a reservation for the Interdimensional House of Tea, otherwise known as the Mad Hatter's Wonderland Haberdashery & Tea Shoppe; Maddie misses her "Daddy" very much and wants to introduce me to him as well. I can only hope my sanity can handle a little more _insanity_ before it explodes.**

 _ **'Smell ya later, Four-Eyes! I gotta hot date with Lady Death!**_ **'**

 **Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Deadpool. Then again, don't do anything that you'd usually do either. C'mon, Maddie, we're gonna- what are you doing?**

 _ **We can't leave Mr. Nibbles by himself! We'd be bad parents if we did!**_

 **We aren't- you know what? Lets bring him, her, it, whatever, along. I'd rather have that thing within eyesight than leave it here where it most likely destroy everything in sight. Either way, I'm looking forward to a nice and relaxing evening, just like this chapter is going to be.**

 _ **The fish don't know why they've stopped swimming.**_

 **Oh, right. I guess an explanation is in order. Well then, _Way too Wonderland_ was intend to be posted _this_ chapter, but I felt it was a little too early for that compared to recent events from previous chapters and that we were in need of a little light hearted chapter to ease the drama a little bit (although I know you all love it). Really, this chapter is mostly just fluff and love and a set up for the events of _Way too Wonderland_. And before anyone asks, _Dragon Games WILL_ be written into this story as well, but this is where I draw the line; on a side note, some major rewrites will have to take place in order to write in _my_ version of Snow White (who debuted before _Dragon Games_ ever aired, just so you know) for the canon one (which is much more terrifying). And regarding _Epic Winter_ , the official special that follows _Dragon Games,_ I have no plans to _officially_ include it, but there will probably be a rewrite of it for what I need around that time.**

 **Also, me and an author by the name of _Blazorna Ibara_ are doing a collaboration together. If you've read _We Are Monsters_ you might remember the promise of a Xover between that story and his current Xover? Well, after an eternity of patiently waiting for him to get where he needs to be, it's finally happening, ghosts and ghouls!**

 **Now _Blazorna_ normally doesn't answer or respond to his reviews, but after finding the antics that happen to me in the reviews, both hilarious, humiliating, and torturous, he's willing to give it a shot! So if you have any questions or just wish to torture the lot of us, pop over to his story _The Troubles of a Misplaced Hero_ and review for his latest chapter; we will only respond to the latest chapter, so remember!  
**

 **WARNING: _Blazorna's_ Ben 10 Xover is rated M and is crossover with _Queen's Blade,_ an anime that some might find offensive or down right uncomfortable watching/reading about; there will be sexual references (no sexual scenes though), swearing, and some gore here and there, so be on the look out my pretties!**

 _ **'You did**_ **not** ** _just say that, dude. And I thought I had respect for you!'_**

 **I thought you were on a date!?**

 _ **' . . . I forgot my extra mask . . .'**_

 **Ugh. Alright, I think that just about covers it. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! We love hearing from you guys and everything you guys say helps in some capacity, from keeping this story going to helping us come up with the little moments that everyone loves and adores.**

 **Onward!**

Cedar inhaled a deep breath and took in the sweet, Spring air as she spun around in a circle and felt the wind rush through her chocolate brown locks and curls stained with cheery, violet and pink streaks like those of the freshly blooming flowers at her feet until she allowed herself to fall and flop onto her back. The wind was slightly knocked out of her from the landing, but she enjoyed it nonetheless, hex, she _loved_ it; she curled her fingers around clumps of cool, green grass, her _real_ flesh and blood fingers coated in soft, earthy skin and muscles that flexed and contracted at her will as she gazed up and blinked her _real_ hazel eyes to fight back the warm glare of the sun overhead as it caressed her with its sunny rays.

With a second breath she sat up and climbed to her feet, wiggling her toes in the grass before sprinting across the garden as fast as possible, racing for the nearest tree available; ancient, stone walls covered and coated with thick layers of ivy surrounded the wide, nearly bookball field-sized garden, guarding the rolling meadow of fresh, green grass, blooming flowers every shade and color of the rainbow, and the tall, shady trees like centurions long forgotten by the sands of time.

She heard the sound feet up beside her and she looked down to see a little boy that looked to be perhaps just short of being ten years of age with scruffy, brown hair and a pair of dark brown eyes like that of mud and moistened ear against surprisingly soft and pale skin scuffed and marred with layers of dirt and grime from rolling around in the grass; he wore a pair of old overalls and white T-shirt covered in grass stains from days of play time past with the cuffs of his pants rolled up to allow his bare feet to grab a sort of hold against the earth.

Catching up on her other side in their unofficial race was a girl several years younger, perhaps a little older than six, with brown hair like that of dried and gnarled bark that framed her deeply tanned skin and a pair of sharp, green eyes like that of fresh ivy and new growth along the ground; her little legs and arms were pumping madly to try and keep even with her mother and brother, her pink and yellow trimmed sundress flapping and buffeting in the breeze as she ran bare foot through the grass, stumbling every now and again in her futile attempts to keep up.

"Race you to the tree!" Cedar laughed as she sped ahead of her two children.

" _Moooom_ , that's cheating!" the boy whined.

"No, _this_ is cheating." a voice laughed from behind them; the two children spared a glance behind them just as a Kineceleran came racing through the grass at cruising speed, barely even putting up any effort despite that he easily surpassed the two children and would most likely be able to keep up with most vehicles at such a speed without having to actually try. Before the two children could argue and complain further, XLR8 teased them with a short raspberry and blasted off at top speed, the grass parting like the Red Sea before him as he shot past Cedar and straight up the nearest tree, wrapping his legs and prehensile tail around one of the highest branches before he was suddenly engulfed in a blast of green light and returned to his original form, that of a fairly muscled man with scruffy, brown hair, emerald green eyes, a casual, green T-shirt trimmed in black with shorts, and the Omnitrix fastened around his left wrist.

"Ben, you know better than that!" Cedar scolded her husband with a laugh. "Now you're going to give Willow and Ash ideas."

" _Yes_ , that _certainly_ would be a bad thing." a voice drawled in a dramatic, overly sarcastic tone from beneath Ben as the air shimmered and wavered on a branch below until Kitty appeared in full view lying on her back with her ever present, Chesire grin upon her lips; the feline was dressed in a loose, silver and white top decorated with black paw prints and a pair of wild, purple and lavender striped leggings underneath of a short miniskirt to accommodate for the nice weather while, like Cedar and Ben, her feet remained bare and exposed to the warm rays of the sun that she particularly enjoyed.

Lying on her stomach and cradled in her arms was a small bundle of swaddled blankets of which held a squirming and fighting little boy with cold, lavender eyes and light brown skin and fur that vaguely hid a pair of teething fangs that he was quickly setting to work on his mother's flickering, alluring tail whenever it came within reach. "Jaguar, let go of your mother's tail." Kitty scolded the little boy.

"Jaguar? That's what you went for?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

Kitty smirked. "As I recall, you were all for it because, and I quote, 'it sounds really awesome', unquote."

"She has you there, Ben." Cedar laughed as she came to a stop at the trunk of the tree and patiently for her two children to catch up; Ash wriggled out of her grip as he latched onto the tree trunk, claiming he didn't need any help as his feet and fingers found every last nook and cranny the bark yielded away from him, while Willow required some assistance and clung tightly to her mother's shoulders with her little legs hooked securely around her chest as Cedar began to scale the tree.

"I don't remember that." Ben argued.

"That may be because that was the week you were teaching a class and accidentally took a club to the head. I never knew Hunter and Ashlynn's son could be so strong." Kitty purred with her ever present smirk. "But if you don't like the name, I'm all ears. Our child only deserves the best, now doesn't he?"

"You're almost as bad as Duchess," Cedar rolled her eyes as she grabbed hold of a branch and hauled herself up, making sure that Willow's grip was tight and secure on her. "Almost." she added when she remembered the last time she had crossed paths with Duchess, the swan maiden now doing shows in a bar a couple villages over doing several very inappropriate and proactive dances that would have gotten her expelled from Ever After High had they not graduated several years prior; and to think, she could have had a fortuitous career as a ballet dancer had she not tarnished her reputation during one of the biggest dancing competitions in all of Ever After by cheating and sabotaging her main competitor. Now instead of dancing on a stage in front of millions she was dancing on a pole for dollars and whatever change she could get to scrape by.

Cedar pushed the thought out of her head as she stopped to rest on a low branch and look out over the expansive garden that adjoined to the large and spacious castle that her extensive family resided in; sitting around a large toadstool was a short woman with lightly tanned skin, wild and unkempt hair colored various shades of mint green, blue, and purple with two little girls sitting on mushrooms like they were chairs, giggling and smiling brightly with the vibrant green eyes they inherited from their father when they weren't drinking tea out of their sippy cups while their mother was in the middle of an intense game of Go Fish; sitting on another mushroom around the toadstool table was a taller woman with pale, ivory skin dressed in a short, black and gold skirt and black leggings decorated with red diamonds and clubs with royal red robes trimmed with gold to signify her importance as a royal of Wonderland, made evident by the extravagant gold crown covered in ruby hearts and obsidian diamonds. Sitting comfortably on her lap, a spot that would have gotten everyone but her fellow harem wives, husband, and extensive step-children beheaded, was a little girl perhaps a year or two older than Willow with pale skin, bright red hair split in two by a single, black streak, and a large, black diamond over the right side of her face, highlighting her bright, green eyes and small, red dress as she bounced eagerly upon her mother's lap.

"The tortoise has great patience but the hare is in a rush." Maddie eventually spoke up from the silence around the table, hunkering down to glare over the top of her cards in a dramatic fashion.

Lizzie tapped her chin as she casually glanced at her cards. "Hmmm. What move do you think mother should make, my little Ace in the Hole?" she glanced down at the little girl in her lap.

"Off with your head!" was the response.

"Just like mother," Lizzie smiled proudly before turning her attention back to Maddie. "Go Fish."

"Aw, schoodle butt!" the Hatter pouted as she drew another card from the pile at the toadstool's center.

Reading a book underneath of another tree not too were a pair of woman, each one more contradicting in appearance than the other; the first was clearly a prestigious royal of high class with long, flowing, golden locks that reached just beneath the small of her back and dressed in a more casual version of the royal red robes she often addressed her subjects and was dealing with important matters with other kingdoms and territories, sporting a pair of a bright, blue eyes as crystal clear as the sea, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood. Snuggled up comfortably on her lap was a little girl with hair as brown as earth, eyes as blue as the sky, and skin as white as ice dressed in a little, red dress and tiny crown that listened with closed eyes as her mother read aloud.

Sitting next to the queen was another woman who was, no doubt, of similar authority that chose to dress in far more casual wear than the job required, choosing to wear a lose, comfy gray T-shirt with a purple raven embroidered on the front, a short, purple miniskirt that showed off her long, ivory legs and arms, and a pair of headphones hooked up to her Mirrorphone that were currently draped around her neck and waiting use.

A little ways off a woman was instructing and taking part in a game of _ullamaliztli_ with three children and a dragon covered in deep, purple scales and horns and about the size of a large dog, though the fire-breathing reptile was not what drew the most attention; what would catch one's eye was the fact that the woman was composed entirely out of bones, in fact being a living skeleton held together by forces that would take years to understand and comprehend. Her long, flowing, black and marigold streaked hair cascaded down her back just beneath her shoulder blades, held in place in a loose bun by a bright, blue headband attached to a golden flower. Draped across her neck was a wool collar of a variety of colors and hues hung over a dull, khaki colored top tucked into the waistline of a pair of jeans loosely held up by a woven belt with a sugar skull belt buckle.

One of the children also happened to be a skeleton, a boy from the look of things, with black and brown streaked and bright, green eyes the color of hot peppers that stood startlingly out due to the white bones that composed up his body as he made a move to strike the thankfully soft ball (instead of the traditional rubber one) with his pelvis that was wrapped up in a pair of cargo shorts and a khaki shirt with black sleeve trimmed with yellow stripes.

The other two seemed to be twins ranging from somewhere between the ages of four and five; the first was a boy with greasy, black hair that hung over his tanned face and a pair of amethyst eyes over gray bags that hid behind the dark curtain, his lips curled upwards into what one might perceive to be a cruel smile as he made a dive for the ball and rammed it with his head. He wore a loose, black T-shirt with tattered sleeves and hem with the purple symbol of a raven in the front and a pair of brown cargo pants with multiple pockets and straps. His sister however had frighteningly pale skin, a pair of soft, green eyes that seemed to be a dominant trait among most of her step-siblings, and long purple hair streaked with vibrant greens and pinks that reached past her shoulders clothed in a loose, purple shirt and black skirt over a pair of leggings while she quickly countered her brother's move with a swift kick.

" . . . And they all lived happily ever after. The end." Apple closed the book and gently aroused her sleeping daughter from her light slumber. "Tired, sweety?"

"No . . ." the little princess mumbled with exhaustion.

Raven chuckled. "Stubborn just like your father."

Cedar felt herself smile as she continued her climb, making sure that Willow's fingers held tightly onto her shoulders and shirt as she grabbed onto the branch above her and swung herself up, climbing higher and higher into the tree's bows. A series of loud howls caught her attention and she glanced down to see a trio of figures crouched on the ground with heads craned upwards towards the sky; the biggest figure was a woman with a layer of chocolate brown fur covering her from head to toe, save for her long, flowing locks that could have been an deep auburn in color had they not been died a vibrant, electric green and tied back into a ponytail that draped down her back and highlighting her sharp, golden orbs and a pair of pointed, canine-like ears. Her spike-like claws were painted a deep magenta in color and she wore strapless dress covered in faded paint splatters and tie dye colors over a shorter, purple skirt covered in neon green leopard print that reached just above her knees with a red and lime green plastic jacket for her top.

The other two figures were clearly siblings and children of their mother, albeit of opposite genders; the first was a ghoul roughly around Willow's age covered in a layer of dark brown, nearly black fur that amplified her amber eyes that shown like candles against her dark fur even in the daytime. In stark contrast to her abyssal fur, her hair was a striking orange-auburn in color, her bangs hanging low over her face with one side shaved off down to the fur and the rest swept over one side while she was dressed in a pair of gray pants with ragged clawmarks torn open over the knees and a short sleeved, pink T-shirt speckled with black leopard print around the shoulders and sleeves. The second was a boy with light brown fur the colored of dried earth with a pair of ivy green eyes that he inherited from his father; he wore a black, leather jacket over a white T-shirt with a black pawprint embroidered on the front and a pair of jean shorts while he and his sister sat with rapt attention towards the howling lessons their mother was giving them.

"Mommy!" Willow suddenly screamed, snapping Cedar out of her gazing state as she turned towards the sound of her daughter's alarmed cry just in time to see the little girl's grip falter and loosen from her back and shoulders, sending her plummeting towards the ground several dozen feet below; Cedar immediately felt her blood rush and her heart hammer in her chest as Ash yelled his sister's name, too high up to do anything else, as the other occupants all got up and charged towards Willow as she fell in the hopes of preventing her serious injury. Without thinking, Cedar let go of the branch she was on and jumped free of the tree, using her extra weight to shoot off after her daughter and grab onto her as fast as possible, pulling her close in to her chest and curling her body up to shield her from the fall. The Daughter of Pinocchio knew that no one was going to get there in time, that no one was going to be able to save them from crashing into the ground below, but she could at least hope that wouldn't be severely injured and that her beloved child was unharmed.

A blast of green light filled her ears as she squeezed her eyes shut in preparation from impact before she felt a slight jolt and then . . . oddly nothing. No sudden spike of pain from impact, no lingering pricks or jabs from a broken bone or pulsing feeling from a bruised organ or split skin, just nothing; finally daring to crack open her eyes, Cedar found herself caught and held tightly in the fury arms of a creature that mostly bore resemblance to a humanoid lemur, with a yellow, fury face with flexible ears, opposable hands and feet, and a pair of twin tails all wrapped up in a green and black pair of overalls with the Omnitrix fastened to a belt around its waist. Teleportail, if she remembered correctly.

"You alright?" the Vong Linducher asked, his ears twitching slightly.

Cedar took a deep breath and swallowed nervously to calm herself. "Y-Yeah . . . I'm fine. J-Just shaken up." she inhaled sharply before turning to the trembling, quivering ball that was her daughter. "What about you, dear? Does anything hurt?"

"N-No . . ." Willow shivered with fear.

Cedar sighed as Teleportail set her down on the ground moments before the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world. "I think that's enough tree climbing for today." she announced, an idea that Willow was all too eager to agree with; Ash took a little more convincing however, even after his sister's fall, until Ben finally managed to convince him that attempting a recreation of the fall was not in either party's best interests, especially since none of them were made out of wood like their mother had once been.

"I'm just glad you two are alright." Ben breathed with relief, looping his arms around Cedar and hugging her close to him as if afraid she would tumble right out of his grasp a second time, drawing a sharp breath from her. No matter how many times he did it, she never got over how comfortable she felt in his arms, how wonderful it felt to have him hugging her and to be able to hear his heart beat beneath his chest, how _perfect_ it seemed to be, as if they were two pieces of a puzzle finally being put together; Cedar sighed happily and rested her hand in the crook of Ben's neck, already feeling her racing pulse drop dramatically.

With the crisis averted, the tense atmosphere began to ebb away as Apple sat back down and shifted her still tired daughter into a more comfortable position on her lap as Raven took a leaf out of Kitty's book and lay down on the grass next to the queen and princess for the afternoon nap that the crafty Cheshire and Jaguar were already ahead on, nestled in the branches high above the ground in a beam of sunlight that was just right for a catnap. "Not to hex us into next week . . . but this is the life." Apple sighed happily.

"Agreed." Lizzie nodded as she and Maddie returned to their game of cards where Ace was quickly shuffling the deck with surprising dexterity and skill for someone her age. "We have an _incredible_ husband, wonderlandiful children and heirs, spelltacular friends and family, and a great deal of power across the realms."

"Not to mention scary cool influence, drop dead gore-geous looks, and a dragon's horde of wealth." Clawdeen added as she relaxed and bedded down in the shade of the tree for a well deserved nap after throwing her vocal cords and throat out with the howling lessons she had been giving to her two children before the incident had occurred; Lupa and Faolan were initially disappointed and took to pouncing on their mother and tugging on her ears with their teeth like excited puppies until she silenced them with a harsh bark that managed to goad them into giving her some peace for the moment while they decided to run off and join the game of _ullamaliztli_ was organizing.

Ben placed a soft kiss upon her temple and Cedar felt herself blushing slightly. "And I wouldn't give it away for anything."

* * *

Cedar slowly began to stir, her eyes sleepily blinking with a soft clicking sound as her wooden eyelids slid back and forth in their sockets to blink the sleep that had accumulated in her eyes from her night's rest; she was dressed in nothing more than an oversized T-shirt splattered with paint stains and wild, tie dye colors and a pair of pink panties underneath, as her wooden figure didn't really ever require the need or usage of a bra in the first place. Her sleep attire was of little concern to her however as she snuggled back down into the sheets and pulled the warm blanket back up over her while groping and patting around with her other free hand.

She was trying to find Ben, some part of him that she could curl her wooden fingers around and hug close to her and latch onto like a lifeline, as if to reassure her that she was not experiencing some cruel dream or was in a coma due to an accident in Science and Sorcery class, but after several attempts to find his arm or shoulder or _anything_ and finding _nothing_ she cracked open her eyes and sat up in bed, taking in her surroundings with bleary and haggard eyes.

Skelita was still wrapped up in her comfortable, wool blanket near the window, a small smile upon her lips as she dozed as if she were having a nice dream while Clawdeen growled and grumbled softly in her sleep at the foot of the bed, the werewolf clad in a pair of black sweatpants and a loose, white top with purple sleeves; lying on the floor wrapped up in a cozy, ruby red sleeping bag was Apple, her arms splayed out wildly upon her nest of unkempt, blonde curls as she snored loudly, which might have been the reason why Clawdeen was tossing and turning so much in her sleep. If it hadn't been for the fact that the Daughter of Snow White had taken all five of Ben's ghouls out on a shopping spree using her own cut of her family's extensive fortune to try and begin mending their relationship with one another, the werewolf would have most likely thrown Apple out of the dorm in the most literal sense possible.

Lying next to her on her right side was Cerise wrapped up in her usual, crimson hood and the ripped and torn shorts and shirt that she wore for sleepwear; Cedar had always wondered why and how her roommate's clothes were in such condition, especially since her hood of all things didn't seem to suffer the same fate. Perhaps it might have had something to do with the way Cerise snarled and growled like some kind of wild animal in her sleep on occasions, tossing and turning the covers in a frenzy with her arms and legs as if she were chasing after something that Cedar couldn't hope to imagine.

Whatever theories or hypothesizes that Cedar had however were quickly forgotten about when she noticed something rather odd and down right bizarre. Cedar quirked up her wooden brow when she caught sight of Raven, clad in a pair of dark purple sweatpants decorated with black symbols and markings that the wooden puppet didn't understand and a loose, gray shirt w with purple sleeves, sleeping on her side next to Cerise, completely unaware of how the Daughter of Red Riding Hood was hugging and holding her from behind in her sleep.

It actually looked . . . _cute._

A sudden round of Apple's obnoxious snoring tore Cedar's attention away from the touching scene, her focus briefly gliding over Kitty curled up at the head of the bed in place of Ben's pillow (Cedar still couldn't figure out _why_ , even after two weeks since she had started a relationship with Ben, the Cheshire insisted on allowing Ben to sleep on her) before she noticed that not only was her boyfriend missing, but Venus, Jane, and Whisp were as well.

"Maybe I just need a little more sleep." Cedar sighed to herself once she glanced at the clock and noticed that it was still only seven on a weekend of all days; no way would anyone in their right mind get up _that_ early on a Saturday. With a small yawn, she flopped back down onto the bed and drew the covers back up over her, hoping things would make more sense once she was full rested to what the requirements of a weekend demanded and was asleep within several minutes.

Cerise let her eyes slide open once she was sure that the Daughter of Pinocchio had fallen asleep and slowly rose from the bed, her movements careful and fluid in where she placed her hands and feet as she crawled across the bed and bodies and swung her legs down over the side to land crouched down on the floor enveloped in her hood; she instantly froze when Hunter, asleep in his own bed and oblivious to her movements, turned over in his sleep to wrap an arm around and hug Ashlynn closer to him; the princess snuggled deeper into his embrace as Cerise stalked across the floor on all fours, her legs bent to hold her body up evenly after years of running with her family's pack to chase down prey until she finally made it to the door and climbed up on her feet to slip out and into the hall.

"Things just got a _lot_ more complicated." Cerise gave a soft, heavy sigh as slid down the back of the door to rest on the ground, resting her head in her hands as she massaged her temples. She had woken up several seconds after Cedar had risen, feigning sleep and holding her position right next to Raven for the few minutes it took for the wooden puppet to fall back into slumber; things only got more complex when she realized that Cedar had taken full notice of the way she had been holding Raven.

And that moment had been absolutely wonderful for Cerise. Not sense that fateful, Halloween night when she had excepted Ben has her alpha and future mate, had she felt so happy or warm with Raven next to her to sooth her worries and calm the feral, savage beast that lurked within; the witchling's wonderful, lavender scent and still, soft breathing continued to linger in her senses, clouding her mind with images of Raven smiling comfortingly at her, holding her hand, hugging her, even coaxing with curled finger to come hither in a seductive manner.

But that was problem. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the wickedly gorgeous, young witch out of her head, her mind a constant turmoil behind locked doors that not even Raven or Ben could see and pry open; Cerise had already come to terms about her feelings for both Ben and Raven and had accepted that she was, in fact, a bisexual maiden in a school for fairy tales where the princess or maiden in trouble for each story was rescued and often married by a prince or man at the end of their harrowing tale.

The only thing that kept her from feeling happy about her choices and decisions was what everyone else might think, specifically her boyfriend and her unrequited love. Ignoring the fact that it was greatly important that the populace of the school, especially the Headmaster, never find out about her heritage, she could care less about what their reaction might be should her feelings for both Raven and Ben become public knowledge, but it all centered around how those two would specifically react; there was the slight matter that Ben might be ticked off (though considering Jane and Venus' current relationship with one another and Ben she didn't think this would be much of an issue), but what really worried her was how _Raven_ might react.

With a second sigh, Cerise climbed back up to her feet and made her way down the hall to head back in the direction of the dorm she shared with Cedar, deciding that what she needed was a walk to clear her scattered thoughts and that walking around outside of the girl's dormitory in nothing but her hood and pajamas was already cutting it close.

* * *

The Well of Wonder seemed to have once again flipped Ever After's seasons for what seemed to have been the hundredth time since Ben had come tumbling through her life, and Cerise was beginning to wonder if there wasn't just something on the other end of the well that causing this phenomenon in the first place considering it seemed to happen on a regularly basic schedule; really, it was a wonder that the weather and more importantly the ecosystem was able to adapt so quickly to the changes in temperature and climate.

Just weeks ago, the tall, ancient trees that made up the Enchanted Forest had been stripped bare of their leaves and reduced to gnarled, old claws that ached and scratched at the vulnerable underbelly of the sky, only to be budding and growing green once more with new life now that the temperature had risen and the golden glow of the sun bathed them in its warmth on a more regular basis, the mountains and fields of snow now reduced to lush, green grass stained with dew and a few, stray puddles left over from the sudden melt. Where the air had once been desolate and only lingered with the aching caws of crows and the sharp protests of blue jays, now red breasted robins fluttered along the branches among chattering gold finches and squirrels in search of fresh food for however long the Spring would last.

All of this allowed and help Cerise to clear her mind of her troubles and chaotic thoughts; she could already feel her unconsciously clenched and tense muscles relax a few hairs as she breathed in sweet, fresh air while walking along one of the trails of the Enchanted Forest; it was one of the lesser known trails that the woods had to offer those that ventured into its realm and the Riding Hood was confidentially sound that only Ashlynn knew a slightly less complex map of the network of paths and deer trails that wormed their way through the extensive forest that stretched onward for miles in nearly every direction.

She was quite deep in the forest, only a couple miles from the small cottage that her mother resided in, but the Daughter of Red Riding Hood didn't feel like going home for advice; not only would it raise some suspicions from her mother, who often expected Cerise to call about coming home during breaks and weekends, but she was pretty sure her parents would not be much help in advising her on how to solve her problems.

That also only added onto the slowly growing heap of problems building up inside of Cerise's head. Just how would her parents react t her feelings to Raven and Ben? To be fair, her parents already approved of her relationship with Ben and her mother had even offered to adopt Raven as their own child at one point so, that wasn't much of an issue, but the main problem was her family's pack; she hadn't forgotten how estranged and out of place she felt in her father's pack, how some of the members snarled and glared incredulously at her, silently telling her she didn't belong with them and never would and that she never would be accepted by them.

Of course, the second her mother picked up on such signals, she grabbed her fearsome ax and went on a hunting spree, returning back to the pack with five, full grown stags, a sack of rabbits, and a whole turkey tied together and drug along the ground by a rope strapped to her shoulders and back; after that, the majority of the pack had no qualms with her mother being their alpha's mate and often let her join them on hunting expeditions for fear of her great skill with the ax and the constant threat to neuter anyone who got her nerves with a rusty spoon.

Cerise was so lost in her thoughts and her memories that she hardly noticed where her feet had taken her until she took one step forward and very nearly lost her footing and took a dive into the pond that she had very nearly walked off the bank of. Once she had regained her footing and slowed her breathing after very nearly taking a dive, she looked around to find that she had walked all the way to Enchanted Lake, the shaded pond a fair distance from the Village of Book End that was unofficially claimed as Duchess Swan's property where she went to calm her mind and dance upon the water's surface through means no one quite fully understood. The pond was of considerable size, sheltered by ancient oaks and an apple tree that offered fresh fruit whenever Duchess got hungry, looming over stands of cattails and reeds that offered protection to smaller fish and frogs from the predators of the pond's ecosystem; one thing that Cerise was quite of however, was that a set of familiar clothes _did not_ belong to any part of that ecosystem.

"Morning, Cerise!"

The Daughter of Red Riding Hood resisted the urge to startle and fall into the pond and calm her racing pulse, turning to look at Venus sitting at the base of an old tree on the edge of Enchanted Lake where the water was within reach should she so desire; the plant ghoul's legs were folded up into the lotus position with her wrists resting on her knees and her fingers lightly clenched in a relaxed position.

"What are you doing out here?" Cerise wondered. "Shouldn't you be with Ben?"

Venus shrugged slightly with a smile. "We all love Ben to pieces, but every now and again we just all need some personal space and alone time. Me and Jane chose to spend our time reconnecting with Mother Nature after a long absence."

Cerise blinked. "Jane?"

The sound of water moving quickly caught the attention of her sharp senses and she glanced down at the water just in time to see a faint shadow swim beneath the surface close to the shore before the water suddenly exploded in a wet shower as Jane resurfaced and gasped for breath, lightly soaking Cerise much to her annoyance as the shape-shifter pulled her dripping wet locks out of her eyes and smiled sheepishly at her. "Did someone say my name?"

"What are you doing?" Cerise wondered, crouching down to rest on her knees as Jane swam over to the edge of the pond to give her arms a rest from keeping her afloat.

Jane smiled fondly. "Back home in the jungle . . . _my_ jungle, I suppose you could call it . . . I would spend hours just swinging on a vine and jumping into the pools and rivers, swimming and just enjoying the water with my creature friends. The elephants were quite friendly . . . the crocodiles, not so much." she added with a slight cringe. "Of course, they were usually suffering from stomach aches, so I probably wasn't something they felt like dealing with . . ."

"You do realize that this is Duchess' pond, right?" Cerise wondered.

Jane felt a slight frown cross her lips. "I _thought_ I smelled swan . . . and I thought peacocks were self centered . . ."

Venus let one of her eyes blink open from her meditative state. "Are you sure Duchess wouldn't mind if we use her pond a little?"

Cerise shook her head. "Probably not. She's pretty protective of it."

"In that case, you better get out, Jane." Venus sighed.

Upon hearing that suggestion, the jungle ghoul's lavender face turned a deep magenta in color as she blushed and nervously twiddled her fingers, sinking a little deeper into the pond's depths. "Well . . . uh . . . I-I would, but . . ."

"Don't you have a swimsuit?" Cerise rolled her eyes, instantly pinching her brow and sighing when Jane sank into the water up to her chin with a sheepish smile and an intense blush upon her facial features. "You have _got_ to be kidding me . . ."

"I-I never really had a need for one back home . . ." Jane twiddled her fingers nervously. "And there weren't any that fit me when Apple took us shopping, so . . ."

Cerise sighed and turned around with exasperation. "I don't know _why_ I'm even doing this . . . just hurry up." she said without looking over her shoulder. Venus felt a small smile creep across her fang crossed lips as Jane took a deep breath and grabbed the edges of the bank, fluidly hauling herself out of the water as smoothly and as quickly as possible, only pausing briefly to wringe out her hair and attempt to shake herself partially dry and giving Venus an all too alluring look at her small breasts and curves before the jungle ghoul quickly slipped her clothes back on and allowed Cerise to turn back around while making the final adjustments to her attire.

Once she was sure that Jane was fully clothed once more Cerise turned back around and watched with wistful wantoning as the shape-shifter walked over to Venus and sat down next to her, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap while awkwardly resting her head on the plant ghoul's shoulder, as if still unsure of how to properly act in this relationship of theirs even after their time together; Venus gave a mischievous smile and wrapped an arm around Jane's shoulder and pulled her into her embrace, shifting the wielder of the Nemetrix onto her lap and resting her chin on her head in a comfortable position for both parties.

"Something wrong, ghoul friend? You look a little wilted." Venus remarked after a little bit.

Cerise shook her head and brushed it off. "I'm fine."

"Cerise . . ." Jane spoke up. "We can see it on your face. Something is clearly bothering you.

"Whatever's wrong, Cerise, we might be able to help. Ghoul friends help ghoul friends, right?" Venus continued to persuade her.

After an age of thinking and mentally arguing with herself, Cerise finally relented with a heavy sigh and crawled over to the two ghouls, lying down on her back when Venus patted the grass beside her with a comforting smile on her lips. "Maybe you _can_ help me."

"We can certainly try." Jane reassured her. "What seems to be the problem?"

Cerise lay there for a few minutes, merely gazing up at the bright, blue sky overhead and contemplating her choices, choosing her words carefully to avoid getting an answer to a solution that just might turn out worse than it needed to be. "I guess . . . my problem is Raven."

Venus raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're feeling alright? I mean, you and Raven _are_ Beast Friends."

Cerise shook her head. "No it's, not that . . ."

"Did something happen to Raven?" Jane asked, a waver of concern in her voice; while she was not as uncomfortable around blood as much as Draculaura was, the jungle ghoul was not exactly the violent type and was not fond of dealing with horrific scenes of mutilation and gore in most cases. This only seemed to apply whenever Ben, Venus, or Robecca were not in danger however and she took a somewhat awkward comfort whenever he and her fellow harem ghouls expressed their fear and awe at her power and strength when fully enraged.

"No, she's fine." Cerise reassured her. "It's more about what's wrong with me."

"Well enough beating around the graveyard. What's buggin' you?" Venus poked anxiously.

Cerise gave another sigh and decided to finally spit it out. "I-I'm . . . I'm in love with Raven." she whispered in quiet tone, instinctively tugging down the hood of her crimson cloak to hide her embarrassment as if she were expecting the two ghouls to suddenly start laughing at her.

Venus and Jane instead shared a look with each other, their faces shifting features and expressions every now and again as if they were having a mental conversation simply by reading the other's expressions before they turned back with Cerise with bemused smiles upon their lips. "And you want advice?"

"Y-Yes." Cerise nodded, her voice quiet and timid for once in her life that didn't involve acting.

Venus hummed. "Well, you'll first need a quiet place, preferably a dorm with a nice, comfy bed and dim lighting . . . some romantic music wouldn't hurt either . . . then strip down to your underwear and-" she was cut off as Jane clapped a hand over her mouth and threw her a look.

"I would advise not to listen to her." Jane suggested. "Spring air tends to make Venus a little more frisky than usual, what with all the foreign pollen floating about."

"Noted." Cerise agreed, casting a slightly irked look in the plant ghoul's direction. "So . . . do you think you can help me?"

Venus nodded and waited as Jane allowed her hand to be removed from her ghoulfriend's face and held warmly. "First off, how do you feel about Raven? Do you only like her for her body or do you see more in her? Because if it's the first option, you two might be better off being just friends with benefits . . . assuming she swings that way . . ." she added as an after thought.

"I've been trying not to think about that . . ." Cerise sighed wistfully.

"So how _do_ you feel?" Jane pressed gently. "What goes through your head whenever you see her?"

Cerise inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes and imaging Raven in her head, her consciousness digging deep into her memories of the witchling to remember every inch of her flawless, white skin, every last one of her curves and cracks and crevices, the way her clothes wrapped around her body, and the way her face lit up whenever she caught sight of the Riding Hood. "I . . . every time I see Raven . . . it's just . . . every time I see her, it's like nothing matters anymore; the destiny conflict, my family heritage, this whole mess with Ben's story . . . none of it matters whenever I see her. Everyday, whenever I wake up, she's the one to help me make it through the day. Whenever I'm down and crushed, she's there to help me up. And those eyes . . . that hair . . . those _lips_ . . ." she felt her face turn red.

"Kind of like Ben when we first met him, eh?" Venus smirked.

Jane felt herself smiling. "He hid it well . . ."

"We got it out of him, didn't we?"

"Need I remind you that I was unable to walk properly for three days?" Jane chided her ghoulfriend.

Venus scowled. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"'An elephant never forgets,' as they say." the jungle ghoul quoted.

Cerise was shaken out of her brief daydreaming by the two ghoul's bantering, mentally slapping herself for going all 'helpless maiden' at the sheer thought of Raven in her arms, whispering sweet nothings in her ears. "Is there something I'm missing?"

"Remember that crazy plan Venus suggested earlier?" Jane asked, feeling her face turn a deep magenta in color.

Cerise covered her eyes, pushing multiple dirty images out of her head that specifically involved being alone with Ben and Raven in a dimly lit room together for hours on end. "Forget I asked," she mumbled between her fingers. "So . . . what should I do?"

"In my experience, chase your future ghoulfriend who has just discovered she has shape-shifting abilities all over a future dystopian base in the middle of a nuclear winter." Venus shrugged, earning wide eyes of shock and confusion from Cerise.

Jane coughed awkwardly. "What Venus _means_ to say is, don't run away from this problem of yours. Tackle it head on and simply tell Raven how you feel."

"And assuming everything with Raven turns out alright, you're sure Ben won't mind?" Cerise asked. "I don't want to lose him. He's the only full decent guy around here; the others are either taken, unofficially claimed, too soft spoken for my tastes, or have narcissistic egos the size of the entire White Kingdom."

Venus suddenly burst out laughing, startling Jane as Cerise starred at her as if she had just lost her mind; the plant ghoul wiped a tear form her eye. "Ghoul, Jane's been snatching up ghouls left and right to add to her own harem within a harem and Ben could care less," Venus snickered as Jane covered her face with her hands to try and hide her blush from the intense embarrassment she was feeling. "It just means more hot ghoul on ghoul sex for him!"

". . . And this is what I put up with on a 24/7 basis." Jane mumbled from between her fingers with the feeling that her face could have quite literally been compared to that of a molten volcano, she felt so hot and bothered by her ghoulfriend's blunt words and lack of any censoring. "Honestly, can't you try and restrain yourself a _little_ , Venus?"

"I know you like it," Venus purred seductively, curling a finger under Jane's chin and kissing her softly on her neck and jawline and giving a mischievous smirk when Jane moaned slightly upon having her overly sensitive skin caressed. "Don't try to deny it either. Robecca has all our _special moments_ together stored in her memory banks."

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something here?"

Venus giggled as Jane buried herself in her hands to try and cover her embarrassment. "Lets just say there's one more member to our little party between us and Ben."

"You ghouls get away with too much." Cerise sighed, pinching her brow.

Venus shrugged. "Well, we don't have destinies to follow, so we don't have rules to follow. Monsters are a very free spirited species."

"I can see that." Cerise cast a look at the way Jane was trying to deny the way Venus' calculating fingers always managed to find her most receptive points and sensitive of spots that reduced her to mere putty in her ghoulfriend's hand; the Daughter of Red Riding Hood couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to touch Raven like that. "Either way, thanks for the advice."

"You're most welcome." Jane managed to reduce her heavy blush to a light tinge with a grace of a smile upon her lips as she made herself comfy on Venus' lap and nuzzled warmly into her frame.

Venus suddenly got a mischievous idea. "You know, if you and Raven don't work out, I'm always willing to try." she offered. "And if it does work out, maybe we could try some . . . _experimenting_ . . ."

Cerise frowned as she cast a side glance at the plant ghoul. "Blondie and Duchess coming in at twelve o'clock in exactly eighteen seconds." she said casually; Venus gave a sudden grunt as Jane leaped off of her and immediately jumped for the safety of the pond, her pond morphing and shifting in a manner of seconds. Her fingers shrank back into her hands with a series of snaps and cracks until they were reduced down to the first joint, her nails growing longer and sharper as a sort of nearly invisible webbing formed between them while her skin faded to deep, brackish purple in color and split and crack into hundreds upon thousands of armored scales that wrapped around her quickly growing body and formed particularly durable upon her back. Jane's face bulged outward into a into a dully, pointed snout perfectly designed for capturing prey as tooth after tooth, fang after fang tore through her gums and replaced every last one of her original teeth for something perfectly shaped for grabbing and tearing; her throat swelled and bloated as her organs rolled around inside of her with wet sloshing and oozing sounds as they took similar, but different forms or disappeared altogether while rearranging themselves into a new position. Her eyes rotated to either side of her head on liquid skin as every last strand of hair was sucked back into her body like strands of spaghetti just as a powerful tail longer than her entire body sprouted from the base of her spine while her arms and legs shifted jointed with a grinding noise; the Nemetrix appeared as a collar around her neck, ending the transformation.

With a tremendous splash, the lilac alligator dove beneath the surface of the pond and sank to the bottom, hugging the mud and silt as the disturbance above dissipated and left no trace of her behind; Venus glared with irritation at Cerise, wringing out her sopping wet hair while the Riding Hood smirked and left Enchanted Lake behind to go see if she couldn't locate Raven before lunch.

Just as she left, Duchess came daintily strolling through the bushes with a stressed, stuck up pout on her face as she walked delicately on the toes of her ballet slippers that never seemed to leave her feet no matter the circumstance. Upon catching sight of Venus however, the swan maiden felt her lips curve into a light scowl, her hands immediately going to her hips to adopt a dominating posture of authority. "What are _you_ doing here?" she snarled.

Venus bit back the venomous hiss at the back of her throat and the urge to encompass Duchess in a tangle of thorny creepers and vines to slather her in digestive juices and dissolve her body for nutrients; while her species had originally started out as vicious, ravenous carnivores before they developed the ability to uproot and move onto new hunting grounds when food became scarce, she and the rest of her kind had quickly evolved beyond the need to entice prey in with sweet scents and nectars every other week or so, though this did not mean they lacked the capabilities to do so.

The plant ghoul instead shrugged nonchalantly. "Just enjoying Mother Nature and all her beauty. Your lake is the jewel of her crown." she added; while Venus truly did admire the condition and beauty of Enchanted Lake, it hurt to compliment Duchess of all monsters or fairy tales.

A proud smirk crossed Duchess' face as she folded her hands over her bust. "Why, thank you." she purred. "Looks as if you monsters aren't as disgusting and uncultured as I thought." she gave a smug smile, oblivious to Venus' clenched fangs as she flexed and stretched before delicately and gracefully leaping out onto the pond and touching down on the water's surface; Venus half expected the swan maiden to sink beneath the surface like a rock, only to find that Duchess graciously danced and pirouetted across the water's surface with barely a ripple as if she were moving about on a stable surface. And while Venus hated to admit it, the swam maiden was an amazing dancer.

After a while however, even Duchess needed to rest; an old log that had finally managed to break free of the sticky mud and silt at the bottom of the pond and float to the surface provided a suitable platform for Duchess to relax her muscles and take a breather from her practice. "Hard to imagine that someone like you could attract someone like Ben." she mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?" Venus raised an eyebrow from her location on the shore.

Duchess gave a mocking, apologetic smile. "Be honest, do you really think someone as handsome or brave or heroic as Ben could possible like you horrific monstrosities? He's probably just leading you on!"

"And why should I give a manticore's tail about what you say?" Venus scoffed.

Duchess smirked deeply and fluidly climbed to her feet, her hands traveling slowly and proactively over her slim figure, highlighting her long, delicate legs, wide hips and ass, her slim shoulders, lengthy arms, and finally stopping to cup her large breasts that were almost on par with Venus'. "Why bother with someone that's more likely to bite him than kiss him when he could have all this?" she cooed seductively.

"Why bother with someone who's more likely going to bite his head off than actually care about him specifically?" Venus countered with a smug smirk crossing her lips when she realized something very important; before she could do anything however, the brush and bushes rustled and caught her attention. The sound of crunching leaves and snapping twigs was absolutely deafening to Venus, and whatever was coming did not seem to understand the concept of staying as quiet and silent as possible if it was even attempting to do so. Before long, none other than Blondie Locks came army crawling through the undergrowth in a pith helmet, an old T-shirt decorated with the faded images of bees and bears, and a pair of khaki cargo shorts with dirty sneakers and her Mirrorphone clutched tightly in her hand.

Duchess cocked an eyebrow. "Blondie, _what_ are you doing?"

The Daughter of Goldie Locks grunted as she propped herself up on her elbow and climbed to her feet, her arms and legs coated with grass stains, dirt, and muck that she attempted to brush off. "I'm trying to find Jane," she explained. "For a girl, she moves _really_ fast."

Venus rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. And this ghoul happens to not only have grown up in the middle of the jungle, but can also change into animals at will, and possesses a device that harbors the DNA of any of a million extraterrestrial animals with any number of powers and abilities that you are most likely aware of."

"I just want an interview!" Blondie sighed wistfully. "Is that too much to ask?"

Venus scoffed. "You _know_ Jane hates cameras and being put in the spotlight."

"I know! I just want to do a written interview, that's all!" Blondie explained in a pleading tone before turning to Venus with a begging expression. "Can you _please_ help me find her?"

Venus tapped her chin; to Duchess and Blondie, it looked as if she was actually contemplating about whether or not to betray her ghoulfriend and help the Daughter of Goldie Locks, when really she had already made her decision. As much as she absolutely loved embarrassing her little Sweet Mango, she had absolutely no intentions of putting Jane through that kind of torture and thus decided to remain tight lipped.

"I think she went that way." the plant ghoul pointed off in a random direction. Blondie squealed excitedly and quickly scurried off in the direction that Venus had pointed in, her Mirrorphone at the ready to take notes and a few pictures if necessary while the plant ghoul attempted to hold back her laughter; as if Blondie would ever get anywhere near Jane. She had seen her Sweet Mango swing through the trees with the greatest of ease, her feet functioning just as well as her hands, her agility unmatched, and that was when she wasn't in the form of an arboreal animal to help her flip and jump and leap through the canopy.

Duchess seemed to share similar sentiments with Venus, for once having something in common with the plant ghoul. "Just what about _Jane_ is so interesting?" she scoffed.

Venus shrugged. "I don't know. But I have something that might be of interest to you."

"What?"

Venus grinned mischievous, pointing at the log beneath Duchess' feet. "I thought you might to know that that log you're standing on? It's not a log." she teased; before the swan maiden could even ask what that bit of seemingly random nonsense meant, the water exploded in a chaotic eruption as the log fully surfaced to reveal that it was, in fact, a very large and very irritated alligator that did not take kindly to having even Duchess standing on its back and proceeded to tell her this by snapping its bone crushing jaws at her as the swan maiden screamed and flailed, falling into Enchanted Lake with a loud _splash!_

Venus was rolling on the ground in laughter, her sides heaving in and out as Duchess resurface and wiped her wet locks out of her face before taking one look at the alligator in the water and promptly screaming a shrill yell as she fought and swam for the water's edge before scrambling back onto land while the massive, armored reptile swam a slow, patrolling lap around the circumference of her pond, growling lowly and never tearing its cold gaze away from her.

"There's a crocodile in my pond!" Duchess screamed angrily.

"Alligator." Venus corrected once she was able to hold back her laughter and breath properly once more. "You can tell by the fact that all its teeth fit into its mouth and that's snout is more U-shaped."

Duchess fumed. " _I don't care!_ " she yelled, screaming once more when the alligator roared and lunged at her, snapping its jaws just half a foot away from her face; the aquatic reptile seemed to smile to itself as Duchess scrambled to her feet and quickly fled the scene, unaware of when the alligator climbed ashore and lugged its weight across the ground to rest by Venus's side before it disappeared in a whirl of tough, armored plating, teeth, and curly, unkempt hair and was replaced by Jane's tired and relieved form.

"Thank you." the jungle ghoul sighed.

Venus smiled lovingly and shifted herself up to sit on her knees. "It was nothing. I can already see why you're scared of Blondie; she doesn't know when to quit."

Jane shuddered uncomfortably. "That's an understatement." she swallowed nervously before scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "So . . . um, what do you want to do now?"

Venus tapped her chin thought, a slow smirk crossing her lips; she noticed that she had been doing a lot of that lately, and she really couldn't blame herself. Even with the lack of her beloved Robecca, she had finally found her missing boyfriend and still had her little Sweet Mango as well. "Maybe . . . a swim?" she suggested. "We have the pond all to ourselves."

Jane felt her face turn a light magenta. "B-But . . . I don't have a swimsuit . . ."

Venus purred and kissed Jane's temple with that alluring grin that Jane found herself submitting under. "Neither do I."

* * *

Ben yawned and scratched himself sleepily as he leaned on a croquet mallet and attempted to fight back the urge to simply turn right around, head back to his dorm, and fall back asleep with his ghouls and girls. This was quickly forgotten when he caught sight of Whisp taking a few wide swings of her own croquet mallet, which happened to be carved like that of a brightly colored flamingo similar to Ben's own mallet, and Lizzie Hearts carefully setting up the wickets for their morning match.

"So . . . what exactly are we doing?" Ben wondered.

That was a lie, actually. He knew exactly what they were doing out on the school's grounds this early in the morning, accompanied by Briar and Rosabella Beauty; the other members of the croquet team, consisting of Apple and Blondie, were preoccupied with either sleeping in like the former or hunting down their latest news report and not coming any closer to finding or catching her quarry, leaving Ben, Whisp, and Rosabella to stand in and substitute for them upon Lizzie's request, which only confused Ben even more as playing a sport as quiet and relaxing as croquet was not something he did on the weekends.

Usually those were taken up by finishing his grades at Monster High, filling out his Plumber duties, and fulfilling the needs of nearly twenty ghouls that all wanted a piece of him by the time he got home and flopped down on the couch to try and relax the few minutes he was granted before one of his many spouses came to snap him up and claim before anyone else could.

"We are playing Wonderland croquet." Lizzie replied; satisfied with her work, she picked up her own mallet, a wooden instrument that was carved to look more like a shoe-billed stork and was colored various shades of golden, red, and black to signify that it was of royal quality, and sauntered over to the gathered group with an air of authority. "I thought you of all people might enjoy this."

Ben swallowed nervously, remembering the small rumors he had heard about the Princess of Heart's temper and slicing capabilities. "Uh, not to be rude, but this kinda seems out of my league. I'm used to smashing things with a mallet, not playing a sport with it."

"In this case, you'll be doing both." Lizzie smirked as pulled a wooden ball carved and decorated to look like a curled up hedgehog and set it on the ground at her feet; Ben watched with confusion as she carefully took aim and lightly tapped the ball with the beak of her mallet in an experimental fashion before she gave a sudden battle cry and hit the croquet ball as hard as possible, sending it flying through the air, ricocheting off a tree branch, springing off of a nearby bush, and bouncing off a rock before it rolled through the first two wickets and came to a final stop.

Whisp grinned eagerly as Ben simple gaped and starred in shock. "I'm sold!"

"Remind me to have you teach me more Wonderland games." Ben mumbled.

Lizzie smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "I'll make a deal with you then. If you can beat me, I'll teach you more about Wonderland. If you lose, you become my personal servant for the day."

"You should know by now that I never back down from a challenge." Ben returned her cocky smirk, taking her outstretched and giving it a firm squeeze, only finding mild surprise in the fact that Lizzie had a grip just as tight if not stronger than his own.

"Oh, dear." Skurd muttered to himself while rubbing his gelatinous temples with his tentacles.

Briar and Rosabella shared a look with each other before the later took a step forward and pulled Ben back to have a word with. "Not to put a damper on things, Ben, but Lizzie is the best croquet player in all of Wonderland and Ever After. Even the Queen of Hearts herself can't beat her!" Rosabella warned him in a hushed tone.

"You'll get creamed!" Briar agreed.

"Not like the lad hasn't lost before." Skurd mumbled under his breath.

"Why now of all times have you decided to actually wake up before noon?" Ben wondered in an accusing tone.

The Slimebiote resting upon the Omnitrix shrugged. "Without the constant threat of combat, I have had to resort to other means of keeping myself occupied; sleeping got boring after awhile, and this seemed like a legitimate way to preoccupy my time with."

"I'm all for it!" Whisp grinned broadly. "In fact, I want in on this bet, too!"

"Wait, what?" Ben blinked with surprise as Whisp turned to Lizzie.

"If you win, you get three wishes from me, free of charge. If I win, you have to do anything I say for the rest of the day!" Whisp's broad smile increased to be on par with that of Kitty and the Cheshire Cat herself.

Naturally, just like Ben, the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts could not back down from a challenge, especially one that offered such rewarding offers if she won. It wasn't only that, however; being the heir to a place as wondrous, maddening, and powerful as Wonderland of all places meant that she had a reputation to build and upkeep whenever possible, and backing down from a challenge that involved her realm's official sporting event would only be seen as weak and unbecoming as a future ruler, but also as an utter disgrace and embarrassment to the royal family and her people.

Without hesitation, Lizzie shook the genie's hand and the bet was made. "Deal."

"This can't end well." Briar shook her head.

"My sentiments exactly." Skurd agreed. "My only question is why we are using sticks and balls instead of hedgehogs and birds? If I remember reading some of your primitive, human literature, those are the proper tools, yes?"

Lizzie cringed slightly. "Our ancestors _did_ use to do that back when Wonderland mostly consisted of warring, nomadic tribes, but ever since the passing of the United Kingdoms Against Cruelty to Beasts Act was passed, we've switched to using more humane methods. That, and it was easier than having to stop matches simply because the balls got too dizzy or the mallets suffered from concussions."

Ben shrugged. "Make sense. Jane and Ashlynn would have your head if you even considered using the traditional methods."

"The irony is not lost on me, Ben." the Princess of Hearts rolled her eyes as she dug into the pocket of her royal dress and pulled out a green ball with the features like that of one of the many hedgehogs that the White Queen would often draw and present to her classes like some proud child (the pictures were often covered in polka dots and stripes of many colors and were not always colored within the lines). "Don't forget our little deal."

Ben smirked as he tapped the Omnitrix and cycled through the roster before finding the transformation he needed. "Oh, I didn't forget." he grinned as he slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix and was swallowed in a blast of green light that warped and shifted his DNA into something new and bizarre. His skin turned a dark gray in color as his skeleton groaned and cracked loudly as he slowly grew a couple feet taller, his ears becoming long and floppy like that of a rabbit's, drooping down on either side of his head before they stiffened and stood erect once more; his eyes shifted shape slightly, became more diamond-like and turning an emerald green in color. His arms grew until his knuckles just barely touched the ground, small spikes popping out of his elbows and his pinky finger slurping back into his wrist. A loud grinding noise came to Ben's attention as a skeletal tail whipped out from the base of his spine, fresh muscle surrounding the bare bone and wrapping it in tissue before smooth skin raced over to cover up the pulsing, red flesh. His toes popped back into his foot one by one as the bone quickly oozed to the surface like jelly before hardening into a solid hoof, like that of a horse, while his organs sloshed and squelched around inside of him as his expanding skull was crammed full with his pulsing brain. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of black and green arm and leg braces, chest plate, shoulder pads, belt, and a helmet that protected his skull while the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on the belt a

round his waist.

"Why, this is merely child's play." Brains scoffed as he placed his ball down on the ground and looked out over the croquet course set out for him. His complex mind took note of each of the wicket's locations, the placement of stray rocks and the tree branches overhead, the amount of force he would need to put behind the ball in order to set it in motion, and finally the rate at which Headmaster Grimm was taking his morning walk not too far away.

With that being said and done, the Twins turned on his heel and wrapped his prehensile tail around the handle of his croquet mallet before giving it a mighty swing and sending it flying in the opposite direction.

Lizzie was thoroughly confused; this was weird, even by Wonderland standards. "Uh, Ben? The wickets are the other way." she pointed out.

"Patience is a virtue, lower life form." Brains reminded her, ignorant of the way the Princess of Hearts was turning a bright, ruby red out of fury; Briar and Rosabella however, _did_ notice and wisely took several steps back while Whisp merely watched everything unfold with an ever smug smirk upon her lips. The green croquet ball when shooting across the grass before it ricocheted off of a rock sunk low into the ground and soared high into the air before it came plummeting back down to earth and landed in a nearby tree with a small explosion of leaves as the ball knocked and bounced around the branches to finally bounce off a particularly protruding knob and shoot off through the air like a rocket, conking Grimm on the back of his head; the ball then came plummeting back down to the ground and shot through the first, second, third, and fourth wicket, bouncing off their brothers and sisters to do so, much to Lizzie's amazement, as the ball started to lose momentum and roll at a slower pace through the fifth, sixth, and seventh wicket until it was at a crawl when it went through the eighth wicket and came to a teetering stop.

Briar smirked as Lizzie sighed with relief. "So close, and yet so far."

"Wait for it." Brains raised a finger as he rested on his bird-shaped croquet mallet like an aged man.

A slight breeze rolled across the grounds, rattling the leaves into a cacophony of rustling and crunching overhead and shaking loose a single walnut that plunged down towards the earth and graciously bounced off of the green ball, knocking it loose and giving it enough momentum to roll through the ninth and final wicket before just barely tapping against the stake.

"And _that_ , is how it's done." Brains smirked as the girls all gaped in absolute shock while Whisp continued to grin broadly and clapped her hands with excitement; even Skurd was dumbfounded as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world in a flash of green light.

Lizzie was flabbergasted. "Wh-What . . . ho- . . . you . . . I mean, you . . . that's cheating!" she cried weakly.

Surprisingly enough, it was Skurd of all people that spoke up in Ben's defense. "If I remember correctly, dear, the Queen of Hearts was notorious for winning every single game of croquet anyone ever played against her by making her palace guards throw themselves over the rolling ball in the place of wickets in order to win. Technically speaking, my host's so called cheating remains sound."

"He . . . does make a point, Lizzie . . ." Briar piped up.

"Thank you for refraining from calling yours truly a booger." Skurd bowed deeply.

"I _was_ thinking it." Briar admitted.

"I immediately withdraw my gratitude."

Lizzie was still at a loss for words. "I . . . you . . . lucky shot!"

"Not luck! Skill." Ben grinned. "I believe that means I've won our little bet?"

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts and future ruler to Wonderland looked like she was going to blow a gasket, her face was so red that one could almost imagine steam to come powering out of her ears; that is, until everyone's attention was drawn to someone that even angrier than Lizzie.

"Mr. Tennyson!" Headmaster Grimm barked as he angrily hobbled over to them with his cane; despite suffering from a leg injury during the Christmas season (the Winter Solstice if one was of the witch culture), the old man still possessed a limping posture that required him to support himself with a cane in order to walk properly without any word from the school healer (who seemed to hold a grudge of some kind against the aging headmaster) on whether or not it would be permanent or otherwise.

Skurd didn't seem happy to see the headmaster either. "Oh, look. It's Mr. Cheery come to brighten up our lives." he mumbled sarcastically, folding his pseudopods over whatever passed as a chest for his species.

Whisp however, had a sly smirk upon her lips. "Don't worry. I'll handle this." she whispered before disappearing in a puff of blackened smoke.

"Um . . . should we be worried?" Briar wondered.

Ben shrugged. "With Whisp you never know."

"Yes, that _is_ a comforting thought." Skurd continued to grumble.

A loud _bang!_ caught their attention and they all turned to see a puff of black smoke erupt directly in front of the now hacking and coughing Headmaster Grimm as the ash quickly dispersed to reveal Whisp now clad in broad shouldered, tight, angular, blue tuxedo bedazzled with thousands of glittering gems and jewels that made ones eyes hurt just by looking at as she held a microphone in her hands.

"Welcome back to 'Rub the Lamp'! I'm your host Whisp Grant, and today our contestant is none other than the headmaster of Ever After High himself! Give it up for Headmaster Milton Grimm!" the genie exclaimed proudly, snapping her fingers and making dozens of pairs of decapitated, clapping hands flash into existence through a series of puffs of smoke that rattled the old man out of his state of anger.

"What in the kingdom-" he began before Whisp cut him off and sent the hands away in a puff of black smoke.

"Now, Milton, all you have to do is answer the final question before you win 'Rub the Lamp'!" Whisp grinned broadly before she pulled a small index card out of her breast pocket and assumed a somewhat more serious posture. "What kind of animal is often referred to as a 'ship of the desert'?" she read off.

The Headmaster was utterly confused. "I haven't the foggiest idea what this even-"

"Ten seconds!" Whisp interrupted as a gigantic, golden pocket watch appeared in her fingers from the end of a gold chain. "Clock's ticking, old man, you want that prize you better answer the question!"

Seeing no other way out of the genie's shenanigans, the headmaster finally gave in with a tired sigh. "A camel. The answer is a camel."

Instantly a series of bright lights and loud sirens flashed and wailed all around him from a series of hidden locations whose whereabouts would forever remain nameless to Grimm. "That's correct! You win the grand prize!"

"Ms. Grant, is it? I'm sorry, but I don't have time for these games-" the headmaster tried to worm his way out of the situation.

Once again the genie cut him off. "And what better way to make your grand entrance on the streets of Book End than riding your very own, brand new camel!" Whisp shouted dramatically as she snapped her fingers; before the headmaster could even protest or scream, he was engulfed in a puff of smoke and powerful magic that left him gagging and coughing and down right irritated until he realized that he felt oddly different than before. It wasn't until he looked over him and found that he now had four knobby legs with splayed, padded hooves, a muzzle full of sharp, grinding teeth, and a fatty hump upon which a saddle sat did he realized that, while retaining his royal blue jacket and ascot, he had undoubtedly been turned into a rather smelly and ill-tempered camel. "Watch out, they spit."

" _Ms. Grant!_ I expect this kind of behavior from Ms. Queen every now and again, but-"

For the third time since he had gotten himself into the current mess, Whisp interrupted the camel again. "Hmmmm. Not enough." she tapped her chin in thought, ditching the grand and extravagant tuxedo and outfit before snapping her fingers once more and swallowing the headmaster in a puff of smoke to then turn him into a proud, white stallion that still seemed to harbor the same irritable attitude of his previous form.

"Still not enough!" Whisp cursed under her breath. "Oh, lets see, what do we have . . ?" she mumbled quietly to herself as she snapped her fingers repeatedly and turned the unfortunate headmaster into several various forms that included, but were not limited to, a duck, an ostrich, a box turtle, a griffin, and even the latest carriage model before finally returning him to his original form; by then, the headmaster had long forgotten what he was so annoyed about in the first place and was just trying to get away.

Unfortunately for him, Whisp had other ideas. " _YES!_ " she exclaimed proudly as an idea finally came into her head before she turned to face the trembling headmaster with what one could describe as a somewhat demented or insane smile.

" _Eezala mumbo, sheembe bumbo!_ " the genie chanted a spell before cocking her fingers like a gun and firing off a jet of smei-powerful cosmic energy at the now fleeing headmaster, successfully hitting him square in the back and encompassing in a puff of blackened smoke that filled Ben and Lizzie's entire vision for several seconds as they hacked and coughed and waved their hands in front of their faces to try and get some clear air.

Once the black, ashy smoke had finally cleared and allowed them to properly breath, all four of them and Skurd couldn't help but double over in laughter upon seeing that the headmaster had been finally turned into a mighty elephant wearing an oversized jacket, shirt, and ascot over his hulking, leathery hide; it wasn't until he realized that he had gained several tons in weight and had a trunk at the end of his face did the headmaster finally give up and go stampeding off towards the healer's office, trumpeting all the way as the ground thundered and trembled beneath him.

"Talk about your trunk space. Check that action out!" Whisp laughed, jerking a thumb in the pachyderm's direction as he attempted to squeeze through the school's front doors; after all, if Tiny the giant could do it, so could he.

Ben snickered as Rosabella tried to stifle her giggling; Briar however, was rolling around on the grass in laughter while holding her sides. "Now _that's_ what I call a distraction." he grinned.

Whisp bowed proudly. "I try. Now, I believe Lizzie was going to teach Ben some more Wonderland games as per their agreement?"

"It would be nice to share my realm's culture with someone," Lizzie tapped her thoughtful before she swung her bird-shaped croquet up onto her shoulder and placed her hand on her hip in an authoritative position. "But not until practice is over."

"You're still sore about losing, aren't you?" Briar guessed.

"Tee up or it's _off with your head!_ "

"Yep, she's still sore." Ben confirmed.

* * *

The air felt warm against Snow White IV's pale, white skin as she inhaled a deep breath and took in the sweet scents of blooming flowers and fresh grass. This was the kind of the day that she wished that she could spend more time out in, the kind of day that just made her want to kick off her royal robes and forget about her royal duties for a couple hours and just try and recall the lost years she had left behind back before she had met her beloved husband and had conceived her beautiful daughter and just remember what it felt like to be a princess again. To have no responsibilities for a few precious hours and truly unwind; while the royal treatments and spa her occupation as a ruling head of her kingdom were quite nice after a long, grueling day of ruling over her subjects and dealing with the responsibilities of an active royal, there truly was nothing like the great outdoors to help one relax.

This was one of those times that Snow White cherished dearly, when she had a gap between her duties as a queen and now a teacher, and was fully able to commit herself to some much needed down time. She had briefly considered spending some time with Apple, but figured the princess still needed some time to adjust having her mother but a few doors down from her own dorm surrounded by all her friends. That, and she assumed her daughter would be sleeping in like a majority of the students did on weekends after spending the weeknights frantically trying to get the homework they should have done several hours prior done in time.

Honestly, she couldn't even begin to count the corrections and failed marks she had to scrawl across various reports and tests with her ever threatening and mighty, red pen.

But that was not of her concern right now. At the moment, she chose to simply focus upon enjoying the warm, Spring weather and relax. Eventually however, through the chorus of bird song that flitted and fluttered through the canopy, she found herself walking down an old, familiar trail that slowly began to bring back memories to her of her school days at Ever After High, where the destiny conflict was little more than a trivial matter and simply trying to survive the classes themselves was the main problem. Snow White remembered how she would sneak away from her friends and travel this familiar trail or even sneak out at night after curfew in nothing but her undergarments and nightgown.

Soon she found herself counting the steps she had taken during the last time she had walked this familiar trail, counting off exactly fourty-three steps from the last turn of the path and finally coming to a stop near the base of an old, ancient willow tree that seen many years of feast and famine, drought and monsoon, rain and shine, war and peace, and as of recent, love and loss. Snow White still remembered the last time she had skipped merrily to this very spot and traced her hands over the brittle bark of the trunk in search of the broken heart-shaped knothole until her fingers closed around the last note that the small hollow had ever received.

As if feeling a need for nostalgia, Snow White IV took a few more steps to the ancient willow and inhaled a deep breath that carried its sweet, blooming scents to her senses as she hugged the trunk and rested her head against the bark with eyes closed in memory.

That last note . . . that had been one of the most painful moments of her life. But it had opened doors that may have forever remained locked had she not come to her senses and realized that she was being foolish with her life and had fallen into near absolute madness (and not the Wonderland kind); had she never found that note, she may have never gone through with her destiny and met her beloved husband and had never met the adoring face of her much loved daughter. In fact, if she had never found that last note, Apple could have very well ended up looking quite different than she did now.

As if on a whim, she traced the ever familiar path her hand had used to take and slithered it across the bark, every last nook and cranny feeling like the warm touch of an old friend she had reunited with after years, until her fingers finally grazed across the old knothole; the broken heart seemed almost fitting now as she slipped her hands inside and grasped around nothing, just as she predicted. But just as Snow White was about to pull her warm out, the tip of her finger grazed against something inside the hollow, briefly catching her attention as she groped about and felt her eyes widen when she felt her hand close securely around something that felt oddly enough like paper.

The queen yanked her hand out of the hollow with her treasure clutched tightly in her grip, her eyes widening with surprise when she found that it was a letter. The piece of paper looked to be slightly weathered and worn, suffering from water damage from the melting snow and slightly torn from a possible squirrel or bird that had taken refuge for a night or two during a storm, but it was surprisingly intact. With shaking hands, Snow White unfolded the piece of paper and nearly felt her breath stop and her heart skip a beat when she read over the only two words scrawled out across the paper.

 _Welcome back._

Those were the only two words on the paper, and most would have discarded it as a simple note that was of little use or concern to them. But it was written in _his_ handwriting. The somewhat messy handwriting he only used whenever addressing her in the romantic sense that they had cherished and kept hidden away from the world, the handwriting that had been on the last note that their special hollow had held before all had gone silent.

"As if remembering all of the Arthur's ancestors and relatives wasn't hard enough." Snow White murmured to herself.

The queen was then shaken out of her thoughts and worries as the ground beneath her feet trembled with a mighty quaking. Birds instinctively fled the trees overhead in chaotic flocks as the sound of felling trees and crushed wood filled her ears; the air suddenly filled with a discomforting, foul odor like that of a person that had merely chosen not to shower for several weeks and not like that of the Enchanted Forest's wild trolls and ogres who had a distinct fear of water and soap due to their cleansing properties and gained most of the moisture they required from the meals they ate. In fact, so profound was their foul odor and the layers of filth that covered their bodies that they had often been employed as gigantic stink bombs during Ever After's previous wars and the layers of muck and skank that caked their bodies worked sufficiently well as armor.

Snow white quickly forgot about trolls however and pressed herself against the trunk of the blooming, weeping willow tree as a heard of frightened deer and stags came hurling past at high speeds, their antlers just barely missing her face and body as they fled from the commotion that even sent a pair of fearsome griffins fleeing into the air with their nestlings clutched tightly in their talons for fear of losing them. Daring to take a peek, the Queen pried herself loose from the trunk of the tree by a hair and looked back in the direction from where the herd of deer had fled from, her eyes widening with fear and horror at what she saw.

Blondie Locks was screaming at the top of her lungs as she madly scrambled her legs and pumped her arms wildly, leaping over logs and rocks and shoving aside bushes and brush in a desperate attempt to flee from the gigantic beast giving chase after her. Thundering through the undergrowth was a massive boar about the size of an elephant with a pair of massive tusks nearly as big as canoes and hooves the size of carriage wheels that hammered the ground and crushed anything underneath into absolute paste; the muscles were huge and pulsing under the layer of short fur that accumulated in a thick, shaggy mane around the shoulders and neck, and despite all this its eyes were all but tiny and weak like those of a rhinoceros. Regardless, it seemed to have no issue in locking onto and charging after Blondie.

Snow White felt herself go tense. "It had to be an Erymanthian Boar. It couldn't have just been a regular boar. It _had_ to be an Erymanthian." she whispered to herself; without hesitation, she folded up the note and tucked it snugly between her large breasts (the one safe place for any girl or maiden that would never be pick pocketed by the likes of the Enchanted Forest's goblins and imps) and readied herself, listening carefully to Blondie's pleas for help until she was but a few feet away. The queen sprang forward like a wildcat with arms outstretched as she pounced on Blondie as she ran by, tackling her to the ground and just barely out of the raging boar's path as it sped by.

The two girls didn't move for several harrowing seconds with Snow White's arms hugged tightly around Blondie's trembling body as she clutched to the queen's chest with great fear as she attempted to gulp down a breath of air every now and again.

"Are you . . . are you alright?" Snow White panted.

Blonde swallowed nervously, still shaking. "Y-Yeah . . . yeah, I'm alright. N-Not just right . . . but fine . . ."

Snow White relaxed several degrees. "Thank goodness," she sighed with relief. "Now, just exactly _what_ did you do to agitate a boar that big so badly?" she asked in slightly scolding, yet motherly tone she often used on Apple whenever the princess had gotten into one of her hair-brained schemes again; Snow White found herself using this form of tone around Apple more often nowadays than she normally had back when her daughter was just a little girl that spent her time scampering about the castle and playing hide and seek with the servants when she wasn't practicing her roll as a future queen over her collection of dolls and stuffed animals inside of a fortress of blankets, pillows, and boxes, often refusing to leave her little castle until she was tempted out with a plate of apple slices and peanut butter.

Blondie brushed a blond curl out her face and straightened the pith helmet on her head. "I . . . _may_ have accidentally stepped on his tail . . ?" she winced sheepishly. "To be fairest, I thought his tail was a log!"

The sudden sound of the Erymanthian Boar's rampage getting uncomfortably close snapped Snow White's attention away from Blondie as she quickly looked around across the ground and quickly snapped up a stray vine and tugged it free from the branch it was securely wrapped around until she had a coil several times longer than she was tall and then a little more that she quickly tied one end into a loop. "I'm going to need you to trust me, dear. Can you do that? Can you trust me that I won't put you in any danger?" she asked Blondie.

The Daughter of Blondie Locks was confused as to what the queen was getting at, but slowly nodded. "Okay. I . . . I trust you . . ." she said as the two of them climbed to their feet.

"Good," Snow White said as she tightened her grip on her makeshift rope. "Just get ready to run."

"What does-" Blondie started to say before the queen gave her a rough shove and pushed her out of the bushes they had been hiding in, the sound of the blonde girl hitting the ground with a loud grunt catching the boar's attention; Blondie felt her blood run cold as the boar snapped its head up in her direction, its massive nostrils flaring and snorting loudly and its gigantic ears twitching every now and again to lock in on her before it pawed the ground with a massive hoof and surged forward like a freight train.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!_ " Blondie screamed as she instinctively covered her face and hoped that she just might be able to continue living with some serious, but temporary injuries.

Just before the gigantic Erymanthian Boar could bear down on Blondie and trample her into the dust, Snow White swung her vine over and around her head like a lasso and cast it forward as fast as possible, successfully hooking it around one of the boar's tusks and tightening the knot before running away as fast as possible and looping the other end of the rope around the trunk of a thick tree; the enormous boar squealed as it skidded in its tracks and nearly fell onto its side before its scrambling hooves were able to right itself once more at the cost of caking Blondie in several heavy layers of muck and undergrowth and allowing its momentum to be turned in the direction that Snow White had run in.

The queen however, was prepared and had unraveled the other end of the vine from the tree once she was sure the boar was heading her way and hauled herself up onto an overhanging branch that she hoped was high enough to avoid getting destroyed like a toothpick. With the coil of vine gripped tightly in her hand and the Erymanthian Boar fast approaching, Snow White threw herself from the branch with a loud yell and landed on the gigantic swine's back as it passed beneath her, landing just behind its head and in its filthy mane of shaggy hair; wasting no time, Snow White quickly threw the other end of the vine that she had tied once more into a loop around the other tusk, essentially creating a pair of reins.

"Now lets take you for a spin, Pork Chop." Snow White grunted as she pulled as hard on the reins as possible while driving the heels of her shoes into the back of the boar's skull; the gigantic swine squealed as it was slowly steered towards the left, bucking and kicking every now and again to try and shake off its unwanted passenger to no avail while flattening and crashing its way through the forest. Branches clawed at her arms and leaves slapped at her face from atop the mighty boar, but Snow White didn't care as her heart hammered in her chest and she rode the massive animal out of the forest. This was the most amazing, the most exhilarating, the most exciting moment of her entire life and she was loving every last moment of it!

Forget about being a queen! Forget about being prim and proper! Forget about following one's destiny! _This_ was living!

"I know this isn't exactly becoming of a queen . . . but _YEE-HAW!_ " Snow White howled with glee as she urged the boar on with a snap of the reins. Faster and faster she pushed the boar on until the animal erupted out of the Enchanted Forest with a massive roar and shake of its tusks, pounding the ground in oblivion as it went careening along across the school grounds at a breakneck pace that would have thrown Snow White off long ago if she hadn't been hanging onto the reins for dear life and laughing all the way.

" _Gangway!"_ she shouted a warning at a small party gathered upon the lawn as she attempted to steer the Erymanthian Boar in another direction; the gigantic animal however, moved like a truck and was all but impossible to properly steer once it got enough momentum going in one direction to the point where it would take a mountain or a very solid wall in order to stop it.

Ben heard the warning and felt his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates when he caught sight of the elephantine boar barreling down upon them, its cloven hooves tearing up the lawn into oblivion as Snow White attempted to veer it off in a direction that would be less likely to cause a threat to student safety. This meant that, by his crude estimation, that Briar, Rosabella, and Whisp would be sparred from being flattened into paste beneath the boar's hooves, but left only him and Lizzie in immediate danger.

"Look out!" Ben cried as he threw himself at Lizzie and tackled her to the ground, the two of them going rolling across the grass as Lizzie, despite all the confusion and the presence of a monstrous boar, instinctively clutched his shoulders and chest tightly with her claw-like nails while Ben sheltered her body from the boar as it barreled past like an out of control locomotive. The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts, while more than capable of taking on a wild bandersnatch with a battle ax by herself if necessary, nonetheless hugged Ben tightly and refused to let him go until she was sure that the danger had passed and that they were no longer in danger of being trampled.

Ben sighed with relief as he finally released his tight hold on Lizzie and wiped his brow. "That was close," he remarked before turning to the princess. "Everything all in one piece?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes with a smile. "Please. Wonderlandians are notoriously known for fighting decapitated arms and legs in battle."

"Remind me to ask you to teach me about Wonderland history sometime, because this sounds seriously awesome." Ben noted with a tone of amazement as Lizzie oddly felt her face warm up slightly; she quickly blamed this on an increase of temperature as Ben tapped the Omnitrix and began to cycle through his roster while watching the Erymanthian Boar go charging off in the direction of Book End, ignoring any attempts from Snow White to try and move it off in another direction.

"At the moment however, I believe it is time for us to get in on some of the action, yes?" Skurd assumed as Ben found a suitable transformation and slammed a hand down on the activation button, swallowing himself in a blast of green light that warped and scrambled his genetic code. Ben felt the bones in his hands cracked and crunch loudly as his fingers were forced together to form a pair of sharp claws and thumb that quickly solidified the rest of his skin as chitin traveled up his arms and across his shoulders, criss-crossing down over his chest and down his legs while his organs squelched and pulsed deep within his tissue; his bones and skeleton pushed themselves past his muscles and fat and fused with his skin, morphing it into a durable exoskeleton that turned a sickly, greenish-yellow that one would usually find if they were feeling ill and felt the sudden urge to vomit. His legs hissed and popped as they wrapped around each other, fusing into a single limb just as three pairs of stiff, jointed legs erupted out of his sides and chest like some kind of alien movie nightmare while his feet shifted and pulled and pushed into the form of a large, pointed stinger complete with venomous sacks buried just beneath the deadly spike. The back of Ben's shirt ripped and tore as a pair of gossamer wings pushed themselves out from beneath his shoulder blades, still glistening with his moisture when his skull shifted and repositioned itself to have a nasty underbite with several disfigured teeth to add to it. As if that weren't bad enough, two pairs of fleshy stalk eyes pushed themselves out from either side of Ben's head just as his face was covered in the remaining bits of his exoskeleton and he lost use of his original eyes all together; the transformation ended when the Omnitrix appeared upon his forehead and a black and green bodysuit enveloped him.

Briar, Rosabella, and Lizzie all immediately began to gag and cough horribly as Whisp snapped her fingers and summoned a gas mask over her face. "What is that horrific smell!?" Lizzie gagged while she pinched her nose.

"Yeah . . . that's me." Stinkfly chuckled awkwardly as the Princess of Hearts glared at him with disgust.

"Enough dawdling! We've a queen to save and an oversized slice of ham to stop!" Skurd exclaimed from the Lepidopterran's forehead.

Stinkfly nodded. "Right." he said before turning to the three girls. "So . . . uh, stay here and be safe? I'm not use to saying that. Mostly because my ghouls will beat the ever living goo out of me if I do."

"Fiddle dee dee and a bucket of fish toenails." Lizzie brushed a lock of ruby red hair out of her hair as deep scowl crossed her face.

The Lepidopterran was absolutely baffled. "Um . . . what?"

Lizzie apologized, an event rare in itself. "Sorry. I sometimes switch back to speaking my native tongue when I am deeply agitated." she said. "Loosely translated, you aren't going anywhere without me."

"Or me!" Briar chimed in.

Rosabella shrugged. "I suppose I-"

The sound of distant screams of panic followed by what could only be destruction to public property drew their attention towards the village of Book End where the shaggy hump of fur that was the Erymanthian boar's shoulders just barely poked up from behind several buildings and establishments as Snow White attempted to steer it down the wider streets and roads to avoid as much damage as possible. "No time!" Stinkfly exclaimed as he buzzed his wings and quickly snatched up Lizzie in his claws and flew off towards Book End.

"Well, you know what they say!" Whisp smiled cheerfully.

Briar raised an eyebrow. "What _do_ they say?" she wondered.

The genie shrugged. "That would depend on who they are. On Vulpin they say ' _Graaahh mgnaaaggh grrrrr raaaaagh gaaahhrr_ '." Whisp mouthed off in a perfect impersonation of one of the previously mentioned plane's ravenous and feral inhabitants.

"What does that mean?" Rosabella wondered.

Whisp shrugged with a goofy grin on her face. "Unless you happen to be a Vulpimancer, no one knows!" she laughed as if she had just told a joke, only drawing confused looks from the two cousins before the genie snapped her fingers and engulfed the three of them in a puff of blackened smoke.

* * *

Poppy O'Hair hummed softly to herself as she pulled the broom across the tiled floor of the Tower Salon, the hair salon that she and her sister ran after school and in their spare time, sweeping all the cut and discarded hair from fair maiden's heads into a dustpan and dumping it into a special trash can that was taken out twice monthly to have its contents made into wigs for fairy tales that just couldn't seem to grow the necessary head of hair they needed to feel fairest of them all. It was not a very tedious job, and Poppy didn't mind doing it in the slightest while her twin sister sat back in one of the barber chairs chewing on her pen and trying to properly write the next chapter of her latest fanfiction.

"Hey, Poppy?"

The Daughter of Rapunzel looked from her work. "What is it, Holly?"

"What's another word for 'muscular'?" Holly wondered, tapping her chin as she starred blankly at the notebook in her hands with absolute befuddlement; Poppy often wondered why her sister even bothered with fanfiction in the first place. After all, despite the technicality that it was actually Poppy who was the oldest, it was Holly that was to fulfill the legacy as the next Rapunzel and await her prince charming to rescue her from her tower while her sister would be left to mingle with the common folk. There was no prince charming to sweep her off her feet, no mighty stallion to ride away on into the sunset, no impending peril to be saved from, nothing dramatic or romantic or even overly exciting for Poppy. She was simply the other twin that preferred her meager existence in her sister's shadow.

"How about 'robust'?" Poppy suggested, finishing her task of sweeping the floor and deciding to take the few minutes they had of rest before their next appointment arrived for their monthly trim by plopping herself down in the chair opposite of her sister.

Holly nodded and quickly scribbled the word down before heading off on another writing spree that left the Tower Salon's atmosphere quite quiet and somewhat awkward; eventually, Poppy couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Alright, I'll bite. What's the story this time?" she asked.

"Well-"

"Is it another tale of Hunter and Cerise's adventures through Wonderland?" Poppy guessed.

Holly shook her head. "No, it's-"

"Is it another chapter in the great Witchling of Arabia starring Raven?"

"No-"

"Or how about the escapades of Ever After's most notorious thief, spy, and lady charmer, Daring Von Charming?"

"No, that one ended a month ago-"

"Or maybe-"

Holly finally lost it. "It's none of those!" she cut her sister off with exasperated breath; Poppy starred at her sister as Holly took a few breaths to calm herself and then sat back in her chair. "It's none of my previous works. This is a brand new one."

"So who's in it?" Poppy wondered; while she never gotten into writing fanfictions about her friends and family like Holly had, despite the fact that she never had a destiny to follow in the first place, she always found herself reading her sister's stories whenever she could spare the time, often finding them much more appealing and satisfying than some of the books she read or the drama sagas that every maiden in the girls dorm would gather around Duchess' TV screen to watch and fawn over (only Raven, Cerise, Ashlynn, and herself seemed to be immune to such sappy love stories).

Holly smiled sheepishly as she played with one of her long locks of dirty blonde hair (another reason why many assumed that Holly was to become the next Rapunzel instead of Poppy). "W-Well . . . it has you in it . . . and it's a pairing, so-"

"Who is it this time?" Poppy rolled her eyes with a smile. Her sister was notorious for being a closet shipper, silently chanting and hoping to pair up her friends and fellow students with their significant others, though most of them never came to fruition; when that happened, Holly often resorted to writing what she called 'one-shots' about those pairings that never made it into reality and had ended up pairing her own sister with several boys ranging from Daring to Sparrow and even a few girls that even included Apple of all people when, according to Holly, she should have already confessed her feelings for Raven to the witchling and gone on a date with her. Fortunately, those little ideas of hers always stayed locked away in the back of her head and down on paper.

"Well, it's a guy-"

"That's a relief." Poppy chuckled to herself. "Remember the last time you paired me Raven? I swear, you have the dirtiest mind some times."

"I said I was sorry! I get lonely sometimes!" Holly huffed indignantly with a red face before she recomposed herself. "And yes, it's with a guy. A brave, courageous, handsome, daring warrior-"

Poppy raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. "Is it Daring again?" she interrupted. "Because, no offense, that wasn't one I really enjoyed."

"Not my fault he spends half his time standing in front of the mirror and complimenting himself," Holly mumbled under her breath with her head in her hands. "But, no, it's not Daring."

"Hunter?" Poppy tried.

"Guess again."

Poppy hummed in thought and tapped her chin. "Sparrow? Dexter? Hopper? Alistair?"

Holly shook her head, a smile slowly creeping its way across her lips. "No, no, no, and nope! Not even close!"

"Genderbent Maddie?" Poppy guessed.

"I did it once! _Once!_ " Holly defended herself against her sister's deep smirk of satisfaction. "And, no, it's not that either."

"Then I give up." Poppy sighed, resting her hand in her hand and drumming her hands on her knee; the stories that her sister wrote that paired her friends and fellow classmates occasionally did hold some value to her, and she often kept copies of the ones that starred herself with Daring, Dexter, Sparrow, and even one with Briar (that one had even surprised her) stowed away in a locked box underneath her bed that Holly was never able to open due to the fact that Poppy always hid the key extremely well out of embarrassment. Her true crush had and still was Sparrow Hood to an extent, but his arrogant attitude, obnoxious singing, and his horrible guitar playing often pushed himself away from her to the point where she was seriously starting to considering him to be nothing more than an old flame just waiting to be snuffed out. "Who am I paired with this time?"

Holly seemed to be vibrating with a joy, something that was usually only reserved for Maddie when she was really excited about something or when the Hatter had recently drunk an entire pot of caffeinated tea that may or may not have been drugged by Faybelle Thorn. "It's Ben!"

Poppy was silent for a few minutes as she processed that little thought. "Ben? As in the kid with an alien device on his wrist and a massive harem of monsters and girls?"

"Well, yes . . . but in this story he's single!" Holly defended herself, taking note of the somewhat expressionless look upon her sister's face. "What, you seriously haven't thought about it?"

Poppy shrugged. "I don't know . . . I mean, he's handsome, strong, smart, nice . . . and hot . . . and those eyes . . ." she trailed off with a dreamy tone that drew a look of confusion from her sister before Poppy realized what she was saying and snapped out of it. "What I'm saying is, what's so special about me? I'm just a hair dresser in a beauty salon and he's a universe saving hero . . . besides, he's already probably got his hands full . . ."

"Oh, come on. He's only been here for at least a month! How much trouble could he get in?" Holly scoffed. The ground trembled and quaked roughly, bits and pieces of plaster and dust raining down from the ceiling as the two sisters tightly gripped the arms of their chairs while searching for the cause of the earthquake; panicked screams from Book End's early risers caught their attention as several people fled past the window before a large shadow blanketed them, quickly followed by four gigantic hooves attached to powerful legs and a hairy, muscular body with a pair of massive tusks. Holly and Poppy watched with wide eyes as an Erymanthian Boar with a screaming queen on its back came barreling by with a frantic Lepidopterran in hot pursuit and a Wonderlandian princess in it claws.

"You were saying?" Poppy blinked with shock.

Stinkfly flapped his wings furiously as the wind whipped past his eye stalks, only mildly helping in keeping Lizzie from passing out due to the horrendous, foul body odor Lepidopterrans were renown and infamous for; regardless, the Wonderland princess still looked like she was going to hurl and only felt her green features return to their original, ivory white when Stinkfly alighted down on the Erymanthian Boar's back and set her down to rest.

"What the-" he started when he noticed Snow White was steering the gigantic animal.

The queen glanced over her shoulder and allowed a bright smile to cross her face. "Hi, dears! Fancy meeting you here!"

"This is strange, even by Wonderland standards." Lizzie mused as she attempted to stand up on the boar's back and nearly fell off before Stinkfly supported her with one of his wings. "Just how-"

"It's a long story, sweety!" Snow White grunted as she yanked back on the reins and all but threw her entire body to the left in an attempt to steer the Erymanthian Boar down a road to avoid trampling innocent bystanders and accidentally taking a chunk out of the corner of a building with the boar's tusks. "If you don't . . . mind, I could- use a hand here!" the queen to maintain control. "I will be honest, I've never done this before!"

Skurd chuckled. "Neither have we, and we have saved the universe on numerous occasions!"

Stinkfly rolled all four of his stalk eyes. "You only saved the universe once!"

" _Twice!_ " the Slimebiote corrected.

"I believe our current problem is figuring out how to stop this beast!?" Lizzie cut Stinkfly off before he and his Slimebiote partner could get into another argument. The Lepidopterran nodded and quickly flapped his gossamer wings, taking off from the boar's back and flying a good distance ahead before Stinkfly whipped around and fired off a quick round of sticky globs of slime from the pollen sacks within his eye stalks at the ground; the elephantine swine was oblivious to the sticky trap and ran right into the block-sized puddle of slime, landing with an earth-shattering _thud!_ when the boar slipped and fell, sliding several yards and squealing all the way before it managed to get its legs up underneath itself and continue running away once more.

"Damn it!" Stinkfly cursed moments before the boar collided with him and splattered the Lepidopterran like a big on a windshield on its oversized snout, blasting him with ragged breaths of thick, smelling breaths that rivaled the alien insect's own terrible body odor; with a grunt, Stinkfly fluttered his wings and grabbed onto a few wiry hairs near the Erymanthian Boar's snout to pull himself up and crawl up the animal's face until he managed to reach the head just as the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light that returned Ben to the world.

With a grunt, Lizzie reached and grabbed hold of Ben's wrists and slowly managed to pull him up while Snow White tried to keep the gigantic boar steady and keeping damage to a minimum; the queen only broke concentration when Ben grabbed hold of her ankle to help him stand up again. "New plan," he sighed relief. "Anyone got one?"

"You mean you don't?" Skurd poked at him, earning a flick upside the head.

Lizzie tapped her chin in thought. "Our best solution would mostly be to try and lure the boar out of Book End, where we can fully engage it without hurting anyone."

"Great. Any suggestions?" Ben grumbled sarcastically.

"I've got one," Lizzie smirked as Snow White hung a sharp left, nearly throwing them all off the boar's back as it sharp hooves skidded and scrabbled against the street before gaining footing once more. "Bait. _Live_ bait."

Ben frowned slightly. "Lemme guess: that just happens to be me, doesn't it?"

"Do _you_ have a better plan?" Skurd gave a snide remark; before Ben could retort with a snide comment of his own before a puff of ashy, black smoke exploded next to him and Whisp stepped out of the noxious cloud without effect while Briar and Rosabella fell to their knees hacking and coughing and trying not to fall off the boar's back, which was significantly harder than it looked.

Whisp however, hardly even seemed to notice the issue despite the fact that she had traded in her legs for the ghostly, wispy tail that sprouted from beneath her sash. "So here we are on the back of a giant boar. Anybody else got anything interesting happening to them?"

Briar scowled. "Not the time for jokes, Whisp!"

The genie rolled her eyes as she tapped the blue and pink Omnitrix fastened to her wrist while Ben simultaneously activated his own version of the wondrous device, the both of them cycling through their available rosters before selecting their desired transformations. "I swear, you fairy tale types are no fun."

" _Whisp!_ " Rosabella cried as she tightened her grip on fistfuls of the Erymanthian Boar's fur.

"Oh, fine!" the djinni exclaimed as she and Ben slammed down on the cores of their respective Omnitrices, swallowing and encompassing the two of them in blasts of midnight blue and green respectively and warping their genetic codes into something new. Whisp's soft, segmented, pink skin faded and turned a smooth, chrome white with a soft crackling noise while her skin solidified, a more sickening noise catching Rosabella's attention as the genie's frame shrank and was compressed further and further with every passing nanosecond, her bones becoming shorter and more flexible until they were simply done away with and fused with Whisp's skin during a series of skin squelches and wet pops. Her lips split and widened as her head to a roughly football-shaped sphere as her organs oozed and sloshed around inside of her, beginning to squish together to their limits as her lungs bloated and grew to become the largest organs in her body. Her pointed ears were pulled back against her head, fusing together with her skin and swelling to large half domes on either side of her head that resembled headphones in a way that wrapped up over head in a way that simulated pigtails of sorts as her eyes dilated and shrank while the Omnitrix appeared on her forehead, completing the transformation.

Ben could feel his body shift and move dramatically as his skin was slashed and sliced into thin ribbons with a sickening squelching noise as his muscles and tissue were hacked apart into long ropes, as if he were being messily torn apart by a pair of gigantic blades. His circulatory system and organs melted together into thin strips of their own, stretching out to an incredible length before the thin strips of flesh that Ben had become began to bundle and wrap themselves tightly together, tying and moving themselves around each other to form a crudely masculine figure with long, exaggerated fingers and toes made of single strips of the badange-like material. He could feel his face harden once more and quickly flatten itself out into a rough, triangular shape that turned black and green in color as it sat itself on top of his broad, bandaged shoulders where a green and black headdress appeared on his head complete with a pointed beard,a wide collar that materialized around his neck, and a green belt attached to a Shendyt formed around his waist; the transformation ended when a set of black and green braces appeared on his wrists and ankles just as a pair of tendrils snaked out from his shoulders and back, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on his belt.

"Not what I was going for, but I think I can work with this." Snare-oh hummed as he glanced at his long fingers.

"Then work quickly, dear boy! _Look!_ " Skurd as he pointed away from his spot upon the Thep Khufan's shoulder while still remaining firmly attached to the Omnitrix due to his gelatinous and elastic body; Rosabella and Briar glanced up from their uncomfortable and shaky spots on the boar's back to see several dozen yards down the street, only a few, frantic strides to an Erymanthian Boar, Lilly Bo Peep frenziedly trying to herd her mother's flock of sheep and lambs across the road as fast as possible. Considering the herds size and the boar's enormous strides and speed, there was no way Lilly was going to make it without losing several rams and ewes to the boar's heavy hooves, and this became increasingly clear on the shepherd's fearful face.

Snare-oh narrowed his eyes before he bent down to scoop up a small, female Sonorosian with a dark blue Omnitrix fastened to her forehead in his hands and place her upon his shoulder just behind her head where the two, elastic tendrils sprouting from his shoulders swiftly wrapped themselves tightly around Sonic Doom's waist while she fought to hold back a light round of giggles. "Not on my watch."

"Lets do it! We're the Amazing Snare-oh and Black Sonorosian, teaming up from different companies to unite against a common enemy!" Sonic Doom cheered.

"You've been drinking Madeline's tea again, haven't you?" Snow White grunted as she attempted to steer the boar away form the flock of sheep; Briar, Rosabella, and Lizzie all joined the queen at the reins, fighting to regain control of the animal's erratic movements while Snare-oh thrust an arm out, watching as the fingers stretched and elongated to an incredible length and hooked themselves around a lamp post before reeling him in like a grappling hook where he swung himself up onto the roof of a nearby building and began to follow the Erymanthian Boar from the roof tops.

The Thep Khufan grunted as he crouched down to all fours and leaped forward like a frog, tumbling through the air with Sonic Doom giggling madly to land on his feet and quickly scrabble up the sloped roof and keep pace with the massive boar. "Whisp! Crank up the volume!" Snare-oh cried as he quickly slid down the other side of the roof and used his momentum to throw himself into the air.

The Sonorosian nodded and sucked in a deep breath before she blasted it back out as a high-pitched scream at such volume that every window within ten yard radius cracked and shattered loudly; the plan however, worked in her favor as the boar came to a halt and squealed angrily as it pawed painfully at its ears before whipping its attention towards Sonic Doom and snorting angrily.

"Well, you have his attention . . . _run!_ " Lizzie screamed.

Snare-oh barely heard her as he whipped his left arm out to an impossible length and wrapped his fingers around another street lamp to haul himself and his Sonorosian passenger across the gap over the road and sail over the Erymanthian Boar's head as Sonic Doom fired off another ultrasonic blast at the animal's ears, easily provoking the temperamental beast into chasing after the fleeing Thep Khufan and Sonorosian.

"Well, we managed to get the beast to chase us . . . now what?" Skurd mumbled.

"Try to avoid getting flattened!" Snare-oh yelped as he jumped over an alley way with his bandaged arms pumping madly as Sonic Doom hung on tight and fired off an ultrasonic scream every now and then to entice the boar to follow and chase them through Book End; the Slimebiote couldn't argue with that decision as himself did not feel like taking up a job as Erymanthian Boar toe cheese and quickly slithered and oozed himself down the Thep Khufan's back and grafted himself over his host's legs as he tapped into a genetic sample from the Omnitrix and felt the changes take place. The durable bandages that composed up Snare-oh's legs rustled and squelched softly as they fused back together to form soft skin that began to cool and turn a bright shade of blue as fleshy, tight muscles and sinew was transfigured from stray bandages and wrappings and increased the mass and powerful behind the legs while bones finally began to form to act as support for the new limbs. A loud cracking noise filled the air as a pair of sharp, curved talons sprouted from the new feet, the ball of the heel sliding forward and eventually separating into a smooth, black ball upon which the sharp talons gripped tightly. The transformation was complete as a pair of tight, black pants coated the multijointed legs and a long, whip-like tail slithered out from the base of Snare-oh's spine.

"Ride the wind, Bulls-eye!" Sonic Doom giggled.

"Take some advice, dear boy, and get her to a psychologist as soon as possible." Skurd murmured in what passed for Snare-oh's ear.

The Thep Khufan as he used his new Kineceleran legs to swiftly dodge to the right to avoid getting gored by the Erymanthian Boar's massive tusks. "How about I try not to get squished?"

 _ **REEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! REEET! REEET!**_

"Fair point." Skurd remarked as the boar squealed angrily.

Snow White had given up on trying to steer and bend the Erymanthian Boar to her will as it seemed solely focused on putting the terrified Thep Khufan and annoying Sonorosian in their place by grinding them into paste, and the queen had taken that opportunity to allow her duties as a teacher and a mother take over; she quickly wrapped the elastic vines securely around the waists Rosabella, Briar, and Lizzie to ensure that they would not suffer from any injuries should they take a nasty fall off of the animal's back anytime soon which, considering the way the boar was moving like it seemed dead set on flattening Sonic Doom, Snare-oh, and Skurd by association, was not exactly out of the question.

"I appreciate your concerns, your majesty, but there this is hardly necessary," Lizzie grunted as tugged at the secure vine around her waist. "Wonderlandians are notorious for being able to walk away from scrapes with rabid jabberwockys with nothing more than a black eye."

"I am well aware of that, Lizzie, but as your teacher and the only, responsible adult-"

"As I recall, _you_ were the one that nearly flattened us." Briar remarked flattly.

" _Nearly!_ " the queen huffed like a small child before regaining her regal composure. "As I was saying, seeing as I am your teacher and am thus responsible for your safety and well being, I'm going to have to insist that you stay where you are." Snow White seemed to recite as if she somehow had done this before just as Lizzie produced one of her notoriously sharp fingers and sliced right through the vine without difficulty.

Snow White pursed her lips. "Lizzie-"

" _LOOK OUT!_ " Briar screamed at the top of her lungs as she instinctively threw herself down onto the boar's back and dug her fingers into the thick, shaggy fur. The Erymanthian Boar roared as it made a sharp turn in its pursuit of Snare-oh, its hooves scrambling to find any traction on the ground before it managed to find a foothold and surge on after the Thep Khufan; Snow White had been tossed onto her shoulder with a grunt, knocking the wind out of her as Rosabella threw herself at the queen and just barely managed to grab a hold of her ankles to prevent her from falling rewarding herself with a wonderful view of Snow White's undergarments as a result.

Lizzie however, was not so lucky, tumbling over the side, screaming all of thirty feet to the ground from the boar's back; without the presence of a harness, the fall would either kill her depending on how she landed or would leave her with multiple broken bones that would snap and crack like corn cobs on the cobbled street below. At least, that's what might have happened had Snare-oh not heard her cries and quickly turned on his orbital heel to rush back in a blue and beige blur and come to a screeching halt just as Lizzie landed in his outstretched arms with a soft _oomph!_

Snare-oh gave a mouthless smirk. "Perhaps you should hire me out to be your bodyguard? You seem to be suffering from a sudden string of accidents and near injury situations."

"J-Just . . . just keep running . . . _OR IT'S OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!_ "

"Even after taking a fall, she's still feisty as ever!" Sonic Doom laughed as the Thep Khufan held Lizzie close to his chest – a gesture that the Princess of Hearts found oddly endearing – and sped off with a crack of his tail, racing up right behind the Erymanthian Boar and tearing right through and under the beast's legs and underbelly before dashing out from under the boar's lower jaw and back out into its line of sight, earning a startled squeal that turned into a more vicious growl as the boar quickened its pace; matters were not helped when Sonic Doom fired off another taunting, ultrasonic blast of sound at its face.

Snow White swallowed nervously, her heart hammering in her chest as she dangled from the gargantuan swine's back, her body thumping against the heaving sides of the animal at the mercy of Rosabella's slowly slipping grip; despite her love and work with animals and beasts, was by no means strong enough to keep the queen suspended there and from falling to the street below where she could possibly roll or slide beneath the boar's crushing hooves and be killed if kicked or stepped on in the right place. "Hang on, you majesty!" Rosabella grunted.

"I appreciate your sense of humor, sweety, but if it wouldn't be too much trouble to pull me!?" Snow White shouted over the constant grunting and squealing of the Erymanthian Boar.

Rosabella gritted her teeth and attempted to pull the queen up. "I'm . . .trying . . !" she gasped, her muscles straining and feeling like they were on fire. "Briar . . !"

No sooner had the word tumbled out of the Daughter of Beauty and the Beast's mouth had Briar all but lunged across the boar's rolling shoulders and snap her hands around Snow White's right ankle as her cousin's grip slipped and nearly sent the queen falling before Briar managed to plant her feet firmly into the shifting, pulsing hide of the Erymanthian Boar and gave an almighty tug that managed to pull Snow White up a couple inches; Rosabella quickly fell into Briar's rhythm as the two of them slowly, but steadily managed to pull the queen while she planted her hands against the shaggy fur of the boar and attempted to push herself up as much as possible to ease the strain until after what seemed a harrowing eternity the two princesses managed to pulled the queen back up to safety before flopping down and panting heavily.

"Thank you . . ." Snow White was just as shaken up, her finger curled tightly around tufts of the boar's fur to support her shaking arms; her pulse was pounding and she swore her heart was going to burst out of her chest like some sort of horrific, alien horror movie, but she had never felt so much more alive. It was the rare times like this that sitting upon a throne and listening to the complaints and problems of her subjects or sitting around a table and discussing trade routes with other royals or sitting and signing papers for new laws, amendments, articles, seemed far more mundane that they usually were. Sitting in general was mundane to begin with, but that was beside the point.

She quickly sucked in a deep breath and cracked her knuckles, feeling a rush of energy course through her as she turned to Briar and Rosabella and quickly untied them from the vines that had kept them from falling. "What are you doing?" Rosabella panted.

"Putting this madness to an end, that's what. Now hang on tight!" Snow White yelled as she grabbed hold of the other loose vine tied to the boar's tusks and waited until she could feel Briar and Rosabella's arms encircle themselves around her waist, hugging her tightly like a python constricted its prey to reduce struggle and movement; once she was sure the girls were safe, the queen gave an almighty battle cry and a heavy snap of the reins while driving her heel into the boar's back to urge it forward. The Erymanthian Boar was now conflicted upon whether to run to try and flatten the ever annoying bipedals in front of it or to run to try and get the bipedals driving it off of its back, but whichever one it decided, it involved a sudden surge in speed and power as the boar thundered through the streets.

"There!" Lizzie suddenly yelled.

"Where?" Sonic Doom struggled to look over both her own and Snare-oh's shoulder to see where the Wonderlandian was pointing.

"Over there! That road leads out of Book End!" Lizzie shouted.

Snare-oh nodded. "Then that's where we're going!"

Skurd chuckled victoriously. "Put that pedal to the metal, dear boy! _Onward!_ " he thrust a slimy tentacle forward for emphasis as Snare-oh kicked it up into high gear, swiftly dashing back and forth, left and right to aggravate the boar into following him the last few dozen yards until they were well out of Book End and he could safely deal with the problem without the threat of possibly blasting someone with some kind of toxic chemical or accidentally stepping on them and crushing them should he misplace his feet or get thrown by the temperamental animal.

After what seemed like an impossibly short amount of time, even with the Thep Khufan's Kineceleran legs, they had finally managed to clear Book End with surprisingly minimal damage to property and public safety and successfully managed to lure the gigantic Erymanthian Boar out of the village's limits to an open field on the edge of the Enchanted Forest. Snare-oh felt himself giving a mouthless smile; now he could _really_ cut lose. With that being said, he quickly came to a screeching halt and carefully set Lizzie back down on the ground and released Sonic Doom from his back before turning to face the approaching Erymanthian Boar.

"Get ready to jump, girls!" Snare-oh yelled as he quickly snapped his arms forward and wrapped his elastic fingers around the boar's tusks before jerking his hands to the side with all his strength and managing to pull the massive animal onto its side; Snow White and the two princesses were thrown off of the boar's back and sent flying through the air, the queen quickly grabbing hold of them by the back of their shirts and skirts and pulling them in close to her body as she curled herself up like she had previously done with Blondie to cushion the blow of the landing for them. Even if she was of royalty and fairy tale lineage, that only meant that it was her duty to put others needs before her own, especially if it was of the next generation of fairy tales that carry out their legacies and ensure that their tales and stories would live on.

Regardless, the queen hissed with pain upon landing on her back as Snare-oh's heavy duty bandages shot over the boar's back and plunged into the ground on the other side, strapping and pinning the Erymanthian Boar to the ground as the Thep Khufan cast another set of bandages over the boar's back and snout, pinning it further to the ground before swiftly wrapping his fingers around the animal's legs and tying them together to restrict all and any movement.

"Quick! While it's down!" Skurd yelled.

Lizzie smirked as she reached into the folds of her dress and produced a deck of playing cards that glinted suspiciously in the light. "I could not agree more!" she grinned as she cast her hand and sent the cards flying like shurikens through the air at a high speed; one such card sliced through the tip of one of the Erymanthian Boar's tusks as if it were paper, the ivory tip clattering the ground while another sliced a notch in the animal's ear. A wave of shimmering, dark blue light passed over Sonic Doom's body as she effortlessly and swiftly multiplied and duplicated herself into a dozen clones that quickly scurried to take positions all around the fallen Erymanthian Boar, each clone sucking in a deep breath before blasting it back out at high volume.

"Echo!"

"Echo!"

"Echo!"

"ECHO!"

" _Echo!_ "

" _Echo!_ "

" _Echo!_ "

" _ECHO!_ "

The boar's squealing of agony of having its ears assaulted was music to the Sonorosians ears, the clones increasing the intensity of the volume as Skurd swiftly returned the Kineceleran DNA to the Omnitrix before compressing his gelatinous body down upon the wondrous device and engulfing Snare-oh in a blast of green light that warped and shifted his genetic code into something new. Ben's frame cracked and crunched loudly as his body gradually grew taller, his bones grinding as they grew stronger and thicker to support his increasing weight and bulk, forcing his jaw to thrust out in an underbite that allowed his lower canines to curve out over his upper lip; a coarse itching snaked its way across his body as thick, shaggy hair began to grow all over him and only added to his impressive size while thousands of muscles and tissue packed themselves tightly across his arms and chest, swelling them to impressive proportions as his hands and fingers trembled and exploded in size and strength, each finger more than capable of crushing a soda can with a single flick. Metallic knobs and bumps thrust themselves out from his wrists and thick neck as his feet shifted with a series of snaps and cracks that moved his big toe out in an ape-like fashion while his brow grew heavy, giving him a permanently irked expression and suddenly sprouted a three-horned prong from between his heavy eyes; the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared around his waist in the form of a belt, completing the transformation.

"Time fer a little shock to yer system, eh!" Shocksquatch grinned as he clapped his hands together and furiously began to rub them to build up a static charge within his shaggy coat that he quickly released with a massive discharge; at the same time, Lizzie cast more of her deadly playing cards at the Erymanthian Boar, the two attacks combining together into one that made the cards spin like razor-sharp saw blades at such high speeds they were nothing more than colorful blurs that zipped and swooped through the air like boomerangs, the static charge they carried heavily attracted to the Erymanthian Boar's thick fur.

"Now _that's_ what I call a positive charge!" one of Sonic Doom's clones grinned.

Shocksquatch rolled his eyes at Skurd. "And you say my jokes are bad, eh."

The playful banter that was passed between Lizzie, the Slimebiote, and two Omnitrix-wearing aliens however was not what caught Rosabella Beauty's attention, no, it was the pained squeals and cries of the Erymanthian Boar itself as it writhed on the ground in agony at having razor-sharp playing cards slice mercilessly at its skin and vulnerable snout while Sonorosians assaulted its assailable ear without relent. To hear those cries of pain from any animal, even a monstrous boar that had almost flattened her and laid waste to nearly half of Book End, was absolutely heartbreaking to her; not to mention it made her significantly more temperamental as well.

" _Leave that poor beast alone!_ " Rosabella screamed, prying herself loose from Snow White and pouncing upon Shocksquatch, tackling the Gimlinopithecus to the ground with surprising strength that threw even Lizzie for a loop.

"Whoa! What's goin' on, eh! I'm on your side!" Shocksquatch cried as he easily held off Rosabella's attacks and lifted her off the ground with both hands wrapped around her waist and pinning her arms to her side.

"Then stop torturing the poor creature! He's had enough!" the princess snapped angrily; Shocksquatch dropped her as if he had been holding a highly irritated and venomous snake and took a step back as Rosabella turned on her heel and marched back towards the boar, pushing past the Sonorosians and throwing them a look that warned them of the consequences that would come if they did not give her space to do her work. Even Lizzie, arguably the most temperamental and easily angered student in all of Ever After High and Wonderland, backed off as Rosabella strode up to the boar and glared at it right in the eye, the animal returning the look with one just as poisonous.

That is, until Rosabella plastered herself up against the Erymanthian Boar's head and hugged it warmly.

Shocksquatch blinked with surprise. "Uh, what just happened?"

"Well, they do that music soothes the savage beast," Skurd mumbled. "Although I don't really see what this has to do with music in the first place . . . I can't believe I'm saying this, but forget everything I just said."

"No problem fer me, eh. I just kinda tune ya out most of the time." the Gimlinopithecus grinned as the Slimebiote fumed upon his shoulder.

Rosabella however, was occupied with the elephantine swine. "Whose a good boar? Whose a big, strong, powerful Erymanthian Boar?" she cooed lovingly; oddly enough, the gigantic beast seemed to enjoy the attention compared to the constant beating and battle it had received ever since some crazy lady had jumped on its back and decided to take it for a joyride; Rosabella continued to baby the giant animal as she produced a pair of safety scissors she always kept on hand for such emergencies and set to work on slicing and cutting through the Thep Khufan bandages that kept it firmly anchored to the ground while pulling out knife-like playing cards that were embedded at varying depths within its thick skin, bandaging each cut with the small medical kit she kept on hand through various hidden pockets she had sewn into her dresses, something that seemed to be a catching trend upon the female populace of Ever After High.

"Okay, are we the only ones confused here?" the Sonorosian clones all spoke in unison and equal amounts of befuddlement as they all morphed back into one duplicate mere seconds before the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of dark blue light and returned a completely baffled Whisp to the world.

Lizzie hummed and tapped her chin. "It has occurred to me that Rosabella is something of a animal right's activist," she recalled, remembering how the princess usually spent her time on various street corners handing out fliers listing the concerns about using beasts and animals as a work force among other things; the Princess of Hearts admittedly had to agree with some of the well thought points she made, knowing how some kingdoms lacked laws that kept such abuse in place. Even Wonderland, with its vicious wildlife and war torn past had a few similar laws, though those were mostly about which animals to avoid altogether. "I don't believe it would be too much of a stretch to say that she is an animal lover as well?"

"That's an understatement, eh." Shocksquatch rolled his eyes at the remark upon catching sight of Rosabella lovingly kissing the Erymanthian Boar as if it were a small child that had scrapped their knee while playing with their peers.

It was at that moment, like an angry mother whose child had recently been bullied, that Rosabella turned on them. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" she scolded. "Attacking a poor, defenselessly beast!"

Shocksquatch scoffed. " _Defenseless?_ That thing nearly crushed you! Not to mention, almost destroy all of Book End, eh!"

Rosabella scowled. "And just how would _you_ react if some maniac pounced on your back and started screaming like a madman?" she cast a glare in Snow White's direction, the queen smiling sheepishly; the question was met with awkward silence as everyone shifted uncomfortably and tried not to look the angry princess in the eye.

"But . . . it's gigantic-" Shocksquatch tried to say before Rosabella cut him off.

"Never judge a spellbook by its cover," she snarled, protectively hugging the boar to comfort it. "I thought you of all people would know that, Ben." she frowned, taking immense pleasure in noting how the Gimlinopithecus slumped slightly at being caught out; Whisp awkwardly scuffed the ground with a foot as Lizzie tried not to look at the massive mountain of Erymanthian Boar that Rosabella was coddling like a toddler.

Satisfied that she had made her point, the Daughter of Beauty and the Beast turned her attention back to boar and gave it a quick check up to ensure that she had managed to treat all of its injuries while occasionally throwing glance in Shocksquatch's direction that her point had been made. Once she was satisfied that the Erymanthian Boar was of healthy quality, she gave it one last hug of affection and sent it off on its merry way, ignoring the way the ground trembled and quaked beneath her wobbling legs as the mammoth animal trotted off back into the Enchanted Forest for a well deserved rest; with any luck, there wouldn't be any distracted blondes to disturb its much needed nap.

"Now then," Rosabella turned on her heel to address the others. "I assume a lesson has been learned here?"

Whisp grumbled with her arms folded over her bust. "You are going to make an excellent mother some day."

"Thank you." the princess curtsied before she was interrupted by a loud, long snore that instantly turned heads in Snow White's direction where the queen had propped herself up and was currently allowing Briar to use her lap as a pillow; it didn't take much of a genius to figure out that one of the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty's narcoleptic nap attacks had reared its ugly head once more and sent the princess spiraling into slumber.

"My thoughts exactly, eh. It's not even noon and I'm ready to hit the hay!" Shocksquatch yawned and scratched himself tiredly.

Whisp grinned cunningly and quickly latched onto the Gimlinopithecus' leg, scampering up his frame hugging herself close to his chest with a vice-like grip while the rest of her relaxed. "Good. That means you can give us all a lift back to school for a well deserved nap."

"I ain't no pack mule, eh!" Shocksquatch griped; unfortunately for him, none of the girls listened as Lizzie swiftly clambered up onto his shoulder and Rosabella followed suit by taking a position just behind his back and neck so it looked like she were hanging onto him like a large koala bear strapped to the back of a gigantic simian. Eventually figuring out that he wasn't going to get them to move unless he started to move himself, the Gimlinopithecus sighed, surrendered, and stooped down to take Briar from Snow White's arms and sling the sleeping princess over his shoulder while the queen climbed to her feet and immediately regretted it upon feeling a sharp spike of pain in her back that nearly sent her crumbling to the ground.

"Something wrong, my dear?" Skurd inquired.

Snow White hissed and attempted to reach back and massage her aching muscles. "I'm perfectly fine . . . I may have landed on a rock or two though . . ." she added as an afterthought upon realizing how badly her back hurt; how knights and heroes regularly took dives and rescued falling maidens and princesses that were too dumb to look where they were going before they fell without suffering from tightening muscles was a mystery to the queen. She did however, take small satisfaction in noting how Shocksquatch didn't even put up a fuss as he gathered her up in his other arm and began the long march back towards the school while grumbling obscenities under his breath.

* * *

It was just like they had left it.

Skelita was still comfortably wrapped up in her woolen blanket by the window, the sun's warm rays no doubt making her slumber quite comfortable while Clawdeen continued to doze peacefully from her spot at the foot of the bed; Ben knew that given half the chance, the werewolf would seize the opportunity to sleep closer to him, often filling the evenings they shared during the ghoul's nightly rotation with soft nips and rough kisses to keep him check when she didn't concede to his exhaustion and fell asleep alongside him.

Hunter and Ashlynn were still cuddled up together in their sleep beneath the huntsman's blankets and sheets, oblivious to the sudden intrusion by Ben and Whisp as Ashlynn rested her head upon Hunter's chest like a pillow and inhaled his deep, refreshing scent of warm pine wood and tree sap while he wrapped an arm protectively around her to him close in slumber; it were almost as if he were afraid she might be snatched away from him by some kind of dream demon.

Kitty still retained her signature spot at the head of the bed where Ben's pillow might have been, lying comfortably on her back and having moved closer to the edge and thus the window, as if drawn to the beckoning rays of warm sunshine like a potted plant whose shoots were just out of reach of nourishment; the Cheshire wore a small, white top decorated with black paw prints that exposed quite a bit of her midriff and a pair of faded pink and lavender shorts that were mostly worn specifically around the dorm Kitty shared with Maddie on the rare occasions that she was not feeling well enough to attend classes without being randomly teleported somewhere every time she sneezed.

Apple still lay curled up in her sleeping bag on the floor, her arms splayed out in a wild pattern among her unkempt, blonde curls while she continued to snore loudly to the point where one could have compared it to a motor engine; Ben had gotten rather accustomed to the princess's snoring fits that seemed to come and go like the phases of the moon, there one night and gone the next, while Raven simply fell asleep without any problem considering she already shared a dorm with Apple and had more than once had to employ the usage of earplugs to allow her exhausted body to get the necessary sleep it required to not face plant into her breakfast from lack of rest.

The witchling herself was still pressed up against the wall like she had been before Whisp and Ben had slipped out of the dorm to take part in the morning's seemingly endless run of random events; the witchling hadn't stirred from her spot since they left and it seemed she was oblivious to the departure of Venus, Jane, and even Cerise as well, leaving a considerable amount of space upon the inviting mattress that had more than enough room for a genie and a certain Omnitrix wielder whose resident parasite had fallen asleep long ago.

Ben wasted no time in kicking off his shoes and socks and slipping off his shirt while Whisp snapped her fingers and engulfed herself in a puff of black smoke to slip into her nightclothes, an outfit that consisted of an old, black T-shirt with the faded advertisement of a Broadway musical whose logo seemed to be a once golden genie emerging from a lamp and a pair of gray sweatpants that greatly highlighted her midnight blue locks and pale, pink skin. With that being done, the two of them quickly slipped back into bed and under the covers without missing a beat, Ben resting his head on the spot that Kitty had once occupied without complaint and nearly falling asleep right then and there on the spot had it not been for Whisp's roaming hands.

"Seems like you managed to attract quite the attention today." she purred.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ben denied because, in truth, he hadn't the foggiest idea at what the genie was getting at.

Whisp however, seemed to love toying with him. "Is it my imagination, or have both you and Lizzie suddenly taken an interest in each other?"

Ben tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his face. "Yeah, right," he scoffed. "It's not my fault Wonderland's so cool."

"Alright, then what about Briar? She seemed to be getting quite cozy with you on the way back here." Whisp smirked.

"She was asleep," Ben countered. "People do strange things when they're asleep! Need I remind you of what _you_ do whenever you're not spending the night with me? I swear, Nefera spent a small fortune on those locks to her room that still don't seem to work; every morning she finds you cuddling up to her like some kind of teddy bear!"

Whisp pouted. "You know I hate it when you play that card," she huffed childishly. "And it's not my fault her breasts are so soft!"

Ben rolled his eyes, knowing there was no further point in arguing. "Whatever. I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep until dinner." he mumbled as he lay back down and closed his eyes, his body habitually beginning to decrease the rate of his breathing and slow his pulse while hie eyelids grew heavy; Whisp decided that sleep was more important than saving her pride for the moment and lay down to snuggle close to Ben, using his arm as a pillow she pecked him on the cheek.

"Good night." she murmured.

"Good night." Ben mumbled, too tired to point out that it was noon and not night.

As if on cue, while Whisp and Ben drifted off into sleep, Clawdeen stirred at the foot of the bed and inhaled a sharp breath, stretching out her body and yawning wide to expose her sharp fangs. Once she was satisfied that all her tense muscles had been stretched and relaxed, the werewolf sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her sensitive ears pricking to pick up the slightest of sounds to alert her of possible danger; finding nothing but Apple's obnoxious snoring and the occasional rustling of the covers whenever Ashlynn or Hunter moved in response to the other, Clawdeen glanced at the clock and found that it was close to lunch: normally Ben was up at the time, no matter where he ended up.

"Wonder what's got him so tired?" she mumbled to herself upon catching sight of her boyfriend's comatose state.

* * *

Milton Grimm had never felt so humiliated in all of his life.

He supposed it was a step up from being stuck as a chicken-man for the better half of the afternoon and signing papers in literal chicken scratch until Raven had finally managed to figure out how to reverse the transformation after cooling down for a bit and apologizing afterwards as well for good measure, but it was embarrassing nonetheless. Not only had he now just cost himself a hefty price by trying to squeeze his gigantic bulk through the irritatingly tiny door of the healer's office, but having said healer scurry about like some kind of ancient mole that grumbled obscenities and curses under her breath was not exactly something he enjoyed.

"Now open wide and say 'ahh'." Healer Sternum instructed with a tongue depressor in her gnarled fingers.

With a roll of his eyes, the elephant curled back his trunk against his head and tilted his chin up to open his mouth and give off a low, gurgled growl from deep within his throat; the healer barely even flinched at the horrid breath that followed and quickly pressed down the headmaster's tongue with the depressor before reaching into the pocket of her lab coat and pulling out a flashlight that she shone inside the pachyderm's oral cavity.

The aged crone mumbled something incoherent under her breath as she withdrew and quickly scribbled something down on her clipboard. "I'll be honest, Milton, I'm not a zoologist. I don't the faintest idea at what I'm doing, much less how to fix this fine little mess you've gotten yourself into."

"It's not my fault!" the elephant protested with an annoyed trumpet from his trunk.

Healer Sternum didn't seem to be buying it. "Mmm-hmm. And what about the unicorns? Or the troll tears? Or the beanstalk thorns? The griffin? The little incident with Tiny Giant? I assume none of those were your fault either?" she listed off with her hands on her hips.

The headmaster shifted uncomfortably, the exam table creaking and groaning underneath his seven ton weight. "That's different . . ." he argued weakly.

"Says the man who now has a trunk dangling from his face and suddenly has to invest in an incredible amount of dental floss to take care of his new tusks." Sternum scoffed, turning to scribble something else down on her clipboard before she marched back into her office with a look that could have made even the most hyperactive of imps and gremlins instantly sit still for fear of incurring her wrath, giving the headmaster more than enough time to think about things.

It seemed he was losing more and more ground every day in this waging war between the Royals and Rebels, the future generation of fairy tales that held the fate of their world in their hands. More and more royals were starting to lose interest in upholding the promise of tradition, finding flaws within their stories that seemed minimal to most but were in fact enormous factors and problems to them; the Rebel side was steadily growing stronger as a result, and it did nothing but make Grimm more stressed over just how he able to maintain order.

If it was any consolation, it seemed Raven Queen, the unofficial leader of the Rebel faction, was just as stressed out as well. Then again, the witchling wasn't currently a seven ton elephant sitting in the healer's office trying to figure out how to change back.

The young witch was a mystery to him. Despite his constant threats and demands and even eventual pleadings she stood like a statue, tall and firm in her beliefs and had deflected any attempt to change her mind with startling ease and precision, as if she had trained herself to be all but immune to his attacks and persuasions. And whenever her defenses were somehow bypassed by his trickery, the nuisance that was her boyfriend and that damn watch of his always got in the way!

It wasn't like he was _trying_ to be the villain of this ongoing fairy tale. He was only looking out for the betterment of all of Ever After, trying to prevent its destruction! Was that so wrong?

"Infernal genie. I thought I saw the last of them ages ago." Grimm grumbled under his breath.

"What's that, Milton?" Healer Sternum raised a suspicious eyebrow as she came strolling out of her office with a series of jars, bottles, beakers, and a syringe tucked under her arm and in the pockets of her lab coat.

The elephant rumbled dismissively as he absolutely dwarfed the ancient witch. "Nothing. Just . . . cursing the genie that did this to me . . ."

"One of our latest students, if I remember correctly. She's quite amusing," Sternum hummed as she set to work. "A tad on the crazy side, though being stuck in a bottle for thousands of years will do that to anybody."

"Yes, thousands of years . . ." the headmaster trailed off, nearly wandering off into his thoughts before he shook his head to clear them, flapping his fan-like ears as he did so and nearly taking off the healer's head with his large tusks. "How long will this take?"

"You're just lucky I happen to have a degree in Reverse Transfiguration, Milton. Otherwise you'd be eating three-hundred pounds of food a day." Healer Sternum mumbled to herself under her breath. "Honestly, Milton, how do you get yourself into these things?" she asked in an exasperated, rhetorical tone as she almost mindlessly mixed and stirred various liquids and ingredients together into a beaker from memory; without warning or even asking him for permission, the healer yanked a single nose hair from the elephant's trunk and deposited it into the beaker, barely even noticing the pained bellow that followed as she stirred the concoction together.

Milton sorely rubbed the tip of his flexible trunk against his trunk. "Was that _really_ necessary?" he grumbled.

"Do _you_ have a degree in Transfiguration?" Healer Sternum countered as she gave the mixture a few quick stirs and watched it closely as it turned an odd shade of yellow that was suspiciously the color of urine before she filled the syringe and made sure the needle was sharp enough to pierce the headmaster's thick hide. Once again, the old crone didn't hesitate the plunge the pointed tip of the medical instrument into the elephant's foreleg, once again earning a loud trumpet of surprise; Sternum hardly paid attention as she set about cleaning up and putting things back in their designated places, barely even seeming to notice how the headmaster was suddenly engulfed in a flash of bright, pink smoke that sparkled like glitter and smelled oddly enough like cotton candy.

Headmaster Grimm hacked and coughed loudly, waving his hand in front of his face to clear away the smoke. It was then that he had actual hands and not gigantic feet that were perfectly designed to stomp and support his massive, hulking weight or a long, flexible trunk attached to the front of his face that was more than capable of tossing a tree or plucking a single flower from a mound of lawn clippings. He found that even though he still supported a considerable girth, he no longer made the now heavily damaged examination table creak in protest and bow underneath his weight; of course, this only lasted about five more seconds before the table gave a groan and finally died, crumbling to the floor with the headmaster with it. Even with the sudden din, the portly, old man could have sworn he heard Healer Sternum snicker.

"About time," he grumbled under his breath as he helped himself up and dusted his pristine jacket and suit off. "Well then, thank you for your help, Healer Sternum. If there's nothing else, I shall be on my-"

Without even turning to look at him the witch cut him off. "Stay right where you are, Grimm. Unlike your much more responsible, younger brother, you've failed to come in for your annual medical examine. Hopefully your little accident will implore you to stick to that diet I put you on." she added as a snide remark, prompting the headmaster to glare down at his girth.

"I am perfectly fine, Sternum. I'm as healthy as a horse!" Headmaster Grimm argued.

"A horse, no. A donkey or an all too stubborn mule, yes." Healer Sternum cracked at his expense, silently enjoying the fuming anger she could tell was building up within the old man; granted, it probably wasn't good for his blood pressure, but it was small moments like these that she decided that it would be worth the risk. Having already anticipated such a tactic the moment a seven ton elephant had shoved its way through the door into her office, she grabbed her trusty clipboard and pulled out the headmaster's medical records while tapping her chin in thought as she read over them. "Lets get down to business, shall we, Milton?"

Without even looking up, Sternum knew that the headmaster had made his escape through the gaping hole in the wall where her door had once been; when it wasn't the seemingly endless line of excuses that prevented him from ever coming in for his appointments, it was his surprisingly sneaky escapes that always managed to get him out of the tight situations she placed him in. Healer Sternum sighed and tossed her clipboard over her shoulder without care, instead opting to reach into her pocket and pull out a small hand gun and a case full of tranquilizer darts that held just enough sedative to down a man of Milton Grimm's size and age.

Before she even begin her hunting trip in search of the ever elusive Headmaster Milton Grimm, a sudden shout caught her attention.

"Boys! _Boys!_ I don't care if it is Breakfast Taco Tuesday in the Castleteria, there is no need to be running and throwing a bookball through the- _ **EEEEEYYYEE-UH!**_ "

Healer Sternum smirked and quietly and quickly pocketed the tranquilizer gun and darts before gathering up her clipboard and slowly counting down on her fingers from five until she reached one; at exactly that moment, Headmaster Grimm came hurriedly walking back in, slipping off his suit jacket as he did so. "I . . . I think a medical examine is just what I need." he mumbled incoherently to himself.

"Noted." Sternum smiled smugly. "Step on the scale. Lets see if you've lost any weight since you sprouted tusks."

 **Finally! After an eternity, it is complete! Can any of you guess who Snow White's previous lover was? XD**

 _ **C'mon, Creaty! We're going to miss our reservations! Mr. Nibbles, stop trying to eat my dress!**_

 **Give me a sec, babe, I gotta close out. So, apologies for the slow update, but as I promised I needed to update my other works and when I was working on the latest chapter of my Total Drama story (of which I assume a human identity through means nobody quite knows), I ended up with a severe case of writer's block and ended up working on this chapter before I ran itno writer's block _again._**

 _ **Writer's block seems to be the natural predator of authors, doesn't it?**_

 **Knick-knack, paddy whack, give a bandersnatch a bone, the frog skips all the way to the barber shop.**

 _ **You speak Riddlish! CREATY SPEAKS RIDDLISH! Yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay!**_

 **I've been practicing. Hardly understand a word though.**

 _ **Maybe I could give you some . . . lessons?**_

 **I don't like that look you're giving me. Either way, we have reservations, Deadpool's off somewhere doing who knows what, and a chapter has been posted after a month. Knick-knack, the story's back!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 ** _Hasta Luego!_**

 **To dinner!**


	24. Way too Wonderland Pt 1

**Imagine for a second, ladies and gentlemen, a first draft of the chapter you are currently reading . . . imagine toiling away for hours upon hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks typing away at writing what you believe to be one of the best chapters yet as you relentlessly pause and unpause videos and rewind them to the point where they could be considered a time machine to make sure you have all the correct dialogue down . . . imagine thirty pages . . . some thirty-thousand words . . . weeks or work . . .**

 **And imagine all of that gone within the span of ten minutes.**

 **That's right, my dear readers. The reason why this chapter was so goddamn late was because I had to restart all the way from SCRATCH when my _/censored/_ word processor decided to EAT MY CHAPTER! Literally, every single goddamn paragraph, sentence, word, and letter, every last single character on the document was DESTROYED, gone and LOST FOREVER! And when I try to get help and see if there's any way to retrieve my lost work so you guys won't have to endure another month of waiting, they have the GALL to give me the most UNSYMPATHETIC RESPONSE I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISPLEASURE OF READING!**

 _ **'That bad, eh? Tell how us how you really feel.'**_

 **I just did!**

 _ **'So you're mad you lost a chapter to some /censored/ who decided to /censored/ around with their company's customer by programming in the problem in the first place?'**_

 **Words can not describe how much I hate this ASCII option on Open Office.**

 _ **Maybe now is a bad time to mention that we've gotten one-thousand reviews?**_

 **Oh, what the Hades. I could use the distraction.**

 _ **Ahem?**_

 **Oh, right.**

 **ONTO THE REVIEWS!**

 _ **'WHY ARE WE YELLING?'**_

 _ **I DON'T KNOW! HA HA HA HA HA!**_

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze –**_ **To be fair, we don't entirely trust Slappy either, but he keeps Deadpool in check so that's good, right? And on a related note, I recommend leaving Pinkie behind . . . she's more trouble than she's worth, let me tell you.**

 _ **ajjr12 –**_ **Highly unlikely. Problem a few jokes at how crazy Wonderlandians are, but I highly doubt anything related to drugs will be involved.**

 _ **Jeptwin –**_ **Thank you! Anyway, monsters such as the Erymanthian Boar and Nemean Lion are actually a species in EAH instead of individual monsters; given how big they are however, they're quite a rare species due to hunting and limited food sources, to the point where one might believe them to be individual monsters.**

 _ **1985 –**_ **Yes, Kitty and Ben are a couple. They started towards the end of** ** _Spring Unspring Pt 2,_ and there will be more Ben x Kitty moments later on to establish and strengthen their relationship. No offense to you, but it's times like this you can tell your readers are skimming instead of reading . . . although considering the rush everyone's in these days, I can't blame them. Hades, I've done it more than once.**

 _ **'Ah, HA! So you admit it!'**_

 **Quiet, you.**

 _ **Numbervania –**_ **Compared to other characters of similar nature (Daring, Faybelle), Duchess will receive little character development simply because she's a spiteful person in general; even if she had a decent destiny and wasn't forever doomed to be trapped as a swan like her mother, she'd still be just as nasty and bitter as she is now. On an unrelated note, glad you liked the dreams; I intend to try and give each girl (the ghouls already had theirs in my previous work) their own dream sequence with Ben and possibly other members of the harem just to give a glimpse at what might have been had Ben not had a harem in the first place been a single.**

 **Believe it or not, this Tetramand is an expert on an animals and I can safely assure you that there are two species of camel. The most commonly known and the same one that one Milton Grimm was briefly turned into is in fact the one-humped Dromedary of Northern Africa, Middle East, and Austrailia (they were imported and have surprisingly adapted fairly well to the point where they're hardly considered an invasive species compared to the other animals and plants that plague the Land Down Under *cough* rabbits *cough*). The two-humped camel, better known as the Bactrian camel, is a more rare and endangered species of camel that wanders the freezing sands of the Gobi desert in Southern Mongolia and China; unlike it's more warm climated cousin, they have a shaggy, woolly coat to keep them warm.**

 **And yeah . . . we're not entirely sure _what_ to call Maddie's evil twin . . . doppleganger . . . clone . . . whatever . . .**

 _ **She's evil! Evil, I say!**_

 **Case in point.**

 _ **Warprince2000 –**_ **As stated before, I IMMENSELY apologize for the incredibly long period it took for me to get this out. This would have been out far sooner had unlife not decided to throw me for a loop and MESS WITH MY TECHNOLOGY AND WRITING!**

 _ **'Dang, Four-Eyes! You sound like you're up for a yodeling contest! OH-DELAY-HEE-HOOOOOOO!'**_

 _ **Closet!**_

 _ **'AAAAHHHHH!'**_

 **Thanks, babe.**

 _ **Anything for you, Creaty! Mwah!**_

 ** _Maddie,_ not while the readers are reading!**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Hopefully the wait hasn't been too long!**

 _ **masterart –**_ **While I can't release that bit of information concerning Courtley or not (especially since she has yet to debut). And no, I have not heard of a guy named** ** _randompandaattack_ (with a name like that, you'd think I would have), but I'll be sure to take a look into it . . . when time permits that is.**

 _ **Wolvenstrom –**_ **To be fair, Rosabella was genuinely considered for Snow White among others during the whole chase and only actually got all defensive when they relentlessly attacked it even though it was down. And exactly how would you react if you suddenly attacked by some lunatic? I imagine the results would be similar (ignoring the fact that you probably aren't a gigantic boar the size of a house).**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Sadly, I think once OUAT is over (after a while), I think I'll cut this version of Ben's adventures off there. On that note, I have the promised/expected EAH one-shot and lemon series, Ben 10/Big Hero 6, Ben 10/Percy Jackson, and Ben 10 DC Nation Xovers (even though that last one is a one-shot series), so it might be a while before I come up with anything brand new that hasn't been planned prior.**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **Considering Jane, Robecca, and Venus' shenanigans, I highly doubt Ben would be offended otherwise. And you're right, that is going to make sharing a bed together very interesting, especially should Ben ever leave them all to their devices and sleepover in another dorm . . . I'm not hinting or insinuating anything, I swear!**

 _ **Zachery Hance –**_ **Considering this is Wonderland we're talking about, the fact that I'll be dealing with fairy tales, monsters, aliens, and the Omniversal Laws of Karma, plus the fact that his chapter is probably a month overdue, I'm going to have to say a firm 'NO' to that one. On a side note, I (and Maddie and Deadpool as well, but the later's irrelevant in any situation or matter that doesn't involve running omniversal errands) don't really appreciate reviews telling me what to do unless I ask for the suggestions. I'm not mad or infuriated (it actually takes quite a lot), but this is the kind of thing I don't like waking up to find lurking around the review section of my stories.**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **As I've previously stated above, it takes quite a bit for me to get really ticked off (technology taking a random turn in making my unlife a living hell one of them), so I'm hardly mad at all. As I've also previously said in a PM, as long as you give me credit for the transformation sequences, you can use any that you like (if you plan to use Phobos however, you'll have to contact me about that once more).**

 _ **starravenwolf –**_ **I'll take that last suggestion to heart. Oh, Deadpool!  
**

 _ **'Deadpool's not here, Four-Eyes! Leave a message at the beep!'**_

 _ **Oh, darn. He's not in!**_

 **Ah, well. We'll lure him out with a chimichanga eventually. Anyway, the narrators are currently taking a break and cowering in fear of Maddie's evil twin (clone, doppleganger, we don't entirely know yet), and the O'Hair sisters will eventually come into play; how, I'm not entirely sure, but it might involve Ben somehow getting ahold of Holly's fanfiction (probably by Kitty or Maddie's means).**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **I thank you immensely for the EAH one-shot series idea, and plan to definitely use it when I eventually get there . . . eventually. As for your suggestion for how Cerise can reveal her feelings to Raven . . . this is why I** ** _/censored/_ love you guys. I swear, half the stuff that ends up in the story is all because you guys help anchor me down to reality and pick out the little random thoughts and ideas I have buzzing around my head before knitting them together. This is fantastic, this is phenomenal, this is . . . surprisingly lacking violence. That's easily fixed, but the initial idea is so cool, so pure, so absolutely awesome that I'll keep it that way until right up to the kiss . . . before, you know, they get interrupted. Because that always happens!**

 _ **Ooh, you like me bare-legged, hmmm?**_

 **I didn't say anything *whistles awkwardly***

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **Believe it or not, I was actually kind of rooting for the Raven x Maddie (not my Maddie, just to clarify) pairing to win out when I put up the poll for the next yuri couple, but Raven x Cerise works out just as well, if not better (because of all the sideplots it gives me to explore).**

 **As for your question, I don't think it would count as masturbation, since that only applies to yourself and not some clone or copy or doppleganger . . . as if we didn't have enough of those already. So how about it, Maddie? If you _did_ happen to meet a genderbent version of yourself (there's probably more than a few of them and a couple transgenders out there in the omniverse) would you _/censored/_ him?**

 _ **Maybe . . . if he likes tea, that is! Tea is a necessity! Tea is life! The turtle can't live without its wings!**_

 **What she said.**

 _ **Isom –**_ **First off apologies for being so late on the response. With the time dilation down here and the technical issues it's a wonder I was able to get back to you guys at all. That being said, the nanite-enfused Omnitrix is absolutely awesome: the Perfect Deadpool Smashing Machine!**

 _ **'Excuse me?'**_

 **Regardless, I'm glad you picked up on that little detail during Grimm's mental monologue as that will come into heavy play later on. And yes, I was originally going for Jigsaw to play croquet, but I made a promise to at least feature each alien at least twice so the little mistakes that Omniverse made wouldn't happen (Jetray, ChamAlien, and Fasttrack never appeared, even though two of them were 'requested' by Ben before dialing the Omnitrix and the former two were actually originally scripted to be used in two episodes).**

 **And worry not about Savara: I have done a rework of her beast form and I am _much_ more happy with the design, so I'll leave that up for you to decide on how she looks. Now addressing Deadpool's favor-**

 _ **'Favor? What favor?'**_

 _ **Did you think getting a date with Lady Death was that easy, schoodle brain? Thanos is on the other side of the omniverse thanks to you, and that ain't an easy thing to do, let me tell you!**_

 _ **'So what? Not like I signed anything!'**_

 _ ***Creaturemaster glares and taps the Nanitrix strapped to his left wrist and presses down on the activation core, swallowing himself in a blast of yellow light. His tough, red skin started to bubble and crack violently like drying mud on a hot day, separating into individual islands that oozed and crashed into one another to form continents. His skin thickened and hardened even further, fading into an inky blackness as rock-encrusted plating began to pop out one after the other as his fingers trembled and twitched before bloating to nearly three times their original size. The Nanitrix appears in a flash of energy in the form of a watch around the wrist, completing the transformation***_ **I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation.**

 _ **'Puns? Really? WAH!' *Creaturemaster raises his Galilean arm and a hazy field of yellow energy appears at his fingertips as he thrusts his hand down. Deadpool is instantly flattened to the floor as a result***_

 **I believe you owe _Isom_ a favor, Deadpool. Unless you'd like me to begin writing your orbit-tuary?**

 ** _'Make it stop! The gravtional pull is bad enough!'_**

 _ **You also missed what me and Creaty were up to last night.**_

 _ **'What!? Seriously!? What'd I miss!?'**_

 **Now that would be telling, now wouldn't it?**

 _ **'At least there wasn't a pun.'**_

 **I dunno. I could always take this new gravity power of mine for a little spin. _*Raises hand up and grins as he's encompassed in a flash of yellow light and his other arm shifts and morphs to take on an opposite duplicate of its brother. Creaturemaster than raises both arms over his head and watches with a grin as Deadpool follows and begins to helplessly orbit around in the air*_ Omniversal Law of Karma, dude. Omniversal Law of Karma.**

 _ **'I'm . . . gonna . . . hurl . . . chimichangas!'**_

 _ **DracoAngelus17 –**_ **Well . . . at least we know where she is now . . . sorta. On the bright side, she hasn't turned into her creepy spider form (yet) so there's still hope for you. Usually people that end up having that happen to them are never heard from again. Your best chance at survival is to avoid getting killed, get slashed, getting tangled in any silk or webbing she might throw at you (don't know if she can do that, but better to be safe than sorry), and whatever you do,** ** _do not get bitten by those fangs!_ On that note, try to subject her to Wonderland torture: put on the most dull documentary you can find and try to get her to stay in one place long enough for it to catch her attention. If she doesn't smash the screen, you might be able to sneak away/kill her.**

 _ **'Maybe.'**_

 _ **Not helping, Wade!**_

 _ **'What? I'm just being realistic here!'**_

 **Fair point. Best case scenario, she gets bored of you and lets you go with severe injuries. Worst case scenario, she gets you to impregnate her and her offspring will the proceed to slowly devour you alive once you have been marinated in a tea for a few hours. That's what we can figure out at the moment, so try not to die . . . maybe we should lend him one of our weapons?**

 _ **'Ooh! Ooh! Universe smashing hammer! Universe smashing hammer!'**_

 _ **Earth-bending ring! The fire cloak! The tap dancing rhesus monkey wearing a powdered wig!**_

 **. . . I'm not even going to _ask_ about that last one.**

 _ **black shadow 120 –**_ **It would be up to** ** _Blazorna_ , but other than the appearance of Rath, the obvious new forms of the Queen's Blade world he's acquired, and the potential of Gravattack and several other aliens appearing sooner than canonically (spoliers), they're pretty much the same Ben. The one that is, quote on quote, "A buzzkill".**

 _ **Blackstriker94 –**_ **The reason why the fairy tales seem to orbit around a European background villain wise is because that's where most if not all of the original fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm originated from. Looking at Ever After High itself, there isn't a single character from a fairy tale in another culture (yet. If Monster High can have Skelita, Jinafire, Batsy, Lorna, and Marisol, then there's probably a few race diverse fairy tales farther down the road). And to be fair, my readers came up with the majority of the villains that have appeared so far.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Yeah, things are pretty crazy down here, too. Either way, glad you noticed that little detail involving the genies, especially since that will come into play later on. As for Rosabella, that's practically her entire character: she loves animals and the beast students of the school, such as the Three Little Pigs, the Three Little Pigs, and that one aardvark that attends for some reason and fights for them to have the same rights as she and her others do. By extension, she's also an animal right's activist, though I'm not sure if she's a vegetarian like Hunter and Ashlynn. At the very least, I think she avoids eating meat in front of her beast friends.**

 _ **Curtis Payne**_ **– Well, some aliens happen to suit the situation better. One problem with Omniverse was that Ben continued to keep on getting the wrong alien. It would have been more amusing if he didn't get the alien he dialed in every now and again instead of 90% of the time. And even when we do find out the reason why Ben continues to get the wrong alien, it still happens. In this case, he's wised up and it only happens every so often.**

 _ **Malchior the Bad –**_ **Uh, okay? I honestly didn't expect anyone to take up the torch of fan art (if you could call it that), even with all the shameful hints I dropped during my first story (not my finest hour), but by all means go ahead! Send me a link, too! As for your request for an Autobot form, I'm going to have to decline. This would require another crossover and not only is this story crazy enough as it is, but I don't do crossovers with other stories unless asked by the author themselves (like I was with** ** _Blazorna._ More on that later). And even if I did give him something akin to an Autobot form, it would called Roadhog and look like this (course, I'd have to get the artist's permission first. As for the link, copy, paste, and remove the spaces to get the full address. Believe me, it works): illuminate01 .deviantart art/ Roadhog -191757576**

 _ **Royal Rebel –**_ **Until I run out of accepted OC villains to draw, every one that made it into the story will be drawn out on my Deviantart account just like I did with the Nemetrix predators.**

 _ **Smaug –**_ **Yes, I am aware that Cerise has a sister. It's actually one of those 'long lost sibling' plots that actually works, though only because of their heritage. And yes, I have to say that she is quite a looker . . . unfortunately, she's not going to join the harem. Not only do we have one set of sisters already (I'm trying to diversify things here), but the O'Hair sisters will eventually join (I may change my mind on Holly later . . . maybe). On top of that, once Daring's reformed into a much more likable guy instead of the narcissistic prince he is, I have feeling Ramona might take an interest in him. After all, if Cerise initially had a crush on him, there's a possibility that Ramona might, too. And as a little spoiler, there's more than one thing that Ramona's hiding other than her heritage . . . XD**

 _ **Titanzilla –**_ **Luckily for you, Whisp is crazy enough to do it! Not every time mind you, because that would be flanderizing and that is bad, but definitely enough to be a reoccurring gag.**

 _ **The Question –**_ **Wonder no more,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **Narufuu Forever –**_ **Hunter is still Ben's roommate, but with how crowded the dorm is getting that's bound to change soon *** ** _cough*_ this chapter _*cough*_**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **Thanks (too bad that was more than a month ago)! And yeah, Teacher Tennyson will be down right hilarious to right, simply by how easy Ben'll be able to beat his students. And let forget the little wager between the harem girls about who can beat the most students within a week (cue evil cackling) ;)**

 **As for Lizzie and Ben for a WLGL: EAH edition, I actually have a little something quite similar planned for Ben and a ghoul for the Monster High portion . . . I let you see if you can guess who. And yes, I'm pretty sure you _did_ jinx it. Have you learned nothing!?**

 **Your request for another interview with Ben will be coming up fairly soon, once _Way too Wonderland_ is over, Cerise and Raven become a couple, and every one starts to pick and choose how they want to live their own destinies. I imagine that would make for a fairly interesting segment on Blondie's newscast, especially since our blonde reporter will most likely be dying to know how Ben feels about having mini-harems within his own harem.**

 _ **Kaiju Fan –**_ **Yes, I suppose I am asking for you help.**

 _ **'Loser!'**_

 **Quiet, you. Anyway, what are you talking about? This is phenomenal! _This_ is why I ask you guys for help, but you and every one else who reviews are awesome as Hades! And yes, Alien X in a suit of armor wielding Ascalon up against a space dragon would be absolutely badass. And yes, I have seen the Tarkatan Xenomorph . . . not that impressed.**

 _ **Soos – Gracias, mi amigo!**_ **Good luck running the shack!**

 _ **Love you, Soos!**_

 _ **Fanfic Fan –**_ **You know what's really eerie? That you practically described everything that happened right down to the finest detail. The only difference was that Deadpool was wearing a tutu and party hat, Mr. Nibbles slept through it all and only woke up when Lady Persephone brought down fresh chimichangas for Deadpool (I think he's getting a craving for them), Mr. Nibbles once again trying to bite of Deadpool's face over the last chimichanga, and a herd of** ** _Triceratops_ seemingly randomly crashing through one of the walls and out the other side with the _Indominus Rex_ giving chase . . . yeah, things get weird down here.**

 _ **Dragonic Rex –**_ **Ben will not receive an Anodite transformation, simply because that would eventually make Gwen redundant and that Anodites do not possess DNA. While they do have a genetic code of some kind, it's not something the Omnitrix would be able to pick up and copy down like it's done with Whampire and some of the other aliens. That, and we don't know if male Anodites are even capable of existing, that the Anodites might possibly be a race of genderless beings that just happen to look female (sort of like the Crystal Gems from Steven Universe. They're technically genderless by look feminine in appearance).**

 _ **Writing Warrior –**_ **Compared to the other ghouls, Jane is the most interesting in Blonde's opinion because of approximately three things: one, she's highly reclusive and camera shy and thus Blonde knows very little about her compared to Clawdeen, Skelita, Venus, and** ** _especially_ Whisp. Two, her ability to shape-shift is like nothing Ever After has seen before (yes, Ben and the ghouls can turn into aliens, but Jane can already do this naturally and without the use of a device). Three, Jane has perhaps the most interesting back story out of all of them other than Ben, and the fact that she is bisexual and is in a relationship with Ben and another ghoul in his harem is practically making Blonde pull her hair out at trying to get an interview. It's not unheard of in Ever After, but's _highly_ rare in a school that promotes strictly men and maiden relationships.**

 _ **Dud88 –**_ **Aww, thanks! It's nice to know my writing's good enough to change someone's mind :)**

 _ **Slappy –**_ **And as usual, you know how to make an entrance my marionette amigo (I hope that's not as offense as the P-word). As for why the staff hasn't noticed the unusual decline in the number of girls that should be asleep in their dorms, anthropomorphic suits of armor patrol the halls (they are unable to talk) and they are relatively easy to sneak by. Plus, the girls usually sneak out at late hours and sneak back in early in the morning. Basically, Grimm's absolutely oblivious to what's going on.**

 _ **Killer Croc –**_ **Jane is the most interesting in Blonde's opinion because of approximately three things: one, she's highly reclusive and camera shy and thus Blonde knows very little about her compared to Clawdeen, Skelita, Venus, and** ** _especially_ Whisp. Two, her ability to shape-shift is like nothing Ever After has seen before (yes, Ben and the ghouls can turn into aliens, but Jane can already do this naturally and without the use of a device). Three, Jane has perhaps the most interesting back story out of all of them other than Ben, and the fact that she is bisexual and is in a relationship with Ben and another ghoul in his harem is practically making Blonde pull her hair out at trying to get an interview. It's not unheard of in Ever After, but's _highly_ rare in a school that promotes strictly men and maiden relationships.**

 **Jane technically doesn't have a harem of her own that's as big as Ben's, but her relationships with Venus, Robecca, and Ben himself qualify for a relationship large enough to be considered a small harem of sorts. Whisp's relationship with Nefera and her habit of messing around with other members of the harem is more of Whisp just being playful and mischievous, although she does have a more permanent attachment to the Egyptian princess.**

 **At the moment Jane is incapable of transforming into mythological creatures such as dragons, griffins, and unicorns simply they're a bit more complex than the animals she usually takes on, such as elephants, big cats, and snakes. She is also unable to create hybrids of said animals, such as blending a giraffe and a kangaroo together into some bizarre new animal, but the ability to transform into mythical creatures (dragons specifically) will eventually rise in the near future (and no, it has nothing to do with _Dragon Games_. I'll leave it up to you to see if you can guess when).**

 _ **Lord Dominator –**_ **Who knows? Maybe Lizzie will want to keep their lessons private so Ben can have some . . . hands on experience ;)**

 _ **Killer Instinct –**_ **The Ever After harem is still subject to change, but a fair amount of the selected candidates will remain (still unsure about Rosabella yet for a reason I'm pretty sure you might be able to take a guess at). As for Holly and Poppy, I'm not sure if anyone else other than her sister even reads them (which should make Ben stumbling across one of her stories all the more interesting) and Poppy's little downward spiral to the dark side will be touched on when Ben's 'sights' (more like my invisible hand and words) to the O'Hair sisters.**

 _ **Discord –**_ **Hey, don't worry about it, dude. And just because I'm undead doesn't mean I'm a rotting corpse! I mean, theoretically I can remove parts of myself as effortlessly as Frankie can, but-**

 _ **'Then lets test it then!'**_

 **How about not and I don't grow a pair of Transylian conductors and give you the shock of your life? That being said, the loss of the bed hardly compares to the loss of the original copy of this document. So there!**

 _ **Luciayshadow –**_ **Wait, if Sombra is inside your head . . . and you're talking to her . . . you know what? I'm an undead Tetramand locked in the dungeon of the God of the Underworld with the Daughter of the Mad Hatter, the Merc with a Mouth, and some bizarre, alien abomination as my roommates and watching wrestling with the Queen of the Underworld every Thursday . . . or what passes for a Thursday down here. Who am I to judge?**

 **And no, the guy that Snow use to date is not a male version of the Evil Queen. I unfortunately do not have the honor of doing a crossover with _Sigmu's_ work like I have with _Blazorna Ibara's_ (we actually just finished the first half. I suggest taking a look at it if you enjoyed _We Are Monsters_. More on that towards the end of the author's note). In other words, keep guessing!**

 **Yeah, I've seen Ramona and I'll admit she's starting to grow on me. Unfortunately, Ben won't have the privilege of gaining her affections until the inevitable Ben 10/EAH one-shot series (in other words, Holly's been busy). On the other hand, Daring might get a chance (after a major rework in personality. The prince needs to be humbled and taken down a few notches and who better than the kid who slugged the Lord of the Underworld in the face without hesitation?) if Ramona doesn't break him in half first. Something tells me she's going to be wearing the pants in _that_ relationship.**

 _ **Way too Wonderland**_ **will be coming soon (in fact, it's this chapter if you didn't catch the title) and I'll admit there are a few webisodes that could written in once that little project's done and over with; at the very least it'd give Ben something else to smash XD**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **Yes, I have been keeping tabs on Ever After High and I have an inkling of an idea of what I can do with Farrah's webisode (I don't think I'll pair her with Ben simply because of how big the harem's getting, but he'll definitely be a good friend. At the very least, Daring seems to becoming a little more decent since I saw that webisode and finding out that he's not Apple's prince . . . even that already happened here . . . oh, the amount of reworking I'm going to have to give** ** _Dragon Games_ ). As for Apple learning 'White Magic', it's a decent thought but then again it's been done by the amazing _Sigmu._ As for the link you tried to send, it didn't come through; try putting spacing between certain words. That seems to work better.**

 _ **Imagi –**_ **Yeah, I know Venus and Jane have kind of stolen the spotlight and I've been working on rectifying that little problem, but the truth of the matter is that they're just so much fun to write. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might have created a pairing that can't be considered crack!**

 **Yeah, sorry about Lorna, it's just that she just didn't seem to fit the bill. To be fair, none of the ghouls with the exception of Whisp seem to fit the bill of falling into Wonderland (they'll still be involved in the story, however. They shall not be forgotten!), but who knows? Maybe I'll figure out a way to work them in without overcrowding the cast.**

 **Sadly, your request for Luna still wouldn't work simply because _Boo York, Boo York_ never actually happened in _We Are Monsters_. Everything up to _Haunted_ occurred, but everything afterward never happened, so a meeting of Luna, Mousedes, Elle, and Astranova is out of the question; I'm quite aware Robecca and Elle know each other (heck, Elle's already Cooper's ghoulfriend), but they met at the Plumber Academy similar to how Rook met Scout. Mousedes is still in Boo York, Luna has probably made her way there as well (truth be told, I have yet to actually watch the movie but I get the gist), I'm not sure where Catty would be about right now, and Astranova . . . well, you'll find out eventually.**

 **In other words, the ghouls don't know Luna, Mousedes, or Astranova and thus would not know of their existence, thus making any mishearing by Apple null and void since it could not occur. Plus, at this point, I think Apple knows not to mess around with magic unless she has an extremely good reason (in other words, a reason that won't get her disciplined by her mother again and get her a one way ticket out of the harem without a way back in).**

 **As for Courtley, her character will receive a little reworking as well (not so much so that she;s unrecognizable but just enough that Lizzie won't be likely to try and execute her the next time she sees her).**

 **Your pairing problem . . . I'm just as confused as you are. All I can tell you is that Venus/Jane/Robecca/Ben are all an item and Cerise/Raven/Ben will be an item in the near future. Anything with Whisp is purely for entertainment purposes only, though I will admit she does have a somewhat permanent attachment to Nefera, not that the Egyptian princess has any actual feelings for her other than that of a sister.**

 _ **Yep! Duchess is standing on top of Jane. Lesson number one, kids, never use an alligator or crocodile like a bridge, no matter what you see in cartoons or much they smile at you. That means they wanna eat ya with their crumpets and tea!**_

 **For a couple reviews I almost forgot you were here!**

 _ **'Couple? Sounds like you really**_ **do** ** _need glasses, Four-Eyes. I can call you Eight-Eyes instead!'_**

 **Do it, and I'll Arachnichimp web sling you to the ceiling for a week.**

 _ **'Or not . . . sheesh. Party-pooper.'**_

 **And finally, your guess . . . I'm not exactly sure if that's to my challenge on who can guess who Snow White's former boyfriend was, but I can assure you it was not of anyone of grand or omnipotent power. That can wait for the one-shot series where our steadily growing in popularity queen can get a chance at the Tennyson.**

 _ **Ooooooh!**_

 **Deadpool, stop drooling. And Maddie, I can't believe I'm saying this, but that smile is starting to creep me out.**

 _ **Fee Fye Foe Fumm –**_ **Something tells me that you likes giants . . . either way, Ben might potentially end up fighting giants of some kind one way or another. I've got two options and either one could work if executed properly . . . in other words, sit tight and hope for the best!**

 _ **JawsonYou67 –**_ **You can't tell from my red, Tetramand skin, but I'm blushing-**

 _ **'And you can't tell from my red suit if I'm bleeding or not!'**_

 **You will be if I put you on the business end of a pair of Appoplexian claws.**

 _ **'Alright, alright! Point taken. Hah! Punny!'**_

 **Someone kill me now. OH, WAIT-**

 _ **'For the hundredth time, we know you're already dead, Four-Eyes! We're not deaf!'**_

 **You might as well be, considering how little you listen to anything Maddie or I say.**

 _ **'You say somethin', Four-Eyes?'**_

 **And thus my point is proven. Anyway, I don't exactly consider _We Are Monsters_ to be my absolute best work compared to _Once Upon a Tennyson_ , but once I go back over and adjust and realign the chapters to the standards I've risen to now, I'm sure they will be. Unfortunately, as interesting as the character is, I've already got one too many shape-shifters; every last one of the ghouls is one practically, whether they possess it naturally (some of them will in time) or with the Omnitrix that Ben gave them. The way I actually describe the transformations, whether it's one of Jane's Nemetrix predators or animal morphs or Ben or the ghouls' aliens, I based them all on the _Animorphs_ series and how K.A. Applegate wrote the individual transformation sequences; it was one of and still is one of my favorite book series. Why an Animorphs movie hasn't been made or revamped TV series is beyond me, especially with all the better technology we have compared to the one that aired on Nickeloden sometime in the 1990s (they jumbled up half of the story lines and mixed and replaced various morphs to the point where it was a pale imitation of the books).**

 **To be honest, Ben isn't massively muscled like the Hulk or even as muscled and well built as Ben 10,000, but he's put on a few more pounds muscle-wise to the point where it's noticeable. I'd say he's a nice blend between his most recent look (not counting the Reboot artwork) and Eye Guy's build; not too massive, not too scrawny, "just right" as Blondie would say. I suppose the main reason why a lot of stories don't feature the big muscled guys as the harem leaders is because those are the kind of guys that always get the girls; as cliché as it is, it's far more amusing to watch the scrawny, possibly nerdy guy get the chicks and leave the lugnut jock in the dust. I suppose that makes some people feel better about themselves.**

 **Anyway, I don't really answer reviews unless they ask an immediate question, like if someone is asking if they can use one of my characters (technically, this is only Phobos at the moment, but still), if they want to write a story together, that sort of thing. General responses are usually saved for the review answers that I've set up-**

 _ **'Yeah, get in line, kid!'**_

 **Wade, I've got four words for you: Galvanic Mechamorph Tachyon Cannon. You don't shut up right now, I'm using it to put a hole through your head, got it?**

 _ **Maybe you could aim farther South? I'm sure that'd bust his coconuts up!**_

 **You are devious, you know that? Anyway to close off, yes, Godzilla and Way Big duking it out would be awesome. Fortunately for you, I have the Ever After equivalent of that somewhere in the future (hopefully. Honestly, everything's jumbled up at the moment).**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Hang, don't worry about it. Trust me, I haven't had much free time on my hands either since I've been practically retyping this chapter from scratch, which was** ** _a lot._ And yeah, Whisp is crazy, ain't she?**

 _ **'We done here?'**_

 **I think so. That's about all the information out of the reviews I can gather. And now onto the actual story itself . . . oh, boy. Note to self, save to external flashdrive every three days after saving.**

 _ **The turtle pulls its head in its shell and even the hare wises up to run away when the Jubjub bird comes to play.**_

 **What she said. Anyway, I have a _huge_ announcement, y'all-**

 _ **'WARNING! WARNING! FOUR-EYES HAS SOMETHING EXTREMELY BORING BUT PROBABLY IMPORTANT TO- you did**_ **not** ** _just say 'y'all'._**

 **Ignoring! Anyway, me and another author by the name of _Blazorna Ibara_ have made a Xover between his story, _The Troubles of a Misplaced Hero_ and _We Are Monsters_ (both of which are Ben 10 Xovers) and the first chapter is out and ready to be read! If you enjoyed my first story, head on over to _Blazorna's_ page and take a look at the most recent chapter! It's worth it, I promise! Deadpool and Maddie will be there, too!**

 _ **With plenty of tea!**_

 _ **'And against our wills, I might add!'**_

 _ **Ignore him. He's a loopy in the head, and that's really saying something coming from me! Hee hee hee!**_

 **I'm surrounded by loons. Anyway, the only other thing I have to say is if you read my one-shot series _Cupid's Crystal Ball_ then be prepared to vote on the poll that will be up as soon as this chapter is posted! Your vote matters and will decide the future of the story, so don't hesitate and vote as possible!**

 _ **'Or we'll put a bullet between your eyes!'**_

 **Threatening the readers is not recommended, Deadpool.**

 _ **'What? Always works for me.'**_

 **Whatever. I guess the only other thing I have to say right now is my usual monologue. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! And for the love of Galvan Prime, don't forget to back up your files all you writers out there! You hear me!?**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **I've given up by now.**

* * *

"And this here is our main control room!" Magister Patelliday exclaimed dramatically to his tour group.

The small crowd of Monster High students 'ooed' and 'ahhed' appropriately at the large, open space that was clearly well beyond anything located on Earth technology-wise. The floor was a thick, yet well shined plexiglass green that glowed faintly in its hexagonal tiled pattern surrounded by several monitors stations and computers that attentive Plumber agents sat at; most of them either ignored the tour group or only gave a small passing glance at the students wandered about under Magister Patelliday's watchful eye.

As requested by Headmistress Bloodgood and talked over greatly with the Magistrata herself, the Plumbers' Headquarters had agreed to start giving small tour groups to certain students that showed great potential at Monster High to have a future as a Plumber agent or to those that were simply curious enough to see what all the fuss was about. There had been a great deal of arguing among the Plumber's Counsel about letting a bunch of teenagers wander about unsupervised on a highly advanced and highly sensitive satellite full of busy Plumbers and dangerous criminals, but in the end it didn't matter; the Magistrata firmly believed it was a good way of advertising the Plumber's mission and gather new recruits, especially since most of their forces were spread dangerously thin in keeping the law and order that had been put in place by a certain wielder of the Omnitrix.

Nefera sighed and leaned up against the elevator that ran up a vertical tube through a majority of the Plumber's base, watching as Jackson Jekyll immediately ran over to an empty terminal and excitedly began buzzing about how much more advanced it was compared to his laptop back home; Nefera still couldn't understand why Frankie had found the dual-personalitied nerd attractive in the first place, especially when he started asking eager questions towards a pair of Plumbers that looked as if even they didn't have the slightest idea at what they were talking about.

" _Heath!_ " the mummy heard Gigi's voice bark sharply. "Don't touch that!"

The fire elemental jerked back his hands from a very big, very red, and _very_ shiny button located on one of the empty computer stations. "What!? I wasn't going to touch anything, I swear!"

The genie raised and eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. It was a look that she had developed after Ben had suddenly disappeared into thin air, and Nefera knew that when that look came out of the djinni's closet of emotions, it was time to stop and quit fooling around with whatever shenanigans were about to transpire. Heath wisely decided to heed Gigi's warning and scoot off over to go see what his cousin was yammering about that was giving one of the Plumbers a headache while the other simply tried to keep up with what Jackson was saying.

Nefera felt the corners of her lips tug up into the slightest of smiles when Gigi tense posture suddenly went slack with a loud, tired sigh of weariness. It was over Ben's disappearance that the genie start to act less like a cautious and nervous box turtle and more like a territorial cat that didn't take kindly to trespassers, and it had come in handy several times when a certain fire elemental did not seem to understand the concept of keeping his fingers away from big buttons and switches that should not be pushed or pulled unless he knew exactly what they did (and just because he didn't know what they didn't do did not mean it was a good idea to push or pull them to find out what they did).

"Somethin' wrong, mate? Yer lookin' a bit green around the gills, if ya catch my drift." Lagoona Blue wondered with concern as she strode up to Nefera. Under normal circumstances, the Egyptian princess' presence would have made even the generous and accepting sea monster bristle and wary after seeing the sinister schemes she often came up with. That all changed when Ben had wandered into their lives and turned Nefera's prickly personality into a total one-eighty; true, she was nowhere near as selfless or as kind as Frankie was, but it was a definite improvement from her previous self.

The Egyptian princess sighed a second time, shifting her shoulders into a more comfortable position. "I still miss Ben." she replied lamely.

One might have taken the ghouls longing for their missing boyfriend to be obsessive or even bordering insanity, like one of those Japanese school girls in certain video games that were so possessive of certain boys that they were fond of that they didn't tolerate any other females coming near them, whether they were even in a relationship or not. Those people however, (such as a certain anchorman) didn't even fathom what Ben had done for his ghouls and the people's whose lives he had touched. Some stubborn people would have seen as nothing more than an immature kid that had been accidentally granted great power and was wielding in foolish and endangering ways, but those were the people that didn't bother to look closer.

Nefera didn't see her future pharaoh like that at all. She could never even begin to thank Ben enough for turning her life around, for giving her a wake up call to reality. She understood that some monster still despised her, and she honestly couldn't blame them for such accusations; the statements that she was just a spoiled brat and was only with Ben for his fame and apparently substantial fortune still stung and made her furious when they didn't let up under what Whisp had playfully referred to as "The Stone Gazer", but she knew that they held a small amount of truth to them. She _had_ been a spoiled brat and she had horrible things under her father's request to increase their fame and fortune and secure their place in the world and she had never regretted a single moment of it up until she had felt those warm, comforting hands . . .

"I know, mate. We all miss him." Lagoona smiled sadly as she took a spot next to Nefera to relax. Ben was one of her closest friends, having since each other since they were ten years old; they met in San Francisco during the summer almost five years ago during a trip to the beach. She had originally thought he was one of the more brave or foolish sea monsters that made their home close to shore and probably would have continued to believe so had her new acquaintance not suddenly been replaced by a scrawny, human boy. Ben would have almost drowned from the sudden change in species had Lagoona had not sacrificed her own safety to swim back to shore and perform what little CPR she knew back then to fully revive him.

After that, the two of them had become fast friends during Ben's short stay at the beach and spent nearly all their time together swimming, building sand castles, and scaring the locals witless with their antics. Eventually though, those good times had come to an end when he had packed up and never came back, leaving little Lagoona dishearten for several days before she eventually got over her loss, reasoning that he belonged on land and she belonged in the sea. It wasn't until five years later that her television set had accidentally picked up a newscast from somewhere called Bellwood did she hear about him again; about a week after that, Ben had transferred to Monster High in an attempt to avoid the stares and rumors that surrounded him from his classmates.

They had picked up right where they had left off the last time they had met relatively quickly. Ben was something like a brother to her and even the boyfriend she never had; she still adored and loved her little guppy, Gil, to absolute pieces, but there was a fire within Ben that matched her own. They shared the same love of having wild fun and if they weren't having fun they shared a similar, laid-back attitude and could sometimes be found stretched out on a pair of lawn chairs by the pool taking in the sun's warm rays. Those moments were often interrupted by someone splashing them from the water or a crisis that required Ben's skills and Lagoona held those close to her heart for those exact reasons.

The sea monster was interrupted from her thoughts when she heard Gigi give an exasperated sigh and plop herself down into an empty hoverchair positioned at one of the monitor stations, pushing back with her feet as hard as possible. The genie went sailing across the floor on the chair and came to a slow stop on the other side of Nefera, rubbing her temples and leaning back to the fullest extent the chair had to offer.

The mummy pushed herself off of the wall and moved over to get behind Gigi, placing her hands on the genie's shoulders and upperback to rub her thumbs in slow, firm motions. At first the djinni went tense at feeling Nefera's perfectly manicured fingers press into her tight muscles and create some uncomfortable moments before she relaxed with a low hum and fell back into the chair.

"Tired?" Nefera guessed.

"More like stressed," Gigi sighed with a hint of weariness. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Lagoona raised an eyebrow at the small scene before her as she had never known Nefera to be much of an affectionate person, with the exception of her fellow harem ghouls, particularly Whisp, and Ben; veritably, the shadow genie could often be found doing such things that a great deal of the male and population of Monster High and a few ghouls would only dream about and Nefera would hardly bat an eye. The Egyptian princess had grown so accustomed to finding a head of black and midnight blue locks and small, strong hands cuddling and groping her at five in the morning that she hardly thought anything of it; in fact, she had come to expect it. The mummy had grown so habitual to Whisp's tradition of climbing into bed with her that she was mildly surprised that the djinni hadn't up and decided to move in with her; she probably knew what boundaries she could and could not cross.

That had all changed the moment that Whisp had been sucked through the malfunctioning Null Void projector with Clawdeen, Venus, Jane, and Skelita, and Nefera had been greatly surprised to find herself so crushed. Since her reformation, she had begun to notice that she was a little more sensitive to what happened around her, as if all her emotions had finally been released from their mental prison and were running riot in her body trying to find someway to escape or relieve themselves; she had mildly startled when she felt a near crushing feeling well up in her chest whenever she hugged her Ben and Whisp plushies to herself beneath the covers of her bed as she tried to sleep. As much as she saw Whisp as an adoptive sister of sorts to her, she greatly missed her and could hardly remember a day without waking up to find the shadow genie snuggled up to her like she was a giant stuffed animal.

That was where Gigi had come in.

The two of them had some rather limited (and awkward) bonding to get to know one another, but it had been enough to bring the two of them under similar circumstances. The genie filled the gap that Whisp had occupied, more than willing to dial things back a bit and simply lie down and nap with the mummy whenever she was particularly exhausted, bringing Nefera to some sort of peace that helped sooth her snappish temper. In turn, Nefera would act as a stand in for Ben, running her fingers through the djinni's hair, hugging her, holding her, and simply providing someone to be near in times of greater depression or stress; in a way, both of them acted as a crutch for the other.

"You two sure have connected, eh, mate?" Lagoona smiled brightly.

"Is that a problem?" Nefera narrowed her eyes with suspicion. There had been some backlash and some rather highly offensive content made when word of Robecca's relationship with two others ghouls that all shared a boyfriend with nearly a dozen other ghouls got out to the public, and Nefera couldn't even begin to count the number of pornographic images she had stumbled across when surfing the internet. Now there were rumors surfacing of an intimate relationship going on between her and Gigi now that Ben and Whisp's disappearance left them to "explore each others horizons", as some sources had called it; the mummy was more than capable of reading between the lines of what they were hinting at.

She was not a amused in the slightest.

A soft and slightly timid sounding voice spoke up. "I don't mind . . ." the owner of the voice said as she approached them with a slightly skittish gait, as if she were ready explode into a burst of speed and energy at a moments notice. She was a ghoul of average height, perhaps a head shorter than Nefera, and seemed to be bestial in nature if the short layer of soft, chestnut brown fur that covered her body was any sign; it was so smooth one might have mistaken it for skin at first glance. Her wide, hazel brown eyes were surrounded by flecks and speckles of white spots that highlighted a deer-like nose, a set of full, slim lips, and a pair of pointed ears that poked curiously out of a mane of bright blue hair that reached down to her waist. Her attire was greatly intricate in color and design, borrowing breath taking colors and patterns that seemed to be Native Scarmerican in origin; feathers and beads were looped in necklaces around her neck and hung from a headband around her head that sported a pair of small, faux antlers to tie the outfit together with her open hoof pumps.

Gigi gave a low groan as Nefera's magical fingers hit a particularly tight knot of muscle and easily straightened it out. "Hey, Isi- _HAH!_ " the genie gasped when a sharp spike of pain stabbed itself way through her back before smoothing out with a satisfied croon. "Enjoying the tour?"

Isi shifted awkwardly, unsure of how to explain it. "I . . . um, yes." she quickly lied, shifting on her hooves awkwardly. Truth be told, she was enjoying the tour quite a bit but hadn't signed up for it because she was interested in becoming a Plumber; based on how haggard some of Ben's ghouls looked walking into school after a sudden fight, it was a very stressful and painful job. She had intended to become a dancer when she grew up to help spread the culture of her people to others, but that dream had been halted when she had been granted with a vision.

Her head was hurting from what had occurred only mere hours ago, almost immediately as soon as she woke up and rose from her bed (her grandmother had arranged for her to stay at Ms. Kindergrubber's rather spacious house, and the kindly, old hag absolutely adored her recipe for honey-dipped apples); she had only recently gotten out of the shower and was drying her hair when she was hit with a vision right then and there in the bathroom.

Her family had a reputation of seeing things that most other monsters could not, and would often receive visions or dreams that hinted at future events that had yet to transpire. Those usually involved a spirit guide of sorts leading them to a certain destination or place in time that the universe seemed them to want to be at, and Isi had yet to have any vision of her or her family's ever be wrong or misinterpreted, no matter how confusing or strange it was (only one of her ancestors had not decided to heed the vision of her spirit guide, an osprey with glowing, crystal eyes, and that had turned out _very_ badly).

Her most recent vision had started off as they usually did, surrounding herself in a thick, green fog that cut off any and all involvement from the outside world; according to witnesses, it usually made her appeared as if she were talking to the imaginary friends most monsters usually lost when they were a little less than ten years old. The deer spirit's spirit guide had appeared as well, a graceful and delicate fawn that seemed to move faster than the wind itself without ever touching the ground. The deer had led her through the void of swirling, green fog for what felt like a short distance to Isi before it vanished from her line of sight and images began to flash across her eyes; Gigi Grant receiving a massage from Nefera de Nile; Magister Patelliday giving a group of Monster High students a tour of the Plumber Headquarters; a large exosuit smashing a massive hammer into an elephant's face.

Two out of those three things had happened already and Isi had yet to see any gigantic mechanical suits of armor doing battle with pachyderms. The vision that had brought her all the way from her New Hexican home had led to her realizing that there was so much more that the world had to offer her than just her family and friends back home and that were always new friends and places to meet and see as well; her latest vision however, didn't provide such easy answers, and she wasn't sure if it was wise to try and consult one of her friends for any theories on what it meanings. Her closest confident on such things had always been Twyla since the shadow ghoul had always known a thing or two about how dreams worked, but the Boogeyman hadn't shown her face in a long time. All that Isi would see would be a set of pale fingers reaching out of the shadows to grab food for sustenance when they thought no one was looking.

"Hey! Hey! Over here! Eyes on me!" Patelliday yelled loudly to grab the attention of his tour group. When that didn't work the Piscciss Volann drew a pair of webbed fingers to his lips and gave off a wet, shrill whistle that Isi only just barely managed to cover her sensitive ears from. With a slight cringe at the sudden, loud noise, the ghouls made their way over to where Patelliday was gathering the students all up, making sure to do a quick headcount to ensure no one had wandered off; even Nefera was accounted for, though it was mostly just so Patelliday didn't lose track of his assistant.

Nefera had yet to convince him of giving her a different title.

"Now then," Magister Patelliday coughed before recomposing himself. "Follow me into our elevator system and I'll show you where our brilliant technicians are hard at work on the latest in alien combat technology!"

Nefera held back a snicker of amusement while Gigi clapped her hands over her mouth in an attempt to hold back her laughter. Isi raised an eyebrow at the two Omnitrix wearing ghouls and wondered just what they were getting into as Nefera finally calmed down long enough to help Magister Patelliday usher the group of students into the elevator car and pressed the button for a floor a few levels below them. The deer spirit was even further confused when Nefera and Gigi were quietly snickering together as Patelliday gave a short speech about Plumber Tech Support's greatest achievements, most of which went over Heath's head as he fantasized about all the cool weapons he would to test out (before Magister Patelliday told him there would be no weapons testing if he could help it).

Patelliday nodded proudly. "Yes, sir, without Tech Support, Plumber HQ would be worse than a feedin' frenzy on Incarcecon! Why, I bet they've got somethin' special cookin' up in that lab of theirs right now!"

"Don't count your gargoyles before they hatch." Nefera chuckled to herself as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out onto the floor. Patelliday then led the group down a hallway with pride in his step before turning a corner and continuing on from there. The tour group of students paused to wave at a group of technicians doing a manual inspection of a seemingly clogged air vent, only to find that the source of the obstruction was none other than another escape attempt by Dr. Animo; despite being caught and quickly apprehended, the mad geneticist was actually quite friendly towards the students for the few brief seconds they shared together before Nefera and Patelliday ushered them along, if for no other reason than to gawk and drool at the thought of putting them through a glorious mutation.

Magister Patelliday finally came to a stop outside of a closed door and grinned a confident smile. "Here we are, Plumber Tech Support Headquarters! A headquarters within a headquarters, now that I think about it." he added with a soft chuckle to himself; none of the students found the joke funny as the Piscciss Volann quickly typed in a series of numbers to the keypad positioned outside of the locked door. "Behold the wonders within!"

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

"'Wonders' he says." Lagoona tried to hold back a smirk.

Patelliday did a double take and ducked just in the nick of time to avoid being aerial assaulted by Driba as the Galvan hung on for dear life to an out of control drone that promptly crashed against the opposite wall and clattered to the floor. The drone viciously smoked and smoldered as Driba hacked and coughed from his rough landing; the flying device could be compared to a hovering, blue ball with a pair of adjoined wings for gliding mechanics. Blinking spotlights were positioned at the front to increase viewing performance and thrusters for lift and propulsion were placed at the back on either side of a sort of tail that curved down and forward, almost like that of a stinging bee.

" _What in taration is going on here!?_ " Magister Patelliday demanded to know.

Driba groaned and rubbed his aching skull before responding. "It was all Blukic's fault! He didn't program the R.A.D. properly!"

The taller of two Galvans rolled his eyes but immediately protested form inside the lab. "Nuh-uh! It was _your_ fault! You wanted to take it for a test drive when I wasn't finished tuning up the engines!"

"It's your fault!" Driba barked angrily.

"No, it's your fault!" Blukic shot back.

"Is not!" Driba defended himself.

"Is so!" Blukic argued.

"Is not!"

Is too!"

Is not!"

Is too!"

Magister Patelliday could do nothing but sigh with embarrassment and disappointment as the two Galvans argued and screamed at each others face. "Cooper, son, _please_ tell me you have something special to show us." the old Piscciss Volann practically begged; the students couldn't help but snicker at Blukic and Driba and Heath was starting to take bets on who was going to win the lengthy argument.

A tall boy with a well built figure swiveled around in a hoverchair stationed at a desk where a mess of mechanical parts and a computer sat to look at them with a pair of bright blue, intelligent eyes that seemed to sparkle and shimmer like circuits. He had sharply cut, blonde hair that ended in bangs hanging just barely over his face and a wore an old, purple football jersey with a yellow number three stenciled to the front and a pair of tan cargo pants with pockets that clinked and clattered whenever he moved. A tool belt filled with alien devices and tools sat tightly clipped around his waist and his right hand was wrapped in a large, chrome and black gauntlet with green ports on the palms and sharp, metallic claws tipped with sensitive green spikes; a couple of the ghouls in the group found themselves blushing and unable to take their eyes off Cooper as he approached them.

"Well ain't he a looker." Lagoona jokingly nudged Gigi in the ribs.

The genie had to admit that, while Cooper was handsome, he was not her type. "I still prefer Ben."

"Good thing, too. Otherwise we would have some serious complications." Elle Eedee gave a playful smirk as she strolled up to her boyfriend and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. Her skin was a metallic silver and her movements were somewhat jerky and arrhythmic despite the fact that her joints and sockets were far more complex than Robecca's. Her long, flowing, black and blue hair was pulled back into a luscious ponytail that reached down to the small of her back, framing her slender figure against a black curtain and accenting her dazzling optical sensors that reminded Gigi of the endless night sky.

Cooper fought back a blush of embarrassment. " _Elleeeeee, not while we're working!_ " he hissed with shame when he caught sight of the playful and mischievous looks directed in their direction. The chrome robot merely laughed and kissed him on the cheek once more, ignoring his protest and forcing him to surrender; she knew that he loved it anyway. Cooper sighed in defeat and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her a little close much to the delight of a few catcalls. "Come on in. We'll give you a briefing on what we've been working on lately."

". . . did not!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

" _Did not!_ "

" _Did so!_ "

Magister Patelliday sighed wearily. "Great Sandrippers of Khoros, what're they arguin' about now?"

Nefera shrugged; whenever Blukic or Driba got into a fight with one another, the issue sometimes went on for hours at a time and could jump between a multitude of topics and subjects before the two Galvans either came to a conclusion or got so fed up with one another that they refused to speak to the other until they apologized . . . which would sometimes take days at a time considering their rather large ego. Nefera instead decided to focus on whatever Elle and Cooper were about to show them, if for no other reason than a distraction from Blukic and Driba's endless arguing.

The lab was not large by any means, but it was spacious enough that individual projects were not precariously stacked up on one another or crammed into the room's corners. Blank and dead screens dotted the walls, receiving and transferring megabytes of data and information to and fro through various computer consoles through Plumber Headquarters just above a strip of bright yellow and black hazard lines that ran the circumference of the room. Terminals and monitors were sat against one wall with a testing station position directly in from of a target boars spray painted on the wall towards the back of the room. Assorted tables littered with the occasional smoothie cup sat about the place with all manner of tools and oddies on them, everything from mannequins wearing fancy hats to broken droids that had been cast aside and brutally assaulted with power tools when the large metal shelves pushed against the walls couldn't hold them.

Heath and a majority of the other students were quickly warned not to touch _anything,_ especially any buttons and switches, no matter how shiny, big, and red they might be.

The group and Magister Patelliday were led towards the back of the lab, leaving Blukic and Driba to their petty argument, and the students were then given a chance to gaze upon one of the latest technological wonders the Plumbers had to offer. It was absolutely massive, standing almost ten feet tall and weighing nearly a ton, though Isi could not give an accurate estimation on that. In simple terms it was a humanoid exosuit that looked like it could have knocked over an entire tree with a solid punch and chopped the logs in half with a single strike of its hand; the deer spirit didn't even want to think about how painful it would be to have the gigantic feet step on her hooves; the suit was bulky and cumbersome, clearly meant to take a lot of hits and deal a lot of damage at a considerably slow pace, if the gigantic, dome-shaped shoulders, bulging, metallic arms and legs, and masculine chest were anything to go by. The head was laughably small compared to the rest of the body and sported a single horn at the front of its helmet that fell back into two, smaller spikes a little farther back along the head. The eyes were represented by a single, golden slit across the face that was oddly shaped similarly to that of a knight's helmet that seemed to fit quite well with the massive, metal fingers and powerful figure.

As if that weren't enough, sitting on display hooks adjacent to the exosuit was a hulking hammer that was a good three or five feet longer than the gigantic suit of high tech armor was tall. The head was gigantic and particularly well designed for smashing through even the most resilient of armors and walls . . . and there even seemed to be thrusters or rockets of some kind attached to the back of the head to maximize the pressure and strength behind the swinging blow. Isi found that particularly odd, but couldn't argue that it was going to _definitely_ hurt.

"What is it?" she starred with wide eyes.

Cooper grinned proudly as he walked up to the tremendous exosuit and lovingly patted the well armored chest where a dimly glowing power core sat humming softly. "This ugly brute is Project: Blitzritter, Project ID 3945_47."

Elle nodded as the small lens on her forehead fluttered a bright blue before blinking to life and casting out a shimmering, blue hologram of the gigantic, mechanical suit of power armor that gently spun around an axis and shrank or grew depending on how she manipulated it. "Project: Blitzritter is based on the German words for 'lightning' and 'knight' and will allow the wearer to leap into a full frontal assault thanks to the layers of Talpaedan impact resistant armor we have stratified over the initial skeleton. This allows it to take multiple hits with hardly a scratch and even survive a sizable explosion should the need ever arise." she lectured lightly, pointing specifically towards the chest and back of the hologram for emphasis. "It runs on a biofeedback system that allows the wearer to exhibit forms of inhuman strength roughly ten times of that of their normal body strength."

"And the hammer?" Jackson asked eagerly, clearly enthralled while a majority of the students only found it mildly interesting. Heath just wanted to see it smash stuff.

The group of Monster High students Magister Patelliday all gave startled yelps and screams of surprise when the titanic suit of armor suddenly and very slowly lifted up one gigantic, metal leg and took a lumbering step forward with a dull _boom!_ against the floor. The other leg then followed with another impactful landing as the Blitzritter exosuit then raised its arms above its head with a low groaning noise as if it were stretching before the heavy fingers wrapped around the handle of the tremendous hammer and easily lifted it off the hooks and gave an almost experimental swing of it like a child would with a rattle; the hammer alone must have weighed as much as Isi.

And then the suit of gigantic, mechanized armor actually giggled humorously. "I could do this all day. Really!"

Elle rolled her eyes at the sweet sounding voice with a harsh, mechanized tinge to it due to the audio systems of the Blitzritter. "Kjersti, please stop fooling around. At least open up the suit a little bit."

" _LOL!_ " the owner of the taunting voice gave a deep, reverberating laugh that was greatly distorted by the suit. A few seconds passed as the Blitzritter set the hulking hammer back on its display hooks and raised its arms to grab hold of its knight-like helmet to pull it off with a soft hiss of stale air and expose the head of its pilot; the armored pectoral muscles slid back like paneling and the glowing power core popped lose and folded down to allow ease entry and exit to a comfy, soft padded chair located within the chest cavity of the suit where a ghoul that Isi could only vaguely recall meeting sat with a wide grin on her face. The ghoul was small and petite, standing perhaps two heads shorter than Isi, and had light purple-pink skin and hot pink, curly hair with dark blue highlights that stood out when stuffed under a light blue, wool skull cap meant to resemble a Viking's helmet. Her shoulders were well rounded and her figure rather scrawny and a little small and compared to a few more well rounded ghouls like Lagoona, her hands and feet were noticeably quite large alongside a pair of pointed ears and pixilated correction glasses. She wore a black shirt with pixel patterns for the sleeves, a fuchisa shirt with light blue ruffles, and pastel blue socks with periwinkle boots ringed in bright, pink fur.

Magister Patelliday looked greatly baffled and confused as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, metal rod of sorts that flashed a shimmering, green hologram akin to that of a sheet of paper with a list of words and names engraved across the electronic display. "Lemme see now . . . Kjersti . . . Kjersti . . . _ah, ha!_ " the Piscciss Volann explained. "One Kjersti Trollson! I was wondering where ya went to!"

The Gorewegian troll smiled sheepishly as she adjusted her glasses. "Apologies, Magister. Tech Support wanted me to come in early for a test run after the latest additions to the software, and I simply couldn't pass up the chance to beat my high score."

Nefera raised an eyebrow. "High score? This is a _game_ to you?"

Cooper coughed awkwardly. "Well, due to Kjersti's rather . . . um, _comparative_ stature," he winced under the troll's harsh glare, as if she were daring him to even consider using the word 'small' to describe her. "And her unsurpassed gaming skills and lightning fast reflexes, she is the only person suitable to pilot such a complicated piece of weaponry . . . at the moment at least."

Patelliday raised a fleshy eyebrow. "And I'm gonna assume she's had no proper Plumber training?"

Elle took over for her floundering boyfriend as the dulled lens on her forehead fluttered weakly for a few seconds before blinking to life and creating the holographic image of an official looking document written in an alien language that Isi couldn't even hope to begin deciphering. Magister Patelliday however, seemed to read it just fine as he gave a quick puff and polished his glasses before leaning over to read carefully for the document with careful scrutiny; his beady eyes, perfectly adapted for seeing in the dark depths of his homeworld, bugged out considerably when he caught sight of the official looking stamp printed at the bottom of the document, the ever familiar intergalactic symbol for peace that was stenciled on a majority of Plumber technology and, more famously, the Omnitrix that several of its agents-in-training wore proudly. "This here says it was signed by the Maggie herself!"

Elle smiled sheepishly as the hologram fizzled and shimmered before blinking out. "It took a lot of convincing and the project was almost shut down. It wasn't until the Counsel saw Kjersti in action did they approve future funding and the founding of a new Plumbers branch that will employee intergalactic professional gamers to pilot and operate the Blitzritter and future designs once a complete design has been decided upon."

"On the grounds that I get to stream!" Kjersti added excitedly.

Cooper rolled his eyes with a hint of amusement. "Yes, in addition to piloting the Blitzritter, Kjsterti has been authorized to post footage of her efforts to Earth's internet and the Extranet as a whole in order to promote the Plumber's goals." he explained. "And yes, she'll receive proper training once the Blitzritter has been perfected."

Nefera coughed loudly to catch Magister Patelliday's attention, impatiently tapping her Omnitrix for emphasis that they had a limited time before the tour group was to take the next Plumber ship back to Earth in order to be on time for their next class, a majority of which who had Mr. Hackington for their teacher and thus were on a very narrow time scale if they didn't wish to spend the weekend cooped up in the classroom with a man who could groom himself for lice and ticks despite lacking a surprising amount of hair on his head.

"Yes, well, thank you for show around, Cooper. Elle." Magister Patelliday nodded as he snapped his holographic checklist back together and stowed it away in his pocket. "Ms. Trollson, if you'll finish up here, kindly meet us on the prison level. I'm sure you'll be able to find it."

Kjersti beamed excitedly. "Gotcha! I am so ready to PWN some n00bs in this thing for the LOLs!" she laughed as she tapped a button from within the depths of the suit and quickly recalled the suit up feature; the power core hatch raised and shifted back into place as the heavy, armored paneling slid and snapped back together tightly. The troll then placed the horned helmet back on her head and gave it a few twists to secure it before a set of small pistons and screws locked it into place. With that well and done, Kjersti than gave a loud battle cry and experimentally flexed her titanic, metal muscles before striking a heroic pose after yanking the Thor Hammer off of the wall and resting her foot on the heavy head to complete her posture.

"This'll take some getting use to." Elle sighed with a slight smile.

"Just be glad Rivet's too busy hunting for cookies in the kitchen." Cooper whispered out of the corner of his mouth as the group turned to leave and shuffle out of the laboratory with Magister Patelliday and Nefera ushering them out. Blukic and Driba, as expected, were still arguing and somehow had gotten onto the topic of whose fault it was for forgetting that Vulpimancers lacked any eyes and that the latest Plumber of said species was now seriously offended whenever anyone tried to hand him a document of any kind, even if it was written in a braille specifically modified for their claws.

Cooper sighed warily and rubbed his brow. The tour had been an unexpected but pleasant surprise, but now he was getting a rather painful headache from the two Galvan's nearly endless arguing and wished for nothing more than a roll of duct tape as he proceeded to close and lock the door behind the leaving group of students with a few quick presses of the keypad. The lab was now locked in silence, save for the faint muffling from outside as Blukic and Driba continued to bicker.

"My sensors indicate you're feeling stressed." Elle remarked with a playful smile as she wrapped her chrome arms around her boyfriend's waist and rested her metallic chin upon his shoulder. Most would have found the rather intimate contact rather uncomfortable coming from an artificial being as apposed to an organic life form, but Cooper hardly thought anything of it when Elle pecked him on he cheek and nuzzled him lovingly. Her programming allowed her to behave like an organic being and that was more than enough for Cooper to accept her. After all, if Ben could be in a lengthy and continuous relationship with Robecca, a far more primitive robot in comparison to Elle, then so could he.

Kjersti then briefly wondered if it was worth risking Cooper and Elle's wrath to tell them that the Blitzritter's optical sensor cameras were currently recording as the young couple proceeded to share a few heated kisses between themselves.

* * *

The prison level was a lot bigger than Isi had ever expected to be, rows upon rows and levels upon levels of octagonal cells positioned one right above the other. Each cell was filled with a bed, toilet, and sink with mirror, all of which was exposed by durable, Bombardian blast resistant glass that allowed little to no privacy for the prisoners within; escape methods were wild and varied among the many occupants and many security measures had to be made in order to prevent jailbreaks.

Even so, Isi was greatly discomforted by the way the criminals locked away in their cells glared at them all, as if feeling insulted that they were being put on display like animals in a zoo. The deer spirit could sympathize with them that much as she herself was not a ghoul that liked being in the spotlight, but as far as she was concerned they were behind that wall of strong glass for a reason and she was on the other side for another reason.

"And this here is our prison level," Magister Patelliday continued to lecture on the tour. "The tightest and most secure place in all of Plumber HQ! Nobody gets in or out without our twenty four hour surveillance team knowing about it! Yes, sir, sharp as hawks they are!"

Heath leaned back to whisper to Jackson. "Five bucks says they're playing table football out of boredom, dude."

" _Heath!_ " Jackson hissed before turning his attention back towards the tour like the dutiful student he was. The fire elemental rolled his eyes but remained silent as the group of students continued to shuffle along the catwalk in amazement at the sheer size and space of the prison level when they weren't starring at the criminals imprisoned in their cells.

Lagoona casually peered over the edge of the catwalk and winced. "Crikey, that's a long way down!"

Isi hardly heard the sea monster as she faded back into her thoughts, wondering what all of this meant. Her vision had shown her the Blitzritter, that much she would grant it, but she was nowhere closer to figuring out what any of it meant; what was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to see? Why was she here? All she was asking for was a sign of some kind, any sort of sign that would explain why she was surrounded by alien technology and currently orbiting around the Earth at who knew how many miles per hour. Was that too much to ask?

Thankfully, as if her prayers had been answered, the corners of her vision began to deteriorate and her other senses began to numb and dull. It was similar to the feeling one got when they were slowly lulled into slumber after an exhausting day, but this was more fast acting. Sooner than she realized, Isi had left the mortal plane.

* * *

The deer spirit patiently waited for her spirit guide to appear, growing more and more concerned when the faithful fawn that had led her through many adventures did not appear. She only grew more concerned when the ghostly, green mist around her flashed and crackled like lightning and a thunderous roar soon followed after as if she was in the middle of a gigantic thunderstorm; Isi instinctively pinned her ears back and made an attempt to run as she was not fond of thunderstorms or very loud noises that filled all her senses and rattled her to the core.

Images began to flood her mind and vision, everything faded and tinted an otherworldly green as shapes began to take form; the absence of her spirit animal continued to unnerve Isi as she tried to make sense of what she saw. She was once again in the hallways of Monster High, surrounded by the little, coffin-shaped lockers she had grown accustomed to and the various students of a myriad of races and species that she shared the classrooms and halls with. There seemed to be something off however: everyone seemed listless with themselves and the halls were filled with an uncomfortable silence that Isi was not use to. Depression seemed rampant here and even Isi's woefully pathetic nose could sense a change in the air that shouldn't have been there.

The deer spirit glanced around for sight of her friends and caught sight of Frankie Stein leaning against her locker with a heavy sigh as she hugged her books close to her chest as if she were trying to force the pain from her body. Heath Burns sat woefully opposite of her with a sullen expression while he snapped his fingers every few seconds out of boredom, a small spark of flame igniting and extinguishing with every flick of his wrist. Hoodude Voodoo aimlessly shuffled down the hallway with Ghoulia Yelps, kindly carrying an enormous stack of papers and books for her before he absentmindedly tripped and fell into a trashcan; the stack of projects and reports went flying in all directions but neither the zombie or the voodoo doll seemed to care.

Isi was greatly discomforted by this and awkwardly made her way down the hall, feeling the need to remove herself from this much abjection and get some air to clear her thoughts. The cool, fresh outdoor air always allowed the deer spirit to think more easily and the courtyard positioned outside the main entrance of Monster High was a sufficient area; granted, the off putting odor that the swamp water fountain gave off when too many lily pads and marsh grass rooted themselves in the water didn't help at time, but Isi had learned to ignore it. Isi instead chose to focus on the sounds of nature to sooth her mind, things like the sweet songbirds and chittering gargoyles or the way the wind whispered and rustled the leaves of ancient oaks and creeping willow trees.

The gentle sound of water trickling into the fountain calmed Isi's nervous nerves, allowing her scattered thoughts to gather and becoming easier to pick through. With a final sigh, the Native Scaremerican ghoul began to contemplate just what exactly her vision meant; why were all her friends sad? She didn't understand the reason why they were so depressed, but it felt like something was missing . . . like there was a missing piece in the gigantic, complex jigsaw puzzle that made up Monster High that no substitute would ever fill. Every last student and teacher that made her new school their home was unique in their own right and would never be replaced by anyone else; it just didn't seem possible.

So what exactly _was_ missing?

Isi tried to recall anything of importance that could be missing from Monster High's normally lively atmosphere when a sudden noise broke her out of her thoughts; it sounded vaguely like a roar. The deer spirit cracked open an eye in search of the source of the sound and immediately tensed up when a rather large shadow swiftly pass over her head with the sound of great wings flapping against the wind accompanying it. The Native Scaremerican ghoul then became very uncomfortable when she fully opened her eyes and tilted her attention upward to see a very large, very powerful, and very big dragon flare it's wings and slowly descend down to the ground with a few flaps to prevent a rough landing.

The beast was enormous, easily the size of an elephant with about a foot or more on height and several yards on length if the tail was included. Isi had seen several dragons in her time, being so close to the natural world around her and all its inhabitants, but never had she seen this species of dragon before. Most wild dragons could be classified into several groups, usually starting with the Western dragons that had two or four limbs and a pair of broad wings, and the Eastern dragons that possessed no wings but harbored a long, serpentine body with fur and whiskers that only accented how old they could become given enough time. Even so, the groups could usually then be divided further on whether they had feathers or scales, horns or antlers, and even baleen and teeth for the sea-fairing species; the thing that made this dragon unique however, was that it was clearly of the Western variety, covered in thick, purple scales and lavender scutes all rolled up in a package with twin rows of short spikes over the eyes, flap-like wings, and silver, runic patterns, but it also possessed _feathers._

Isi knew that South Scaremerican dragons had wonderful and colorful manes and plumes of feathers around their necks and at the end of their tails, but they lacked the famous, muscular, bat-like wings that sprouted from most Western dragon species' backs. Feathers or fur were usually found in Eastern species of dragons, but those lacked both wings and horns but possessed a serpentine body in comparison to the armored and muscular physic of Western species. In short, the dragon before Isi was a true enigma, as if two species from both hemispheres had been mashed together into some sort of hybrid; the deer spirit didn't know what to make of it other than to be very cautious and respectful, as dragons of any species were known to be rather temperamental when not treated properly.

Most of them were also infamous carnivores.

So it came as a great surprise to Isi when this mysterious, new dragon that seemed to defy everything she knew softly lumbered forward on its tremendous feet with nary a sound; the deer spirit briefly compared that little feature to the cushioned pads that allowed elephants and mammoths to walk so carefully wherever they went. What surprised Isi even more was when the dragon regarded her with great sagacity, looking at her with a remarkable intelligence that she couldn't quite compare to any animal she had met before. And then, just when she thought she couldn't be any further surprised than she already was, the dragon did the most extraordinary thing.

It purred.

Well, it wasn't _exactly_ a purr. It was more like a low, guttural growl that was in a far more friendly tone than one might expect from an absolutely furious dragon that wouldn't hesitate to incinerate everything within range of its fiery breath. Instead, the gigantic, purple dragon snuggled its head up to Isi like a affectionate pet might do when they wanted to be petted or scratched in a particular spot to satisfy a particular itch that had been bothering them. The deer spirit didn't know exactly what to do considering the dragon's head was easily nearly as big as her entire body give or take a few feet, and those jaws, no matter how gentle and tame the dragon was behaving, were filled with rows of spike-like teeth and were the entrance to a torrent of searing hot furnace that worked nonstop at the dragon's core.

The purple dragon gave a shiver of its jaw and flattened its belly to the ground, assuming a Sphinx position as it starred intently at Isi with those bright eyes. The deer spirit had seen many things in her life time, but she had never seen a dragon of this size be so friendly; usually they snarled and snapped and breathed fire at anything they considered a threat, yet this one was acting like it was someone's pet.

Was that what it was? A tame, pet dragon? Isi had heard of such things, but those dragons were usually smaller and only got to be about the size of an average horse as larger dragons were not only harder to keep in an average household, but were both temperamental and had a nasty habit of setting fire to anything they considered theirs. With a tentative hand, Isi reached out and gentle stroked the dragon's, earning a satisfied growl in response that increased to a continuous purr.

The moment Isi scratched under the dragon's chin however, the beast collapsed to the ground as if it had just fainted.

"Oh, my ghoul!" Isi yelped in shock.

Any students that lingered in the courtyard seemed absolutely oblivious to the dragon and deer spirit as the former gave a pleased groan and lifted its head back up to look at her. Isi relaxed with a sigh, screaming with surprise as the dragon gave a long and very wet lick with its tongue up her entire body, like an affectionate dog might with its master or someone they particularly liked. Before Isi could ponder the moment any further however, the dragon gave a sudden roar and snapped its head forward, thrusting between Isi's legs and tossing her up into the air with one swift movement. The Native Scaremerican yelled in fright as she fell back down and landed with an " _Oomph!_ " on the dragon's back right where the muscled wings connected to the body.

Isi barely had any time to even scream for help as the dragon gave a mighty roar and a single, massive flap of its wings that dispelled the air in all directions as it took to the skies. Higher and higher they ascended into the sky with great, almost frantic flaps of the dragons wings that nearly sent Isi tumbling with every movement had she not hung onto the row of dull spikes running down the animal's back; finally however, the amount of movement decreased greatly and the deer spirit realized that they were now soaring in a wide, almost lazy circle around Monster High's tallest towers and belfries on a warm updraft that kept them aloft.

A short sound caught her attention and Isi dared to take a glance back to see the plume of feathers at the end of the dragon's tail flick open like flaps, twitching ever so slightly against the wind and changing the dragon's direction in a wide bank. The deer spirit tightened her grip for security as the winged reptile beat its wings faster to propel them on, the wind whipping in their faces. Isi didn't know where this dragon was taking her or if it had any intention of letting her go; maybe it was only carrying her to its lair where it would eat her? She didn't know what species of dragon this was and, while not as well versed in the behavior of animals and creatures as Jane Boolittle, she didn't know how it operated or what went through its head. Did it see her as food? A companion? A potential adoptee? Maybe even a _mate?_

Isi's thoughts were dispelled before she could contemplate how far fetched that last one was by a sudden blast of cool, wet air against her face and she looked at her surroundings to find herself and the dragon high in the clouds above the world, the ground just barely visible when the sun's warm rays curiously peered through the fluffy, white cotton balls. Even with the sun high in the sky, Isi could feel the chilled wind rustling through her fur; the dragon barely seemed to notice as it gave a proud roar and flew through a large cloud without fear, allaying the mist in all directions.

The deer spirit coughed in response and wiped the moisture of the dissipated cloud from her eyes before a wonderful sight caught her attention. Isi gasped in amazement as she looked down to find a lush and nearly endless forest beneath her that stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see. Pointed mountain peaks poked proudly from the carpet of green to stab defiantly at the underbelly of the sky and wide and expansive valleys yawned forth from the expansive forest. The mighty dragon gave a thunderous and ostentatious roar that seemed to unceasingly echo, as if the dragon was glad and announcing that it had returned home.

"Is this your home?" Isi wondered to herself; if it was, it was very beautiful.

The dragon gave a piercing shriek as if to answer her question and suddenly tucked in its wings to swoop down low towards the ground; Isi cried out in surprise and hung on tightly as they descended, the powerful wings snapping open at the last second to curve them into a wide swoop that let them glide low over the treetops; the deer spirit found that she could trail her hand through the canopy if she reached far enough. A low growl that sounded something almost like a cough to gain her attention returned Isi's focus away from the forest and up towards a tall and imposing cliff face. She felt her jaw drop in amazement at the sight of the mighty, white wash castle that loomed bravely over the edge of the cliff to look out on the wide valley below like some sort of mighty protector.

For what seemed to be the tenth time since she had been monsternapped by this mysterious dragon, the winged reptile dove down through the canopy of trees without warning; branches clawed at the deer spirit's skin, leaves slapped at her face, and vines got entangled in her faux antlers before they finally landed roughly on the forest floor. The dragon grumbled and shook its head before tucking its wings back against its body and lowering itself back down into the sphinx position, singling it wished for Isi to dismount. The Native Scaremerican decided not to attempt to push the dragon's patience and promptly hopped off the winged reptile's back, landing softly on the forest floor with hardly a sound.

Isi half expected the dragon to leave her right then and there and was quite surprised when it growled and slammed its tail into the ground to cut her off; it was not a threatening gesture, but it was definitely firm. The dragon didn't want her to leave.

The deer spirit was greatly confused by this. "What? What is it?"

The dragon shivered its jaw and gestured with its head towards a whitewash gazebo situated at the center of a clearing through a stand of bushes. It had suffered through trials and blessings, feast and famine, and yet it had always stood tall and strong through anything the elements had to throw against it. A glint of something metal tucked away in the gazebo caught Isi's eye and she felt the dragon's tail press gently against her back to urge her forward; the deer spirit didn't require much more coaxing and approached the gazebo, cautiously peeking inside and feeling the breath leave her lungs as she starred with amazement.

Sitting purposely at the end of the gazebo railing was a strong and mighty shield of incredible craftsmanship. Even though Isi was far from a metal expert, even she could tell that this shield was made of the finest metal the world had to offer, intricately and carefully made by the most tender of hands and the strongest of hammers to forge into the powerful relic that it was. Stenciled with great care upon the front of the shield was a large, wide circle colored a bright green with a sharp, green hourglass figure positioned square in the middle from top to bottom of the green ring to complete the figure.

Since she had arrived at Monster High Isi knew she had seen the symbol at least once, but she couldn't remember where exactly . . . it was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't reach it.

"Do you know what this means?" Isi asked the dragon as she stooped down to lift the shield up with effort; no matter how glorious it looked, the shield was still heavy enough to topple her over if she was ready for its weight.

The dragon lowered its head to her level and took a few, curious sniffs of the shield before giving a snort that blasted hot smoke from its nostrils while it shook its head. Isi tapped her chin, taking the dragon's response as a 'no'. Just what did this symbol mean? Where did this shield come from? And . . . why did she suddenly feel better? The deer spirit was confused when she realized that she suddenly felt . . . better . . . more confident . . . happy . . . unafraid, even. Isi starred intently at the shield, wondering just what she had been led to before glancing back at the dragon and wondering just why she had been led to it. If the dragon knew any answers to her questions, it refused to say anything to help alleviate her confusion.

Isi sighed tiredly. "I wish my grandmother was here." she mumbled to herself.

The dragon gave a soft snort and nuzzled her head lovingly as if to offer her comfort to her problem. Isi reached to stroke the dragon behind its horns with her fingers when the shield began to rattle and quiver ever so slightly in her hand; at first, the deer spirit thought it was simply wobbling because she had failed to keep a firm grip on it. She then began to think otherwise when the shield started to shake and tremble more violently , forcing her to hold it out at arms length to avoid getting hit in the face as it attempted to tear itself away form her grip, as if it were almost alive. The dragon curled its lip at the sight of cracks forming at the shield center that began to radiate outwards into an elaborate labyrinth steadily widening gyres and crevices. The shield was steadily being broken apart into large chucks and fragments, small pieces clattering to the floor of the gazebo as Isi tried to save them.

More and more pieces began to fall apart faster than Isi could attempt to catch them until the shield itself suddenly seemed to explode with a kind of energy or magic that the Native Scaremerican had never seen before. Isi yelped and shield her face as the fragments of the shield went flying in all directions, clattering noisily to the floor of the gazebo. And now she was even further confused and greatly uneased when she saw the pile of lifeless shards and pieces lying at the center of the fine destruction, leaving her to wonder what all of this meant.

Isi looked to the dragon for answers hoping the winged reptile would give her something to go on. The beast did nothing but gaze at her with its intelligent stare, as if it were contemplating on whether it should reveal its secrets to Isi at all; the deer spirit sighed, knowing she had been reaching. Her heart clenched a little tighter when she realized that her senses were beginning to dull and fade away once more as the world around was slowly wrapped in the familiar embrace of the green fog.

"Looks like this is it." Isi remarked, giving the dragon one last scratch behind its horns when she received a fiery snort in response. The gazebo and shield fragments faded away in the green fog and the surrounding forest became dimmer and harder to make out the individual details. The dragon in all of its mighty glory gave a final puff of its nostrils as its massive figure became more transparent to Isi, the powerful wings and terrible jaws vanishing before Isi's very eyes; even so, she could see something else start to appear before her, a _much_ smaller figure buried within the dragon's fading shadow.

The Native Scaremerican gave a playful smile. "So this is your doing." she smirked when she caught sight of the familiar figure of a fawn in the place where the dragon once stood. The deer looked at her with its wide, innocent eyes, as if it didn't know what Isi was talking about and the deer spirit merely rolled her eyes as her spirit guide gave a twitch of its tail and suddenly bounded away into the depths of the abyss of green fog.

* * *

" _ISI!_ "

The deer spirit startled out of her nearly inert state, her heart pounding in her chest at the sudden, desperate scream for her name. Seconds later however, she could feel every part of her body suddenly ignite into a hot flame of absolute terror when she discovered that she was falling _very_ quickly; somehow she had fallen off the edge of the catwalk and was currently plunging towards the near bottomless void where the landing and loading dock and doors sat far, far, far, _far_ below her. She was mentally cursing herself for not asking someone to hold onto her the moment she realized she was having a rather vivid vision and was mentally cursing her future-probability cognition for allowing her body to wander and move about in response to her dreams while her mind was otherwise preoccupied.

At the moment however, Isi was more concerned with how she was going to survive the fall, if at all. There was the chance that she might be able to 'swim' herself through the air and over to one of the many catwalks crisscrossing over one another through the empty void, but that would take time. There was also the possibility that she might get lucky and have a passing ship or spacecraft might break her fall, allowing her to survive with injuries, but she didn't see any of the ships docked below moving.

As if that weren't bad enough, a loud, blaring alarm was pounding her sensitive ears, bathing her surroundings in a harsh crimson every few harrowing seconds. The sound of hundreds of feet unrhythmically pounding against the catwalks and halls among a chorus of yelling and orders caught her attention and, based on the sheer amount of panic and chaos all around her, Isi couldn't surmise that she would not be noticed until all the carnage died down.

Given the circumstances, Isi had a right to shriek as loud as possible.

Even so, her terrified screams went unnoticed by the swarm of distracted Plumber agents scurrying about like mindless ants; all but one that is. The deer spirit's frantic eyes sight of a ghoul fluidly darting and weaving through the crowd with the grace of a swift serpent, her movements so fast that Isi didn't get a decent look at her until the ghoul did the unthinkable and promptly threw herself off of the catwalk just as Isi fell past.

Now the Native Scaremerican was able to get a better look at what seemed to be her fellow death partner. It was a ghoul perhaps the same height as her covered in thousands of golden-colored scales that glittered like thousands of gold coins, marking clearly as reptilian in nature if the long, serpentine tail that snaked out from the base of her spine was anything to go by; despite this, a flume of bright, jade green fur or feathers sprouted from the very tip. Her features were angular, yet soft with fiery, golden eyes, a pair of edged, pointed ears, and her long, fluid, jade green locks streaked with black were pulled back into an unstable ponytail that would have reached the small of her back had it not been currently flapping in the wind above her as they fell. She wore a white, sleeveless top with a black trim that curved around her neck like a collar and bore faded, lavender markings that bared resemblance to Chinese writing with a black belt around her waist. Her earrings were shaped like miniature Chinese lanterns and she wore a pair of bold, red pants that reached down to her ankles where a pair of jade-colored pumps sat with a pair of Chinese lions acting as the heels.

" _Bié dānxīn!_ " Jinafire Long yelled over the rush of the wind. "Do not worry!"

"I have a right to worry! I'm about to die!" Isi shouted back with fear.

The Chinese dragon actually seemed to smirk at that remark as she quickly righted herself and tapped what looked like a watch strapped to her wrist that Isi had failed to notice. The deer spirit was then quickly thrown for a loop when a blast of jade green light suddenly consumed Jinafire as she slammed a hand down on the watch, her features and genetic code warping and shifting into something new.

The first noticeable change to Jinafire's body was through her scales; the thick layer of organic armor was softly peeled back slightly from their interlocking positions, steadily growing thicker and more three-dimensional in appearance. The golden colored scales along her forearms crackled like fallen leaves underfoot as they were divided into hundreds of tiny bristles attached to a thin, horny rod at the center of each scale, effectively turning them into feathers that turned a shimmering blue in color. The feathers exploded along Jinafire's wrists, racing up her arms and across her shoulders before simultaneously crossing down over her breasts and back, smoothly transitioning from a dark blue to a vivid green. The dragon could feel the layers of firm muscles and taunt tissues pack themselves tightly onto her stomach and upper chest; her arms bulged and swelled with strength as a pair of razor-sharp blades popped out of her elbows. Jinafire's skeleton snapped and crunched as it realigned itself, putting special emphasis on the spine and limbs as strong tendons and muscles strung themselves along her thighs and ankles. Her hands and feet trembled and crunched violently as the once golden scales that coated her ankles and wrists turned a deep black in color and thickened greatly while her fingers and toes molded together into strong digits tipped with razor-sharp talons that looked like they could have easily sliced through flesh. The feathers finally began to travel up her neck and across her face where her nose and lips proceeded to melt together like butter into a hard, horny, gray beak as a series of long, flowing feathers colored a bright green grew from her scalp and slicked back. The transformation came to a completion as her neck elongated a few more inches and she was wrapped in a tight, jade-colored, sleeveless body suit trimmed in black with cuffs at her wrists and ankles and a winged mask to cover her face.

The avian-like alien grinned with what could be compared to amusement. "Not if I have anything to say about it." she said in a rough, feminine voice.

Isi could do little else but scream as the dragon-turned-alien pinned her feathered arms to her sides and shot through the air like an arrow towards her; the Native Scaremerican flinched in preparation for what she expected to be a collision, peeking through her fingers to watch as the avian screeched and suddenly spread her arms wide. At the same time the large and long tail feathers snapped open like a fan and allowed the bird-like extraterrestrial to grab the edges and hold it open and wide to slow her descent just as she swung her powerful legs forward and hooked her sharp talons through the cloth of Isi's shirt as she clamped tightly around her arms.

The deer spirit nearly felt her breath leave her lungs as they were suddenly yanked upward on an updraft through the Plumber Headquarters' life support systems, soaring higher and higher back up through the air. Isi's heart was hammering in her chest and her pulse was pounding in her head not from fear, but from relief; she had narrowly escaped death, but just as importantly she had figured out where she had seen the odd symbol from her dream before.

"I would recommend preparing yourself for a landing. And a fight." the fowl-like alien suggested, breaking Isi out of her thoughts.

"A-Alright." the Native Scaremerican nodded with shaky breath. "Um . . . I never did catch your name."

The avian extraterrestrial gave a playful smile at that. "My name is Jinafire Long. I call this form Fenghuang, the Chinese word for phoenix," she introduced herself. "You may refer me as either title."

"Jinafire's good." Isi smiled sheepishly before she became aware of the blaring alarm once more. That, and the sound of gunfire and screaming, not to mention several sickening noises that were coming from above; this did not exactly put the deer spirit at ease. "What's going on up there?" she wondered with worry.

Fenghuang grimaced as she tilted her body upward to slow their ascent ever so slightly. "There . . . was a prison break."

Isi cringed that and could feel her palms start to sweat as she instinctively held her breath the higher and higher they climbed. She had never been in a fight in her entire life, and while there was reassurance in that the Plumbers would never willingly put her or classmates in danger, there was always the threat of something going horribly awry in some manner of other. For all she knew, she could have narrowly avoided death only to watch it rear its ugly head once more and snap her up in its deadly jaws; the very thought made her shiver.

Fenghuang could feel the deer spirit trembling in her grip. "Do not worry, _Wǒ de péngyǒu._ " she reassured Isi. "I will not allow any harm to come to you. Not if I can help it."

The Native Scaremerican decided to take what little comfort she could get as the two of them finally reached the climax of their ascension and Fenghuang set Isi back down on the catwalk as gently as possible before landing next to her. The deer spirit opened her mouth to say something before she was drowned out by a shrill and loud trumpet that was absolutely deafening to her ears. She turned to look down the catwalk and nearly felt her heart stop when she saw a massive, elephantine figure barreling through the army of Plumbers, brushing off anything they threw at them like he was being pelted with mere ping-pong balls instead of cartridges of hot energy. The figure was clearly alien in origin, unless a large elephant had decided to skip ahead several million years and evolve the need to travel around on two legs and knock Plumber agents aside like rag dolls; the alien seemed a tad overweight in appearance, but that hardly accounted for his tremendous strength as he grabbed an unfortunate Plumber by the leg with a meaty fist and used them to beat their comrades over the head. His ears were fan-like and his tusks seemed to have been dulled or cut at the end, but the most noticeable feature was the mouth at the end of a trunk-like appendage that sprouted from his face where the nose might have been on most species. He wore a pair of black briefs held up by a thick, purple belt with a giant lock as the belt and heavy straps over his broad shoulders to increase the security.

"Keep movin', Jumbo! We make it to the escape pods, we're in the clear!"

"Call me that again, and I'll personally send your pod into the sun." Trumbipulor threatened as he wrapped his trunk around a Plumber's blaster and yanked it out of their grasp. The weapon went over the pachyderm-like alien's shoulder before he thrust a hefty hand forward and slugged the Plumber in the stomach knocking them back and knocking them into several more agents. With only a loud trumpet to give warning, Trumbipulor brought his beefy arms up in front of his face and charged forward like a runaway train as he plowed straight through a sizable platoon of Plumber agents, stepping on a few with loud crunching noises as their armor broke and their bones snapped under his tremendous weight; a few went tumbling over the edge, thankfully managing to grab onto the ledge at the last second to prevent a fatal fall.

Fistrick rolled his eyes and caught the fist of a beefy, Tetramand Plumber that managed to escape Trumbipulor's wrath before slugging the four-armed alien in his, kicking him twice in the knees, and then nearly effortlessly judo-flipping the Tetramand over his shoulder to throw him roughly to the ground; the alien attempted to get up, only to be roughly slammed back into the floor and out of commission by another escaping prisoner that bared a high resemblance to a boar. The alien was covered in a coat of short, shaggy brown hair, save for a mane and sideburns of a darker shade; two pairs of tusks thrust themselves out from the alien's jaw underneath a sensitive snout with a nose ring buried in the nostrils.

The alien swine grinned as he snorted with approval. "You will know the wrath of Thunderpig!"

"Whatever you say, Porkchop." Fistrick rolled his eyes a second time as he clocked another unfortunate Plumber across the face and sent them down for the count. "Yo, Chicken Legs, keep it up, bro! We didn't break you out just so could fry yourself up and call yourself dead meat!"

A loud crow like that of a frantic rooster echoed through Plumber Headquarters' prison level followed by the pained cry of a Plumber that had received a slash of dagger-like talons to the face and would now undoubtedly forever bare the scars. Her assailant could only be described as a humanoid chicken with sharp blades thrusting out of his elbows whose choice of attire consisted of little more than two bandoleers that connected together on his chest. " _BRAWK!_ I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Liam grumbled under his breath as he spun around and dealt a rather flimsy roundhouse kick to a charging Plumber's gut that sent him flying off and into his partner, taking the two of them out.

It had been a miracle that their cells had been partially left unlocked after they had been returned to their private containers upon being released from the Plumber's Medical Wing; a certain centaur-hybrid had been far crankier than their previous encounters and had dealt each of them a swift and painful beating before finally being subdued by her compatriots.

It was actually the one time Liam was glad the Plumbers were fairly decent at their jobs.

The plan had been made up on the spot but was fairly simple in design: let Trumbipulor lead the way, take out whatever Plumber agents had been lucky enough to avoid getting hit by the rampaging pachyderm, and make it to the escape pods as fast possible before anyone wearing an Omnitrix got wind of their getaway. It was every man and alien for themselves and if anyone got left behind, that was it.

No acts of sentimentalism.

No distractions.

No honor among thieves.

Or 'bros', as Fistrick had a habit of calling it.

Liam honestly didn't care as he could taste sweet, delicious freedom on the tip of his tongue as he rushed forward and clotheslined a pair of Plumber agents when they charged at him; freedom was just as sweet, if not more than the oh, so delicious jewel that was bird seed. He honestly hated Earth and found very few things to like about it, including the inhabitants. He candidly only found Fistrick to be the one human he would tolerate the most, but Earth had others thing that couldn't be found on his homeworld that he absolutely adored and quite frankly couldn't live without.

Bird seed was chief among them.

Then there was bread, especially when it was broken up into pecking-sized crumbs and buttery popcorn that he simply couldn't get enough of despite the way the artificial, butter flavoring made his stomach rumble uncomfortably; he knew he would get use to it eventually. Then one had to take into the consideration the sheer amount of birds that Earth had to offer, and Liam found them to be the only creatures on the miserable planet worth hanging around a fair amount of time.

Except ostriches though. And swans. To be fair, he had seen a considerably larger amount of swans than ostriches, since those could only be found at the Bellwood Zoo, but both were temperamental and did _not_ seem to take kindly to his presence as easily as the other birds did. The chickens at the petting zoo were far more docile and accepting of him and he felt more comfortable around them than with some of his fellow criminals down in Undertown.

The only problem was that zoo visitors, especially young ones, sometimes mistook him for one of the attractions. Then the zookeepers themselves would get involved before the Plumbers would come swooping in, no matter how many times Liam tried to explain that it was entirely in self defense and that one of the kids had yanked too hard on his tail feathers when he wasn't looking.

He didn't find it as a amusing as his fellow criminals did.

The fact that the Plumbers occasionally arrested him with resisted smirks and chortles did not help either.

All of this however, was quickly forgotten when his eyes laid their sights on _her._ Liam felt his beak drop wide open when he caught sight of her, the way her feathers seemed to shimmer like a thousand crystals, the way she held herself poised and regal as if she was above everyone else, those long, scaly legs that looked like they were powerful enough to punch through concrete. Her figure was slender yet powerful, but what really caught the alien fowl's attention were those full, jade green eyes; Liam could swear his heart stopped when she glanced over at him. He was absolutely stunned by her beauty, absolutely transfixed on her elegance, and he wondered if he was even looking at a mortal being.

He soon got his answer when she gave a shrill screech and rushed at him in a flurry of movement he hardly saw coming. She swept down low with her arms thrust behind her for minimal resistance before she bunched up her legs and fluidly leaped onto Trumbipulor's shoulder, using that as a spring board to nail Fistrick in the face before proceeding to push off of the back of Thunderpig's head and sail directly at Liam with a bone-crushing kick to the gut that knocked the wind out of him.

And she was feisty. Liam liked that in a chick.

What he didn't like however, was the Omnitrix disk fixed securely to her belt.

That gave Liam pause as he doubled over in pain and attempted to catch his breath. Full colored eyes? An Omnitrix fixed to her person? Her sudden aggression towards him when he hadn't even said a word to her? The chicken-like alien felt his heart clench in sorrow and anger when he realized that his peacock-like counterpart was not a true member of his species, but none other than one of Ben Tennyson's wenches in disguise.

On one talon, they were sworn enemies and she would not hesitant to pound his face in if he ever got out of line.

On the other talon, she was hot like crispy chicken.

Fenghuang cocked her head with a confused chur at Liam's expression. " _Nǐ hái hǎo ma?_ Are you alright?" she asked with slightly concerned. Her oddly bird-like opponent was acting far more hurt than he should have been; she hadn't kicked him that hard, had she? While she did strive to ensure that the criminal underworld was kept in line and behind bars until the off chance that they reformed like Kevin and Charmcaster had, she wasn't as ruthless as Avea came to be. At first the centaur-hybrid had just been temperamental and a lot more grouchy than usual at the loss of their boyfriend, but now that had worked up to full on aggression that was thankfully diverted towards any criminals that were unfortunate enough to cross her path.

Unsurprisingly, the criminals that they faced developed a healthy fear of Avea.

A few even surrendered the moment the harpy-hybrid walked onto the scene.

Fenghuang's thoughts were snapped away from her when Liam gave a harsh caw and thrust his clenched fist at her face, wincing when she effortlessly caught in her talons. The peacock-like alien gave him a quizzical look that quickly turned to aggression as she proceeded to nail him with a roundhouse kick to the face that sent him skidding back several yards, his talons raking the floor. With a loud crow like that of a rooster Liam charged forward with hands tightly clenched and ready to pummel Fenghuang's face into oblivion, drawing back a fist as he neared her.

At the last second however, Fenghuang's whipped around and snapped the fan-like tail feathers up in his face, briefly startling and dazzling Liam with the bright patterns and large, eye-like dots. This enable her enough time to snap the feathers back down and roughly nail her opponent across the face with a swift kick. Now dazed, Liam made a clumsy swing at her in an attempt to throw her off, only to find that she had closed her toes tightly around his wrist and effortlessly hauled her entire body weight up onto his arm before proceeding to stab him twice in the face with a jab; Fenghuang then backflipped off of him and delivered a sharp kick to his jaw in the process, landing on her feet.

Liam was seeing red by now as he all but blindly charged forward with a tightly closed fist in an attempt to at least hit his false love. At the last second however, Fenghuang dropped to the ground and landed on her back, catching his wrist in her foot before yanking him forward and placing her talons underneath of him. She then proceed to shove them as hard as possible into Liam's gut, sending him flying up into the air as he squawked and crowed with fear while feebly flapping his arms in a fruitless attempt to fly.

It would have been hilarious had the fight not been all but one-sided.

Fenghuang waited patiently for Liam to fall back to Earth before she expertly flipped herself back up to her feet and spun around to deliver a painful roundhouse kick to the gut that knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying back. The avian alien roughly skidded to a stop on his face with a squawk of defeat; Fenghuang softly laid her fist against her palm and bowed respectfully.

"You have fought well, _Gōngjī._ I would suggest working on your technique before our next encounter." she advised.

" _Braaaaawk . . ._ " Liam groaned.

If any of the avian's fellow prisoners noticed his defeat, they didn't bother to look back. Trumbipulor continued to lead the escape, roaring and trumpeting loudly at every opportunity as he dropped down to all fours and lowered his head before surging forward like a runaway freight train. He plowed straight through another platoon of Plumber agents as they shot at him like bowling pins, sending them flying in all directions.

He was in his element. He was in his prime. He loved nothing more than the sound of panicked screams and the crunching of Plumber armor beneath his heavy feet. He was mighty. He was powerful. He was Trumbipulor, the Galaxy's Biggest Evil Genius! With this in mind, the elephant-like extraterrestrial continued his awesome assault, taking especially pleasure in how he raised up a mighty fist and brought it down like a mighty hammer on a Plumber's head, knocking them out with a single blow.

There was nothing that could stop his unbridled aggression as he got vengeance on those that imprisoned. Absolutely nothing could-

"Ooh, a new challenger! Lets see you beat my high score!"

Trumbipulor paused in his rampage just as he was about to step on a Plumber's head, allowing them to ooze out of harms way just as a massive tremor rocked the catwalk. The alien pachyderm looked up to meet his new challenge, narrowing his eyes when he found that it was a gigantic mechsuit of titanic proportions; it was easily the size of him, perhaps a couple feet taller. It was vaguely humanoid in appearance and bared slight resemblance to the ancient suits of armor humans had used to where in what they had called the Dark Ages. Spikes that curved backwards slightly rose from the helmet whose face and eyes were represented by a single slit of light and the shoulders were broad and powerful, the hands strong and meaty, and the figure tall and imposing; and that wasn't even taking into the account of the gigantic war hammer that the wearer of the suit pulled from their back.

Trumbipulor snorted with irritation as Kjersti patted the hefty hammer in her hand before promptly raising it over her head and smashing it as hard into the floor as possible, causing everyone currently standing on the platform to stumble and lose their balance from the tremendous tremor. Trumbipulor barely had any time to react when a pair of thrusters popped out of the Blitzritter's shoulders and propelled her right towards him. The suit collided right into him, knocking the wind out of him and carrying him all the way down the catwalk, unable to pull himself loose as his fellow escapees and Plumber agents instinctively ducked beneath them to avoid getting hit.

Before he knew what was happening the pachyderm was finally released and could have very nearly earned a painful landing had it not reached down and dug his thick fingers into the flooring to skid to a halt before quickly bringing up his arms to his face; Kjersti swung the Thor Hammer at that exact moment and connected it with his thick skin, sending Trumbipulor straight into a wall. The pachyderm gave a low rumble as he slid down to the floor and rubbed his aching skull before ducking just in the nick of time to avoid getting clobbered by the mighty Thor Hammer again.

Now the elephant was _seriously_ ticked. With a loud bellow Trumbipulor charged forward and slammed into the Blitzritter like a sumo wrestler, hugging her into a tight bear hug as he all but blindly charged forward and sent the two of them plummeting over the edge of the catwalk, tumbling end over end as they exchanged blows and punches all the way down.

If anyone screamed her name, Kjersti didn't hear them as she drove her gigantic, metal fist into Trumbipulor's face and blocked a swing of his own huge fist with her arm. The troll was sweating furiously inside of the suit, her thumbs and fingers burning as she hurriedly tapped and pressed the various buttons; she was mentally chanting to herself that she was in a video game, a video game that had been set onto the hardest settings, paired her up with the worst online teammates the game had to offer, and sent them all charging blindly against the final boss that would grant them sweet victory if they managed to not waste their single life.

This was what she had trained for. The feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins was nothing new and the way her eyes seemed to slow time down so that she could see every move and calculate the best form of attack or defense in a matter of nanoseconds came almost second nature to her as she grabbed Trumbipulor by the shoulders and headbutted his skull with the Blitzritter's helmet; she knew that was going to leave a dent and leave Cooper very unhappy, but the feelings of a technician was the least of her problems.

After all, the first scratch was always the hardest.

"Nerf this, noob!" Kjersti cried as she cupped her fists together and brought them down on Trumbipulor's head, The exosuit then proceeded to deck the pachyderm across the face twice before driving a powerful fist into his gut and blasting him back away from her in their free fall with one another. The very hard floor was fast approaching and while Kjersti was sure Trumbipulor would survive the fall with perhaps a few injuries, she wasn't quite sure how much faith she had in the Blitzritter's durability. With a deep breath she quickly began to hammer and tap away at the buttons and switches inside of the suit, checking over gages and the Blitzritter's internal thermal reader before she rerouted the power from the rocket turbine on her back to thrusters located in the bottom of her heavy feet. The troll quickly pressed the final button and yanked up and back hard on the controls to slow her decent as the rockets fired off and began to cushion her fall.

She carefully aimed for one of the quickly approaching walkways, already making plans and calculations on what was the best way to get back up to the main battle before she was suddenly slammed into from the side and into the wall with the loud shriek of metal grinding against itself. Kjersti was thrown in her seat and became disoriented from the attack as she tried to make sense of what had hit her before warning beeps and flashes of light suddenly filled the suit. A quick diagnostics check revealed that she had suffered damage to her shoulder and that the amount of repair it was going to take was steadily increase as Trumbipulor's thick fingers tore through metal paneling and wires in an effort to render her defenseless.

Kjersti gritted her teeth as she cracked her knuckles and popped her fingers to allow the blood to flow back into them before she took hold of the controls again. "Alright, Peanut-Breath. It's hammer time!" she cried as she clocked Trumbipulor across the face with a quick movement of her fist and pushed herself off of him. The troll then quickly grabbed hold of the Thor Hammer from its special holding place on her back and swung the blunt instrument in a wide arch before bringing it down on Trumbipulor's skull and sending him shooting down towards the nearest platform.

The Blitzritter landed moments later with a loud _clang!_ and immediately slumped to its knees as Kjersti initiated the escape sequence and watched anxiously as the suit slowly opened up and allowed her to step out. She was hot and sweaty from the battle and the suit was starting to stink from the amount of adrenaline pumping through her arteries, but she loved the feeling; she wouldn't trade it for anything else.

With heavy panting she turned to see Trumbipulor's big girth embedded firmly into the steel walkway, effectively trapping as he slumped over to the side, disoriented and dazed; a grin of relief and satisfaction crossed Kjersti's face as she pulled off her skullcap in an effort to cool herself. "GG, Jumbo. GG."

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Kjersti looked up just in the nick of time to see Hobble come hurtling at and crash right into her, knocking the troll to the floor and sending the two of them sprawling. Other than a few bruises and a full scale panic attack on Hobble's part, the two of them were relatively alright.

"What's going on up there?" Kjersti wondered.

"Chaos, that's what!" Hobble yelped as he trembled and instinctively covered his head with his hands. "I don't know why I even signed up for this job! I mean, do you know what happened to the last Alpha Squad team? They were killed, that's what! They got killed, and here I am risking my own butt in a position I was never meant to be in constantly putting my life in danger! I mean, maybe if I got lower scores at the Plumber Academy I wouldn't be in this position, but still! It's not like I want to die! I have so much to live for! I-"

At that point, Kjersti had tuned out Hobble and just let him ramble on in the hopes that he would calm down enough to become rational once more (or at least, as rational as Hobble could be). She instead chose to take the time to rest and allow the Blitzritter to cool down, wondering and hoping things were alright up above them.

Nefera growled as she whipped out her katana blades and quickly positioned them just right to block the blaster fire aimed directly at her, mentally cursing the creators of the standard Plumber weapon for putting a lethal setting on it. Then again, one could never fully ensure the outcome of a battle with a criminal or intergalactic super villain and Nefera was quite sure that the Plumbers would have never made it to where they were now had a few lives not be executed in the process. What really annoyed her was that Fistrick and Thunderpig had managed to swipe blasters off of fallen Plumbers and were slowly pushing their way along the platform and towards the armory where a collection of confiscated weapons was placed.

If they got there, the chances of the two criminals escaping was substantially increased, and Nefera wasn't going to let that happen.

"C'mon, Ham Slice! We're almost there!" Fistrick yelled.

The swine-like alien snorted. "My name is Thunderpig! Thunderpig!"

"Whatever you say, bro! Just keep pushin'!"

The Egyptian hissed as Thunderpig got a lucky hit on her shoulder just as she managed to block shot from Fistrick aimed directly at her head; the wound have put a hole right between her eyes had she not reacted in time and she owed her fast reflexes to the relentless training sessions Ben had put her through. At first she had thought he was being a bit over dramatic on the topic of fighting, but after several sparing matches with Rook and Diamondhead, Nefera realized just how sloppy her form of attack was, constantly leaving openings exposed for enemies to take advantage of. She was by no means an expert swordsman after that, but she had improved greatly and was always looking for ways to continue improving now that her father had eased up the necessity to behave like a future ruler.

All that had taken was nearly successful assassination attempt on her father's life from Kraab to convince him that she was fully capable of defending herself and defeating a cybernetically-enhanced Piscciss Premann bounty hunter for hire.

" _AAAGH! You mother-_ " Nefera cried out, hissing as she clutched her burning wrist. Her sword was knocked out of her hand from a lucky shot from Fistrick and forced her to drop the other blade while she fell to one knee to recoil at the smell of burnt flesh; another part of mind was naturally panicking over her perfectly tanned skin being burned, but the majority of her brain wanted to get even with Fistrick as soon as possible.

And what better way than to return a burn with a burn?

Nefera narrowed her eyes and tapped the Nile blue Omnitrix that Ben had given to her out of concern for her safety and cycled between her two available transformations to select that she wanted; the mummy flickered a playful gaze up at Fistrick before she slammed a hand down on the activation button and swallowed herself in a blast of bright blue energy.

Her skin squelched and bubbled and stretched over her figure as her bones cracked and ground heavily against one another, slowly dissolving and merging with her fibrous muscles; her tissue bent and stretched, threading around and through one another as her perfectly tanned skin darkened and took on a light shade of green the color of new leaves. Her bones and skeleton had finally vanished, allowing some of her tissue and muscle to wind tightly around one another to form a lose support system while her feet, now nothing more than hempen mops of flesh, stretched and warped into root-like growths that functioned as feet while they wrapped around one another and sprouted a single thorn from the tip. Her figure shifted and molded like clay, increasing the her height by a foot or two as her shoulders broadened slightly and green plant fibers snaked and slithered and weaved themselves around her widening hips and swelling bust, cupping her breast-like tubers quite nicely. Nefera's head was suddenly swallowed in a mound of squishy plant flesh, blinding her as blue and yellow thorns popped out of her forearms and shoulders, twisting her delicate fingers into sharp claws; her head was finally released with a wet squelching noise as her skull shifted and suddenly exploded into a head of bright Nile blue and yellow petals with vibrant oranges thrown in here and there. Several more creepers and vines curled themselves around her breasts and wove their way across her midriff and farther down south until the Omnitrix appeared on her toned stomach, completing the transformation.

Fistrick and Thunderpig paused long enough to stare the female Methanosian as she drew up to her full height, standing an imposing few feet over the two criminals.

"Bro . . . you stink!" Fistrick gagged horribly, pinching his nose with disgust as he resisted the urge to vomit.

Pyrofight however, didn't seem as annoyed with the insult as some might have been. "Really? Smells like victory to me." she grinned wickedly as the ports on her palms suddenly released a small leak of methane gas. The soft hiss instantly turned into a sudden roar as the Methanosian's palms suddenly burst into flame, making Thunderpig jump in surprise.

"Don't go chicken on me now, Hambone! Keep goin'!" Fistrick barked before instinctively jumping back when Pyrofight chucked a ball of flaming gas at his feet that promptly exploded in a small cloud of fire. The Methanosian then ignited her hands and charged angrily at the alien tech smuggler and bounty hunter with a loud battle cry that made Thunderpig hesitate for the briefest of seconds. This gave Pyrofight to slam her fists down in a wave of intense flame that blasted out in a harsh cone of fire, knocking Thunderpig back with a squeal of panic as his fur caught fire; this was also in part due to the fact that Fistrick quickly dropped his blaster and jumped back to use the bounty hunter's face as a spring board and launch himself over the flame, leaving Thunderpig alone in his suffering.

Fistrick felt a malicious grin cross his face as he landed a heavy foot to Pyrofight's face, knocking her back and using her skull as a foothold to throw himself over the stunned Methanosian. "Later, bro!" he briefly called over his shoulder.

Pyrofight wanted to give chase and at least take down the tech smuggler for the unpleasant burn she had received, but her thoughts and motives were soon other wise preoccupied when Thunderpig slammed into her full force with smoke curling form his fur. "You tried to turn me into crispy bacon! Thunderpig will have his vengeance!" he snorted loudly.

"And while we're at it I can make you some knuckle sandwiches!" Pyrofight snapped back delivering a swift uppercut to Thunderpig's jaw to get him off of her. "I think that last one might have been a keeper." she grinned to herself before she rushed at Thunderpig and tackled him to the ground. The sound of screeches and caws accompanied their grunts and squeals as Liam and Fenghuang went back at it, talons locking and scrapping shrilly against the catwalk as they clashed time and time again.

This allowed Fistrick more than enough time to make his getaway and he was more than happy to take advantage of it. Sure, the rest of his fellow convicts had or would mostly be captured and returned to their cells with a possible addition to their sentence time for disorderly conduct, but he could care less about their fates; the Plumbers could throw them out into the empty void of space like garbage and he wouldn't have bat an eye. As long as it wasn't _his_ butt that was getting captured or kicked out into the never-ending, icy, cold, soul sucking darkness of space, he would continue to look for what mattered the most to him: himself.

With that in mind he rushed on down the hall, swinging his muscled arms as he ran and mentally patting himself on the back for keeping himself fit and in shape while remaining locked up in an arguably cramped prison cell. This didn't mean that Fistrick was all brawn though; no, he kept his wits about him and kept the notion in mind that he could very well be surrounded by fully armed Plumber agents at any moment and that, no matter how overconfident he was in his ability to take on more than one opponent at a time, he could very well be captured. And that was not something he was willing to go through again, especially since his contract with Chadzmuth had expired and had yet to be renewed.

Fistrick knew he needed an incentive of some kind, some sort of blackmail that he could use to make his escape back to Earth. Thoughts of threatening to bomb the Headquarters came to mind, but he had no idea where the red spots would have kept explosives on their space station, if they kept explosives on it at all. No, if he was going to be making threats he needed lives at stake and that would require hostages, be they Plumber agents or, even better, an innocent bystander that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He quickly rounded another hallway and slammed himself against the adjacent wall, panting heavily as he dared to peer back around the corner to see if he was being followed or not. Thankfully, his fellow convicts still remained useful to him by acting as distractions for his own escape, and Fistrick made a mental note to reward them for this with a free round on him at the Black Hole the next time they met up. By then they would have forgotten his betrayal to him, as they were not entirely bright; then again, Fistrick hadn't worked with them in the first place for their intellect.

Working with idiots who didn't question his leadership or motives were far better than geniuses that did question his leadership or motives.

A sharp breath suddenly caught his attention and he glanced back out of the corner of his eye to see a ghoul crouched low against the wall in an almost pathetic attempt to avoid being spotted; did she seriously believe that he was incapable of distinguishing a ghoul of her species and color pallet? He supposed he couldn't be entirely annoyed with her now though, not after she had just given him the ticket he needed to make his grand escape.

"Hey there, beauty. How you doing?" Fistrick grinned evilly.

Isi gulped nervously, immediately tensing up when Fistrick approached her like an anxious animal, hands up and fingers spread wide to make a sudden grab at her. Deciding that her survival instinct was being sensible the deer spirit scrambled to her hooves and made an attempt to make a get away; her ancestors had long since been preyed upon by predatory spirit animals and had thus developed strong and lean leg muscles that allowed them to run outrun their prehistoric predators for miles on end before stopping to rest. Isi had no doubt that she would still be able to do such a thing, but she had clearly underestimated Fistrick's reflexes when he lunged forward and grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her around and pinning both her hands behind her back with a sinister grin.

"Let me go!" she cried as she fought.

Fistrick merely leered at her. "Struggle all you want, brat! You're comin' with me."

Isi would most certainly _not_ go with Fistrick, not if she could help it. She quickly let him know this by driving the sharp edge of her heel and hoof into his foot, eliciting a surprise yelp of pain from him as he momentarily left her go to hold his throbbing toes. This was more than enough time for Isi to make a quick getaway, her breath short and ragged as she sprinted down the corridor with the heavy footsteps of her captor behind her. She was fully confident in her ability as a runner and her swift agility to evade the angry tech smuggler's grasping hands as she dashed down the hall.

She did not however, expect to suddenly run into something that felt like a brick wall when she took a few seconds to glance over her shoulder and see how close Fistrick was to her.

One moment she was on her feet and then the next thing the deer spirit knew she was lying flat on her back with a killer headache surrounded on all sides by not only Fistrick but three very haggled and irritated women dressed in varying colors of body armor that looked like they wanted nothing more than to either hurt her or leave as quickly as possible.

The first was a woman with pale, peach skin and bright blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail beneath a gray face helmet that cupped and sheltered most of her face, leaving only room for her cold, blue eyes and sharp, pale lips. She wore a slim bodysuit with glowing, pulsing yellow lines tracing their way up her legs and arms to join with the multiple spikes that sprouted forth from Amarillo's body and interlocked with a white skull on the front of her chest.

The second woman had earthy brown skin and navy blue locks pulled back into a ponytail that highlighted her cold, ivy eyes. She wore a suit of body armor complete with spike-studded shoulder and knee pads interconnected with shimmering blue lines that criss-crossed their way across her body before intersecting at an identical skull to that of Amarillo's on her bust.

The third and final member had pale, ivory skin almost as white as bone and had eyes as cold and empty as frozen earth under a set of long, flowing green hair that was shaved off on one side and swept over the other to her a sort of punk look. A piercing plugged itself into her nose and she had chosen to wear an all but identical suit of durable armor to that of her compatriots save for the fact it was the color of lush grass in the afternoon sun and tipped with spike-studded boots for extra traction and crushing potential.

"Back off, Fistrick! We saw her first!" Azul snarled.

The alien tech smuggler gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. "Oh, no you didn't! I saw her first, bro! She's mine!"

Verde scoffed and placed her hands on her wide hips. "As if! How can you see with all that muscle in the way, three-watt?"

Isi gulped nervously, eyeing the two sides with worry. While Fistrick was just as strong, if not stronger than the three female bounty hunters before, they had the advantage of numbers on their side and it was only a matter of time before both sides lost their temper and either went for each others throats or after her in an effort to carry her to home territory. Not that there was any home base for Isi to be carried back to; she could easily tell that the three bounty hunters had escaped their own cells in the panicked fray and were making their own escape, deciding to use Fistrick's plan to their advantage.

This also most likely included trying to use her as a hostage and this was not a situation the Native Scaremercian was entirely fond of, especially if it got into their heads that the best course of action was to play a brief game of tug'o'war with her body to see who could hold onto the biggest portion of her the longest.

And Isi had no intention of being treated like a freshly killed carcass among wolves.

"She's mine!" Fistrick roared, jerking a thumb at himself as the veins in his neck bulged out in anger.

"She's ours!" Amarillo snarled. "Finder's keepers, losers weepers!"

Fistrick gritted his teeth and slowly cracked his knuckles with a single flex of his fingers. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hand each of your asses to you on a silver platter right now." he threatened in the low, cold tone he used whenever he was at his wits end and was losing his patience very quickly.

The three bounty hunters snarled and hissed venomously as they took their stances and balled their hands into fists, refusing to step off and hand over their prisoner, regardless of what she thought. Isi instinctively covered her head and curled up into a ball on the floor in an attempt to protect herself from the inevitable skirmish as tempers finally flared and erupted and both sides had given up on being diplomatic about the situation (or as diplomatic as criminals could be).

Before the four criminals could attack each other and possible injure Isi in the process there came an explosion of deep pink smoke that had a sweet smelling scent to it that caused all parties to hack and cough at the unexpected interruption. Eyes were narrowed, teeth were clenched, and fists were tightened considerably when all eyes moved towards the source of the disruption, Gigi Grant.

The genie blinked and quickly glanced around to evaluate the situation before she noticed Isi cowering beneath her as she floated a few feet off of the ground on the wispy tail she had decided to trade her legs in for swifter travel. "There you are, Isi! Magister Patelliday's been worried sick about you! He's practically pulling his scales out looking for you!"

"Sorry." Isi apologized, feeling somewhat safer now that someone else she knew was here with her.

Gigi sighed with relief. "I'm just glad you're alright." she assured the deer spirit before she took notice of the four criminals that seemed to have suddenly set their differences aside long enough to make a mental alliance to first take out the intruding djinni before they argued over who would be taking Isi hostage and ensuring their escape route would thus be flawless. "Um, on a side note . . . hold your breath."

Before Isi could wonder what that meant Gigi tapped the pink and blue Omnitrix upon her wrist and selected the first transformation that became available to her before slamming a hand down on the activation button and swallowing herself in a blast of magenta energy. Her skin hardened into a texture that was crusty to the touch yet very smooth as it turned a blueish-purple in color, a few dark spots and blotches appearing on her rounding shoulders. Muscles and tissues squelched and slapped against each other as Gigi's figure swelled in size; her bones crunched and ground heavily against each other as they became thick and designed to support a considerable amount of weight, made evident by her bulky, yet feminine form. Forearms and connected to a special circulatory system that was forming inside of her body, safely away from the veins and arteries that allowed her blue blood to flow through her body and eight-chambered heart. More nozzles embedded themselves into her body as her toes melted together into single digits that were quickly obscured by the sudden appearance of a black containment suit that traveled up her legs and back and moved to cup her rounded breasts firmly while a deep blue open cape-coat combination materialized on her body, hooking up perfectly to a sent of hoses that embedded themselves into her shoulders and inserted themselves to a breathing device played securely over where her respiratory sensors would be located. A pair of large, white gloves fitted themselves around her grubby fingers followed by heavy, blue gauntlets as a few more nozzles sprouted from her bald head and a glass pane appeared in her gut, allowing a dull view of a variety of unusual and mysterious chemicals that swirled and floated around inside of her intestines.

Stinkerbell smirked mischievously (Isi couldn't be sure with the gasmask in the way). "Now, now, that ain't any reason to make a big stink about things."

"Laugh all you want, bitch! I'll still crush you like a bug!" Fistrick threatened, socking his fist into his open palm.

"Not if we do it first!" Verde growled.

All the while, Isi noticed how the open panel that allowed a finite view of Stinkerbell's innards seemed to slowly become distorted as various chemicals and ingredients were mixed together, turning from a disgusting green in color to hues of orange and purple before finally settling on a light yellow in color that could only be compared to the color of infected puss. The deer spirit had a good idea at was coming next and quickly crouched back down to the ground and curled up into the tightest ball possible. She then tugged her shirt up over her nose and mouth and pinched her nostrils shut and held her breath for good measure as the criminals continued to argue over who would be killing who and who would be taking who prisoner.

Stinkerbell coughed. "Hey, uh, excuse me?"

" _WHAT!?_ " Fistrick, Amarillo, Azul, and Verde all yelled at once.

The chemical-based alien didn't say anything and promptly tucked herself up into a tight ball before she fired jets of hot gas from the nozzles and ports that decorated her body, dotting her arms and shoulders and running down her spine, and even having one unfortunately placed in her ass. The location of the openings hardly matter though as the gas was working just as Stinkerbell had hoped; cries of surprise and disgust filled the air as Fistrick and the three bounty hunters were subjected to the effects of the gas, most which included horrible coughing and wheezing and an immense amount of tears. Even Isi could smell faint traces of the horrible odor that made her want to throw up her lunch.

Fistrick was furiously rubbing his nose in an effort to get the pungent odor out of his system. " _Bro!_ What was that!?"

Stinkerbell seemed to smile as she stood back up and folded her arms over her bust. "Sulfer dioxide. Smells bad, don't it?" she chuckled.

" _No shit!_ " Azul snapped between the tears that streamed down her face.

Having a somewhat cynical sense of humor, Stinkerbell was enjoying this very much. "But wait, there's more! For this month only and at fifty-percent off, you can get your very own mixture of Sevoflurane today!" she cracked just as the noxious chemicals in her guts finally finished mixing together. With a flex of her arms Stinkerbell launched out a second blast of deep green gas that was expelled outward in all directions. The cries of irritation as the chemicals flooded the criminal's systems and brought a multitude of unfortunate side effects soon came to Isi's ears and dared to crack open an eye to see Fistrick heavily leaning against the wall, coughing furiously as he attempted to breath before his body finally gave out and fell to the floor with a groan. Azul and Verde were hacking and wheezing, struggling for breath as Amarillo covered her mouth and waved her in front of her face in an attempt to clear the air, ultimately failing as she and her companions crumbled to the floor, unconscious.

"How's that for some fluoromethyl-hexafluoro-isopropyl-ether up in yer face, eh?" Stinkerbell chuckled with satisfaction.

" _Broooo_ . . ." Fistrick breathed.

Isi dared to open her eyes fully and sit up with her shirt still pulled over her face on the off chance that there were still traces of the noxious chemicals still lingering in the air. "Are they alright?" she asked.

Stinkerbell shrugged. "Eh, who can tell?" she seemed to say in an almost careless manner before bursting out into laughter when she caught sight of the horrified expression on the Native Scaremerican's face. "Heh, I'm just kiddin'! Other than a little headache and a little memory loss, they won't smell a thing! Especially me kickin' their butts." she chuckled.

Isi supposed there was some comfort in that and carefully climbed to her feet, sucking in a breath of fresh air once she was sure that she was not going to suffer any unfortunate side effects. "Is it that simple?"

"With any luck they won't even remember how they escaped in the first place." Stinkerbell nodded before she slapped the Omnitrix fastened to her gasmask as it beeped and blinked in warning. A blast of magenta light consumed the chemical-based extraterrestrial and returned Gigi to the world in her place; the genie then proceeded to snap her fingers and summon four pairs of energy cuffs that quickly snapped themselves around the criminal's wrists and set their hands behind their back to restrict any movement. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little shaken." Isi reassured her as the djinni's fingertips glowed a bright light when she raised them towards the ceiling. The unconscious bodies of Fistrick, Amarillo, Azul, and Verde slowly levitated into the air, a dull pink aura surrounding their limp forms as Gigi pointed her finger down the hallway, sending their bodies gently floating in that direction.

Gigi caught sight of the deer spirit's odd look. "What? Just because I'm no longer a genie of the lamp doesn't mean I don't have any powers. I just can't anything bigger than a person."

Isi nodded and slowly followed the genie back down the hallway in the direction the floating fellons had been sent down, silently hoping that Magister Patelliday would be more relieved that she was safe than angry that she ran off instead of sticking with the group (although the details were a little fuzzy before that). She mostly however transfixed by the Omnitrix fastened securely to Gigi's wrist, memories of her vision flooding back to her . . . the dragon . . . the shield . . . the strange world . . . she didn't know what any of it meant, but she had a feeling that they were all connected somehow. And now she knew how.

They were all linked to Ben Tennyson.

* * *

F.N: _Honestly, I don't understand why you are obsessed with him._

B.P: _I'm not obsessed! It's . . . it's just . . . he's so interesting! And cool! And dreamy . . ._

M.N: _What was that last part?_

B.P: _Oh! I, um, said 'steamy'! No . . . uh, seamy! No, wait! That's not right! Uh . . ._

F.N: _Brooke . . ._

B.P: _Alright, fine! I'm crushing hard on Ben, happy!?_

M.N: _Brooke! You know-_

B.P: _That we're narrators, and as narrators we aren't allowed to interact or talk to any of the characters in the story._

F.N: _Exactly. So why don't you-_

B.P: _But I can't, Mom! No offense, but everything was just so . . . boring before Ben got here. I mean, almost every fairy tale out there involves some dumb princess of some kind getting herself trapped in some stupid, easily avoidable situation that some random prince she's never met has to save her from! And in the end, they get married! Without ever dating or anything!_

M.N: _Well . . . uh, when you put it like that . . ._

F.N: _Dear . . ._

M.N: * _Ahem* Um, your mother's right, dear. I can understand that Ben can be a little . . . exciting . . . but he's not really fairy tale material-_

B.P: _And yet, it turns out that he_ _ **activated**_ _the Storybook of Legends and that he has a_ _ **destiny**_ _that will change all of Ever After as everyone,_ _ **including us**_ **,** _knows it! That practically_ _ **screams**_ _fairy tale!_

M.N: _Eh . . . she has us there, dear._

F.N: _But look at all the trouble he's caused! Look at what he did to Dexter Charming! Look at what he did to the school! Even his own 'harem' isn't left untouched; he turned Lilith Van Hellscream into a monster-_

B.P: _And Lilith_ _ **chose**_ _to stay a monster rather than live with her horrible uncle! And it's not Ben's fault he causes so much collateral damage! If you had the most powerful weapon in the entire universe, maybe even in several universes, you would have all sorts of nasty villains trying to steal it from you for their own, diabolical purposes! I've read comic books! I know what the villains do! And to top it all off, Raven Queen made her choice between Dexter and Ben! Honestly, you're just as bad as Harangue!_

F.N: _. . ._

M.N: _Dear, at the very least_ _ **try**_ _to portray Ben in a better light? He_ _ **is**_ _the main character of the story, and this_ _ **is**_ _his story, after all. As narrators, we are to give an unbiased opinion to either faction or side that the story has laid out, no matter how much we might dislike it. At the very least, do it for Brooke?_

B.P: _Yeah, do it for me! Otherwise I'll grow up to be this horrible narrator who doesn't know the beginning from the end and the Once Upon a Time from the Happily Ever After!_

M.N: _That's laying it on a little thick, don't you think?_

B.P: _Maybe?_

F.N: _*sigh* Alright, I'll try._

M.N: _Hexcellent. Now then, where were we?_

F.N: _I think I've got it from here. *Ahem* Why, look! It's breakfast time at Ever After High. That important time when students fuel up to face the day! As usual, Blondie Lockes is enjoying a nice bowl of porridge that's 'just right'._

M.N: _Humphrey Dumpty's eating an omelet . . . wait, is that weird? Cannibalism? Anthropophaginian? Aboriginism?_

B.P: _Two things: One, you sound like you swallowed a thesaurus. Two, stop before you offend someone important or otherwise._

F.N: _It's vegan-soy-tofu omelet anyway. Hardly weird._

B.P: ' _Weird'? You want to know what's 'weird'? 'Weird' is starting the story here! What about Wonderland!? And the bandersnatches . . . and the jub-jub birds . . . and the mole-rats . . . and the-_

M.N: _Brooke! You know better than that! After what we just talked about! No spoilers!_

F.N: _To be a narrator, you need to understand that we_ _ **always**_ _begin at the_ _ **beginning.**_

B.P: _B-but! But . . . *sigh* alright. It's breakfast time, nom-nom-nom . . . I bet Ben would have let me narrated from wherever I wanted . . ._

F.N: _We really should work on that sarcasm of yours . . ._

M.N: _In due time, dear. Right now lets just focus on getting her to start at the appropriate place._

B.P: _Hey, look! It's Apple White! Sorta? Kinda? What in the kingdom . . ?_

F.N: _Something wrong, Brooke?_

B.P: _The text . . . it's all wrong! Apple's not even here!_

M.N: _What!? Let me see that . . . why, it looks as if a five-year old tore out random pages of the book and stuck them back together with a glue stick and stickers! And . . . is that glitter?_

F.N: _Eeergh! This driving me mad!_

M.H: _Did someone say mad!?_

B.P: _Maddie!_

M.N: _Ms. Hatter! What are you doing here!?_

M.H: _Well, silly, I heard someone say the word 'mad' and, well, here I am! Mad as a Hatter!_

F.N: _Do you know anything about this?_

M.H: _Other than that it needs more glitter and tea-scented stickers? Nope!_

M.N: _You did this, didn't you?_

M.H: _Maybe . . . hey, have you ever noticed that my initials on the side of the page share the same letters as Monster High?_

F.N: _Stop breaking the fourth wall! If there's even any of it left to salvage!_

B.P: _At this point, I highly doubt it._

M.N: * _sigh* Dare I ask_ _ **why**_ _you committed such a crime?_

M.H: _Weeeeeeeeeeeell, the new narrator wanted to add a little more zip into the script, and I waved my little magic wand and pair of safety scissors and took the liberty of rearranging some parts into some more interesting! Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo to you!_

F.N: _Wonderful . . ._

M.N: * _sigh* Well, there isn't much other way around it. Brooke, just give it your best shot. This isn't hexactly what we had in mind for today's narrative session . . ._

B.P: _It's alright, Dad. I'll be fine. *whispers* Thanks, Maddie._

M.H: _No problem! Now then, I must return bed! Or at least Ben's bed! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!_

F.N: _Oh, are they still-_

B.P: _Sharing a bed? Yes. It's really cute! In fact, if you look now . . ._

F.N: _Oh, for ancestors sake!_

M.N: _They always say the magic of marriage wears off in a few years . . ._

F.N: _What was that?_

M.N: _Nothing! Um . . . oh, look! Ben's waking up!_

B.P: _Maybe I should call a narrator marriage counselor . . ?_

* * *

Ben shifted in his sleep, drawing in a slow and deep breath that forced his chest to swell before he expelled it all back out. He was _so_ comfortable right now, snuggled deep beneath the warm covers of his bed and he wanted to see someone actually _try_ to tear him away from this moment of stillness. Ever since he had found the Omnitrix he had very few moments where he could truly relax and just take a moment to sit back and enjoy life without the threat of some criminal lunatic disturbing the peace; the ghouls had since helped ease this, but Ben would want nothing more than to simply spend more moments like this together with the ones he loved.

With a second breath he stirred and allowed his eyes to slowly blink open. He had slept well last night and his body felt more rested than ever, if not a little stiff from his deep sleep; he felt like, for once, that he could take on the day and tackle any of the challenges it might send his way.

Sphinx, the world could end right then and there and he'd still be ready to tackle it head on.

But he did not want the world to right then and there. All Ben wanted to do was simply lie back and enjoy the few minutes of peace had been granted before he would be forced to get up and take on the day. With a content sigh, Ben began to take in his surroundings a little more and he almost instantly noticed the slight weight on his chest; he rolled his eyes down to see Kitty Cheshire curled up contently by his side with her head placed upon her chest. He wasn't sure what had drawn the crafty cat out from her spot beneath his head as his pillow, but he had a sneaking suspicion it had something to with the tremendous, king-sized bed that now took up a decent sized chunk of the dorm.

The gigantic bed had been a gift from Hunter as a way to thank Ben for giving him residence to his dorm. That, and Hunter had gotten the idea that the dorm was starting to get very crowded with several girls sneaking of their dorms, past the dimwitted suits of armor that patrolled the hallways at night, and into the bed of their shared boyfriend with a slowly increasing number of ghouls. Another factor had been a combination of Hunter feeling safe enough to room with Dexter once again and that Ben had been kind enough to craft Ashlynn a key to sneak into her boyfriend's dorm whenever the thought suited her.

The young couple was eternally grateful for that.

A soft murmur caught his attention and he glanced to his other side to see Cedar Wood cuddled up to him with a pleasant smile on her lips, as if she were having a nice dream; the wooden girl was clothed in an oversized, tye-dye T-shirt that enveloped her as if she were wearing a poncho and completely obscured the pair of pink panties that she wore underneath. It had admittedly taken time getting use to sleeping with someone who could be compared to a wooden log, but Ben had found that Cedar's skin was of a softer quality than that of average wood. All it took to adjust to sleeping with Cedar was wrapping the puppet girl up in a warm, wool blanket and slowly weening off of that before he was fully comfortable around her.

Ben gave a slight smile and reached with a gentle hand to thread his fingers through her brown and purple locks, earning a slow hum of appreciation from Cedar as she scooted closer to him in her sleep and settled her head in the crook of his neck; her arm moved to wrap protectively over his chest and just barely flick the tip of Kitty's nose. The Cheshire screwed her face up at the slight irritation and moved in her slumber to tightly hug Ben and wrap her legs around him as if were a python trying to constrict him.

Ben wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Another check of his surroundings revealed that not all of the girls in his harem had decided to join him for the night; he usually got the total count sometime in the morning, as the girls took great care in not disturbing him or his sometimes temperamental ghouls . . . namely Clawdeen, who did not appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night without good reason. Raven and Apple were currently missing and Cerise seemed to have decided to spend the night in her own dorm, unlike her roommate. Maddie had decided that she missed sharing a dorm with her Wonderland friend and had bedded down next to Kitty with her ever present teacup hat on her head and Earl Grey curled up snugly on her chest right over where her hear might have been; the dormouse and Skurd's soft snoring could hardly be heard despite the stillness.

The bed was finally big enough that it allowed all the ghouls to share with enough room go around for inevitable future recruits to Ben's harem; the ghouls had accepted a long time ago that their boyfriend just wouldn't be able to stop attracting members of the female species and were quite open to anyone that joined their ranks . . . most of the time. Clawdeen now slept on Cedar's other side with a sleep mask to cover her eyes and a pillow over her head for extra measure and Venus and Jane were practically armlocked in each others embrace with the plant monster ghoul once again functioning as Jane's mattress and pillow all in one. Whisp was fast asleep on Maddie's other side with an arm lazily draped over the Hatter's face and Maddie's hand resting on the genie's stomach; Ben honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Whisp found another partner with Nefera.

Ben did not see Skelita however.

Now he more alert and slightly concerned. He knew his skeleton ghoul was capable of defending herself if necessary, but Ben still felt he had a right to worry. A lot of his enemies had decided to had his ghouls to their list of people to off at some point in their careers and they didn't have as much experience nor available transformations to help against that, though that didn't mean they didn't have abilities of their own; another thing to consider was the dangers of their current world. His dreams were still haunted by warnings of Vanity's return and Krampus' ominous message, and he feared the day that he might not be able to act like the unstoppable brick wall his ghouls and friends had come to see him as.

But right now he at least needed to know where Skelita was. The bathroom was quiet save for the leaky faucet that Ben had all but given up on trying to fix and he couldn't think of a decent reason why his skeleton ghoul would want to wake up and leave the dorm at such an early hour; suffice to say, her appearance did not exactly translate well with the rest of Ever After High and she therefore had little to friends outside of the harem. With a grunt, Ben sat himself up in bed and carefully extricated himself from Kitty's strong hold and Cedar' tight grasp on him. He then began to navigate the labyrinth of tangled legs and twisted covers, wincing when Maddie stirred in her sleep and suddenly rolled over mumbling something about cupcakes with legs dancing the conga.

Ben wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

He finally made his way to the edge of the bed and stood up to stretch, freezing up when Clawdeen let out a tired growl from beneath her pillow; the werewolf had an uncanny sense of smell that Ben had a healthy fear and respect of an hearing that would have made even the most skilled of assassins absolutely useless against her. Thankfully she did not stir and fell back into slumber and Ben relaxed with an exhale of breath that he hoped was quiet enough to avoid Clawdeen's radar. Now he glanced around the dorm for any sign of Skelita . . . it wasn't very hard.

The balcony doors were wide open to let in a warm, morning breeze and fresh air that felt nice after the several days of rain that had forced Heroic 101 into the Grimmnasium; the Headmaster had not exactly been very pleased with all the damage that followed. Skelita was standing there at the railing with her back to him, simply admiring the nice morning and warm rays of the sun. The skeleton ghoul was dressed in a soft, beige top with a marigold flower at the center that hung slightly loose around her shoulders and exposed her vertebrae in a midriff-like fashion. Her leg bones were wrapped in a warm pair of blue sweatpants that hugged her pelvis enough that they didn't slip down; it's not like there was a lot to stare at otherwise.

Skelita felt a smile grace her lips when she felt those familiar arms wrap around her from behind, hugging her waist as she felt those strong, warm muscles press against her vertebrae. She could feel shivers travel down her spine when she felt his hot breath on her collarbone and his chin on her shoulder blade. " _Buenos dias,_ Ben."

" _Buenos días. ¿Duerma bien?_ " Ben asked with a gentle kiss to her cheek.

The Hexican ghoul felt her face turn a rosy red at receiving his affections. She had to confess that she had always believed she would find another skeleton some day that she would fall head over talons in love with, get married to some day, and possibly even start a family, too; she knew her mother would have pressed into grandchildren regardless. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think someone with flesh, organs, or a beating heart would ever find a romantic interest in her and yet here she was with the boy she loved. With a bright smile she reached back with her hands to wrap her arms around his head and give him a soft hug, inhaling his sharp scent despite the fact she had no nose or lungs.

" _Si,_ Ben. My dreams were pleasant." the skeleton nuzzled him lovingly.

Ben gave that war, goofy smile that she loved seeing. " _Lo siento mi amor,_ " he said. " _Lo siento que no era capaz de pasar tanto con usted como me gustaría._ "

Skelita felt her eyes widen as she craned her head to stare at him with amazement. "How do you know _Español?_ You only knew a few sentences the last time I checked."

Ben's smile broadened ever so slightly. "When one of your aliens is a Spanish-spouting luchador with a temper, you tend to pick up a few things here and there." he chuckled jokingly. He then had about three seconds to react before Skelita curled a bony finger under his chin to prop him up to a more respective level and tenderly pressed her lips to his; it took even less time for Ben to adjust to the situation. His grip on her was just a little tighter as he took her lips in his, keeping a nice steady rhythm for her to keep up with at her own leisure.

Some might have called Ben a pervert for slowly drawing his hands up across Skelita's chest where her breasts might have been if she was of fleshling origin, even if it was brief and only so he weave her skeletal fingers through his; Ben would have ignored those comments since there wasn't even anything to grope, much less oggle if he ever got the chance and that was just fine with him. He already knew what she would looked like with a set of wonderful breasts and long, elegant legs and dazzling, sparkling eyes that seemed to have absorbed some life back into them . . . but he accepted her for what she was. If were the kind of person that couldn't see past that nonexistent outer beauty of wonderful skin and muscle, then he would be a jerk.

And Ben didn't want to be a jerk if he could help it.

Others might have called their relationship 'barbaric' or even have called Ben a necrophiliac (namely Headmaster Grimm considering how uptight the portly man got whenever relationships were not according to the fairy tale), but Ben again chose to ignore those. Sure, he was in a relationship with a good 3 ½ ghouls of the undead variety (Bonita was only half undead), but he was also in a relationship with several ghouls and girls that were very much alive and not expected to make their journey down to the Underworld anytime soon. As such, Ben saw himself more as an 'omniphiliac' if such titles had to be given.

Even so this did little to stop Ben from letting Skelita know how much she meant to him. Even without lips or a body like his own he still adored her, regardless of whether they could commit the ultimate act of love or not; it didn't matter to him right now and he doubted it would matter to him much in the future either. All that mattered was the skeleton knew how much he loved her.

Eventually however, Ben's need for oxygen forced the happy couple apart where they settled into a warm hug. In this way Skelita could rest her head against Ben's strong chest and hug him affectionately; she loved every part of her boyfriend like he loved every pretty bone that made up her, but the part of him that she appreciated the most was his heart. The beating organ was like a mighty drum trapped inside of an iron cage and it brought comfort to her when they bedded down for the night together. There was absolutely nothing more that Skelita loved than snuggle up to Ben with the two of them wrapped up in a warm, comfy blanket on the couch in front of the fireplace during a rainstorm to lull them to sleep, with perhaps a couple mugs of hot chocolate that created a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach (metaphorically speaking).

" _Te amo,_ Ben." Skelita mumbled snugly into his chest.

"Love you, too, _Belleza._ Don't ever think I won't stop." Ben purred into her ear with another soft kiss. Skelita felt her cheeks turn a rosy red in color, which was odd sine she didn't posses blood vessels, as she gave her boyfriend a final, affectionate hug, and proceeded to saunter back into the dorm with a pleasant smile on her lips. "Where you going, _hermosa?_ " Ben asked.

The skeletal ghoul allowed a teasing smile grace her lips as she placed a bony hand on her hip. " _¿Qué?_ You think these bones are bleached on their own?" she winked at him before turning to head into the bathroom.

Ben starred after her for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Glad I took a shower last night," he rolled his eyes with a grin; a tiny, yet sizable snore caught his attention and he glanced down to see Skurd fast asleep and firmly attached to the Omnitrix even when he was unconscious and should have been as limp as putty. "And somehow the booger sleeps tonight." he shook his head in amazement.

"At least I do not feel the need to insult someone while they are _trying_ to catch up on some much needed beauty sleep." the Slimebiote grumbled as he slowly began to wake.

"You were asleep for gazillion years!" Ben rolled his eyes.

"And your point being? Other than the fact that you feel the need to create fake numbers in order to sound intelligent?"

Ben decided right then and there that he had better things to do than be arguing with a gelatinous, genetometaphomorphic parasite, such as getting ready for the day. He then went about his business as quietly as possible, lest he disturb his girls as he quickly combed his hair free of the snarls it had absorbed from his pillow and pulled on a fresh pair of pants; he had been meaning to find some night clothes in what Apple had claimed to be a somewhat limited style, as he only ever seemed to fit in things that were black, white, and green in color. Ben eventually settled on wearing his iconic white and green sweatshirt over a black T-shirt with the Omnitrix stenciled in green on the front; it had been a gift from Apple and technically Lizzie as well, as the Daughter of Snow White had some rather poor sewing skills.

His thoughts drifted back to his apple-loving princess and the Princess of Hearts as he slipped out of the dorm as quietly as possible and jogged down the hall; he hadn't realized how hungry he had been when he woken up and the delicious smell of breakfast wafting through the air was the wake up call he needed. Apple was a beautiful girl, if the way a multitude of boys gazed longingly at her was anything to go by, and she quite smart and very logical as well . . . the only problem was that she was a tad naive about the world and that once her head was filled with ideas it was quite hard to get her to see the truth.

It was one of the many reasons she was still forced to sleep on the floor whenever she slept over, a rule that Clawdeen was quite strict in reinforcing with a vicious growl that always made Apple's hair stand on end.

But Apple was starting to change for the better, albeit slowly. She wasn't as pressing in the idea of destinies as she was before and a phenomenal amount of progress had been made in getting her to except that she was just one of the many harem girls that Ben would inevitably come to fall for, but she still had a fair amount of time to go before Clawdeen would no longer deem her a mild nuisance.

Lizzie on the other hand, was a little more simple to read. The Princess of Hearts was a firm believer in following the destiny that had been laid out for them, but that was mostly because she was the heir to the throne of a mighty and powerful realm that depended on a strong, future leader such as her; and when in comparison some of the other destinies out there, a prime example being the unfortunate circumstance of being turned into a swan for the rest of your life that Duchess faced. After all, a majority of the Queen of Heart's time was mostly spent playing the day away and drinking tea when times didn't call for more drastic and more serious measures.

With a grin, Ben came to skidding stop at the top of a grand staircase and gave a leaping jump before he landed on the railing and slid down like he was on a skateboard, utterly terrifying Skurd at the thought of falling (it wouldn't have been so bad had his host had wings). The wielder of the Omnitrix soared off the end of the banister and landed on his feet before he continued to jog down the hall. It took a few more twists and turns down several corridors and halls before Ben eventually found his way into the second level of the Castleteria, but the delicious smell of breakfast was well worth it.

The sight of his sweet Caramel Apple was considered a bonus as well.

Apple White looked down upon the nearly overcrowded Castleteria, taking in all the rush and controlled chaos like the future ruler she was to be. Her current position standing high and mighty over her fellow classmates vaguely reminded her of the childhood memories she had of ruling over a kingdom of stuffed animals and dolls from within her impenetrable fortress of pillows and blankets that no one could get into . . . unless they had the welcome offering o peanut butter and apple slices; in those days she had also imagined she had been married to Daring as well.

That little thought brought a slight frown to her lips.

While she still considered Daring a friend and a loyal supporter of the Royal faction, Apple couldn't deny that ever since she had found out that Ben was her True Love and thus the prince that was to awaken her form her slumber, she couldn't help but notice that his negative qualities stood out more than they had before. The princess knew that Daring loved to primp and prime himself each and every morning to look his best, but she had never noticed how much time he would spend simply posing and admiring himself in any reflective surface available; even someone's teeth or glasses were not safe. Apple also knew that Daring that a capable warrior when the time called for it, but she never realized how absolutely pathetic and helpless he was in an actual fight in comparison to Ben.

And the whining! She admitted that from time to time she would give a scream of disgust if she was suddenly covered in an excess amount of mud or something of equal sliminess, but Daring absolutely broke down like a baby whose bottle had been taken away from them when his precious face was so much as grazed by a spot of filth that dared to try and assault his good looks.

Apple could hardly believe this was the person she was originally supposed to spend the rest of her life with!

She was soon however, greeted by the person that she _did_ want to spend the rest of her life with. Apple felt her heart flutter and a bright smile when Ben came up by her side and gave her a morning kiss; it was just oozing with cheesiness, much like the romantic movies that Cupid sometimes managed to coerce her into watching, but there was something about experiencing it rather than watching it that made it more than worthwhile.

Skurd rolled his eyes. "And cue the inevitable, sappy, teenage love scene . . ."

Apple ignored the Slimebiote flashed her boyfriend the sweet smile and batting of eyelashes that she was renown for. "Morning, Ben!" she beamed brightly.

Ben couldn't help but brighten up a little more upon seeing that pleasant face. "Morning, babe." he grinned smugly when Apple flushed a light pink in color at the nickname. She wasn't quite sure why, but she kind of liked the feeling when she was called affectionate names that were not becoming of a future ruler; it gave her little butterflies floating around in her tummy. "Sure is crowded, huh?"

Apple had to agree with that. For whatever reason there had been a sudden influx of new students that were being admitted to Ever After High, some whose stories hadn't been fulfilled in several generations if Apple understood half of what her mother tried to inform her about the subject. She glanced down like the tentative queen she would grow to be and took note of how some of the new students were acting; they were relatively easy to spot, as they hadn't found that particular niche that they quite fit into just yet. Like scavengers at a kill they ringed around the outskirts of the apex predators that were the bookball team and cheerhexing squad.

They were at the bottom of the unspoken food chain of Ever After High and as such they never bothered with anyone at the top for fear of being social destroyed; Apple was actually both a little hurt and amused by this little thought, as she was quite sure that she was anything but scary. Unless one took into the account the time she had gotten so sick after eating a few bad apples that she could hardly even look at food that didn't exclude soup without throwing up in the bathroom; Raven had helped as best as she could during that time and Apple had been far too weak and focused on her churning stomach to even bother in trying to protest against the helpful witchling.

According to said witchling, the princess had turned rather nasty the moment she was confirmed well enough to eat a decent meal and had all but stuffed her face like an animal the moment food was placed before her. Raven could hardly believe how fast Apple had wolfed down the meal and to this very day the Daughter of Snow White shamefully still held the record for speed eating at Ever After High.

A record that would most likely be broken if the way Ben was eyeing the various breakfasts spread out throughout the cafeteria.

A loud puff of sweet smelling smoke that tickled Apple's nose and made her screw up her face at the slight irritation came from her left and she turned to see Whisp floating there on a ghostly, wispy tail in place of her legs. The genie look slightly haggard, as if she had just woken up moments ago despite her attire; then again, all it would take would be a simple snap of her fingers to change her appearance. Apple knew Briar would have _loved_ that ability so she could spend less time getting ready for the day and more time actually enjoying it and spending it marking things off of her bucket list before she would fall into a century long slumber.

There was a reason, after all, that the tale of Sleeping Beauty was one of the least reenacted fairy tale destinies out there. It was _so_ long before the next heir would be ready to follow in their parent's footsteps, and yet they looked like they had hardly aged a day since they fell asleep.

Apple knew her mother, despite her nearly ageless appearance, would have loved to seemingly be resistant to the effects of time, if for no other reason than to get rid of the few gray hairs that she was starting to get.

"Morning, Apple Pie." Whisp yawned with an exaggerated stretch. "You get to third base with Raven yet?"

The Daughter of Snow White practically jumped out of her skin and flushed a bright crimson in color upon hearing that single, teasing question. And from the way the shadow genie was grinning from pointed ear to pointed ear, the expression on her face was absolutely priceless. "Wh-What is t-that supposed to mean?" Apple swallowed nervously.

Whisp merely folded her arms over her bust and drifted down to Apple's level. "Oh, c'mon, don't deny it. Everyone _knows_ you and Raven were _made_ for each other." she purred in the princess' ear. "I see the way you look at her, wondering how soft her skin is, how gentle it would be to have those fingers touching you _all over_ , those lips pressed against yours . . . and you know what they say about opposites and how they attract . . ."

Despite finding the embarrassed look on Apple's face to be highly amusing, Ben kindly decided to put her out of her misery. "Whisp, stop teasing Apple with your wild fantasies." he rolled his eyes while trying to hide a smirk.

"I can't help it if Holly O'Hair and all of the readers out there ship Apple and Raven together." Whisp huffed with a childish pout, as if to emphasis her point that she wasn't going to budge on the subject. Instead, the djinni snapped her fingers and summoned a megaphone into Apple's hands without an expression to read off of; the device was even decorated with little apple patterns. When she was given a pair of confused and raised eyebrows by the princess and Ben, Whisp merely shrugged her shoulders and said, "The author said you were going to try and make an announcement."

"Thanks . . ?" Apple was more baffled than ever.

"It's best just roll with the chaos." Ben whispered to the princess.

With a final, skeptical look in the genie's direction Apple clicked the megaphone on and cringed slightly at the loud crackling of the speaker. She then gave a slight cough to clear her throat and tapped the speaker one last time to make sure it was working before speaking; the princess was oblivious to the way Whisp squeezed her eyes shut and jammed her fingers into her ears, quickly followed by Ben when he caught sight of what the djinni was doing.

" _ **HEXCUSE ME!**_ "

Ben could have sworn that every window in the room was going to shatter as the deafening boom echoed throughout the Castleteria causing general chaos; Tiny the Giant yelped in surprise and dropped his tremendous breakfast on the Three Billy Goats Gruff, flattening them beneath a pancake the size of a parachute and nearly drowning the O'Hair sisters in syrup had Hunter not managed to snag their hands and pull them out of the sticky mess with Ashlynn's help; Cerise howled in agony as the near sonic boom assaulted her ears while she crumbled to the floor; Lilly Bo Peep's flock of sheep were all over the place only adding to the chaos as the sheperd tried to get them all back under her watchful eye; Dexter Charming ended up flipping his bowl of milk and cereal all over his older brother's head with Cupid only adding to the mess when she accidentally dropped her tray of . . . well, the goddess was none too sure what it was, but Sparrow Hood seemed to like it if the way he was scrapping off spoonfuls from Daring's head was anything to go by.

Whisp meanwhile was rolling around on the floor with laughter, her legs kicking sporadically as she held her aching sides. "Oh, Kitty was right! That was hilarious!"

"Great Scott!" Skurd yelped. "And I thought the Big Bang was loud!"

All Apple could do was blink in complete shock, almost oblivious to the pandemonium below as she gripped the railing and pulled herself up shaky legs. Her face was deathly pale with stupefaction and her entire body was trembling as she glanced down at the smoking remains of the megaphone, which seemed to have simply exploded from the sure magnitude of the sound. She could feel Ben's hands and fingers raking their way through her hair in an attempt to smooth it down and defeat the forest of tangles and snarls, which she was greatly appreciative of; she was currently occupied trying to recompose herself into a sensible appearance to address the crowd that now had her undivided attention like the future queen she had been practicing to be since the day she had been told about her family's legacy.

Once she was sure she wasn't going to fall over at the slightest breeze, Apple sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and began to address the crowd of confused classmates. "As editor of _The Griffin_ , our beloved school paper, I am pleased to announce that I'll be doing a special feature. And the theme is . . . _A Time of Wonder!_ It will feature stories about Wonderland and all the students from Wonderland who are here now!"

Incomprehensible murmuring made its way through the Castleteria crowd and it mostly sounded positive if the way a good majority of the students were smiling and grinning at one another. Alistair Wonderland and Bunny Blanc seemed particularly interested; it seemed like so long ago since they had been expelled from their homeland and came to Ever After, only to find themselves right in the middle of a horrible curse from the land they held dear to their hearts. And while Ever After was a nice place (Bunny was pleased it had a steady supply of carrots that didn't try to talk back to you), there was just something about Wonderland that continuously made them long for their childhood days when they would play tag on the checkerboard grass and chase after the flocks of dodo birds and keep the caterpillars up all night with their antics.

"I think Apple's idea is _awesome!_ " a loud and abrasive voice cut out over the chatter, nearly silencing everyone. All attention turned towards the back of the Castleteria, specifically behind Alistair, Bunny, and Kitty as the frisky feline flashed into existence in a shower of shimmering sparkles and a cheeky smile on her lips. The owner of the voice was a girl perhaps a few inches shorter than Alistair with pale, silvery skin, periwinkle gray eyes framed by an intricate eye makeup design, and platinum blonde hair styled into a wavy side fringe streaked with teal and a high ponytail. She wore a blouse over deep blue leggings colored a myriad of colors between the ranges of black, blue, and gold that seemed to have no end or beginning; what caught the most attention however, were the four shimmering fairy wings that sprouted out from between her shoulder blades and the cocky, mischievous smirk on the fairy's face.

Apple beamed brightly. "Thanks, Faybelle!" she smiled before she realized exactly what the Daughter of the Dark fairy had just said. "Wait, you do?"

"Something smells fishy." Ben frowned with suspicion.

Skurd coughed awkwardly. "Are you sure those are not your socks?"

"You don't even have a nose."

"I don't require one. Your socks are foul enough." the Slimebiote huffed with disgust, pinching a tentacle over the place where a nose might have been if he had one.

If Faybelle heard the bickering between Ben and his irritating parasite of a partner, she didn't say anything as she gave her wings a flutter and rose up off of the floor. The Castleteria was waiting with baited breath as the dark fairy buzzed over them and up to the balcony where Apple was firmly rooted in place; Faybelle took a small amount of joy in knowing that someone of Apple's class and stature would _never_ be able to fly and would forever be earth bound. "Sure, it'll give you a chance to rehash how these _Blunderland brats_ got stuck here in the first place!"

Whisp seemed confused as she finally managed to get a hold of herself and stop laughing. "What do you mean?"

Faybelle allowed a dark smirk cross her lips as she glanced at the genie out of the corner of her eye. In all honesty, she hated Ben's little group of monsters if for no other reason than the wasted potential they practically oozed forth from their pores. By now they could have been ruling the school with their frightening abilities and powers and yet they chose to remain loyal by Ben's side and roll over at his slightest suggestion like some kind of lap dog; at least the genie had a mischievous streak in her and wasn't afraid to play a prank or two to lighten the mood. That alone spared Whisp from Faybelle's general hatred towards her friends and eased her into what Faybelle might call 'apprentice' or 'competition'.

"Oh, you don't know?" she seemed to purr darkly. "You don't know the reason why the Wonderlandians are here in the first place? It's all thanks to Raven's mom, _The Evil Queen!_ " Faybelle explained with flare, dramatically pulling her Mirrorpad from her pocket and tapping a button on the screen.

What followed was something Ben hoped he would never have to hear again. He had faced down Vilgax the Conqueror and the High Ectolord Zs'Skayr and even taken on Zombozo of all the villains that haunted his dreams. But that laugh, that sinister cackle was something that he knew would forever torment him in the deepest corners of his mind, forever at the edge of his dreams and nightmares just out of reach to be snuffed out and forgotten. It was the kind of thing that had complete disregard for any and all life, seeing as the helpless innocents that they slaughtered as little more than playthings and the lands they burned and conquered like toys; at least Vilgax was loyal to his people. The owner of this voice, the kind that would give even Zs'Skayr and Zombozo nightmares, didn't sound like she cared for anything at all but herself and her endless lust for power.

It seemed no one else in the Castleteria could forget it either as chaos reared its ugly head once more. Lilly Bo Peep's sheep were once again sent off running in all directions, though the shepherd made no move to try and round them all up as she tried to hide behind her shepherd's crook like it were a weapon; the Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff made a break for it, jumping on the tables and running for the doors while sending food flying in all directions in their mad attempt to escape, thus splattering Daring with a plate of eggs and bacon on their way out; Tiny promptly fell to his knees with a tremendous tremor that threatened to take down a good portion of the Castleteria while Cupid instinctively wrapped her wings around her and Dexter as if they would provide some kind of comfort; other than that, the general reaction was that of screaming and panic.

A loud _smack!_ rang out through the Castleteria as Raven all but slammed her lunch tray down on the table, no longer feeling hungry as she pushed herself away from the table and stood up in annoyance; the entire Castleteria fell dead silent. "Hey, that's not fair!" she protested angrily. "It's not my mom's fault that Wonderland is sealed off from Ever After!"

The witchling received deadpanned and accusing looks in response that made her cringe inward slightly. "I mean, okay, maybe she poisoned Wonderland's magic and sure, because of her Wonderland is even more topsy-turvy than ever and, yeah, thanks to her the Queen of Hearts is a total wacko-screwball-"

A loud gasp of shock radiated through the crowd at the young witch's words as all eyes darted towards one specific location at the center of the Castleteria. Sitting by herself with a tray of heart-shaped tea cakes, pastries, and a steaming kettle of Wonderland tea sprinkled with cinnamon for extra flavoring was Lizzie Hearts. Normally such insults would have turned the future ruler of Wonderland on her head and sent her on a rampage that was just as dangerous as it was loud and it was a wonder she hadn't worn out her vocal cords and fingers already from all the screaming and slicing she made during her legendary tantrums . . . and yet, Lizzie was quiet as a mouse and oblivious to the outside conversation.

She hardly even looked up from her crestfallen posture (hardly becoming of a future ruler, even one from Wonderland) when Faybelle descended down from above to rub salt into the wound by saying, "Uh, hello? Raven just totally insulted your mom!"

Raven flinched just the slightest. "Sorry, Lizzie," she apologized. "It's just . . . I'm trying to point out that if you're gonna look for someone to blame . . . blame Headmaster Grimm!" the witchling came up with what she supposed was a compelling argument as she knew she'd never be able to live it down if she didn't at least come away from her sudden speech with a tie. "I mean, he's always like, 'You must always follow your own story!' and, 'Lets trap the Evil Queen in a mirror, forever!', am I right?"

It was then that Raven finally took notice of the anxious and horrified expressions on her classmates faces. Glancing up out of the corner of her eyes revealed Ben and Whisp making exaggerated cutting and slicing motions over their throats in a desperate attempt to silence her while Apple covered her eyes, fearful of what was to come as she dared to peek through her fingers. Another curious thing she took note of was that something seemed to be blocking the light all of a sudden; whatever it was was not so much big and imposing as plump and in possible need of an exercise program.

Raven had a feeling she knew what her boyfriend was trying to warn her about.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" she guessed with worry.

"She's doomed." Skurd murmured as he facepalmed himself.

Raven flinched as she heard the harsh cough and turned around to smile sheepishly up at the Headmaster as he glared at her with a poisonous look, as if trying to peer into her soul to see what mischief stained her. " _Correct. And you may be seated._ " he snarled gruffly before turning to address the Castleteria. "As for the rest of you, understand this: the Wonderland Curse is _dangerous_ and _no one_ must be allowed to have contact with that world for _any_ reason! It has been sealed off for your own good."

Grimm glared almost threateningly at the Castleteria crowd, his stern expression boring itself through each student like dragon fire through a pitiful wood sword; it was so hard to make the students, especially the dreaded Rebels, that he was only doing these kind of things to them for their own protection. Wonderland _was_ dangerous, even without the curse threaten to descend down on whatever remained of the realm, and that was only the tip of the sword. With the Storybook of Legends still missing, there was a chance that the world as they all knew it would end if the stories were not followed as best as possible and destinies fulfilled to their fullest extent; after all, even the best laid plans of mice and men went awry, and Grimm had no reason to believe that such a thing would be merciful in rearing its ugly head.

After all, they already had Madeline Hatter as the next Mad Hatter and it had been a near constant tradition that the next in the Hatter line to fulfill the destiny was to be a boy; even if there was a girl at the right age to attend school and learn all that was needed to play their part in the story, they would always be skipped over for the next available boy who was sometimes a fifth cousin whose mother had been twice removed from the family and been remarried three times. Only now, when every other boy in the extensive Hatter clan was either too old or far too young to the play the part was young Madeline inducted to be the next Mad Hatter.

But it was more than keeping up with tradition. Grimm felt his brow furrow when he caught sight of young Dexter Charming and Cupid sitting a little closer than they should have in his opinion. He had been headmaster of Ever After High for nearly two centuries after taking over the position from his father as the eldest son and never had he seen such a near blatant disregard for relationships; princesses were allowed to interact with other men from different fairy tales in a purely platonic way and only ever build intimate relationships with the heroes and princes of their stories. The last time he had ever had to deal with such a case was when Snow White IV herself had been a mere princess and was struggling to understand the complicated manner of Kingdom Management.

Headmaster Grimm however, walked on the side of caution in this case. With Dexter's nearly unpredictable ability to change into wild and unruly Beast form, he had a safe theory that it would take more than a stern speech to break him apart from Cupid and send him off in the right direction, unlike Snow White's former boyfriend.

The headmaster turned on his heel to make his exit and paused when he saw Ben leaning against the railing with an expression that looked like he was struggling not to laugh and trying to take the warning seriously. This was quite difficult when Whisp was currently wearing an oversized jacket, ascot, and a curly mustache scribbled onto her upper lip while seemingly having just finished mocking him; the way the genie had stuffed several pillows underneath of her shirt was not appreciated either and Grimm would have sent her straight to his office for a stern talking to had he not had flashbacks about being turned into a camel and having to replace the door to the Healer Sternum's office.

What was more annoying however, was that she was even here in the first place. He had thought he had seen the last of the infernal, wish-granting creatures years ago.

"Oh, oh! Headmaster Grimm!"

The portly man gave a slight sigh as he slowed his pace at the sound of that warm, positive voice. Grimm had to admit that Apple was a well behaved student, if not a bit reckless in choosing a proper boyfriend, and when he was having a particularly nasty day when his coffee was always cold and he slipped on every wet floor in the school and he was relentlessly battered by stray bookballs that shouldn't have been thrown in the hallways in the first place, he could always count on the young, perky princess to somehow brighten his day just the slightest. Sometimes he would find her supervising the Study Hall he had to watch over in place of the usual teacher or reading off the morning announcements when he was still groggy and only half awake from a night of reading over a near endless stack of papers; Hex, she had even provided him with an entire breakfast buffet on his birthday (Ginger Breadhouse had a hand in that, though).

Some might have regarded that kind of behavior as creepy or going a bit too far, but the headmaster greatly appreciated the small thing Apple did for him when she sensed he was in a foul mood.

This however, was one of the rare times he was not willing to return the favor to Apple for all her hard work.

"As part of my article for _The Griffin_ , I was hoping to ask you about the curse and what hexactly it-"

" _Enough._ " Headmaster Grimm held up a hand to cut Apple's chattering with a cold expression to follow up. This was one of the few times he needed Apple on his side; she was after all one of the most influential students in all of Ever After High. And he had a hunch that if she were to show caution around the subject of Wonderland, there was a chance he would be able to keep even Raven and Ben from putting their noses and/or tentacles, claws, and flippers where they didn't belong. "The world's _must_ remain separate and that is all you need to know." he said curtly before walking away.

A sudden thought occurred to him and he glanced over his shoulder to give one last glare at the Castleteria crowd, specifically Ben and Raven. "I hope I do not have to remind you, Ms. Queen, of the last time one of your relatives ventured beyond Wonderland's borders?"

Raven swallowed nervously though she was inwardly growling at the portly man for practically singling her out. Sure, she was the unofficial leader of the Rebel faction but was there really any need to rub salt into the wound? The sound of her own mother's malevolent crowing set her own nerves on edge and she unconsciously hugged herself as faint, almost forgettable memories flashed through her head; the glint of a blade; the horrible odor and crimson color of blood; words and incantations she could only remember bits and pieces of; a being so massive and horrific in appearance she could hardly remember it; the harsh caress of cold, clammy fingers across her burning skin; and above it all, that endless, menacing laughter that worked its way into the darkest corners of her mind and made her stomach tie itself in knots in discomfort.

And that wasn't taking into the account that the silvery scars marking her body seemed to be burn just a little hotter in the presence of the twisted cackling.

"No, Headmaster Grimm." Raven shuddered. Ben instantly took notice and returned the harsh glare sent their way with full force; starring down a potbellied headmaster was nothing compared to starring down the likes of a predator that wanted nothing more than to feel your flesh between its teeth and yours scream of terror down its throat or planet conquering super villain that burned whole worlds simply because he could and would stop at nothing to do it. It was no small surprise then when Whisp caught sight of a small smirk of satisfaction cross Ben's when Headmaster Grimm seemed to cringe the slightest of degrees that hawk-like stare and made his way back to his office.

Ben then turned his attention to the distant witchling. "Raven, is there something you're not telling me?" he asked with a concerned tone.

Raven sucked in a deep breath and calmed herself before looking at Ben with a look that he couldn't quite identify but would definitely peg under the 'touchy subject' area. "It's . . . complicated, Ben." she sighed. "It's just-"

"Tell me when your ready, Rae, okay?" Ben cut her off, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't know entirely what's going on, but I want to help in anyway I can. Whenever your ready to tell me, just let me know, alright? It'll be our little secret, too."

The young witch felt her tense shoulders relax at that calming voice and the comforting touch he gave her. It was unfortunately settled right on one of the many silvery scars that lurked around on her body, but the burning sensation seemed to be cooling under Ben's touch; she couldn't quite figure out why, but she would take this over the uncomfortable feeling any day. "A-Alright." she nodded with a grateful smile.

Ben grinned. "Good. Now we should probably get to class." he said just as the bell rang sharp and true through the air, sending students scattering in all directions. "And here I was hoping I would get breakfast."

" _I've_ already eaten." Skurd announced proudly.

Whisp rolled her eyes. "That's because your meal is portable." she retorted before she snapped her fingers and summoned a delicious French toast stick in her hand; a cereal bar and a plastic cup of orange juice appeared in a puff of black smoke in Ben's hands and the wielder of the Omnitrix gratefully chugged it all down. "Oh, and Apple? Just ask Raven out already!" the djinni teased before vanishing in a puff of sweet smelling smoke.

Raven raised a curious eyebrow at the comment as she shared a look with Ben. "What is she talking about?" she wondered. The young witchling took note of the way Apple's cheeks had flashed a fierce red in color.

"You probably don't want to know." Skurd told her.

* * *

Apple hummed cheerfully to herself as she laid her books on the front desk and slid out the chair to take a seat in. The Study Hall was a quaint, if not slightly dim room that was tinted a light red in color when the crimson curtains were lazily drawn in front of the windows. Book shelves that stretched from ceiling to floor lined its walls with hundreds of books in various languages and tongues coming from all over Ever After among which a few artifacts had been amassed as well; a few ladders allowed access to shelves that stretched almost twenty more feet up in the tube-shaped room and this briefly made Apple wonder if some of the architects that had built the impressive boarding school had not come from Wonderland to offer their unique designs of structure.

Her last class, Science and Sorcery with Professor Rumpelstiltskin had been simple for her and a disaster for everyone else. If one just remembered all the formulas and the mohexular valence crossed referenced with the periodic table of elements, it was just logic! Raven of course, had found her own way to do it just as well and Apple wouldn't have imagined it any other way; she still wished Raven would have at least refrained from apologizing for interrupting her speech to get up on her soapbox, as it still wasn't becoming of a future Evil Queen. That, and remembered how to turn a poor Dexter back to normal after his experiment had accidentally turned him into a sheep and earned him a quick adoption by Lilly Bo Peep to escort him down to the healer's office.

After that experience, Dexter could give a full on account on the lives of Lilly's sheep and had strongly urged her to stop using the same brand of shampoo that his brother did; according to him, the smell made the sheep queasy after bath day, even if it did make their wool coats all the fluffier.

"I, Apple White, hereby call this meeting to order," she began proudly as she banged a small gavel down on the desk to draw attention to herself. "All here, please state your name for . . . the . . . record."

It was then the princess glanced up from the desk and noticed that the Study Hall was completely empty. No desks had been moved around by friends wanting to sit closer together, no chairs had been moved to allow more leg room, no books were being taken off the shelves to pass the time, it was all empty and quiet as the grave; this made Apple droop slightly. She had at least thought the Wonderlandians would be here to help her spread their culture and way of life to the rest of their classmates, but it seemed they had better things to do. Even Raven and Ben, the two closest people in her lives, had failed to show up and lend her a hand.

"Um . . . Darling Charming?" a small and frail voice spoke up from the front row. Apple studied her fair, tan skin and her wavy, platinum hair with blue streaks tied back into a small bump that cascaded back down as curls. Her eyes met the same, sparkling blue that she usually saw in Daring and Dexter and took note of the charming, if not shy smile the princess gave her. Her dress was a simple silver in color with a second layer of blue decorated with pink and navy swirls; a denim jacket covered her top and Apple raised an eyebrow at how the shoulder pads almost resembled the suits of armor that silently patrolled the hallways and always tightened their grip on their axes whenever Ben walked in range of them.

Apple was honestly trying to remember where she had seen this girl, if ever, and was honestly coming up empty on that. The closest lead she had was the last name and the Daughter of Snow White instantly pegged as the two Charming brother's youngest sibling; now that she was with Ben, she honestly didn't have a lot of good experiences with members of the Charming family and had quickly learned that a lot of what they did was for show. Hex, there was even a tradition among the family where they would each try their luck at wooing and charming the person most resistant to their charisma during any one of their grand balls and meetings, just for the sake of it!

Even so, Apple was willing to give the girl a chance. "Okay, only one person, but we'll make it work!" she tried to give a positive smile. "Thanks for coming, Darling. Is there some special interest you have in Wonderland?"

"Oh! Um . . . who isn't interested in Wonderland?" the young Charming princess seemed to shift awkwardly at that question and Apple raised an eyebrow. She didn't think she was that intimidating; sure she could get really irritated at times when people weren't listening to reason or were only making a situation worse by running around like cockatrice with their heads chopped off. Hex, she couldn't hold a grudge for more than a good thirty minutes!

" _Especially what secrets it might hold . . ._ " Apple blinked in surprise at that slip of the princess' lip before Darling seemed to catch onto what she may or may not have said. "Not that I like secrets! Or have any! Or . . . uh . . ." she shifted uncomfortably. Apple merely gave a mild, suspicious gaze, wondering if the princess was one of the new students to arrive. Yes, that had to be it because this girl was acting far too stressed and nervous to be anything but at the bottom of the pecking order of Ever After High's food chain.

Despite, Apple was not about to turn down a lending hand. "Well, I'm happy to have your help. Now since it's just the two of us-" she started to put her quill pen away before the door to the Study Hall creaked open and Lizzie shuffled through. "Oh, Lizzie! Glad you could make it!"

The Princess of Hearts hardly seemed to hear her as she raised a hand to beg for a moment of silence from the Daughter of Snow White. Her head was hurting and her heart was suffering from a poison far worse than anything the jabberwocky's of her homeland could ever offer. "Apple, I'm so sorry, but . . . even talking about Wonderland is . . . difficult for me right now . . ." she sighed miserably. "You see, today is my mother's birthday."

"Oh, but that's wonderful!" Darling smiled cheerily.

Lizzie only sulked deeper at that. "Not really. She sent me this invitation." she said as she pulled a rolled up scroll from out of the folds of her dress to the two princesses.

Apple took the piece of parchment in hand and unrolled it to come face to face with official royal seal of the Queen of Hearts, a set of heart-decorated playing cards beneath a pair of flamingos whose hooked bills touched ever so slightly above the image of a curled up hedgehog. Beneath that were a pair of lips that seemed to have perhaps a tad too much makeup on and Apple nearly dropped the scroll right then and there when the lips began to move and speak.

With the Queen of Heart's voice nonetheless.

"Your presents are requested at the Queen's Birthday Bash," the lips spoke in a commanding voice sprinkled with shreds of madness and Wonderlandian kindness (not to be confused with the usual kind of kindness that everyone took for granted). "Yes, it has been far too long, and I cannot wait to bask in your presents. Yes, don't forget the presents."

Apple had to hold back a smile at that. "Your mom sure does like presents, huh?"

" _ **PRESENTS!**_ " the lips suddenly screamed, nearly sending Apple into dropping the paper.

The corners of Lizzie's mouth barely tugged the slightest. "I would _so_ love to be there to help her spellebrate, but . . . with the entrance sealed . . . I can never go home." she whispered with a sniff, almost on the verge of tears as she tried to forget her wondrous Wonderland in the hopes of keeping it all together; it did no good though. She could still feel the warm rays of sun on her impossible-to-tan skin as she and her friends chased each other across the checkerboard fields and through the playing card groves. She could still hear the flocks of dodo birds that flew overhead and the thunderous roars and deep, ancient voices of the jabberwocky's that sunned themselves on the river banks. She even still remember the way the Mad Hatter's tea would always taste like hot soda in the Wonderland air, the flavor having dulled to something just a little lackluster now that they were stuck in Ever After.

Lizzie missed home.

Apple felt her heart clench upon seeing the Wonderlandian so miserable. Before her mother had arrived to take over as a teacher at Ever After High she had missed her parents dearly and would videochat with them on her Mirrorphone at least once a week to keep updated on everything happening back home; Lizzie on the other hand, couldn't even make a phone call to her dear mother, as if the Queen of Hearts was put under lock and key with absolutely no contact from the outside world allowed. "Sorry," Apple apologized sympathetically. "That must be so difficult-"

She was interrupted by a harsh cackling of amusement as the piece of parchment was yanked from grasp and fluttered up through the air as if on a breeze. Before Apple could try and get the invitation back a puff of noxious, black smoke exploded from the air and revealed none other than Faybelle Thorn in its place with the most mischievous and irritating grin on her face Apple had seen in a long time.

The dark fairy proceeded to rub her success in the princesses' face. " _Hah!_ An invisibility spell! _BOOYAH!_ " she crowed.

Darling and Apple glared suspiciously at Faybelle as she fluttered down on delicate wings only to mock them even further. " _Sorry_ , but I _had_ to pull the brakes on that sob story. We were only one pun away from waterworks, and I don't think the foundation is flood-proof!"

Lizzie snarled and snatched away her mother's invitation, trying to ignore the way Faybelle knew _just_ how to get right under her skin in the most infuriating way. "So, little miss 'I Heart Wonderland' wants to go home and see her mommy?" Faybelle ridiculed the Princess of Hearts. "Sounds like you need the help of a dark fairy."

Apple watched with disdain as the Daughter of the Dark Fairy shoved the scroll back into Lizzie's hands before almost casually buzzing over to the front desk and roughly sending her books and papers tumbling into the wastebasket with a flick of her finger. "Yep, you need some pretty powerful magic to get to Wonderland, and _clearly_ I'm the most powerful one-"

The fairy suddenly started hacking and coughing as she held her throat like she was in pain; while she suffered from no injury, she knew exactly what was going on. It was a sort of evolutionary leftover from the days her prehistoric ancestors had used their magical capabilities to track and stun larger prey before finally injecting it with a lethal venom from their fangs and young fairies that had just been birthed had to constantly be on the look out for much larger and powerful, but slower adults that had a nasty habit of cannibalizing any young fairies not of their own blood. Faybelle's species had long sense lost use of the sacks of venom that they had once used to hunt down prey, but they still have the sharp, pointed, piranha-like fangs that once used to inject the deadly poison into their food and a sort of early warning system that warned the young fairies of sources of powerful magic that was best to flee from.

The dark fairy's warning system was going haywire as her vision was encompassed by smoldering, purple tendrils of energy and gas that seemed to spring forth from thin air. Her senses were swamped and overwhelmed as a sudden weight was placed upon her and forced her down onto the desk as she gasped for breath; just as fulminant as it had come, it was gone with a dying roar that finally allowed Faybelle to regain her senses.

The first thing that she noticed was that someone was sitting on her.

" _Finally!_ I got us to the Study Hall!" Raven cheered excitedly as she dared to crack her eyes open. It had been by no means easy to transport herself, her boyfriend, Madeline Hatter, Alistair Wonderland, Bunny Blanc, and Briar Beauty all at once to their desired location, and they had been everywhere and all over the school; one mishap had summoned them to the middle of the Beanstalk Bakery and another had released them almost a thousand feet in the air just above Ever After High's tallest and pointiest spire before Raven had managed to safely teleport them down to the ground (albeit in the school's fountain, but it was better than plummeting to ones death, even if Briar wanted to try it again with a parachute).

Apple grinned brightly. "You guys came!"

"Of course we did!" Ben rolled his eyes with a light scoff from the floor where it looked like he had just been thrown into the desk. "We just took a wrong turn at Albuquerque."

Maddie giggled as she hung upside down from the chandelier, her gravity-defying hat stuck firmly on her head despite her dress flopping down and giving them all a decent look at her polka-dotted leggings before she expertly swung herself down and landed on her feet. "We should have taken a turn at Here instead of going There and then got all turned around at This Way and That Way and Ever Which Way There Is." the Hatter explained in her nonsensical logical.

Raven shook her head at Maddie's sense of gumption. "Sorry, Apple." she apologized before she realized that the desk she was sitting on was rather lumpy and a little too warm to be made of wood; glancing down she realized that she and Bunny had the misfortune of landing right on top of Faybelle. "And I'm sorry I . . . smashed . . . you, Faybelle." the witch added. "I'm still getting the hang of this 'magic spell' business."

The dark fairy let out an annoyed grunt that turned into a wheezing gasp when the furry, white rabbit perched on top of her head gave a small hop and disappeared in a puff of glittering, purple smoke to be replaced by Bunny Blanc, who proceeded to land quite painfully on the fairy's back. "Don't worry. You'll get use to it."

" _Get. Off. Me._ " Faybelle gave a predatory hiss. It was bad enough her roommate left carrot stems all over their dorm, but now this? Bunny was just lucky Faybelle was too concerned about her delicate wings to care much about striking the Daughter of the White Rabbit with white lightning.

Alistair grunted as he extricated himself from a bookshelf and jumped down to land behind Apple. "Has the meeting started yet?" he asked as Bunny quickly hopped off of Faybelle and uttered a quick apology.

"Of course it hasn't! You can't start a meeting until you've had tea!" Maddie laughed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The Hatter then proceeded to take off her hat and reach down up to the elbow and rummaging around for a few seconds before she finally came up with a teapot full of steaming, hot tea just waiting to poured; it was then that Maddie realized something. "Oh! But you can't have tea without scones! And you certainly can't eat a scone without jam! And I would never eat jam without butter! And you can't spread your butter without-"

Skurd was absolutely baffled to how the Hatter pulled out all of the aforementioned items and foods from the teapot, her shoe, her tiny, teacup-shaped top hat once again, and even her dress, respectively. "How the dickens does she do that?"

"It's best not to question it." Briar shrugged.

Lizzie hardly heard the Slimebiote mulled over the many possibilities to Maddie's deviltry and merely rested her head on the desk with her arms encircling to form a protective wall of sorts to shut out anyone and any noise that might try to get in; she had originally come to the Study Hall in the hopes of having some quiet time to herself so that she could mourn in peace, only to find that it was already occupied by Apple and Darling. Her princess training and common sense both told her that it was not only rude to leave a gathering unannounced, even if it was unexpected, but that if she suddenly left without explanation only after opening the door it would definitely raise some questions.

The Princess of Hearts only shifted when she felt someone carefully tap her on the shoulder, as if they were cautious yet respective of her. When the tap came again Lizzie rolled her head up to see Ben crouched down to be eye level with her, a look of concern and understanding on his face. "You need a shoulder to cry on?" he asked kindly.

Lizzie allowed a slight curl of her lips as she sat up and relaxed back in the comfy, velvet-seated desk before her fingers found their way into the folds of her dress and pulled out a stack of playing cards that she absentmindedly began to shuffle to keep her hands busy. "I suppose," Lizzie sighed. "It's just . . . Wonderland is the only home I've ever known . . . I miss it dearly. It's not that I don't like Ever After, it's just . . . I . . ."

Ben placed a hand on Lizzie's ruby gloves, ceasing the constant flipping noise the cards made as they were twisted and stacked and shuffled in an array of tricks that the princess had probably memorized from her younger years. "You miss your family, don't you?" he guessed.

Lizzie nodded, noticing just how small her petite fingers were compared to Ben's calloused digits. She missed her mother dearly and she had realized a long time ago that while her friends all missed Wonderland in their own right, she was the only with family still there; Maddie still had her father to look after her and check up on them every now again as a service to his majesty, and even Kitty was able to keep in contact with her mother on a rare basis. Bunny and Alistair had at least managed to say their good-byes to their parents before they had managed to find a way into Ever After, but Lizzie was left with no one to care for her. "For all I know, the curse has ended Wonderland as we know it."

Ben frowned at that thought. "Tell me more about this curse. Exactly what does it have to do with the Evil Queen? And why does Not-so-slim Grimm want us to keep away from it?"

The future ruler of Wonderland was silent for what seemed the longest time and Ben feared her had dwelled on subject that best remain untouched. It wasn't until he felt her fingers thread themselves through his and her grip tighten did Lizzie give a weary sigh and sit back in the chair to speak. "The Evil Queen . . . she wanted to bring all the realms under her evil rule; she first completed her task as the villain for Snow White's story before proceeding to take over Sleeping Beauty's own tale and send her into a century long slumber and . . . travel to Wonderland. She cast a dark spell of chaotic magic upon my homelands . . . _'From good to bad and bad to worse, on Wonderland I cast this curse'_ . . ."

Ben held back a squeak of surprise when he felt Lizzie's grip tighten to the point where she was starting to cut off the circulation. Her throat was dry as she fought back tears of fear and regret for not trying to save her mother from what had soon followed; the memories haunted her nightmares almost weekly and it often surprised her without how much strength she had to get through the day without suddenly collapsing from grief. "With the curse cast and Wonderland descending into chaos, only I and a few of my subjects were able to escape to Ever After, leaving all that we loved and held dear for this place . . . that was the last I heard from my mother." she whispered.

Ben pressed his lips in thought. "Lizzie, if you want-"

The princess cut him off with a wave of her hand. "No, Ben. It . . . i-it feels good to tell someone all this after so long . . . Maddie, Kitty, Alistair, and Bunny already know the full story."

Ben could do nothing but nod and wiggle his hand around in Lizzie's surprisingly strong grip until he had managed to ease the pressure on his fingers. He could tell the way he was slowly rubbing his thumb in slow, soothing circles was helping Lizzie to stay emotionally anchored as she continued the treacherous tale. "Upon hearing of the Fall of Wonderland, the Brothers Grimm and Madame Yaga took action against the Evil Queen . . . _'We cast this spell out to protect, while upon your deeds you shall reflect . . . you've failed this world to overwhelm, and are cast into the Mirror Realm'_. . . ever since her imprisonment, the Evil Queen has been doomed to walk the space between the real world and our reflections . . . forevermore."

"My, how . . . dramatic." Skurd remarked in awe.

Ben resisted the urge to flick the Slimebiote and gave Lizzie's hand a gentle, comforting squeeze. "So . . . she's trapped behind a mirror?"

" _All_ mirrors." Lizzie nodded grimly, her eyes flickering with aggression towards the back of the room where a full-length mirror had been installed in the bookshelf. The Wonderlandian narrowed her eyes as if she could almost imagine the Evil Queen, the vile woman who had turned her life and world upside down for her own nefarious purposes without care for the consequences, materializing behind the glass and mocking her; Lizzie wanted nothing more than to nail the horrible hag between the eyes with a razor edged playing card.

At the very least, she could smash the mirror to make herself feel better.

"-off with her head!"

All eyes snapped to attention as they focused on Maddie. The Hatter was tightly cuddling her pet dormouse, Earl Grey, to her chest as she starred almost blankly ahead with what had to be the most fearful face that Lizzie had seen on her friend in a long time. The last she had ever seen that expression, that was devoid of the usual naivety and endless wonder for the world around and instead replaced by one of unyielding fear and terror, had been the day that Wonderland had fallen and the world as they knew it, the world as they had loved it, had ended.

"Maddie, what are you talking about? That's Lizzie's line." Briar raised an eyebrow of confusion.

The Hatter snapped her head to look at the narcoleptic princess and Briar immediately tensed under the frightened look. Wonderlandians as she knew them, were supposed to cheerful and whimsical and generally just mad and happy all at once; very rarely did they ever get angry (the Queen of Hearts didn't count), and if such occasion ever occurred it was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Even more rare were moments where they stupefied into absolute trepidation beyond all reason and if they were scared of something, one could only assume that they should be fearful as well.

" _The salamander can grow a limb but the cabbage can't lose its head! Playing cards without kings and queens don't make a full deck! The bandersnatches without an alpha fall into disarray! YOU CAN'T GO FISHING WITHOUT BAIT!_ " Maddie practically screamed at the top of her lungs, madly running all over the place with her arms flailing and threatening to smack someone with the force of a thousand fists until Alistair got up and hugged the Hatter from behind. He had to admit that it was quite hard to hang onto a squirming Maddie, even with her arms pinned to her side, and he very nearly let her go when her heels painfully bounced against his legs and shins in her sudden panic attack, but he managed to hang on.

"What the hex is wrong with her!?" Faybelle yelled.

"I don't know!" Ben yelled over Maddie's senseless babbling. "I don't speak Riddlish!"

"How do we get to her stop!?" Darling panicked.

Lizzie pressed her lips in frustration as she analyzed the situation. The craziest Maddie had ever gotten was that one time she had accidentally eaten too much sugar-related sweets and pastries of Ginger Breadhouse's own cooking and gone on the loudest sugar rush Ever After High had ever seen; it took Headmaster Grimm, Professor Badwolf, King Charming, and Madame Yaga an hour to catch her and even then she had managed to elude their grasp for an extra half hour before she abruptly crashed and promptly fell asleep on the floor. Daring had carried the exhausted Hatter back to her room with Kitty to open the door and tuck her roommate in bed and the party had resumed at near normalcy after a majority of the sweets had been confiscated just in case.

That whole mess would have ended a lot sooner had someone stepped up as leader and not let everyone run around in a near mindless pandemonium, and that was exactly what this current mess needed. With a sigh and her hand still clutching Ben's in a tight grip, Lizzie rose out of her seat and dragged him with her up to the panicking Hatter before she raised her hand and promptly slapped her across the face.

A heavy silence filled the room as Lizzie glared at Maddie, expecting an answer to her sudden irrational answer. "Maddie, what is the meaning of this? I hexpect a calm and collective answer, please." she added when the Hatter sucked in a deep breath; the last thing they needed was more insanity.

Alistair increased his grip on Maddie just a little tighter as she nodded and proceeded to take a few calming breaths before answering. "A dragon without its wings is like a kingdom without its king." she replied.

Ben could swear his hand was turning a deep shade of purple with tightly Lizzie was squeezing his fingers to the point he thought he could hear his bones breaking. The future ruler of Wonderland's face was absolutely drained of blood and was several shades paler than it normally was a result; if Ben could compare it something, he would have to say she was terrified beyond all reason before meeting a swift death that kept her horrific features in place long since rigor mortis had passed.

"Lizzie? Lizzie!" Apple bit her lip, waving a hand in front of the Wonderlandian's face to try and get a response. "Lizzie, what did Maddie say?"

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts swallowed nervously before speaking, her entire body trembling as she managed to spit out the words. "M-my mother . . . at her birthday party there is a plot to overthrow her . . . a-and kill her . . ."

As soon as those words had left her lips Lizzie all but collapsed to the floor on weak legs. She could hear the distorted voices of her friends as her head spun from such dire and revealing information that she could just barely comprehend. Why was there a plot to dethrone her mother? Hadn't the Hearts family been kind and just rulers over Wonderland? Had they not proven that they were a powerful family? Had they not proven time and time again that they were willing to give their lives for their homeland and its citizens? Apparently not enough if there was a plan to oust her mother from her royal position, and that only made Lizzie's head hurt even worse as she tried to even comprehend who would even think of such a thing.

Her grip was shaky and her breathing shallow and nervous as she tried to tell herself that everything was alright. Lizzie was at least thankful that Ben had helped ease her down to the floor and let her seat herself upon his lap and lean into his frame to help put her mind at ease. The firm grip he kept on her hand and the hushed, calming words that she hardly heard whispered in her ear were soothing just enough that she was able to think more clearly; her heart was still beating fast and rapid and her mind was still racing at a hundred miles per hour, but her thoughts were more clear and organized.

"Lizzie? What do we do?" Ben asked her in a calm voice that helped ease her pumping pulse.

The Princess of Hearts blinked as she was swiftly brought back to reality with an almost painful snap with how silent everything was. She glanced up in slight confusion when she noticed that everyone was looking at her expectedly for an answer, even Maddie now that Alistair deemed her calm enough to be released. "If . . . If my mother is in danger, then. . ."

"We'll find a way to help her." Alistair nodded firmly.

Bunny decided now was probably the best time to address the elephant in the room. "But how? If we can't even get back to Wonderland?" she wondered.

"There's _gotta_ be some way! A weak spot or . . . a secret we don't know about?" Raven suggested desperately. She was grasping at straws here, but this was a situation of dire consequences with the fate of Wonderland as the prize. This wasn't something they could simply take to the Headmaster or even the Grand Council, as everyone would believe them to be absolutely nuts if they came to them with stories about voices telling them of a plot to dethrone the ruler of Wonderland; even if the evidence, such as the Wonderlandians talking to the air too much or knowing things they shouldn't, was compelling enough to make a convincing argument.

"Maybe we should look at what's been written about Wonderland before?" Darling suggested a little bolder than she had initially appeared to Apple. "I mean, we're surrounded by old research, aren't we?"

Raven nodded as she turned around and picked off a promising book from the shelf behind her. "Everybody, grab a book. Look for whatever you can find out about Wonderland or, I dunno, how to get back or _anything!_ " she instructed.

" _Typical._ " Faybelle grumbled grouchily at being ignored so easily. Nonetheless she opened a book casually misplaced on the teacher's desk in a minimalist effort to look busy. The fairy tales quickly split up to cover as much of the towering library the Study Hall had to offer, peering into books and snapping them shut before reshelfing them and repeating the process all over again. Alistair pulled off a book easily the size of his hand that was crammed at the back of the shelf and squinted as hard as possible in an attempt to read the almost microscopic print while Bunny just barely managed to pull out a book that was almost her size and allowed her to sit comfortably on the page when she got it to finally open. Maddie was more than happy to simply attack the shelves themselves, yanking off books that looked promising and tossing them almost carelessly over her shoulder where they landed safely in stacks on the desks with surprising accuracy; Darling was more organized in her search and simply dropped down any books that had potential to them into Apple's waiting arms.

The princess was just about ready to collapse under the sheer amount of books that Darling had managed to stack in her arms, the tower at east twice as tall as her.

" _Ergh!_ This is going too slow!" Ben sighed tiredly when he saw how many books they had managed to pull out compared to the amount they had actually had the chance to look into.

It was then that an idea struck him.

"You have an idea, don't you?" Skurd leered suspiciously.

"Don't I always?" Ben teased.

"Yes, but they're not all very good ones, if you catch my drift, m'lad."

Ben ignored the Slimebiote and tapped the Omnitrix on his wrist and cycled through the roster to select XLR8 before slamming a hand down on the activation button; a blast of bright green energy washed over him as his genetic code was morphed and changed. Ben's fingers hardened and snapped into three sharpened blades that acted as digits while his spine arched and bent, forcing a long, whip-like tail out from the base of his spine. Black and blue stripes themselves over the cracking appendage as tight tissues and muscles wove and threaded themselves across his arms and chest, packing particularly tightly in his thighs and legs. Powerful tendons and ligaments connected joints together while his bones shifted and his ankles were forced back into a new joint; his feet tore through his shoes as his toes melted together into a pair of curved toes. The ball of his heel shifted dramatically and ground itself forward, eventually separating from the entire foot itself to form a bony, black sphere for Ben's toes to hug and rest on. Aerodynamic bone spikes thrust themselves out of his elbows as his head was pulled back into a pointed crest while his jaw crunched loudly and his teeth took on a more pointed appearance. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a black and green jumpsuit, a helmet with a slide-down visor, and the Omnitrix and Skurd placed upon his chest.

The Kineceleran grinned as he clicked his claws experimentally. "Now this is what I call speed reading." he quipped. Raven and Apple had enough sense to grab onto their crowns and hold down their skirts when XLR8 took on a pitcher's stance and suddenly sped off in a black and blue blur of speed and energy, zipping back and forth between stacks of books and rapidly flipping through the pages at such high speed that Faybelle was pretty sure she was getting a headache just by watching him.

"Exactly-" Bunny asked when XLR8 dashed past her nearly threatened to yank away her father's stopwatch from her belt. "-how fast is he going?" she wondered when the Kineceleran came to a screeching stop right in front of her.

"Fast enough to break every single speed limit Ever After has, toots." XLR8 grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her before blasting off in another rush of speed; at such a high speed, when even time itself seemed to slow down and even come to a stop at the highest velocities, he could easily see the jealous look on Alistair's face and the way Bunny was blushing furiously.

Perhaps if he pushed just a little more it would get Alistair to finally admit his feelings to the Daughter of the White Rabbit. Or he would receive a punch to the face. Either one was a better option than watching the two clearly have an interest in each other but never openly admit it.

XLR8 instead opted to steal a few promising books from the teetering tower in Apple's hands, grabbing the whole stack and setting it down on the teacher's desk before it could fall, and come back to a stop next to Lizzie on the floor. The princess seemed to be a bit more focused before, but she was barely making any progress with how often she would go back to shuffling her deck of playing cards while starring blankly at the book in front of her.

The future ruler of Wonderland only moved when the Kineceleran curiously peered over her shoulder at the book in front of her, placing a gloved hand on his odd looking feet and tapping one of her fingers on the bony balls beneath his toes. The visor to XLR8's helmet slid upward as he looked at her curiously, unable to read the expression on her face from his angle; it didn't take a genius to figure out what she wanted though. Without a word he shifted his feet and legs into a more comfortable position before squatting down and finally taking a seat on the floor behind Lizzie. The Princess of Hearts let out a long, drawn out breath as she sat back into the Kineceleran's frame and allowed her tense muscles to relax while put her cards away and picked up the book before her.

Raven instinctively perked up at hearing Maddie giggle, as that usually meant the she was in some kind of mischief that the witchling was going to have drag her friend out of. Thankfully though, the Hatter was merely giggling and jumping up and down while clapping her hands for joy when she caught sight of Lizzie and XLR8 curled up on the floor together; the Kineceleran's tail was slightly curled around the princess's feet as she sat back against his chest and casually looked through a book before clapping it shut and picking up a new one. Raven had to smile at how her boyfriend once again managed to work his passive charms and calm the high strung princess and the witchling had no doubt that if it were her father, her family, her kingdom, or all three on the line that he would be there for her as well.

Raven quickly glanced over at how happy Maddie seemed to be and mentally began to clock how long it would take for Lizzie to the join the harem: she guessed at the least, three days. The most would be a week, but she wouldn't be surprised if it was sooner than either option. With the way Maddie was bouncing up and down like a rubber ball, it would inevitably be sooner.

With that in mind, Raven turned back to the book she had been currently looking through and raised an eyebrow at something she had found buried in the text. "Well, here's an interesting thing fact." she announced loudly for everyone to hear. "Maddie, is it true that school in Wonderland is only held one day a year?"

Maddie bobbed her head brightly. "Yeah! But we have to cram a lotta, lotta, _lotta_ study into that one day!" the Hatter explained, swinging her finger up in a spiraling fashion for emphasis.

"It was a _great_ place to live." Alistair sighed fondly.

"And your mom really is a good queen, Lizzie." Bunny added from her spot on the floor next to Alistair and her future ruler. "I think the curse just stressed her out."

"Thanks, Bunny." Lizzie sighed. "It must be so hard for her, all alone with a whole queendom to take care of." she sulked slightly. A faint smile crossed her lips when she felt XLR8's claws give her a gentle pat of comfort to her shoulder.

Raven sighed regrettably as she laid a stack of books on a desk and sat down in one of the seats. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. Despite what I said in the Castleteria . . . this really is my mom's fault." she frowned. Her thoughts were still lingering back to the little spectacle she had put on in a nearly futile effort to defend her family name. The Queen family had once been a highly respected family line of powerful witches and warlocks and wizards whose bloodline stretched back generations all the way back to the very beginning of recorded history; in fact, they had once been one of the first fairy tale families to urge the creation of and the tradition of signing the Storybook of Legends in order to preserve their world from what Apple had claimed to be an all powerful dragon of unspeakable power,

Raven hadn't delved that far back into her family's history to confirm that, but she knew being a member of the Queen clan had once been a highly respected honor; even honorary members who did the proud family of magic users enormous favors or were married in were treated with high respect both from their in-laws and other residents of Ever After. Sure, there had been a few bad eggs that sometimes took their roles as villainous masterminds a bit too far, but not every family was perfect and the general public had come to accept that.

And then came Raven's mother, the latest official Evil Queen.

Raven remembered very little of her own mother, her memories reduced to mere wisps of images and sound that she could only faintly remember. Her own father, the Good King, had actually remembered her quite fondly and spoke of times during the evening when their daughter had been put to bed that the two of them would simply relax in the living room in front of the crackling fireplace and enjoy each others company. But that had sudden changed very quickly and suddenly; no one had seen it coming, not even her own father.

Now to be a member of the Queen clan was something to ashamed of and greatly feared and despised for. The White Kingdom had severed most of their trade routes with the Queen's lands, only keeping the vital resources that they required while looking elsewhere for the other goods; the territories that belonged to Sleeping Beauty had closed off their borders to anyone traveling from the land of the dreaded witches and regular threats and warnings were passed between the two kingdoms almost monthly; Wonderland had suffered a heavy blow and Raven was surprised the Queen of Hearts hadn't outright declared war on her family's estate; but worst of all was the Thorn clan.

According to her father a week hardly went by when the Dark Fairy didn't send him packages or letters that insulted him and his family to the highest degree, as if she wanted to declare war with his lands just to prove that she was fully capable of wiping him out with a mere flick of her finger. The Dark Fairy was a highly respected and very powerful magic user that was known to hold grudges for centuries on end; even if Faybelle was the latest fairy to be born after nearly nine decades without an heir, the Dark Fairy took the insult the Evil Queen had thrown at her by casting the sleeping spell on Sleeping Beauty _very_ seriously.

It was a wonder there hadn't been any attempts made on Raven's life.

"I almost wish she were around. I could at least try and reason with her." Raven attempted to sound convincing. "She'd be powerful enough to open the worlds again."

The young witch tried to not look depressed when her friends and boyfriend gave her a look that she knew all too well, a look that said it was a nice idea but the odds of it ever succeeding were slim to none. Raven had seen that look all too much on her own father's face whenever he would tuck her into bed as a little witchling and she would want to know what her mommy was like and if she ever loved her; she had always been assured that she did and that she missed her very much, but by the time she had entered Spellementary school and had begun to suffer from the constant screaming and fleeing in terror at the mere sight of her, Raven had started to believe otherwise.

If her mother truly loved her she wouldn't have put her darling daughter in this horrible mess where she couldn't even take a step into a crowded classroom without her classmates nearly jumping out the windows and hurting themselves.

A heavy _thump!_ drew Raven's attention toward the back of the Study Hall where a thick manuscript had fallen from a shelf next to the full-length mirror positioned towards the back of the room; she wasn't entirely sure of the mirror's intentional purpose, but the book seemed to beckon to her. The young witch bent down and opened the book to the pages it had fallen open on and was greeted by haphazardly sketched images of spiraling checkerboard illusions and imposing cards with wiry arms and legs and pointed spears for weapons. A carefully detailed drawing of the White Rabbit beckoned her to the bottom of the page next to scribbles and markings that didn't look like anything but nonsense to Raven but could have very well been some kind of lost Wonderland language. What caught her attention the most however, was a picture towards the top right of the second page.

It was a black and white ink drawing of a statuesque woman who sat tall and imposing in a throne of some sorts whose room Raven could not see; no symbols or family crests could be seen otherwise, but she didn't need them to recognize who the woman was. She had seen the scandalous news articles posted about her on the Mirrornet, those same high cheek bones, ivory pale skin, pointed features, and unbearably dark aura were more than enough of a bell ringer to her. The head of raven black hair swept back into a crown-shaped updo and those cold, abyssal black eyes that seemed to stare right into you and figure out exactly what you feared the most were icy and calculating ad Raven knew she would recognize them anywhere.

"What is it?" XLR8 piped up from behind her before the blast of bright green energy and light swept over him and signaled to Raven that Ben had returned to the world. She hardly noticed though with how hard she was focusing on the picture before.

" _My mother . . ._ " Raven swallowed nervously, her grip turning white knuckled.

Maddie was instantly by her side as everyone else crammed around her in an effort to take a look at the book for themselves. "But this book is about Wonderland. Why would it have a picture of the Evil Queen?' she wondered with great concern.

Apple immediately took action. "Good question. Here, set it down." she instructed, directing to a desk. "I'll try my new hexamination app." the princess said as she pulled her Mirrorpad out from her stack of belongings and supplies.

"And you just _happened_ to have that?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes I did. A princess is _always_ prepared." Apple smiled proudly.

"She's your spouse, dear boy." Skurd gave Ben a look that he couldn't quite identify.

Apple ignored the Slimebiote as she tapped her Mirrorpad and opened the app, scrolling down through the selections until she found the voice activated option she was looking for. "Scan photo." she instructed the device, watching proudly as the program did as it was told and locked in on the picture of the Evil Queen.

"She's got a book in her hand." Briar observed.

"Can we see what's in it?" Alistair pressed as he planted his hands on the desk beside Apple, his detective skills now going into overdrive.

The Daughter of Snow White nodded and turned her attention back to the Mirrorpad. "Move up and to the right . . ." she instructed it.

"Look! In the mirror!" Raven pointed from over her shoulder.

"Zoom in on mirror." Apple annunciated clearly for the program to hear.

"There's writing there!" Bunny noticed.

"Can anyone read it?" Alistair asked as he peered at the fuzzy image; all eyes instinctively turned to Ben for a solution to the impossible and were greeted when he gave them a shrug of his shoulders and turned back to looking over Apple's shoulder.

"I got this." Apple assured them as she swiped her finger across the blurred screen. "Reverse image. Enhance one-hundred percent." she instructed, watching with satisfaction when the obscured picture became crystal clear once more.

The princess yelped when the Mirrorpad was suddenly yanked out of her grasp by Ben just as she was narrowing her eyes to try and read it. "It's the Wonderland Curse," he blinked in amazement. " _'From good to bad and bad to worse, on Wonderland I cast this curse'_. . . it's all there!" he realized loudly before he caught sight of how everyone flinched and looked like they were ready to bolt for the door. "Oh, c'mon! It's not like I can perform magic!"

Raven gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Words tend to have power, especially if they're in a spellbook."

"Yes, that would be the _obvious_ yet again." Skurd narrowed his beady, little eyes at Ben for almost blowing them up.

" _Ooooh!_ If we know the curse, you can reverse it!" Maddie exclaimed excitedly as she stole the Mirrorpad out of her boyfriend's grasp and shoved it eagerly into Raven's hands.

Apple seemed to catch on to what Maddie was saying. The curse will be broken, and Headmaster Grimm will remove the seal between our world and Wonderland!"

"Is it _really_ that simple?" Lizzie seemed skeptical, yet hopeful.

"Only one way to find out." Alistair pressed his lips before turning to Raven. "Can you reverse the spell?"

The young witch seemed _very_ uncomfortable with all this information and all the sudden pressure placed upon her. She didn't like how all eyes were suddenly on her with her expressions of hope and pleading; she supposed she should have been use to it by now considering how she and Apple always seemed to be the ones to solve every problem that managed to find its way into Ever After High and their classmates would always turn to them first for answers instead of actual professionals and teachers, which always confused Raven to no end. Ben as well had managed to earn a spot right between his girlfriends, though with how often trouble seemed to center around him specifically and now seemed to leave Apple and Raven well enough alone, she was glad for the welcome change. "I don't know guys. I'm still getting the hang of my magical powers."

"But you transported to this meeting, right?" Apple reminded her.

Raven gulped and rubbed her arm awkwardly. "Um . . . kinda?" she gave a very uncomfortable look. She had indeed managed to transport herself, her boyfriend, and four of her classmates to the Study Hall within a reasonable time, but she also nearly killed them all by dropping them from the top of Ever After High, embarrassed them by appearing right in the middle of the girl's locker room and narrowly escaping by the skin of their necks, and aggravating her classmates to no end (Raven was pretty sure Daring was still upset that she somehow got his brother to spill chocolate pudding all over him). "Magic's not that easy."

As if to somehow prove her point wrong, the air right next to Raven shimmered and wavered ever so slightly before an ever familiar set of pearly whites materialized out of thin air. The well-known face of Kitty soon followed after by her slim shoulders and lithe arms placed upon her rounded hips and long legs. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late." she smiled with her usual, teasing smirk.

"Except for some people." Raven chuckled sheepishly at the almost uncanny timing. "If I try reversing a spell like this, who knows what could happen?"

"Even _I_ don't go messing around with magic." Ben added for emphasis. "Aliens are more my thing."

"So is smashing property and causing collateral damage, my boy." Skurd quipped, earning an irritated flick upside the head by Ben in retaliation. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

"We could get turned into a two-tailed squirrel, or something."

" _Oh, brother!_ " Faybelle scoffed as she rudely shoved Raven aside where she stumbled into Ben's arms. "Step aside, Wannabevil! I got this from here. You've just gotta do it _backwards!_ "

Skurd didn't deem this to be a very sound idea. "Oh, dear." he sighed warily.

Faybelle didn't seem to notice the Slimebiote's suspicion as she eagerly stole the Mirrorpad from Apple's hands and took a step back to give herself some room; likewise, everyone else took a step backwards as well. "Ready? Okay!" Faybelle exclaimed before she began to recite the spell. " _Curse this cast I Wonderland on . . ?_ " the dark fairy stalled just long enough in her cheerhexing-like speech for her to suddenly be swallowed in a puff of magic dust and smoke.

Lizzie couldn't resist from giving an amused smile when she saw that Faybelle had been turned into a flying sheep completely with her own set of fluffy wings. "W-W-W-What!?" she bleated in distress upon seeing her new form. "This is all your fault! I am _so_ outta here!" she jabbed an accusing hoof at Raven before buzzing away to the healer's office.

"That's actually the second time I've seen that happen today." Briar shrugged casually.

Kitty purred. "Never gets old, does it?"

Darling hummed in thought as she tapped her chin. "The Evil Queen's curse must have it's own protective magic, a counter spell of some kind to prevent anyone not of the Queen's family from reversing it properly."

"And since Raven is destined to be the Evil Queen-" Apple realized.

Raven frowned. "Apple . . ." she gave a warning tone. She had long since hoped that roommate was willing to drop the subject of following in her mother's footsteps, and she was appreciative of how the princess was kind enough to dial the constant reminders back a good deal. Unfortunately, this meant that whenever the subject of destiny _was_ brought up, Apple was relatively persistent in lecturing Raven about how it was their responsibility to protect their world and prevent its end, even if that meant committing a diabolical deed in the act.

Raven would then counter this by explaining _very_ carefully to Apple what would happen if she so much as approached her with a rotten lemon once their tale had begun, and in great detail as well for extra emphasis and that would usually get the princess to clam up about the subject long enough for Raven to relax and forget about it until the subject reared its ugly head once more. It would have been far easier had they not been roommates, but that was something Headmaster Grimm was not willing to budge on, even if Apple had taken Raven's side in the matter.

"Well, you're sure creative enough to figure it out." Briar placed her hands on Apple's shoulder and pulled her back from Raven as the witchling unconsciously pressed herself a little deeper into Ben's frame for comfort; she sighed when Ben slipped his arm around her shoulder. If there was at least one deterrent to Apple's persistence, it was always the presence of their boyfriend and the young witch was once again thankful that he managed to work his passive charms again.

Raven rubbed her temples to calm herself before looking at Apple with an expression said that what she had to say was just as important as the matter at hand. "Here's the thing. Spells, charms, curses, and magic in general are as much of a science as an art. I come from a long line of _very_ powerful magic users, and if even one thing goes wrong, I could do anything from turn us all blue for a week to outright killing us in a bolt of lightning or something."

"I don't know about any of you, but _I_ would like toe live." Skurd huffed.

"It'll work for you, Raven!" Lizzie pleaded with tightly clasped hands. "I know it will!"

The Daughter of the Evil Queen mulled over the subject in her head, unconsciously curling her fingers in thought as she did so. Her magic had always been uncontrollable and chaotic, even when it wasn't her father trying to teach her before they invested in a private tutor. She had always struggled with casting spells when she was a but a young witchling and it hadn't been uncommon to hear nearly half a dozen explosions erupt from anywhere in her father's castle almost daily, and her magic only ever seemed to work when she was using it for something only vaguely villainous, such as swatting at pesky mosquitoes and flies that managed to find their way in her room.

That was more than enough to convince her tutor that she was incapable of doing anything remotely good, thus explaining her sudden and abrupt leave of the King estate.

Her magic had always been unpredictability and Raven deeply cared for all of her friends, even if Apple could tend to get on her nerves every now and again. She didn't want to put any of them in danger through something that she couldn't control and she was even worried that Ben, perhaps the most indestructible and resilient person she knew, might be absolutely helpless with the dark power that coursed through her veins like a virus.

Raven cast a glance up and was both overwhelmed and unsurprised at the same when she still saw the hopeful and eager looks on her friend's faces. Darling through her a thumbs up, Bunny and Alistair nodded with approval, Apple only beamed brightly at her, Briar shrugged her shoulders, and Maddie . . . well, Maddie looked like she had just received the best unbirthday present in all of Ever After with the way she was bouncing like a rubber ball and clapping her hands with excitement. Raven then unwittingly met the begging expression that Lizzie was giving her; the fact that the witchling knew how hard it was for Lizzie to actually ask this hard for something did not help matters.

The young witch finally turned to look up at Ben, sighing with defeat when she saw the look on his face that said it was up to her, but he was willing to take the chance to help the greater good. "Okay," she surrendered. "Here we goes nothing."

Apple eagerly handed her roommate her Mirrorpad and took a slight step back as everyone else crowded around her, awaiting excitedly as Raven began to recite the spell backwards. " _Curse this cast I Wonderland on, worse to bad and bad to good,_ " she read off, oblivious to the ominous tendrils of her dark magic curling around them in a cold, meticulous manner like the tentacles of some deep sea beast waiting to drag them down into its abyssal layer. " _From cruel most fate a be shall yours so rule my defy dared have you!_ "

Ben felt a chill shiver down his spine upon seeing how Raven's features almost instinctively tightened as she cast the spell, her voice seeming to echo in an endless void while her eyes glowed a chilling, crimson red in color. The fact that a gust of wind had suddenly started to pick up inside of the Study Hall was also quite chilling as the swift breeze swept papers and books around them in a swirling vortex. He could sense the unease quickly spreading through the group when Lizzie dug her nails into his arm and he had to admit that he was put off by the sudden change in atmosphere; the room seemed darker and more sinister in nature, ribbons of smoldering hot energy whipped and snaked through the air among malicious tentacles of magical residue, and a multitude of books and papers and even a chessboard and its pieces were at the mercy of the maelstrom.

"Wait, no! That's not right!" Raven panicked.

"Raven . . ?" Apple gulped nervously.

"What's happening?" Kitty wondered.

Raven continued to reprimanded herself. "You don't just reverse this curse just by saying it backwards! This is something different!"

"What exactly does that mean!?" Ben asked fearfully over the roar of the wind as he tapped the Omnitrix upon his wrist and cycled through his transformations, hoping there was an alien of some kind that could either help dispel the sudden storm or at least help them all survive the impending doom; aliens like Ditto and Walkatrout were quickly bypassed and Ben was just about ready to even select Alien X despite the possible risks it posed.

"I don't know!" Raven panicked. "Brace yourselves!"

Alistair instinctively wrapped his arms around Bunny and pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly as she embraced as closely as possible. Ben gave a grunt as Raven, Apple, Maddie, Kitty, and even Lizzie instinctively clamped tightly onto some part of him as Darling and Briar settled for awkwardly hanging onto each other in hopes of at least having someone to be around if anything bad happened to them. Whatever was happening, Alistair couldn't see or make sense of as he squeezed his eyes shut while Bunny buried her head into his chest, the loud and furious roar of the storm of chaotic magic filling all of their senses. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't hear anything, hex, he couldn't even smell or taste anything if that mattered in some capacity.

By the time the chaotic hurricane of energy and magic had finally come to a stop, Alistair wasn't quite sure where he was or what he was or anything really. All he knew was that Bunny was still thankfully within his grasp; he could feel her pounding heart as she dared to crack open an eye and release a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. The Daughter of the White Rabbit suddenly coughed at the large amount of dust that had been blown free from the ancient bookshelves.

"Are you alright?" Alistair asked her, somewhat relieved that they were still in one piece and still the in the Study Hall.

Bunny nodded, too worried to even care much about being this close to her crush. "Yes, but . . . what about everyone else?" she gulped nervously. Alistair looked up in curiosity at what she was talking about and realized with a sudden chill that they were alone in the Study Hall surrounded by discarded papers and books and artifacts that had been dislodged from the shelves during the harrowing storm.

Everyone else was gone.

* * *

Raven was feeling a lot of things right now, and none of them particularly pleasant. She couldn't decide on whether she should be scared, mad, confused, enlightened, baffled, frightened, or even hungry if that somehow made sense. The young witch then decided she would go with disoriented and dizzy as she tried to make sense of the fiery hot ribbons of energy as they swirled angrily around her among a cyclone of papers and debris that didn't seem to have any origin or the way her voice echoed and distorted in an expansive void of bright, checkerboard patterns that didn't seem to have any start or end. "Where are we!? What's happening!?" she yelled in confusion.

"I dunno, but I think I'm gonna hurl!" Ben exclaimed as he flew past the witchling. Raven instinctively watched as her boyfriend was pulled down by some sort of invisible force before she soon followed like water being poured down a drain; Raven however was more focused on screaming at the top of her lungs as she plummeted an unknown amount of feet down with only Maddie's excited giggles and Briar's yells of terror to keep her company.

Random objects began to appear, tumbling endlessly end over end in the expansive void that seemed to have no end or beginning; a dining table with lit candles that rolled over her head, a full tea set whose cups and saucers were scattered about that zipped and flew past and under her arms, and an unusually large amount of clocks and stopwatches were but among a few of the items that Raven could make sense of.

Maddie didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest as she casually snatched one of the teacups out of the void and took a sample sip before tossing it over her shoulder. "If I didn't know any better, and I don't know better, I'd say this is a rabbit hole!" she giggled.

"A rabbit hole!?" Apple yelped.

"Sure! How else do you think Alice got to Wonderland?" Kitty purred before giving a startled meow as she plunged downward.

Lizzie screwed up her face in determination as she hastily planted her feet down on the back of a large stopwatch and quickly dashed forward as fast possible before leaping off in an effort to keep up with her friends. "I wonder where it leads to?" she said aloud.

" _AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ " Briar screamed.

Ben swiftly dodged a frying pan that barely missed his head. "Alright, Omnitrix, give me anything that can fly!" he pleaded as he tapped the device and selected Astrodactyl before slamming his hand down on the activation button. His bones groaned and cracked loudly as they grew larger and thicker, hundreds upon thousands of small support beams forming inside of his bones to strengthen them as his arms swelled and bloated in size. His skeleton crunched loud as it grew bigger and bigger, increasing Ben's frame until he was more than twice his original size. Thick nails covered the tips of his tremendous fingers as his toes shrank back into his foot, becoming more elephant-like in appearance and structure as a powerful, reptilian tail sprouted from the base of his spine. His neck stretched a lottle longer relative to his body size, his skull crunching loudly as it was reconfigured and his lower jaw was thrust out into a slight underbite; his skin thickened into tough, brown armor as a lighter colored plating covered his chest and stomach. A pair of black briefs and a green sash with the Omnitrix and Skurd on it materialized on his body, completing the transformation.

"What the- the one time I don't want Humungousaur!" the Vaxasaurian bellowed loudly, grunting when a table smashed against his head and promptly broke in two. He wildly flailed his arms in an attempt to steer himself or at least propel himself along like he had seen Jane do many times whenever she took on an avian form.

Skurd rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, dear boy. You look absolutely ridiculous." he mumbled as he oozed part of his cool, gelatinous body over Humungousaur's back and tapped into a genetic sample of the Omnitrix. A soft crackling sound like that of crinkling tissue paper caught the Vaxasaurian's attention and he stopped his panicked attempts at flight to look back over his shoulder to watch as a pair of comically small Nemuina wings sprouted from his back. The wings instantly began to buzz excitedly in an effort to pull their weight, but did little more than just make their host silly.

"Boogerface . . ." the Vaxasaurian glowered. Before Humungousaur could begin another argument with his parasitic partner, Briar's loud scream for attention caught his focus and he looked to see what looked like the end of the rabbit hole, or at least a barrier of some kind. The alien sauropod was entirely sure how he knew this, but a gut instinct of some kind was telling him that it was imperative that they break through that barrier and to the other side if they wanted answers.

Given little other choice, Humungousaur frantically flapped his tiny Nemuina wings as fast as they would go to get him far enough to land on the side of a gigantic stopwatch and launch him off the side and through the air. The Vaxasaurian sailed ahead of Lizzie, drawing back his fist as did sot before he thrust it forward just as they all collided with the barrier. The impediment exploded in a chaotic eruption of smoke and energy, leaving after trails of the oddly soft and sweet smelling stuff in their wake as they all tumbled head over head in a white and empty void.

"What's going on!?" he looked around for any sign of anything, only to be met with a blast of bright, green light as the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world. Before he could try and get a good look at where Raven, Apple, Briar, or any of the Wonderlandians were at, he suddenly became aware of several tendrils of glittering, pink and white light that slithered and shot down towards him. Ben instinctively brought his hands up to shield his face from them only to realize that they weren't attacking as far he knew; rather they instead chose to swirl around him in a downward spiral, steadily encasing him in a cocoon of light and energy that quickly erupted in a loud eruption.

Ben glanced down at himself to see if anything had changed and was quite surprised to see that something had changed indeed, possibly for the better. He found that his white and green sweatshirt had been replaced with a green tuxedo suit trimmed in white at the collar and sleeves with a pair of fingerless white gloves on his hands. His T-shirt had been replaced by a brown and green diamond-patterned sweater vest with a green bow tie around his neck and pants seemed to have retained their usual color. What was the most noticeable however was the fact that instead of just the ever familiar Omnitrix fastened to his wrist there were multiple Omnitrix disks that acted as buckles of sorts to multiples straps that began to criss-cross over his arms and legs and stomach just as a blue streak of color peeled itself through his chocolate brown hair beneath a large green tophat with playing cards stuck firmly in the black brim.

Looking around he watched as Apple's dress was encompassed in a flash of intense light and was suddenly tied closer around her thighs to accent her curves while taking on wild striped patterns of bright and dazzling colors. Her top was cut down to half expose her breasts before being yanked back up as her sleeves swelled to puffy, red proportions and a pair of faint blue leggings coated her legs. What was the biggest attention grabber however, was the monstrous and oversized bow of a crimson shade that fixed itself perfect in her blonde curls.

Maddie giggled happily as she was swallowed in a light, blue trench coat that quickly split down the middle to open up into a wide dress and skirt rimmed with puffy, lavender lace and a massive, purple, polka-dotted bow tied firmly around her waist. Her usual white and blue spotted leggings became red and white striped like candy canes while a massive, blue top hat fixed with intricate ornaments that held playing cards and teapots alike appeared on her head, making the Hatter laugh all the merrier.

Briar tried to grab back her signature pair of pink sunglasses as they were pulled away from her, only to draw back her hand when she realized that her hazel brown and magenta pink locks were starting to take on a kiwi green hue and allow what looked like a gigantic strawberry of sorts as her hair was pulled up in a swirling bun that almost made it look like a cinnamon roll. The narcoleptic princess glanced down at herself and watched in awe as her dress was encompassed in a blast of bright, white light and suddenly seemed to bloom outwards like a blossoming rose, rowing little green fringes that were almost like leaves at the trim while vine-like ornaments wrapped themselves around her lithe figure.

Kitty watched her hand in fascination as a black glove with a shaggy, purple sleeve was tugged over each wrist and a small collar with a bell attached was clamped around her neck before the overly furry collar of a dress appeared around her shoulders. The familiar Wonderland magic that all members of her species used to teleport around at will began to travel downwards from that, turning her usual school attire into a fabulous and flamboyant dress of jagged, purple and lavender lines and a daffodil-colored underskirt. Kitty's periwinkle locks were pulled out of their twin tails and instead quickly tied into the longest braid Kitty had ever seen as a seemingly broken clock was placed around the crook of her tail.

Raven gulped nervously as a gold crown materialized in a shower of sparkles on her head followed by two, bright cyan streaks through her otherwise abyssal hair. She cringed with worry when her feather-patterned collar and top suddenly started to grow feathers at an alarming rate that almost suggested that it was in fact alive and might very well suddenly take off in flight and leave her topless for all to see; thankfully however, that was hardly the case when the feathers suddenly molted all at once to take on brightly colored top of various blues with an intricate collar and cape like that of a spider's web with a skirt that hugged her thighs quite well in a fashion similar to Apple.

None of the transformations in attire were more extravagant and captivating, in Ben's opinion however, than that of Lizzie. The Princess of Hearts seemed to revel in the refreshing bath of the Wonderland magic she had missed dearly, a bright smile crossing her lips and a warm laugh of delight escaping her throat when she felt it wash over her and course through her veins. She hardly registered how her usual, card-themed attire was replaced by a seemingly simple, blue dress and black leggings that accented a pair of gold-colored pumps before the real transformations began. A wide and open skirt encircled its way around Lizzie's waist and tied itself into a bow to hold it in place as placing cards marked with aces and jacks and jokers flashed into their random pattern upon the fine, silk garment. A high collar of bright purple playing cards attached itself to the back of Lizzie's dress like the spread tail feathers of a peacock and a golden crown with what appeared to be a stuffed flamingo of sorts nestled snugly in the crown was placed upon her head as a river of violet ran itself through her black and red locks.

Maddie laughed happily as she clapped her hands. "Here we go! Everyone hold on!" she beamed as glittered balls of energy or magic, Ben wasn't sure and wasn't sure he entirely cared when they wrapped themselves around them and began to roll along some kind of hidden tunnel or road that Ben couldn't see. He suddenly felt very much like a hamster inside of one of those plastic hamster balls and instinctively began to jog along for whatever reason he couldn't comprehend. Maddie simply chose to allow herself to bounce and roll around inside of her own ball as Kitty dropped down to all fours and began to run along after Ben, as if the two were racing.

Before either of them could make some witty comment, the tolling sound of a great grandfather clock caught their attention and everything that they could see or senses was suddenly gone before them, vanished in an intense flash of bright light that Ben swore was going to have some horrible after affect on his eyes if this kept up. As to add to his mental list of things to complain about he promptly had the air thrown out of him as he landed roughly on his back, only taking slight pride in noting that Briar didn't have as smooth of a landing either and landed flat on her backside while everyone else seemed to land successfully on their feet.

"Stop the world, I wish to get off!" Skurd moaned deliriously as he held his aching temples.

"You and me both, Snot-Pocket." Ben groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head.

Kitty hummed in thought as she studied her claws and glanced at their surroundings. "Curiouser and curiouser." she mused.

"Where are we?" Raven gaped in wonder. She was met with wild, colorful fields that seemed to stretch on for miles in all directions, a sky tinted a bright, friendly yellow, and grass patterned in a checkerboard style of pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. Tall acacia trees with bright red and yellow leaves formed shady groves across the open plains among gigantic flowers and tulips that offered shelter to what looked like flocks of flying dodo birds overhead and playing card-patterned hippos that made their way towards a rainbow-colored waterhole in the noon heat. Butterflies with disproportional heads giggled mischievously as they flitted about through the air taking turns in startling herds of grazing animals that resembled origami gazelles and impalas.

Lizzie gasped with intense happiness and pleasure. " _We're back in Wonderland!_ " she practically cried for joy. "After all this time, I'm finally back home!"

"Nice place. A few curtains, some shag carpeting, and it'll clean up real nice." Ben joked, yelping when a loud snarl like that of a cross between a chimpanzee and a lion cut through the air and an animal that looked vaguely like an overweight Tasmanian Devil bounded through the grass.

"Who knew there was a dress code?" Briar grinned as she caught sight of everyone else's new clothing. If there was even a remote chance of keeping her dress, she was going to fight tooth and nail for it and see if she couldn't get a smaller more compact set to wear the next time she went bungee jumping off of the school's tallest tower.

Raven shifted awkwardly as she examined her own attire. "I wish I could, but I can't take credit for the dresses or tux. In fact, I'm not even sure how we-" she was promptly cut off as Lizzie threw her arms around the young witchling and proceeded to give her a bone-crushing hug that all but threatened to cut off her much needed air supply until finally, mercifully the overjoyed princess released her hold on her.

"Oh, Raven, you broke the curse! And brought us to Wonderland!" the future ruler of the domain proceeded to hug Raven tightly once more. "Hex, I could just kiss you right now!"

"Please don't." Raven squeaked nervously. "But listen, I don't think-

"You've _totally_ made up for what your mother did!" Lizzie cut off excitedly.

"Um, yeah, except the thing is-" Raven tried to say once more.

The young witch was once again cut off by Kitty once the Cheshire cat suddenly had a realization. "Hey, now that we're back in Wonderland, we can find the Storybook of Legends!"

Briar shifted uncomfortably at the mere mention of the artifact that would doom her to forever her forget her friends and send her into a century long slumber from which she would be waken up by a total and complete stranger she had never met before and whisked away to a kingdom she had never heard of to then produce an heir that she was certainly not ready for. Honestly, even with the hundred-year long break, Briar's fairy tale moved along at too quick of a pace for her own liking and there were multiple dangers that came with it as well; she had heard stories of some of her own ancestors waking up almost nine months pregnant with their first child or not waking up at all from the century long slumber, having succumb to diseases for the bites of venomous creatures that managed to invade their sanctum. Neither of the aforementioned options were particularly pleasing or ideal to Briar. "Um, yeah, about that? I've been meaning to tell you guys about this for a while, and-"

"Can it wait, Briar? My mother's party is at tea time!" Lizzie almost jumped for joy. "Hurry everyone!"

Raven sighed in defeat as everyone quickly hurried after Lizzie through the tall, pink grass with nary a second thought to their current situation. " _But something isn't . . . right . . ._ " she feebly tried to say before giving up with a surrendering sigh.

The witchling felt a hand on her shoulder and smiled fondly at finding Ben loyally by her side. "If it's any consolation, something seems fishy about all this to me, too. And it isn't just the fact that I suddenly have more Omnitrixes than I know what to do with . . . Omnitrixes? Omnitrices? Omnitrici?" he played around with what he hoped were plausible plurals to his phrases. "Either way, something seems to be off about all this."

Raven gave a slight laugh at her boyfriend's attempt to cheer her up. It aggravated her to no end when nobody ever listened to her, a common problem whenever the subject of destiny was brought up by Apple pr the Headmaster on numerous occasions, and it annoyed her even more when those same people that didn't listen to her would come crawling back to her, begging for her help in fixing the problem she had warned them about. It was like the time she had tried to warn Sparrow against mixing Kraken ink with powdered phoenix ashes in an attempt to speed along a very slow experiment in Professor Rumpelstiltskin's lab, and the Son of Robin Hood ended up creating a highly flammable concoction that ignored any futile attempts to be put out.

"Thanks, Ben. We should probably catch up." she added with a slight smile before grabbing a hold of his hand and pulling him along while Skurd tried to make sense of the all the latest additions to the Omnitrix family that suddenly adorned his host.

Briar sighed contently as she took a deep breath breath of the Wonderlandian air, noting that it smelled oddly like fresh cotton candy and then like assorted jellybeans and cashew nuts all at once. "I can't believe we're really in Wonderland."

"I know! I've _dreamed_ of coming here!" Apple grinned excitedly.

"Those must have some dreams if the Well of Wonder wasn't enough for you, Applesauce." Kitty grinned in an almost suggestive manner. "Perhaps while we're here we might find the source? I'm sure you'd be interested in finding out the effects of Wonderland's Flow of Wonder on Ever After."

Apple had to admit it was a tempting offer, but they had bigger priorities right now, namely stopping the overthrowing and possible execution of the Queen of Hearts and Lizzie's mother. "What beautiful, silver archways!" she admired a large structure that they passed under.

"Indeed." Lizzie smiled with bemusement. "It seems we've come to a fork in the road." she gestured towards the splitting path. That, and the giant fork that they had passed under with hardly a second thought, as well several spoons, knives, and sporks of gigantic proportions that were big enough to be almost classified as buildings.

"Which way is the Queen of Heart's castle?" Raven asked as she and Ben caught up with the group.

Maddie stepped forward and took a glance down each of the three pathways, trying to remember which was both the safest and fastest path to travel since her last time back home. "Well, you _do not_ want to go down Bandersnatch Blvd," the Hatter pointed down the path farthest to their right where it descended down into a valley full of jagged peaks and spikes and thorny shrubs swamped with fog; a loud howl echoed through the canyon and made everyone take a step back out of concer.

"And Dirty Dish Drive is _way_ too icky." Maddie shuddered towards the path in front of them and down a ways where a lake of disgusting, brackish water gave off several unpleasant odors among towering cooking utensils and dishes that looked like they hadn't been scrubbed in thousands of years.

Ben scratched his head. "Just _why_ would anyone set this kind of thing up?" he wondered, gesturing towards the disgusting muck that hung off of a rusting fork that size of a redwood tree.

Lizzie gave a slightly mischievous and sheepish smile. "Uh, remember how I told you that Wonderland has its own, unique type of magic compared to that of Ever After? Well, it's a little more complicated than that."

"Complicated how?" Skurd raised an eyebrow.

"Complicated as in Wonderland is _alive._ " Kitty replied, earning skeptical and confused looks from those not accustomed to the odd nature of the realm. "We don't build a majority of what Wonderland has to offer, we just build around whatever it decides to pop up!"

"It's like a gigantic body!" Maddie laughed.

Ben thought over the possibility that an entire realm that seemed to stretch on forever, or at the very least lay several hundred miles beneath the Earth's surface from its many access points, was in fact a gigantic super organism of epic proportions. He had once been coerced into a conversation with Rook about the many planets that the Milky Way had to offer, specifically the ones that his aliens originated from and how what he called 'super powers' were in fact evolutionary transformations for survival. One of these was about the planet of Sightra, the homeworld of the Opticoids that orbited around a single sun without a moon; according to Rook, the planet's consistency was more like that of gelatin than rock, and its native fauna had followed suit. The fact that those that were not native to Sightra often had the misfortune of disappearing without a trace the moment they stepped foot onto the planet's surface drew to the conclusion of many that the planet was in fact a primitive organism that had allowed the many plants and animals and the native Opticoids to evolve to take care of it and act as antibodies of sorts.

The idea that they were currently walking on an animal the size of a small planet buried beneath Ever After's surface made Ben and the others a tad uncomfortable; he was glad to notice that the others almost unconsciously tread a little softer than before. The Wonderlandians didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest.

"Ooh! Watch Wonder Way!" Maddie pointed down a third path that snaked through a grove of gigantic, discarded clocks and stopwatches.

Lizzie nodded with approval. "I do believe you're right. This way everyone!" she gestured for them all to follow her through the grove of ticking, tocking clocks that seemed too baffled or confused to properly tell the correct time; some even traveled backwards!

And the wonders didn't stop there. A slight rumbling caught their attention and they all turned to their left to watch as a stampeding herd of origami antelope sped across the savanna towards them, gracefully giving leaps and bounds as if they couldn't be chained by the earth's cold grasp. What looked to a female of the herd, made evident by its lack of paper antlers paused to curiously sniff and invest Briar's dress as if wondering if it was edible. When the animal deemed that the princess' attire was not suitable for eating, it instead shuffled and folded its paper physiology to take on the form of a tall, slender, origami giraffe to browse on the heart-shaped leaves of a towering acacia tree.

"I've heard of a waterfall, but . . . it's flowing up into the clouds!" Apple gazed with amazement at a stream of water that clearly decided it didn't want to obey the laws of gravity and and chose to instead flow upwards at a leisurely pace. The marine life didn't seem to find it strange as they backstroked up the water spout or partook in what Apple could only guess to be a miniature boat race among fishes.

"So, would that be swimming upstream?" Ben cracked with a smile, earning groans from the girls.

"Someone kindly put me out of my misery." Skurd pleaded.

"Well someone had to say it!" Ben defended himself as they crossed over a rock bridge that stretched across an expansive river. Glancing down would reveal the waters to be a myriad of colors and hues when they weren't flowing upwards into the air, and Ben was quite sure he saw what looked to be swimming sandwiches lazily propelling themselves along with peanut butter and jelly tentacles trailing behind them in the current.

Jellyfish, indeed.

Lizzie gestured for them to hurry along. "Come now, we must press on! There'll be plenty of time to smell the roses _after_ we save my mother!"

"Huh. I would have thought in Wonderland that the roses would smell you." Briar joked as Lizzie led them through a field of small, budding blue flowers that popped open every few seconds and realized small, little midges that looked like tiny hearts with insect wings. Despite the irritating whine that they gave off when they buzzed a little too close to someone's ear, they seemed relatively harmless in appearance and were actually quite amusing to watch as they almost idiotically bumped and crashed into one another like they couldn't see where they were going.

Despite the fact that Apple found them greatly entertaining, the Wonderlandians had fallen eerily silent as they quietly passed through the fields on tender feet, their eyes always glancing back and forth across the ground.

"This place sure lives up to its name." Apple giggled as a tiny midge rested itself upon the tip of her finger.

Lizzie sighed and waved her hands to shoo a particularly persistent cloud of the little insects away from her. "Looks can be perceiving, Apple. Wonderland can be both a wondrous and _very_ dangerous place to live. There is a reason, after all, that members of the royal Hearts family are taught to wield bats and blunt instruments from the moment we can walk."

"What are you so nervous about anyway?" Raven wondered as she carelessly stepping on a root. She paused when her step was followed quickly by a loud squelching sound and she looked down to see sticky, green plant juice coat the bottom of her foot in a slimy residue that smelled oddly sweet like honey. The young witch glanced back up to see the tense expression on Kitty, Maddie, and Lizzie's face as a low, chittering growl that sent shivers down her spine caught her attention. With slow and deliberate movements, Raven turned around to watch as a thick vine rose up from the ground like a sleepy serpent that had just been disturbed; she bit her lip nervously when a large purple head ringed in bright, pink and purple petals attached to the stem emerged from the field of little, blue flowers and seemed to glower hungrily at her.

The witchling made a move to take a step back before Kitty's raspy voice told her otherwise. " _Don't. Make. Any. Sudden. Movements._ " she whispered in an anxious tone. Raven rolled her eyes about as far as they would go and watched with fear as more of the clearly carnivorous plants rose up from their stasis upon the ground and seemed to glare hungrily at them for disturbing their slumber.

"Any idea how to deal with these things?" Ben asked quietly as he slowly glanced at his arms, trying to find anything that bore resemblance to the Omnitrix that he was use to.

Maddie nodded. "First, act like a plant and hope they think your one of them. Second, hope you can run fast enough!"

Raven tensed up with unease when the first of the enormous, mouthed plants slowly lowered its head down to her level and seemed to regard her suspiciously with a few puffs of whatever respiratory system it might have had. The young witch shivered with discomfort when the huge jaws yawned open and she was met with a faceful of disgusting breath accompanied by slime green insides that traveled down the throat and into the stem. She could feel a shiver travel up her spine when the monstrous plant sent out its long, slimy tongue and gave her a drawn out lick up her entire figure; Raven barely held back a whimper of disgust as the carnivorous plant withdrew its tongue and gave a sample lick of its chops.

Even if it didn't have eyes, Raven could easily imagine the ravenous look on the plant's head.

" _Raven._ Take _slow_ steps back." Lizzie instructed the witchling softly.

But Raven could not as she swallowed nervously and watched as the monstrous plant reared up to its full height of more than a dozen feet. She was completely transfixed on the titanic flower, and she had no idea why her eyes seemed to focus on the jagged thorns that sprouted along the plant's thick stem. Her vision was suddenly swamped with faint images of pointed spikes in the darkness, silently sitting there in the shadows for a split second before suddenly snapping towards her like the outstretched claws of some savage beast.

Those vines, those thorns . . . Raven couldn't keep her eyes off them.

A dark cackling filled her ears, drowning out the screams and howls of a frightened child that echoed endlessly in the night.

Those thorns . . . that laughter . . . that glint of a blade in the darkness . . .

" _Raven!_ " Apple shouted loudly as the jaws of the carnivorous plant swiftly downward to snatch her up and slather her in its corrosive digestive juices. The fact that its decidedly delicious prey had the decency to stand still was an added bonus, especially after it had the gall to tread upon one of its more sensitive roots after it had just regrown it from a bandersnatch that didn't take the threatening growls and bellows as a sign that would soon find out what the plant's insides looked like. At the prey was being kind enough to stand where it stood without so much as twitching a muscle; its soft, wet flesh would aid the plant in healing over the destroyed root, and the process would be even faster if the other prey stuck around as well.

Raven could hear Apple's screams for her to run and she could see the deadly jaws of the monstrous plant lunging for her, but her feet refused to move. Her heart was hammering her chest and every instinct within her was yelling at her to move out of the way and avoid getting eaten, but she simply couldn't tear her eyes away from those thorns.

That laughter . . . that insane, twisted laughter . . . she couldn't get it out of her head . . .

Ben was panicking as he looked over the multiple Omnitrix disks placed all over his body. "Which one is it!?" he shouted.

"Pick a watch, any watch!" Skurd yelled. "We don't have the time!"

Ben did as was suggested and picked the Omnitrix placed upon his wrist, slamming a hand down on it and swallowing himself in a blast of green light. A coating of light, blue fur raced over his body, covering him from head to toe as his spine and arched and forced him down onto his hands. His fingers molded together like hot candle wax into three, firm digits designed to grasp and swing as his toes lengthened and became three, digits suited specifically for gripping and holding. Ben's skin flashed a dark blue as his shoulders swelled slightly and became muscled and furry while his chest expanded and muscles and tissue piled themselves up onto his body. His skeleton crunched and snapped loudly as he was compressed down to the size of a large dog, his spine arching and cracking nosily before a long, prehensile tail snaked out from the base of his spine, cracking back and forth with anxiety as several special organs formed at the base of the appendage. His lower jaw was thrust outwards as the warm fur covered his face and his eyes split into two more pairs of green orbs while the shaggy hair on his head flipped to form a pair of furry horns. The most dramatic transformation however, was when a pair of identical arms to his original pair suddenly burst forth from his sides from underneath him; two, green sashes formed across Ben's chest with the Omnitrix at the center, completing the transformation.

With a loud screech Spidermonkey sprang forward and slammed into Raven as hard as possible, knocking her out of the way just as the jaws of the gigantic plant clapped shut on the spot where she had been mere moments ago. The young witch, while startled and lacking in breath from the sudden tumble, was nonetheless unharmed; the plant itself however, was still very much hungry and annoyed that one of its roots had been severed by a careless trespasser.

"Oh, this isn't gonna be fun." the Arachnichimp sighed when he heard the massive plant give a loud and echoing screech that set off all the other plants into a murderous rage. With a quick flick of his tail he spat out a jet of strong silk at the flesh-eating flower's jaws; a special muscle in his tail drew the line taunt and quickly pulled him up to the plant's head like a grappling hook, furiously driving his fist into the plant's lower jaw and relentlessly pounding and beating it over the head in a hyperactive manner.

The plant barely reacted with the exception of an irritated shake of its head that dislodged Spidermonkey long enough for the flesh-eating trapper to pull a thick, thorny tendril out of the earth and snap it sharply at the Arachnichimp, curling it snugly around his ankle. The plant then roughly slammed him down into the ground once, twice, three times before tossing the disoriented primate high up into the air and yawn its jaws wide open.

The prey was too dazed to fight back. It was an easy meal for the plant, and even if it wasn't the pale prey he had been originally after, this prey had the bravery to fight back and let the plant know it was fit and healthy and a prime specimen for consumption; a meal was a meal after all, and after living off the tiny midges for years on end, it had learned to snatch up any larger meals that were foolish enough to wander into its territory as soon as possible.

Spidermonkey screeched loudly as he plummeted back down towards the ground. "Skurd! _Ook! Ook!_ Hammer time!" he chattered.

"And away we go!" Skurd exclaimed as as he slithered and oozed his slimy body over Spidermonkey's arms and tapped into the extensive collection of genetic samples that the Omnitrix held. The Arachnichimp's limbs swelled and pulsed as new, powerful muscles layered themselves over the arms. The shaggy, blue fur was shed and done away with and replaced by tough, red skin several centimeters thick and superimposed over steadily thickening bones. A loud cracking noise filled the as a third finger forced its way out of Spidermonkey's hand to bring his digit count to four while fleshy growths formed along his arms and completed the genetic upgrade.

The Arachnichimp howled at the top of his lungs as he swung his new Tetramand arms and brought them down on the open jaws of the carnivorous plant, using his tremendous strength to smash it right into the ground. The plant roared as it irritably shook its head, annoyed that this prey was fighting back; why could it have followed the example of the pale prey? The flesh-eating trapper roared and lunged forward with open jaws to try and catch the alien primate in its teeth, only for Spidermonkey to suddenly spit a jet of slimy webbing at its jaws and then proceed to deck it across its trapper.

Spidermonkey sighed with relief as he watched the plant raise its head again and attempt to open its jaws, only to find that the mucilaginous silk had hardened into a near concrete-like substance and held firm and fast. "Looks like you got yourself into a _sticky_ situation. _Ook! Ook!_ " he cracked.

"And I thought that upstream joke was bad." Skurd sighed before his eyes widened with fear. " _Look out!_ "

The Arachnichimp screeched in surprise as a pair of vines quickly coiled themselves around all four of his wrists, tying themselves into firm knots around his Tetramand arms to restrain him as he fought and struggled. A third creeper quickly snared itself around Spidermonkey's ankle and yanked him to the ground with a grunt, holding him firmly in place as roots and brambles burst out of the earth and threw themselves over him to pin him to the ground.

"A little help!?" Spidermonkey cried.

Before Skurd could tap into the Parae Cortarix of the Omnitrix a sharp whistling noise caught his attention and he just barely jerked to the side to avoid get sliced by a razor-edged queen of spades whose edge cut through the vines with ease. A second and third card whizzed and flew through the air to severe the tendrils restricting Spidermonkey's arms with a boomerang movement that sent them hurling back to cut the second vine they missed. The Arachnichimp took the opportunity to bite through the creeper around his ankle in one swift movement before backflipping to avoid getting smacked by one of the plant's larger roots.

Spidermonkey panted heavily as he watched the gigantic plant try to give a furious screech as it flailed whatever remained of its roots and vines, the sticky ebbing holding its jaws shut preventing any noise escaping. The carnivorous trapper thrashed its roots about and raised one to bring it crashing down on the Arachnichimp, only to have the limb severed in a spray of sticky plant juice that sent it crashing to the ground with the muffled howls of the plant. The tremendous trapper turned towards the source of the sharpened projectiles and felt a growl escape through its jammed maw upon seeing Lizzie standing defiantly before it with a playing card between her fingers.

"As mother always says, 'A fool and his head are soon parted'." she grinned with a a sadistic smile as the playing card in her fingers glowed an ominous red in color. Spidermonkey watched in amazement as the Princess of Hearts threw the card straight at the monstrous plant like a spinning buzz saw, his jaw nearly dropping to the ground in shock as the card sliced about half way through the main stem of the carnivorous trapper before suddenly detonating in a puff of ashy, red smoke. The dying screeches of the gigantic plant filled the air as plant juice splattered everywhere, staining everything within range a slimy green in color, including Spidermonkey, Lizzie, Raven, and Apple.

Apple slowly opened her eyes from the sudden spray and quickly wiped the juice from her face, shivering in disgust at the arm feeling. She had managed to break free of Briar's tight grasp and try to get Raven out of range of the plant's vines and jaws, only to end up in the splash radius and covered from her face and down her front in what could be considered the trapper's blood. Raven had managed to avoid a majority of the blast radius, save for a faceful green slime to wipe off at a later time, and seemed to be recovering from whatever mental trauma had suddenly decided to plague her at that precise moment.

The Daughter of Snow White wasn't sure what had made Raven freeze up like. She was completely unresponsive to any of the warnings she and the others had shouted at her and even the primitive survival instinct of fight or flight had failed to even trigger. It was like Raven had completely left the world behind and her mind was transported to some place that Apple couldn't hope to comprehend.

Biting her lip nervously, the princess crouched down and hooked her hand under Raven's, thankful that the witch was starting to become more antiphonal than before. This was most notable when Raven wiped off a handful of the wet slime from her face, regarding her fingers in disgust before giving them a slight shake. "Apple? What happened?" she asked in a slow, confused tone.

The princess raised an eyebrow of confusion. "You don't remember?"

Raven shook her head. "I do, but . . . it's hard to explain. It's like I was there, but I didn't know what was going on, if that makes any sense. Like watching Dexter play one of his video games but not know how he's doing it?" the witchling winced.

"Well, let me refresh your memory." Spidermonkey shook his himself dry of the wet slime before the Omnitrix timed out in a blast of green light and returned Ben to the world. "I had pretty much everything handled until Lizzie decided to take the meaning of 'an ace up your sleeve' to a whole new level."

Lizzie shrugged as she carefully wringed some of the plant juice out of her dress. "I specialize in card magic. There have been numerous people out there who are foolish enough to think that they are able to beat me at a game of cards." she smirked as she made a motion of her hand and summoned another playing card into her fingers. "And is being tied up like a spider's lunch what you consider 'handling it'?" she asked Ben.

"When I do it, yeah." Ben half joked.

Raven gave a smile at the wisecrack, but remained silent. She couldn't remember why she had frozen up like that upon just seeing _thorns_ of all things, or more specifically the reason behind what bits and pieces her mind seemed to remember or pick up on. It was like she was suddenly experiencing parts of her childhood that she had long forgotten ago, but Raven wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. On one hand, there was the pleasant feeling of not knowing what to expect, but on the other there was an unease about to what she had experienced so far and just what else she might encounter.

Skurd coughed rudely. "Yes, well, while you were 'handling things', my dear boy, I made a rather interesting discovery that is rather-"

The Slimebiote was cut off by a horrendous screech that seemed to echo on for miles, sending the clouds of little, heart-shaped midges scattering in all directions as all eyes turned to pan around them. Raven nearly felt her heart stop when she saw the rest of the monstrous, carnivorous garden become increasingly more agitated as the pheromones of their fallen brother came to their senses, growling and snarling viciously vines and creepers slithered across the ground in their direction.

"Can it wait, Skurd?" Apple whispered.

"Yes, well. Quite right." The Slimebiote coughed awkwardly. "Now, what's that word I'm looking for?" he wondered to himself.

"Run?" Ben supplemented as he took a step back from the encroaching plants.

" _That's_ the word." Skurd agreed. " _RUN!_ "

The girls didn't need to be told twice as a massive root covered in venomous thorns slammed down just mere inches behind them before rising back up to repeat the process but a few inches closer. Apple tightly grabbed hold of Raven's wrist and bolted for it as fast as possible, her other hand hiking up the hem of her dress to allow her legs run even faster while Briar, Kitty, and Maddie fled. Ben quickly jumped back as a thick vine slammed down right in front of him and he quickly dashed under the tendril to grab Lizzie's hand and all but drag the princess through the field of very angry and very hungry plants.

"You got anymore of those cards on you!?" Ben yelled over the bellowing of the plants.

Lizzie shook her head as she pulled her hand free from Ben and hiked up her skirt to run alongside him. "I only have one, but it's not going to be enough!" she shouted, yelping when a heavy root came crashing down right in front of them, barely missing them as the two of them ducked under the snap of heavy jaws.

"Every little bit helps!" Skurd yelled.

"Speaking of helping!" Ben cried as he grabbed Lizzie's hand and pulled her out of the way just in the nick of time to avoid the clap of sharp jaws on the spot where she had been mere seconds ago. Skurd hastily slithered his slimy body around Ben's left arm and tapped into one of the Omnitrix's genetic samples before the changes began. A pair of thick, carbonfiber cables wrapped around his arm and slithered in two different directions, with one end snaking its way towards Ben's shoulder and jamming itself into the side of a durable, black, turtle-like shell that was forming on his back; three icy, blue fins thrust themselves out along the spine while the other end of the cable wrapped around Ben's arm and into his waiting hand. A black handle and blue trigger quickly sprouted out into a large, black cannon that the cables attached into from the bottom and back of as three more blue fins grew from the back of the canister. A pair of glowing orbs on either side of the barrel took form as a rounded, reptilian head with jaws similar to a steel bear trap formed on the opposite end beneath a pair of dysfunctional eyes and above several barbels and growths on the chin.

Ben sucked in a quick breath before he whipped around and pulled the trigger of the Arctigun. " _Freeze!_ " he yelled as a blast of arctic air came firing out from the Polar Manzardill jaws right at the open jaws of a ravenous plant. Ice crystals instantly took form from the moisture in the air and formed a thick casing of glacial ice the encompassed the entire trapper.

Lizzie then pulled out her last card and lined up her shot as the playing card flowed a familiar crimson in color. With a quick flick of her wrist the card went buzzing through the air straight at the block of ice that tightly trapped the monstrous plant, slicing a thin crease into the frozen surface before the razor edged card became tightly embedded. Mere seconds later, the card exploded in a puff of scarlet smoke and sent ice crystals and snowflakes flying in all directions as the now dead plant fell limp to the ground.

"Come on, Raven! _Run!_ " Apple tugged tightly on the witchling's wrist, all but dragging her roommate through the fields and sending clouds of midges and flies scattering in all directions. The princess ignored the swarms of tiny insects and focused on the back of Briar's dress to guide and pull her through the sudden round of terror, all with trying to keep hold of Raven's wrist. While the young witch was definitely more receptive than before, Apple wasn't taking any chances and kept a constant and constricting hold on her wrist; she wasn't about to lose what had surprisingly and quickly become one of her most confidants.

They were almost to the edge of the field where Briar, Kitty, and Maddie were already waiting with anxious expressions when a sudden scream snapped her attention back behind her where her face turned a considerably paler shade than normal. A thorny creeper had managed to evade the threat that were Lizzie's dagger sharp fingers and wrap itself tightly around her wrist and yank down hard enough that another root was able to ensnare her hand easily enough that she was now defenseless and at the mercy of the vines no matter how much she struggled.

At the sound of Lizzie's enraged scream Ben whirled around with the Arctigun at the ready, leaving his backside open and defenseless to attack. A creeping bramble took advantage of this and quickly looped itself around his ankle before pulling itself taunt and tripping him, allowing more vines and creepers to quickly restrain his arms and leg, crawling up his body to slowly begin to smother his face; he was the more troublesome prey and would be dealt with first to avoid interference when the time came to devour the prey that threw explosives.

Apple was panicking as she herself didn't know what to do to. From the day she had been told about her destiny, she had been taught things such as simple etiquette and manners and how to look ones very royal best each and every day, but that didn't include combat of any kind. Apple liked to look at any situation with as much logic as it would allow and whenever that came to fighting, it was always the most logical thing in the world to simply leave that to the boys and men. Her classes at Ever After High had further proven this point, as it was strictly forbidden for any maiden to take the Heroic 101 classes and was considered an amusing joke if they tried out for the bookball team (that is, until Cerise hood had the guts and temper to join, succeed, and kick anyone's butt that so much as snickered behind her back).

The princess' panic stricken thoughts were interrupted when Raven tore her wrist free of Apple's tight grip, startling her into watching with an almost dumbfounded expression when the witchling seemingly blindly rushed back into the mess. Before Apple could yell for Raven to come back, the young witch clapped her hands together and opened them up slightly as her eyes glowed a deep crimson in color. " _Interdamoto Laborator!_ " she shouted loudly.

Apple watched with awe as a twin beams of intense heat and dark flame suddenly erupted forth from Raven's palms and sliced through the taunt vines holding Lizzie in place with a loud sizzling sound. The Princess of Hearts saw her chance and quickly ran over to Ben, raking her razor-sharp fingers through the thick creepers and brambles with ease to pull him free just as the head of a furious plant clamped its jaws shut on the spot he had been moments before.

" _Meena Goh!_ " Raven's voice was loud and echoing as a single beam of purple fire erupted forth from her hands and blasted the flesh-eating trapper square in the face, earning a horrifying screech of agony as the sinister, violet flames ate it alive and allowed Lizzie and Ben to make the last stretch of their escape out of range of the plant's grasping tendrils and roots. As if he weren't taking any chances, Ben quickly aimed the Arctigun at the ground and pulled the trigger, firing off a blast of subzero vapor that froze upon contact and built up a thick layer of ice; he quickly moved the weapon back and forth, layering sections over one another to form a towering and impenetrable wall of frost and ice several feet thick and several feet high that effectively cut them off from the field of enraged flowers.

The three of them, Lizzie, Ben, and Raven simply stood there for several seconds to catch their breath, their movements jittery from the harrowing experience as Skurd returned the Polar Manzardill DNA back to the Omnitrix and all but fainted against the device from an overwhelming near death experience. Silence was the chosen form of communication as Ben stooped down into a crouching position while Raven opted to rest her hands on her knees.

Eventually, Ben spoke up. "Th-That . . . that was _not_ fun . . ."

Skurd panted. "I concur."

"Is . . . is everyone alright?" Raven sucked in a calming breath.

Lizzie nodded but checked over herself to make sure that she still had her limbs and digits. "I believe so. My mother did always say it was best to avoid the Flower Fields under limited firepower." she sighed with relief before recomposing herself back into a regal position and air of authority. "But now that the curse has been lifted and the border is . . . open . . ."

"Lizzie, I don't think . . ." Raven trailed off, catching sight of what had to probably be one of if not the most heartbroken expression Raven had ever seen. The Princess of Hearts seemed to be going through a range of emotions as of late, everything from depression and fear and a small shred of joy, to sudden and complete despair upon seeing what lay before her.

Briar cringed at seeing the barren and dusty landscape that stretched on for miles with nothing to disturb the sand. River beds that had once been filled to the brim with rainbow water and stocked full of fish of wondrous species and variety were now dry and bare with only fish skeletons and puddles of toxic, bubbling, black liquid to remind passerby of past days. Cavernous holes and pockets yawned forth from the landscape and spewed out jets of hot steam from beneath ground, giving the air a hazy tone that was only interrupted by the harsh calls of scrawny jabberwockies that had been too stubborn to leave the wasteland behind. The ruins of structures and the dried bones of magnificent creatures dotted the landscape beneath the husks of long dead acacia trees, only offering mild shelter with the sand swept winds of waste.

The sky had turned from a pleasant yellow to a sickly green hue and Apple glanced up with concern when she saw a hurricane of ominous clouds and chaotic energies swirling madly overhead, stretching over the whole of the expansive landscape that she was unsure of whether or not if it had an end. "Those clouds in the sky? What are they?" she asked fearfully.

Lizzie felt her voice crack as she gave an answer. "The curse . . ." she whispered. "I . . . I-I thought it was lifted . . ."

"But what does it mean?" Maddie wondered, taking a moment to be serious. The Hatter was usually never serious about a lot of things, it was just the way her family was and had been for as long as they could remember. But there were times where the wondrous madness of Wonderland had to be put aside and her tea-related antics had to be put on hold to take care of things that were far more important than being on time for tea; looking after Raven's wellbeing and the safety of her homeland were of but a very few things that could get Maddie's ever present smile to turn upside down.

Raven sighed miserably. "I'm sorry, but . . . I just don't know."

"I know what it means," Ben grunted as he stood back up and stretched, grimly looking towards the sky as he stood behind Lizzie like a protective bodyguard. "It means when we get this fixed, I am going to kick the Evil Queen's teeth in . . . um, no offense, Raven." he winced.

"None taken, I suppose." Raven sighed, uncomfortably rubbing her arm. Her relationship with her mother, the mother that she knew at least, had always been strained with the few times the young witch had ever had the opportunity to speak with her. Their conversations were always brief and almost always went the same way, with her mother asking her how she had been recently and if she was still friends with Charlie's little girl and if her father was still the idiotic man she had married years ago; the conversation usually took a turn for the worst at the mere mention of the Good King and would usually descend into the Evil Queen telling her daughter of the wonders of being evil and how fun it was to seek vengeance on those that had wronged her. While Raven had to admit she had occasionally thought about playing a nasty trick on Sparrow Hood (the howling musician always brought out the worst in her), she stood strong in her beliefs that she was capable of and had a right to be good.

The Evil Queen would then often screech obscenities at her, quickly ending their visits with one another.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes in a snarl of disgust as she tightly clenched her fists. "I will _gladly_ help you, Ben. Right after we save my mother from this scheming villain . . . whomever they are. Then it will be off with their head instead of hers!"

A bright whinny sounded on the wind and they all turned their heads back towards the ice wall that protected them from the ravenous appetite of the carnivorous plants. Ben raised an eyebrow when the howls and bellows of the monstrous trappers came from the other side, possibly more furious and enraged than before if that was even possible; these were quickly silenced by loud and wet noises that sounded very much like a sharpened blade slicing through something squishy and unprotected, making Apple and Briar share nervous glances with one another. The party of fairy tales all flinched when the ailing sounds of the plants suddenly stopped, filling the air with total and uncomfortable silence.

 _ **CRACK!**_

Kitty jumped at the sound of something smashing into the thick wall of ice and watched with a worrisome stare when thin, hairline cracks radiated out through the frost. More cracks and heavy blows soon followed after, making the ice groan and growl like a wounded animal as snowflakes and crystals came scattering down under each destructive blow. Ben stood his ground and balled his fists, ready to slam the Omnitrix disk on his wrist and fight off whatever was on the other side of the wall if necessary. The barrier of frost and snow shudder and split open along the glacier's face, making Maddie jump at the sudden growl, watching as the crack widened and snaked along the glacial wall's height before sustaining a few more heavy blows. Whatever was on the side seemed _very_ determined to get through and this greatly worried Lizzie; what if whoever was out to hurt her mother decided she was a liability and try to take her out before executing the main plan (and her mother)?

It was not an uncommon war tactic.

The glacier trembled and withstood another heavy blow that rained ice and snow down on the ground before it finally gave up and succumb to the might of the intruder. A section of the frost barrier crumbled with a loud rumble and clattering of ice chunks, creating a large tunnel of sorts to the other side of the wall. Ben tensed up upon seeing a tall figure with broad shoulders dressed in a powerful and white suit of armor with a large broadsword clipped to their side marched through the glacial tunnel; a mighty, white stallion whose legs were fused to a wide disk of sorts accompanied the knight, hopping briskly at their side.

"It's the White Knight!" Kitty sighed with relief.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "So, I _shouldn't_ smash him?"

The white suit of armor coughed awkwardly. "No, I would appreciate that you _don't_ smash me." he replied before he hurriedly scrambled onto his mount's back, as if clearly distressed about something. "But that isn't important right now. You must come with me! They're coming!"

"Whose coming?" Apple asked, a little bit frightened at the knight's urgency.

"There's no time! Follow me!" he gestured desperately before he snapped the reins of his horse and started to ride off as fast as possible, expecting them to follow. The fairy tales shared looks with one another and with nothing but the reassurances of Kitty and Lizzie to go off of, they reluctantly began to follow their new guide straight into the barren wasteland that had once been Wonderland.

Raven couldn't help but feel both disheartened and ashamed at what her mother had done to the world that was Wonderland. Where colorful acacia trees that offered sheltered to flocks of dodos and flying fish once stood now lay mummified logs that looked like they would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Where luscious fields of grass that supplied food for the great herds that once roamed and migrated about to the rhythm of hungry predators now stood desolate desert and bleached bones. Wonderland was on its last legs with only a fraction of what it had once been and it was all her mother's fault.

The young witch honestly wouldn't have been surprised if she was arrested or at the very least threatened if someone figured out her identity. Hex, the Queen of Hearts had a _legendary_ temper and was a terror on the battlefield from the history books she had read up on; thus far, only the Dark Fairy had a temper to match, though Raven wasn't eager to find out which woman was more likely to try and execute her for her mother's actions.

A sudden change in light drew Raven out of her thoughts and cast a glance up to find that they were traveling through the ancient, yellowed bones of a monstrous animal easily the size of a small whale. The rib bones were enormous compared to her body and they were easily able to pass under the ribcage like a tunnel along the path the White Knight led them; to think that her mother had caused the death of that beast, a full grown jabberwocky if Raven identified the nearby skull correctly by the double jaws, was quite unnerving. Especially if one let their thoughts drift over to what might happen if the Evil Queen selected a significantly smaller target.

The group mostly traveled on in silence across the wasteland and Raven soon found herself traveling by Ben's side with Lizzie on his other. The young witch was grateful that he being so supportive of her right now, especially with all the reminders of what her mother was capable of and had done. He hadn't blamed her for any of this and he didn't seem the slightest bit afraid of her, if only very upset with her mother's actions; Raven couldn't blame him for that. It was his duty as a hero to protect the innocent from harm and to see this much destruction to such a wondrous place was definitely unsettling.

This brought up thoughts of how Lizzie was fairing so far and Raven had to admit that the Princess of Hearts was probably the one suffering the most out of all of them. While it was greatly disheartening to see their homeland still under such an enormous threat that could end them all without warning, Kitty and Maddie had the reassurance that her parents were safe for the moment and not under the threat of being beheaded after being dethroned. That alone was enough danger for Lizzie and Raven was wondering what the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts even thought of her now; was she still upset with Raven for her link to the purger of her homeland? Did she still feel that Raven had yet to make up for her mother's mistakes? All the witchling could be thankful for was that Ben was being the noble hero and good boyfriend he was and extending a comforting hand to the ailing Wonderlandian.

They soon came to an old, scarred bridge that extended itself over a stretch of deep, black liquid. The smell it gave off was highly unnerving as it smelled strongly of decay and death and Raven was highly discomforted without much chaotic magic and energy it radiated forth; all magic users were sensitive to the flow of magics and energies that they used and were thus quite erogenous to large amounts of untouched deposits.

"Quickly! They are almost-"

" _Stop right there!_ " the White Knight was cut off by a heavy, booming voice. The white chessman yanked back on the reins of his horse and brought his mount to stop to seemingly glare at another knight blocking the way off of the bridge; it was difficult to see under the helmet. The sudden intruder was colored a deep crimson and various hues of red in contrast to the White Knight's armor, sporting black and red feathers in comparison to the White Knight's blue and white. He rode a red horse chesspiece with a heavy broadsword and shield clipped to his side and his voice was more threatening and booming then his counterpart. "Men, deploy!" he commanded.

Briar raised an eyebrow of disbelief as a single card guardsman charged forward at them and came to a screeching halt, almost as if he believed he could take on them all without even a weapon. This was quickly proven wrong when the dozens upon thousands of black and red jacks, clubs, aces, spades, suddenly spat out from behind the lone guard and quickly snaked around his commander. The chain of cards continued to swiftly travel down into the black muck and back up the other side before closing the loop behind them, effectively forming a barrier of guardsmen around them all. As if that weren't bad enough, all ninety-nine cards quickly drew a pointed spear and thrust it inward, forcing the group of fairy tales into even tighter quarters than before.

Lizzie immediately turned on the White Knight. "Why didn't you do anything!?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, I _couldn't_ do anything." the White Knight answered sheepishly. "It was his turn."

Raven frowned and angrily balled her hands into fists. This was not the time to be slowed down, especially not with the Queen of Heart's life at stake! The chance to right the wrongs her mother had done to her best friend forever after's homeland was too tantalizing to pass up and she was not about to let any bad memories or red knight's stand in her way. "What do you want with us?" she demanded to know.

"I am the attendance officer for Wonderland High School." the Red Knight replied in a matter of fact tone as he dismounted his horse and approached them with a commanding presence. "Unless you have a hall pass signed by the vice principal, I am bound to deliver you back to class."

"Deliver this!" Ben snapped angrily as he raised a hand and brought his left wrist up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Skurd warned.

The Slimebiote's warning came too late as Ben slammed a hand down on the Omnitrix disk on his left wrist and swallowed himself in a blast of green light. The first he was aware of was how his seemed to be pulled in two different directions, as if it couldn't make up his mind about which parts of should be what size; he could feel his finger bones crack and grind together loudly as they were stretched out and out, farther and farther until they were nearly as long as he was tall. His arms split and snapped awkwardly as his wrists were pulled into a permanent position that directed them downward at an angle, allowing his ulnas and radius to lengthen and hollow. Ben's skeleton crunched and popped loudly as bones were dramatically shifted about, forcing the organs into new positions and out of existence altogether in some instances, reducing Ben's height severely until he was perhaps the size of a large tennis ball. His ears rotated to the top of his head and took upon a pointed appearance while his eyes widened greatly and his nose was pressed back against his face, lessening it into a pair of sensitive nostrils; his jaws cracked and crunched noisily as his teeth sharpened into pointed fangs and his tongue grew a thin grove down its middle. A long tail tipped with a webbed growth snaked out from the base of his spine as his toes molded together to form three, dull claws just barely sharp enough for gripping and holding onto surfaces. Ben could feel a horrible inching sensation come across the whole of his body as fluffy, white fur sprouted from every pore of his skin and turned him into the equivalent of a walking cottonball while a light and expansive membrane swiftly formed between his fingers; the final piece of the transformation was the addition of the Omnitrix and Skurd upon a belt-like strap that wrapped around his waist and back.

Had the situation not been so serious the girls would have most likely burst out laughing or immediately start to gush and coo over the notoriously cute, little Xenocubus that kept itself aloft by flapping its wings. The fact that he had a severe scowl upon his face did not help matters as even the White Knight had to hold back a slipper snicker.

"Fluff Luv. It _had_ to be Fluff Luv. It couldn't have been Four Arms or Brawn or even Pesky Dust. It _had_ to be Fluff Luv." the Xenocubus pouted to himself in a high, squeaky voice; Maddie found herself hardpressed to hold back her giggles and squeals of adoration.

Skurd sighed. "I _tired_ to warn you, dear boy. The Omnitrix has been split apart into multiple Omnitrices that decorate your body, each one carrying the genetic code of a single alien. Every time the Omnitrix times out and you resume your woefully average human form, the location of the genetic samples are all randomize, thus making it a complete toss up as to which alien you will get no matter which Omnitrix you try to use."

The bat-like alien frowned heavily. "I'm beginning to understand why Wonderland is so frustrating to some people." Fluff Luv grumbled under his breath, giving a few more flaps of his wings to turn around and fly over to Apple's shoulder. He shifted about and batted her gigantic bow out of the way before digging his little claws into the fabric of Apple's dress and it took every last ounce of the princess' willpower not to just scoop up the Xenocubus right then and there and give a tremendous hug.

"Don't worry, Lizzie! I'll go warn your mom!" Kitty thought up of another solution to their problem; by nature, her species were natural teleporters and were able to manipulate such a powerful magic quite easily from their younger kitten years, albeit with some difficulty in ending up safely in the correct location. With that in mind, Kitty's face split into her usual, cheeky smile as it usually did in order to activate the magical energies at her command and she could the tickling sensation of her body start to disintegrate and disappear bit by bit as it usually did. By all accounts this should have been a successful teleportation, but by the time she opened her eyes she still found herself rooted to the same spot.

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat gave it a second try, grinning like she had been taught and letting the magical energies flow through her, ready to transport her to a new place of location, only to be abruptly cut off by some kind of canceling power of energy that Kitty wasn't familiar with. "Something's wrong with my magic! I can't teleport out of here!" she panicked.

"Maybe it's . . . part of the curse?" Maddie suggested.

"This day just gets better and better." Fluff Luv grumbled sarcastically from Apple's shoulder.

Lizzie however, didn't seem as bothered by the current situation as she probably should have been. "it doesn't matter," she waved it off. "We'll all be at the palace soon enough. Once we get to the vice principal, I'll just explain our situation."

"Are you sure that will work?" Briar asked skeptically.

"Of course it will." Lizzie seemed unphased by the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty's lack of faith in her. With a cough for attention she turned back to address the Red Knight. "How long before we get to the school anyway?" she asked.

The Red Knight replied in as kindly of a tone as his echoing helmet would allow him. "It's not far today," he reassured them before gesturing outwards with his arms. "Because you're already here!"

Fluff Luv was nearly thrown from Apple's shoulder when she jumped in shock at their sudden, new surroundings and the Xenocubus had to admit he was quite baffled as well as to how they had suddenly got from standing on a bridge over a river of black magic residue in the middle of a barren wasteland to the middle of what looked like a courtyard of some kind, similar to how Ever After High and by extension Monster High's layout was. Was was usually warm cobblestone or brick walk was instead a multicolored checkerboard-pattern path that wound and twisted its way rather crazily across the school grounds, worming its way under a small bridge and through three gigantic croquet wickets and past a large hedge maze adorned with clock sculptures and hourglass art pieces until it finally made its way up to the steps of a tall and imposing building. Towers bridged together thrust themselves up into the sky and doors and windows seemed to be placed without rhyme or reason with a gigantic clock that told time backwards stationing itself on the school's clock tower, which was placed on the lowest building available instead of the highest.

In a word, the school screamed Wonderland.

Maddie pouted sourly. "Of all the days we just had to come here on school day!"

Lizzie however, was still not budging on the subject of attending Wonderland High for the day and from the way her face was starting to turn a faint scarlet in color, Raven could easily tell that the Princess of Hearts was beginning to lose her temper. "School or no school, you realize that my mother is the _queen?_ I don't have to stay here." she said with an aristocratic tone, turning swiftly on her heel to walk back towards the main gates. "Come along, my friends." she commanded.

The girls all shared nervous glances with one another, their eyes flickering up towards the guard towers that were placed at the corners of the walls and every couple of feet or so to provide extra cover. The card guardsman all readied their spears or crossbows, aiming them directly at their future ruler without hesitation. Fluff Luv was quite sure Lizzie was going to become the human equivalent of her beloved pet hedgehog, Shuffle, with how close she was cutting it before a pair of card guardsman at the gate quickly cut her off with their heavy and very sharp poleaxes, blocking her escape.

"B-But . . . but . . ." Lizzie tried to protest.

The Red Knight shook his head with a sharp squeaking noise. "Sorry, man, but you're on school grounds now. You follow school rules and none of you is going anywhere until you graduate." he said firmly, snapping his fingers loudly. A loud crash filled the air as the iron bar gate came crashing down and blocked off their only escape, trapping them within the confined walls of Wonderland High.

"You are _so_ lucky I can't turn into Shocksquatch." Fluff Luv growled irritably.

"If only, Ben. If only." Lizzie sighed sourly.

* * *

 **Well . . . that's finally done and over with.**

 _ **'And after so long, too, ya young whipper-snapper! I had time to grow a beard since you last updated! I had to get an artificial hip! I yell at kids daily for them to get off of my lawn! And on top of that, I haven't been laid in years!'**_

 _ **Did you really have to grow the beard?**_

 _ **'Get me my teeth, woman!'**_

 **Yeah, he's been like that for the past few months. So once again, apologies for the incredibly long delay, but I have heard your pleas (and threats) and have finally returned with the chapter that took so long to recover and perfect. Which is now why I am backing up all my files after every time I save a document to prevent this disaster from happening again, because you guys. Believe me, it lights up my day (or whatever passes for a day down here) when you review and tell me how well (or bad) I'm doing with the story, what you liked and didn't, and of course the ever constant flow of ideas and suggestions that give me.**

 **Because of that and in all honesty, I like to think of this being a community effort where everyone has a say and a right to pitch in ideas to perfect the story as best as possible. I offered the spine and everyone else just kept on adding bones and muscles and organs to create something beautiful and amazing to look at (and hopefully with clothes depending on what it is).**

 **On a side note, I bet you're all wondering who Fluff Luv is. In short, Fluff Luv is an alien that Ben gained during mine and _Blazorna Ibara's_ Xover event with both our Ben 10 stories (this only involves WAM and it is considered canon). For a better explanation and description as to what the latest addition to the alien roster looks like, head on over to my Deviantart account and take a look! And hey, maybe while you're there, leave a comment as well?**

 **Okay, that last part was Maddie's idea.**

 _ **'Enough of the poetry! It's four in the afternoon and I wanna go to bed!'**_

 **I'm not going to be the slightest bit surprised if some of the senior citizen shades come down here and beat you senseless with their canes for mocking them. And I am going to laugh about it, record it, show it to Lord Hades and Lady Persephone, and then post it on the djininternet for all the genies and imortals gods and beings to see and laugh at alongside with me. And you, gramps, are going to have to deal with it as your cane-shaped wounds heal over.**

 _ **'Stop yammering and get me some prune juice, woman!'**_

 **. . . Maddie?**

 _ **'Yes, Creaty?'**_

 **Is Mr. Nibbles hungry?**

 _ **'Well, mommy hasn't fed him yet, but he's spent the better part of the chapter chewing on the couch. Why?'**_

 **Good. _Oh, Mr. Nibbles! Lunch time!_ _*point at Deadpool*_**

 _ **'GAH! No! Please! Have mercy!'**_

 **Lost it a long time ago. I think I last saw it somewhere in the Boohamas.**

 _ **No, it was in Doombai, silly!**_

 **Are you sure it wasn't Barcelgroana?**

 _ **Hmmm, maybe it was in Boo York?**_

 _ **'Hello!? AGH! My face is being eaten off here!'**_

 **Yeah, yeah, hang on. We're trying to remember something important.**

 _ **'And my beautiful face isn't!?'**_

 **No. In fact, something's wrong with it.**

 _ **'What!? Was it is!? AAAGGH! It's got acid spit! It's got acid spit!'**_

 **Of course it has acid spit. Why wouldn't?**

 _ **As for what's wrong with your face Deadpool . . . it's still there! *proceeds to high-five Creaturemaster while Deadpool screams***_

 **That's my girl! Now then, I suppose that's just about everything! As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! And don't forget to vote on the poll for those that enjoy and read my one-shot series! And don't forget to swing by _Blazorna Ibara's_ profile for our Xover event!**

 _ **Hasta luego!**_

 **Adios!**


	25. Way too Wonderland Pt 2

_**Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales.**_

 _ **'But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails!'**_

 _ **You got some power in your corner now, some heavy ammunition in your camp.**_

 _ **'You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how, see all you gotta do is rub that lamp!'**_

 _ **And I'll say-**_

 **Hey, people! I like _Friend like Me_ as much as the next genie, but we've got a story to run! After the long-ass length it took to publish the first part we at least owe it to our readers to get the second part out at a decent rate! I mean seriously, the death threats have been piling up and it's driving Hades crazy! You can't kill someone who's already undead!**

 _ **'I dunno. I think I might look pretty good in another beard.'**_

 _ **You haven't shaved off the last one, silly!**_

 _ **'Exactly! Two beards equals twice the awesomeness that is moi!'**_

 **You keep telling yourself that. Anyway, thank you for all the support you've given me over the original lost copy of the previous chapter and I'm glad a majority of you (who am I kidding? All of you, to be exact) were so understanding for the lengthy waiting time between chapters. To show my appreciation, I shall bless you all with answers to your questions and a new chapter to follow!**

 _ **'Onward, mighty stallion!'**_

 _ **I think the beard's making him hallucinate.**_

 **Actually, I think he was already crazy.**

 _ **storygirl99210 –**_ **Yes, Ben is in Wonderland and only insanity and a wild ride can await him and the girls. Especially with a rather . . . unusual surprise at the end** ** _*hint, hint*_**

 _ **ajjr12 –**_ **Answers in the order that you asked for them 1) All of the ghouls are aware of Cerise's family heritage, but only Raven, Kitty, and Cupid are officially in on Cerise's secret; it's unknown if Maddie knows or not, but I can safely say that Apple is, as usual, absolutely oblivious for the time being. 2) I have seen the lost movie and, while it does have a very good plot point, it's not something I will be implementing. I already have so many ideas and characters and events that I want and need to cram into this story there really isn't much room for anymore.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **I believe we've already discussed how and why Gigi and Twyla are incapable of contacting Whisp and Ben through a PM. And while the Evil Queen's monologue had to be cut from the final copy, that doesn't mean we won't get to see things from her point of view, especially since I've been lacking in the details on the villains schemes, something I've been trying to fix since my last story. I actually got the tuxedo idea from a series of Ben 10 Wonderland drawings and sketches I found on Deviantart and the Omnitrix idea was sort of an evolution of the Unitrix on steroids.**

 _ **starravenwolf –**_ **Hey, no problem. I don't mind answering questions for my readers in the slightest (call me an egomaniac if you will). And while Ben won't be the first newcomer that the Queen of Hearts meets, he'll certainly be the most interesting especially after what he says . . . or rather yells. You'll have to wait and see.**

 _ **Yay! Cannon-time!**_

 _ **'Curse you, starravenwolf!'**_

 **As much as I find the confetti cannon annoying, if it destroys Deadpool I think I'll be able to tolerate it. Light 'em, babe!**

 _ **Yay! BOOM!**_

 _ **'NO! The confetti! It burns!'**_

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **Can do, my man!**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **And you may keep calling it that until I pull whatever tricks I have up my sleeve out to put on paper . . . keyboard . . . screen . . . you know what I mean. As for Nefera and Gigi being the next ghouls to come, you have at least one of them right . . . as for which one, I'm not saying anything! And believe it or not, the Elle x Cooper relationship wasn't actually my original idea, but the idea of another reader who thought it be a cool and cute idea; it just seemed inevitable anyway, plus it's nice to see where some of the lesser featured but well liked characters ended up in the series.**

 **I can't say too much on Raven and the Evil Queen (spoilers), but I can say one thing for certain: always expect a wild card to throw itself into your hand of aces.**

 _ **ALLAY HOOPA RING!**_

 _ **'ALLAY HOOPA RING!'**_

 **Oh, what the heck. _ALLAY HOOPA RING!_**

 ** _transformers and star wars fan –_ Mr. Nibbles is the nightmarish, alien-like creature that was gifted to me and my roommates by a reviewer that only ever seems to pop up when we make false assumptions about our semi-beloved pet. Despite his acidic saliva, near-constant state of hunger, spider-like appearance, and habit of constantly attacking mine and Deadpool's faces when least expected, Maddie seems perfectly immune and treats Mr. Nibbles (she named it) like she is it's mother (we don't know what gender it is). She even feeds it like one in a . . . rather unusual way.**

 _ **'You say unusual, I say hot and spicy!'**_

 **And I say stop oggling my girlfriend and get back in your closet before I compress you into an area the size of a dictionary and do it for you.**

 _ **Matthew gemm –**_ **I shall,** ** _mi amigo!_ I shall!**

 _ **Karlos1234ify –**_ **And I love writing for this story!**

 _ **'You know what else is a coincidence?'**_

 **What?**

 _ **'I love chimichangas!'**_

 **What does that have to do with anything?**

 _ **'No idea! Ain't it grand?'**_

 **Since when do you say 'grand'?**

 _ **See previous answer, you schoodle-brain!**_

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **Answers in the order you listed them 1) Fluff Luv is essentially the brain child of a mindless conversation between me and** ** _Blazorna Ibara_ (who I've written a crossover with combining WAM and his other Ben 10 story. I'd check it out if you haven't already) where we were coming up with a villain idea based around Fluff Luv's species. The whole thing went on from there and we eventually ended up with a villain with will appear later on in OUAT and in the crossover as well.**

 **2) Thanks! I just thought of what might drive Ben craziest the most, along with what I could do to hinder him in Wonderland High without taking away or shutting down the Omnitrix, since he's more science based than magic based.**

 **3) It takes a lot to piss me off-**

 _ **'Oh, Four-Eyes!'**_

 **That being one of them. Either way, it takes a _lot_ for me to hate a fellow writer and reader and I would not suggest trying to find out either since that is not a pleasant experience.**

 **4) That's okay, it's entirely up to you! And I believe we already discussed your little request, so done deal!**

 _ **TerrorKing10 –**_ **Yes, yes I do, and it's both listed on my profile page and where I post a lot of artwork relating to my works, including the OC villains that were picked for the story. And trust me, I've got some ideas swirling around in my noggin; of course, I'll try to stick to the original design, but there's only so much I can do before I have to start taking guesses and implementing my own thoughts.**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **I'm glad you thought so! Hope this was worth the wait as well!**

 _ **DoomsDay2015 –**_ **When the time comes, you shall have it,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **Isom –**_ **Ooh,** ** _Creaturemaster_ likey! Oh, Deadpool!**

 _ **'What!?'**_

 _ ***Creaturemaster grins as he presses a meaty finger down on the core of the Nanitrix and swallows himself in a blast of yellow light. His right arms began to swell, metal plating taking the place of his skin as his bones and muscles fused together before sending out thousands upon thousands of sensitive nerve endinfs that connected them to the that now encased Creaturemaster's arms. His hands trembled and splintered loudly as they suddenly changed into sharp, gray claws while a large piston formed on the back of each elbow, merging with his arms underneath the armor. Meanwhile, Creaturemaster's upper left arm began to clatter and crack nosily as his tough, red skin took on a smooth, cool, organic substance comparable to that of plastic as it flashed bright red and blue and yellow in color; his fingers crunched and split loudly as they grew stiffer and more jointed, dull bumps popping out all along his arm as black lines and crevices etched themselves through his tissue. His lower left arm flashed a cool blue in color and deflated greatly, losing a great deal of the muscle mass it bad before yet remaining strong and lean as ever. His fingers crunched loudly as they hardened into three stiff, black blades perfectly designed for aerodynamic and slicing, completing the transformation***_

 **Oh, nothing. I just thought I'd throw you a _block_ party, since you're such a _cut_ above the rest. Don't worry, this isn't a _drill!_**

 _ **'Make it stop!'**_

 **How's this for stopping? * _Snaps his Segmentasapien arm forward and grabs Deadpool by the front of his shirt, yanking him back with a loud clattering of bricks. Creaturemaster's Kineceleran arm then lungs forward and in a blinding burst of speed expertly cut out the letters 'C' and 'M' into the fabric of Deadpool's shirt before tossing him high up into the air. Deadpool screams and comes crashing back down just as the Talpaedan fists connect with his brittle body and slam the pistons down, punching him forward and propelling him clear across the room and through the door of his closet.*_ Oh, yeah! This thing rocks!**

 _ **'Mommy . . .'**_

 _ **Creaty! How dare you beat up Deadpool!**_

 **Aw, babe-**

 _ **Without me!**_

 **I knew there was a reason I loved you. And as far as I know, you mostly just stumble through the day without really knowing what you're doing and somehow graduating by Tea Time. I guess the only reason it seems harsh is because of how harsh they are on actually keeping you there, but then again, if they have classes that send chess pieces sailing across the horizon like golf balls, it doesn't seem that strange. As for Fluff Luv . . . I'll keep that in mind in case Maddie needs to calm down a bit. I've run out of sedative tea leaves and I'm not getting another shipment for the next six months.**

 _ **'AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!'**_

 **Maddie, stop trying to smash Deadpool's face with your mallet. Smash his coconuts instead, that'll get a bigger reaction.**

 _ **Okay!**_

 _ **'AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHH! Why me!?'**_

 **Don't worry. We'll reward him with a huge plate of Mexican food later. In the mean time though . . . on an ending note though, I finished Seducire (the Nemetrix alien you suggested for Jigsaw). It has yet to appear in the story, but I'd thought I'd get it out so I don't forget about it. Lemme know what you think! And in the mean time . . . again . . .**

 _ **ImmaSupa Stargirl –**_ **I'll see what I can do, but no promises! As for the girls that are in the harem, there are roughly six girls currently attached to Ben right now and they are Apple White, Raven Queen, Cerise Hood, Madeline 'Maddie' Hatter (not my Maddie, mind you, a different one), Kitty Cheshire, and Cedar Wood. As you might have guessed, Lizzie's next in line.**

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **I don't know why but these sex-related reviews of yours somehow always make my day, probably because they're so unusual compared to everyone elses. As for your questions, Ben will** ** _not_ being having sex with the Evil Queen or Mira Shards in anything related to this story, but there is a very good chance that will be possible in the inevitable EAH lemon series in the far future. As for Maddie and Raven, it's probably happening in some universe right now as we speak, but it certainly isn't happening here!  
**

 _ **Unless you . . . want . . . it to happen?**_

 **Don't tempt me, babe. Just don't.**

 _ **Are you sure? I wouldn't mind *leers playfully at me***_

 **For the love of Galvan Prime, Maddie, save it for date night! Sheesh!**

 _ **Codecrash –**_ **I dunno. For all we know, the Narrators do have bodies, just ones that can't be seen even by Wonderlandian eyes, though this doesn't apply to their voices; they might not be able to interact with the mortal plane and could thus be immortal in a sense, though there does seem to be a need to reproduce considering Brooke's existence. I doubt that Ben would be that smart compared to the Wonderlandians themselves, but I don't doubt that somethings will just seem obvious to him considering his experience. As for Courtley and Ben-**

 _ **'Make it stop! The puns! They are too much!'**_

 _ **I think Deadpool just expired!**_

 **How can you tell?**

 _ **His lips are flapping like a jabberwocky with the sniffles!**_

 **Is there a difference?**

 _ **ThatChronicKid –**_ **First off, I don't mention/advertise/recommend stories I know nothing about and/or haven't read and I only do that if I believe other people will enjoy them as much as I had. Until I can actually see some physical evidence that it's actually worth mentioning to the masses, I can't and won't do anything. Secondly, I only bring in other characters/readers into the author's notes when I feel it is either relevant to whatever insanity is taking place in my room/dungeon cell in the Underworld this week, not because they request it; and because there is nothing incredibly arc-like happening does not mean you should make said relevant insanity happen.**

 _ **Malchior the Bad –**_ **Yes, yes, it's all in the name of driving Ben (and to a lesser extent, Lizzie) absolutely bat-shit insane. If you think Courtley's gonna try to flirt with Ben just to get on Lizzie's nerves, wait'll you see what a certain villain down the road has in store for our shape-shifting hero. As for Decagon Vreedle, it's a concept I've been toying with for a bit, but it's highly unlikely. Decagon Vreedle doesn't exactly offer Ben any kind of special advantage over his opponents and shares powers like another alien, Badaboom (I imagine he comes with explosives he can throw at enemies). And if not Badaboom, then numerous other heavy hitters like Humungousaur and Four Arms. It is a pretty decent idea however and, to be honest,** ** _Blazorna Ibara_ has been vouching for Decagon Vreedle to appear in our crossover with his Ben. Check it out!**

 _ **Hero-Time10 –**_ **At the moment, it's rather low on my list of 'things to draw for Deviantart', but it could be done. Really, all you have to do is search 'Ben 10 Wonderland' and find the drawings by** ** _Kapaychan_ (which are phenomenal, BTW) and that's pretty much the design I went with, other than few, obvious changes to avoid being a total copycat (despite the fact that I am, in fact, an undead Tetramand).**

 **shatterstarhawk – Yes, Maddie _did_ get the cannon parts and is currently trying to figure out how to put them together (the instructions came in every other language imaginable except English an Riddlish). As for your questions, _Epic Winter_ will be somewhat drastically different but should hopefully feature all the characters and yes, Wonderland did have an effect on the Omnitrix. Since Wonderland High blocks all forms of magic, such as Kitty's teleportation abilities, I needed something to hinder Ben and turning the Omnitrix into a whole bunch of Omnitrices on the randomizer function was just what I needed to even the playing field.**

 _ **DracoAngelus17 –**_ **That's right, my woefully doomed friend! As the Heart of the Frelijord always says, "You can always trust Braum", and likewise, you can always trust us down here in our own, personal hellhole. And yes, I hope** ** _Way too Wonderland_ to be one of my finer accomplishments. And as for your . . . eh, _problem_ . . . the best advice I can give you is to either not get bit or let her get her claws on you (in her spider form, she's more closely resembles an Arachnisapien with literal needle-like claws and legs) and whatever you do, do not let her tie you up in poison-laiden silk (it relaxes the muscles and nerves and causes all movement but breathing and blinking to cease) and proceed to either drain you of your fluids or use your body to please her, neither of which is a good option for you.**

 _ **'Especially since the hatchlings, which will spawn in about a three day period, will devour the first thing they see which will most likely be you!'**_

 _ **Not helping, Wade! Can't you see he's got bigger things to deal with than your endlessly taunting!?**_

 _ **'But's so much fun! It's better than fondling Wolverine's nice pair of criminals he's got down under, if you catch my drift.**_

 **Unfortunately, I do. So, to recap. DO. NOT. GET. CAUGHT. If you do get caught, well . . .**

 _ **Think happy thoughts?**_

 **Yeah, lets go with that.**

 ** _Anon –_ I'm glad you like my story and I'm very appreciative of that, but I have a duty to other people who don't care for my Ben 10-related work and since I haven't catered to them, they are top priority. While I work my ass off to get my Total Drama story updated, I will be working on the next chapter of OUAT, CCB, and possibly the lemon series on the side. A rough estimation is probably three weeks in total for a chapter; that usually gives readers enough time to review and read.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **She's in there somewhere!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **Hey, don't worry about it. It's been like, a month since I've updated this story which just shows you how busy I've been. And while I may no longer be in school (Haunted High doesn't enroll undead Tetramands it turns out. We don't phase through walls like everyone else), I can understand the difficulties that come with it.**

 **And thank you for that helpful insight. I've got an idea for DaringxRamona, but I'm also liking JustinexRamona as well. Basically, I want to give Daring a happy ending too once he's been written into a better light (after _much_ humiliation). And no, Twyla is not contemplating suicide (have I just unleashed an unspeakble evil by saying the-word-that-shall-not-be-named? Lets hope not), I am not putting suicidal thoughts into my characters heads (at least not ones they'll go through). I actually did almost nearly kill Twyla in my one-shot series but, as usual, Ben just happens to be nearby and save her in the nick of time.**

 _ **El templo de la lechuza**_ **won't appear for some time, but it will appear with a few tweaks to the story to make it fit and compress it down a little (because lets be honest, as good as it is, it's utterly massive). And no, not all females of Kickin Hawk's species can fly; the species all resemble various species of birds, with the king resembling a peacock (much to Ben's horror). This grants them all slightly different abilities than others, such as those that resemble waterfowl or penguins being better swimmers while those that resemble cranes and ostriches are faster runners and possibly stronger. Those that resemble peacock aka royals and governmental officials, have the ability to** ** _glide_ with their tail feathers. Remember, _flying_ is different than _gliding_.**

 **Thought you might like the big bed and Skelita scenes, been meaning to give our little skeleton some love. And yes, Whisp is a Poison Apple shipper, though this is just mostly because she can here anything I say (the author) and likes to secretly read Holly's stash of forbidden fanfiction (which may or may not be involved in the inevitable EAH one-shot series); Fluff Luv has been perfected to absolute adorablation (which isn't even a word, now that I think about it).**

 **If you think Disney was trying to rip off EAH with _Descendants_ (which is a nice concept in itself, just probably poorly executed), I was actually down there in Florida for a couple weeks (which is why I didn't update for a while) and they have this line of Monster High/Ever After High-like dolls called _Attractionistas_ , basically dolls based around the Magic Kingdoms various attractions, such as the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Tea Cup Ride (whose doll is actually named _Madeline_ ).**

 _ **No, silly, I'm named Madeline!**_

 **Oh, vey.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **To borrow a line from my favorite animated role that the late Robin Williams has proudly portrayed . . . "** ** _AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . . . OY!_ Ten-thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!"**

 _ **'Being around you for more than ten seconds is gonna give me such a pain in the neck.'**_

 **Quiet, you. And stay out of other people's reviews! I mean, c'mon, when the Lord of the Dead says you can't leave your padded dungeon cell, _you don't leave you padded dungeon cell._ Unless it's for another padded dungeon cell, then be my guest. Either way, something tells me that whoever the winner will be (even I don't know yet!) is going to take special advantage of their time alone with Ben, knowing full well that, considering it's Ben, there's bound to be something or someone or other that's going to ruin it. And the rest of the ghouls, no matter how oathsworn they might have been, will undoubtedly try to sneak a little somethin-somethin now and again or be unable to resist Ben's charm (or lack thereof) for long.**

 **I think one reason they take students to places like that is a warning of sorts, basically saying "This is what can and will happen to you if you don't stay in school" or something like that. Basically piggybacking on every single prison break movie there ever was and ever will be. As far as I know and according to the wiki, Cooper underwent a massive, almost startling growth spurt somewhere around the end of Alien Force and the start of Ultimate Alien, possibly artificial even; for all we know he used his technokinesis to build himself a machine to help his body grow more naturally due to being incapable of taking the taunts and teasing sent his way about his stunted growth.**

 **Rule 34 . . . or dear, sweet Olympian Gods. All I can say is there are some rather . . . interesting pictures of Lizzie and Kitty getting perhaps a little too comfortable with one another. Not to mention some rather . . . intriguing pictures of her with Daring and Courtley.**

 **Disregarding the fact that I probably just stomped on every little girl's dream out there of being a fairy tale princess, that little issue with fairy tales in general always bugged me. I mean, I understand that the original fairy tales were a lot darker and meant to be lessons instead of stories, but the latest, more 'safe' versions make it sound like everything turns out just fine because you sing a little and have a random prince to save you from a danger you were absolutely oblivious about. As for whether Venus sleeps naked (I can not confirm this when she is alone with Robecca, Jane, or Ben), lets just say that you gave me a brilliant start to a chapter I was otherwise having difficulty starting.**

 **I have seen that version of Ben and I will say he is rather amusing. Truth be told however, I modeled Ben's new look from a series of pictures from _Kapaychan_ that portrays the UAF characters in Wonderland, with Ben naturally taking the place of the Mad Hatter as his new outfit implies. Either way, you my friend, come up with _way_ too many good and fabulous ideas for your own good XD**

 **Oh, and one more thing? I either offer my sympathies to Lizzie for what she has just unfortunately stumbled upon or offer my words of warning to you to _RUN_ and _HIDE_ , depending on how things go. I'm not sure whether you should be more afraid of her possible anger or her possible lust, but I know a thing or two from Maddie-**

 _ **What do you know from me?**_

 _ **'Um, that your completely bat shit crazy!?'**_

 _ **I mean other than that, silly!**_

 **How about your adorable and beautiful and sexy as Hades?**

 _Aw, you're just saying that to butter me up like a strawberry tart!_

 **Is that a . . . good thing?**

 _ **Yep! *smooch***_

 **Oh, as if you and Lady Death haven't kissed before, Wade. Act your age for once.**

 _ **Can't. That's what the lady and/or ladies love about me.**_

 **For once, I can't argue with that.**

 **Now before we begin, I have two thing to ask of you all. First off, _who should I pair Daring with!?_ It's no secret that I'm going to try and attempt to fix Daring's character, but I'd like him to also find that special someone who for once has all of his attention for more than a week (or a day, considering his social life in canon). I'd like to hear your suggestions for who Daring might be most compatible with.**

 **The second thing I'd like to hear: _how can I reform Courtley!?_ Like in canon I will also be trying to reform Courtley after her spout in Wonderland with Ben and the girls, but I'm going to do it better than the canon version did (leaving it up to the fans, while fun, probably wasn't the best idea). So I want to hear what you like about Courtley, what you don't like about Courtley, and what you think should be fixed about Courtley. Basically about Courtley in genneral.**

 _ **'That just about cover it, Four-Eyes?'**_

 _ **Yeppers! Onward!**_

 **Alright, alright. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! And don't forget to review about Daring and Courtley!**

 ** _'Onward, mighty stallion!'_**

 **The beards are getting to him.**

 _ **You mean they weren't before?**_

* * *

Hunter knew from the moment that he heard giggling and felt something wet and sticky drip down on his head from above that he should have simply kept walking and made it to his lunch date with Ashlynn. It had been a while – roughly a week – since he and his Vegan Princess had last dined together and out in the splendid outdoors on a lovely day no less; plus, Ashlynn had promised to make him some of her famous (or infamous, depending on how you looked at it) spinach puffs, delicious wads of cooked spinach wadded up between mouthwatering, fluff buns lightly seasoned with the most scrumptious spices this side of Ever After.

In short, the Son of the Huntsman was not looking forward to missing it.

So when he heard the aforementioned giggling and felt the suspicious substance that reminded him uncomfortably of the drool he would sometimes wake up with slowly trickle its way _very_ slowly down his chest beneath his shirt, Hunter stopped on his trek and ran through the options he could take at this moment; he had at least two. He could either ignore it entirely and be on his merry way towards his Vegan Princess or he could go investigate and possibly regret finding what he discovered entirely.

It was never said Ashlynn fell in love with Hunter because of his brains.

Against his better judgment, the huntsman looked up to see the heavy, leather boots of Sparrow Hood dangling down from a high branch in a tall oak tree directly above him, the leaves rustling every now and again when the Son of Robin Hood decided to release an almost feminine giggle. " _Sparrow!_ " he yelled loudly.

The following result was something akin to that of a startled chimpanzee desperately trying not to fall out of the tree for the sake of avoiding injury and a further bruised ego now that it had been caught. "Hey, not cool man! Nobody sneaks up on Sparrow Hood!"

Hunter sighed and rubbed his brow. "I know I'm probably going to regret this, but what in the kingdom are you doing up there?" he looked up into the tree with an expectant look.

"Come up here and take a look for yourself, Huntsman." Sparrow grinned mischievously with that ever smug grin that hunter knew drove Raven absolutely crazy whenever it was directed at her. And not in the good kind of crazy, no this was the kind of crazy that brought the well hidden dark side of the young witchling that had become his unofficial leader and that was a scary sight all in its own. If there was one thing in Ever After that pushed the incredibly patient and oddly mother-like Raven Queen over the edge, it was a cocky and overconfident Sparrow Hood who didn't understand the concept of personal space or volume control.

The later of the two was the more annoying for those that were wondering.

Now Hunter had a dilemma here. He could either forget he ever saw Sparrow in the first place and head back on track to get to his much beloved date with his girl and spinach puffs or he could play along and see just what had Sparrow giggling like a school girl with a secret. That last option generally ended up with the Son of Robin Hood landing himself in detention and spinning gold for Professor Rumpelstiltskin (who often cut Sparrow's punishment short just to get him to stop playing and out of his receding hairline), but occasionally it was worthwhile.

Occasionally. Rarely. Sporadically. Periodically. Seldom. As in not very often.

And yet, like a certain Daughter of the Cheshire Cat that got herself into trouble one too many times, Hunter let his curiosity get the best of him. Which was why he found himself grabbing onto the lowest hanging branch and hauling himself up as much upper body strength as he could muster before he managed to hook his foot over the branch and pull himself up. He then proceeded to carefully make his way up the rest of the tree under Sparrow's almost ecstatic urging, grabbing onto branches and setting his feet inside hollows that he was sure were empty to climb the rest of his way up until he had finally made it up to a spot located directly behind an eager Sparrow Hood.

How he had managed to haul his guitar and a pair of binoculars up there with him as well was a mystery in itself, but Hunter wasn't going to ask more than one question at a time. Especially when delicious spinach puffs and his beautiful Ashlynn awaited him.

"Alright, I'm up here. Now tell me why _you're_ up here before I suddenly change my mind and climb back down." Hunter sighed with his arms folded over his chest out of annoyance.

Sparrow gave a grin that he couldn't quite place but would have to categorize under 'scheming' and 'proud', with a hint of 'predatory' for good measure. "See for yourself." he held up the binoculars for him.

Hunter sighed and reluctantly took the the pair of binoculars from him, mentally wondering why he was even playing along with the musician's antics that would undoubtedly get him in trouble as he put the binoculars up to his eyes and allowed them to focus. At first he couldn't see anything and it was comparable to that of a child's watercolor painting where all the colors bled together into a big mess, but eventually an image began to take shape.

The binoculars were nearly dropped to the ground below from Hunter's shaky fingers.

Venus McFlytrap was stretched out lazily along the length of a lawn chair that she had most likely dragged up from the school's indoor pool and was currently sunbathing with a pair of magenta-rimmed sunglasses over her eyes. Of course, that was the only thing – other than her copy of the Omnitrix – that she wore, making her one very nude ghoul that Hunter was sorry to say he was unable to take his eyes off of. The plant-monster ghoul's figure was bosomy and hard to look away from, her beautiful breasts and plump lips riddled with fine, needle-like teeth almost impossible not to stare at. Her flawless, green skin was only disturbed by tendrils of ivy and vines that curled their way around her warms and legs and across Venus' body to form what looked like a hardly functioning bathing suit that only covered the most private parts of her figure. Everything else was left to the imagination and that was quite _a lot._

She was beautiful.

She was arousing.

She was an absolute goddess.

And she was dating Ben Tennyson.

It was at that moment the binoculars were nearly dropped a second time as Hunter hurriedly fumbled with them with a deep, crimson face and tried to shove the viewing device back into Sparrow's hands. The musician of course, gladly took them back but quickly hooked an arm around the huntsman's neck and put him into a makeshift headlock when he realized that Hunter looked like he was trying to make a break for it.

"What is your problem, Huntsman?" Sparrow scoffed with a big, dopey grin on his face as he returned the binoculars to his eyes for his viewing pleasure.

Hunter grunted as he tried to slip out of the Son of Robin Hood's tight grip. "My 'problem' is that I want to live! If Ben finds out about this, he's gonna kill us! I am not looking forward to being burned, crushed, stomped on, frozen, melted, electrocuted, and/or aged into dust if I can help it!" he hissed venomously.

Sparrow was about to try and sooth the huntsman's concerns – as even his somewhat limited intelligence was able to grasp that spying on a naked female of any species was not exactly considered appropriate in most cultures and that any loose ends concerning the manner left untied would not be beneficial to his health – when there came a sudden rustling of leaves from above. The musician paused from wrestling with Hunter long enough to stare curiously at the goshawk that had perched itself at the very end of the branch he and Hunter were sitting on.

Normally a bird of any kind, even a bird of prey with a hooked beak and wicked sharp talons, would not deter Sparrow from getting a front row seat at seeing a girl's cleavage and other areas, especially when she was unaware, but a little voice in the back of his head warned him otherwise. He had learned from a young age from his father about the kinds of animals he might encounter when he followed in his father's footsteps and lived out his days in Sherwood Forest, and Robin Hood had been quite quick to warn him about the dangers of the highly territorial and temperamental goshawk that would viciously protect its territory from any animal dumb enough to wandered into its patch of the forest.

Coincidentally, Robin Hood had given him that lesson right after he had several slash wounds in his face and back treated and stitched up by his wife. As Sparrow recalled, he had never seen his father so disgruntled and terrified in all his life and was quick to note that the lesson of the goshawk was told in a somewhat irritated and vengeful tone.

That specific lesson came back to Sparrow now as he starred wide eye at the goshawk perched at the end of the branch he was sitting on, and if the way Hunter had ceased all movement was any indication he had realized what their current situation was, too. Normally a few swings of the musician's guitar might have been enough to ward off the temperamental raptor long enough for the two boys to make their mistake, but not this time.

Last time Sparrow had checked, goshawks were not colored various hues of black and purple and did not wear spiked ankle bracelets around their legs.

The Son of Robin Hood had approximately seven seconds to react accordingly before Jane Boolittle – cleverly disguised as the goshawk perched at the end of the branch he was sitting on – gave a shrill shriek and flared her wings. Hunter and Sparrow yelled in response and scrambled over one another to safely scurry down the tree and make a run for it as the lavender goshawk rushed at them and ruthlessly began to peck at their heads with her beak and slash and attack them again and again with her talons. The bird of prey never let up at the two boys suddenly grabbed onto one another as they fell tumbling out of the tree, hitting several branches on the way down with a loud _crack!_ or _thump!_ every few seconds until they finally landed painfully on the ground in what could be called the most painful manner possible.

Sparrow hadn't hurt this much since he had made a particularly suggestive comment towards Lizzie Hearts and had received probably the hardest slap to the face Ever After High had ever seen.

"Sparrow . . . if I live through this, I am going to kill you . . ." Hunter grunted as he shoved the musician's foot out of his face and struggled to get out from beneath him.

"Get in line, Huntsman. You ain't the only one who wants a piece of Sparrow!" the Son of Robin Hood yelped once his skull had stopped pounding long enough for him to catch sight of the goshawk perched on the ground just a few feet away; a flurry of feathers and soft, lavender skin soon enveloped the bird of prey and Jane was quick to take its place. And she did not look happy.

The jungle ghoul glared coldly at the two boys that had the audacity to sneak even a glance at her ghoulfriend while she was trying to have lunch the only her species could that didn't involve devouring vast quantities of flesh and blood. The many animals she played host to within her body and mind were roaring for their blood for such a heinous act and Jane was all too happy to oblige as she tapped the Nemetrix permanently fastened to her wrist and randomly selected one of the vicious predators that lurked within; she hardly cared which one would have the honor of enacting vengeance.

The shape-shifter was swallowed in a blast of hot, crimson energy as her genetic code was manipulated and scrambled into something new. Her bones ground and cracked against one another as her limbs were stretched to lengths nearly three times their original size, hollowing out before thousands of stiff, little, horizontal rods attached themselves inside to provide extra support and durability. Powerful muscles and tendons stretched themselves along the length of Jane's legs, followed shortly up by a thick layer of tough keratin scale. The jungle ghoul's toes tore through her shoes as sharp talons with a single, sickle claw specifically designed to slash the vital tendons of prey rose from her digits. Her skeleton was shifted around, forcing her legs to re-position and hold her body up in a hunched fashion held in place by a stiff breastbone that acted as an anchor to her developing arm muscles. Byzantium purple feathers of varying shapes and sizes quickly spread across her shifting figure, leaving her legs bare and her neck naked just as her throat was pulled out to a long dimension. Jane's skull crunched heavily as teeth were absorbed into her jaws and pushed out into a long, hook beak perfectly designed for mass destruction. Her blue orbs split into a second pair and rotated about to either side of her head as the Nemetrix appeared as a spiked collar around her neck and the feathers on her wings and tail popped into existence, completing the transformation.

Hunter swallowed nervously as he glanced at Sparrow. He knew goshawks, swans, geese, peacocks, eagles, ostriches, and even griffins were highly temperamental avians that would not hesitate to punish those that so much as thought about as stepping into their territory, but this alien monstrosity looked like it was going to ruthlessly maul him without the slightest bit of provaction. The fact that Sparrow had already aggravated the person currently at the controls of such a power predator only worsened the situation.

It looked like he was going to be late to his date with his Vegan Princess and her delicious spinach puffs.

Jane had once told him and Ashlynn that the Omnivoracious were once the natural predators of Grey Matter's species, the Galvan, and were considered the swiftest, fiercest, most cunning, and determined predator in the known universe before they were driven to extinction; the Galvan civilization probably wouldn't have even risen had a meteor collision and resulting climate change interfered and sent their former predators spiraling into extinction. Even the alien avian's name was something to tremble in fear of, considering 'Omnivoracious' literally translated to 'willing to eat anything'.

And right now, it looked like it was willing to eat two human boys that had stuck their noses somewhere where they didn't belong.

" _ **SCREEEEEE-EEEEEEEAAAAH!"**_

Sparrow and Hunter promptly screamed as they dove out of the way of a swift strike of Omnivoracious' hooked beak, ducking under a following swipe of the razor-sharp sickle claw, and scrambling away as fast as possible. The Omnivoracious shrieked loudly as she flapped her wings and gave chase, sprinting after the fleeing boys as the intention to punish them for their indecency.

This all left Dexter Charming very confused and very sore, not to mention quite frightened as well. One moment he had been almost aimlessly walking down the path that led past the boy's dorms and towards the Village of Book End, and the next he was suddenly flattened against the ground and being threatened by a gigantic, alien predator that had just been summoned into existence before his very eyes.

He wasn't exactly sure if it was better than getting turned into a sheep or not.

With a grunt Dexter climbed to his feet and tried to ignore the dull, throbbing pain in his leg where Sparrow's sharp elbow had planted itself into the back of his knee. Honestly, it didn't hurt as much as some of the injuries he sustained from his Heroic 101 class, among others, and most of those had easily been soothed and patched up with Healer Sternum's magic touch (as well as a healthy dose of healing magic). There were even a few occasions where the injuries in the class had been so numerous and so severe that reinforcements had been called in and all of Ever After High's magic users-in-training got a chance to practice their skills in healing magic; even Raven had gotten to try her hand on few occasions, though Dexter had been the only one willing to allow her to operate on him as her touch had a tendency to do more harm than good.

Back then he had been too love struck and too busy gazing upon her endless beauty to notice the burning sensations that arched across his body when her attempts to heal cuts and bruises ended up placing severe burns from dark fire in their place. Nowadays though, on the rare juncture that Raven's talents were called upon to heal Ever After's future heroes and rulers, he was still the only one that was willing to let her work on him, but their interactions were both more casual, if not a bit awkward than before. Beforehand, the Son of Prince Charming would try his best to hide his nervous demeanor and try not to make a fool of himself while the young witch worked her craft; now, the two of them would tell one another jokes to try and take his mind off of the pain that racked his body.

Dexter gave a sigh of sorrow and confusion. He still had dreams of him and his sweet Raven being a happy, loving couple that had managed to get their own Happily Ever After, even though those dreams somehow felt wrong and mocking; the witchling was with Ben now and it saddened and heartened him to finally see one of his closest friends finally happy after years of relentless shaming and ridicule. The young prince had always hoped that it would be him that would make Raven smile and make her laugh and simply make her feel better and loved after a long day of depression and let down.

At least now he could be comforted by the fact that she was content with her life now.

The idea of crushes and unrequited loves made him turn his attention back towards the note he had been carrying and had been fortunate enough to hang onto even after getting shoved into the dirt without warning. He had found it at the bottom of his locker, most likely slipped in through the vents in the door, and had curiously peeked at it as he hardly ever received messages this way (Blondie usually hexted him or hijacked the school's speaker system to get him down to the Mirrorlab in time for her next webcast). Dexter could easily recall the sudden rush he had gotten when he saw who had written and signed the letter, and with her trademark perfume no less.

C.A. Cupid.

It was rather unusual for the young goddess-in-training to leave him a message in such a manner, as she usually just hexted him whatever was on her mind, but what was even more unusual was what the message said in the first place. It was typed out for some odd reason and spoke in a rather diplomatic manner as well, but the signature was absolutely genuine; Dexter had seen Cupid's name on her papers when he would tutor her for Crownculus, and the way she dotted her 'i's with a little, pink heart was unmistakable.

Perhaps it was a joke? Cupid did often joke about how he'd end up being a head engineer in Mirror Travel some day, sometimes even mocking him in a serious and aristocratic tone that often descended into random babbling due to the goddess breaking out into a fit of laughter.

Dexter decided one last look at the letter wouldn't hurt and he quickly unfolded the piece of paper to look it over and make sure he hadn't misread something of possible great importance.

 _Dear young master Dexter Charming,_

 _Your presence is requested at the Hocus Latte Cafe at hexactly 12:00 a.m. in the Village of Book End. I have some rather urgent business that requires your immediate discussion and I would like to talk over the matter as soon as conveniently possible. It has been far too long since our last meeting and I cannot wait to bask in your presence once more, if that is not too much of a problem._

 _Sugar, Spice, and however else that saying goes,_

 _Chariclo Arganthone Cupid_

The way the young deity had signed the letter with her full birth name was also rather unusual, as most fairy tales simply addressed her by her last name to save time and tongue (the one time Alistair Wonderland had attempted to pronounce her full name had made him literally Wonderland tongue-tied and earned him a trip to the healer's office as well), but if she was insisting on continue this formal game of hers, he was willing to play along.

" _Hey, Dexter!_ "

The Son of Prince Charming glanced up at the sound of his name to see Venus leaning over the railing of her dorm's balcony waving at him with a sweet yet deadly smile. The plant monster was out of her usual attire – save for the Omnitrix that her boyfriend had gifted her with – and was instead wrapped up in what looked like a layer of soft bark that just barely covered her ample breasts and connected to her lustrous thighs while leaving her midriff and stomach exposed. Her shoulders were bare and the section of green skin between her breasts was left uncovered as well, leaving little to the imagination as small shoots and leaves sprouted from the edges of her strange and revealing outfit; it was just enough to count as clothing without receive a stern talking to from either of the headmaster's.

Either way, Dexter found himself blushing a fearsome red as his mind quickly wandered to parts he usually kept stuffed deep down in the corners of his dreams, which sometimes resulted in wet sheets in the morning that he didn't dare talk about.

Venus continued to yell down at him now that she was sure she had his attention. "Have you seen Ben or Jane anywhere? We were going to have lunch together, but they never showed up."

Now the sudden surprise attack from Sparrow and Hunter and swift vengeance they were receiving from a Nemetrix-wearing Omnivoracious suddenly made sense to him. "Um, I-I think I saw h-her go that way?" Dexter gestured in the general direction he had come from, trying not to say something stupid as he gazed up at Venus' oddly beautiful expression and figure. "She, uh, l-looked kinda busy."

The plant-monster ghoul smiled sweetly at the young prince, knowing full well that he was crushing on her, or at least entranced by her body. The two of them didn't really interact with one another as they hardly shared any classes and she was usually too focused on making sure Jane didn't have a full on panic attack every time every set of eyes turned to look at them during lunch, but Dexter seemed like a good person to her. A tad geeky and shy, but charming and handsome in his own right; it was because of those factors, plus the decision that she didn't need any more points added to her already questionable reputation, that she decided to let him down easy. "In that case, have you seen Ben anywhere? I haven't seen him all day."

Dexter shook his head but was relieved at the reminder of Venus' boyfriend, allowing him to look more closely at the plant monster without getting a sudden blood rush to certain parts of his body. "No, but I'll . . . um, I'll let him know you're looking for him if I him in Book End."

Venus raised a playful eyebrow. "Why are you walking to Book End? They have decent lunch here, don't they?"

The Son of Prince Charming gave a slight smile. "Not all of us are plants, Venus. To be honest, the food's pretty mediocre compared to some of the stuff they offer in Book End," he replied as a warm blush once again crept across his face. "And as for why I'm going to Book End . . . I, uh . . . w-well, me and Cupid are going out for lunch . . . _as friends!_ " he added quickly.

Venus gave Dexter a skeptical look that said she didn't entirely believe him. If one were to ask anyone at Ever After High after the Halloween Incident, they would tell you that the young prince and the young goddess had grown even closer than they had since the two of them first enrolled at roughly the same time. After all, it was almost widely known that Cupid had harbored a crush on Dexter since ancestors only knows how long and it was only after Raven had openly rejected him as a suitor did Dexter seem to be developing feelings for Cupid that were only slightly more than that of just a Best Friend Forever After.

And besides, even Venus knew Dexter should consider lucky that a goddess of all beings found him attractive.

"If you say so, Dex." Venus inwardly chuckled. "Don't do anything I wouldn't!" she added with a teasing wink.

The proper response was to feel embarrassed at the way the plant-monster ghoul was harassing him and Dexter Charming did not fail in the slightest he hurriedly stuffed his note from Cupid back into his pocket and brushed himself off to look as presentable, yet as casual as possible. Before he could make his way down towards Book End however, a sharp whistle drew his attention back up towards the balcony Venus had perched herself on and looked back to watch as the plant-monster ghoul pulled something out of her neon pink and green hair and rest it in her palm. She then drew in a short breath and blew it back out in a lazy and slow cloud of yellow pollen that engulfed what Dexter quickly realized to be seeds in her hand and watched in amazement as a single, red rose emerged from her palm.

Venus winked at him a second time as she cast the flower over the side of the railing for Dexter to catch. "Little tip: don't go to a lunch date empty handed."

"Th-Thanks." Dexter swallowed nervously as he clutched the flower tightly and hurriedly made his way down the path towards the Village of Book End.

* * *

M.N: _And so the Ben and girls in Wonderous Land unplanned the frabjous plan they planned!_

F.N: _With downly frowns and a slow galumph, to school they go with high harump._

B.P: _What are you guys even saying? I mean, seriously, you're acting weird . . . I mean you always act weird, but . . . ugh, I knew I should taken that Riddle course when I had the chance!_

M.N: _Logic, it is plain to see that one plus one is less than three!_

B.P: _I . . . guess that makes sense?_

F.N: _All beauty is beauty in the hears you heard, the sightly sights of thw wisply word._

B.P: _Oooooh, I get it. Mom, Dad, you have Wonderland Fever._

M.N: _Nonsense, dear child! We are perfectly fine, just like the pineapples growing on the grape vine!_

F.N: _Indeed, we're great, we're doing just grand! Why, I feel like I could place in a rubber marching band!_

B.P: _Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good. Now go get some rest while I take care of this . . . oh, who am I kidding!? I'm not ready for this! Why didn't I pay attention to Mom and Dad!? What was it that they said to do? Uh, skip to the ending? No, um, it was stick to the script? I think? GAH! Why does this have to happen to me!_

T.P: _I'm home!_

B.P: _TURNER! Go away! I don't this right now!_

T.P: _What seems to be the problem, sis? Narration got you down?_

B.P: _Something like that. Mom and Dad have Wonderland Fever and I'm stuck narrating the story . . . which I don't have any idea how to do!_

T.P: _Well, why not ask Maddie or Kitty for help?_

B.P: _**Because**_ _, Mom and Dad are gonna lecture about 'interacting with the story' once this mess is all over with instead of focusing on any sort of accomplishment I may make! Seriously, it happens every single time! I try to do something and they only reprimand me for the mistakes I make! Is it too much to ask for some positive reinforcement!?_

T.P: _Oooooookay . . . any other reason you can't ask Maddie or Kitty?  
_

B.P: _They're kinda busy right now . . ._

T.P: _So it seems. How about I get us started, eh? Then we can talk about whatever's bugging you over a nice cup of hot chocolate. How's that sound?_

B.P: _. . . will there be marshmallows?_

T.P: _I promise. I'll even get some whipped cream to go with them, too._

B.P: _Alright . . ._

T.P: _That's my little sister. Now then, lets see . . . ah, yes. *Ahem* So the girls and Ben found a way into Wonderland, only to be captured by the Red Knight. Now they can't leave until they graduate from Wonderland High. With their magic useless, the Omnitrix on the fritz, and time running out for the Queen of Hearts, will they be able to save her majesty and Wonderland from the evil that lurks within? Sit back and enjoy, for the adventure is just the beginning . . ._

B.P: _Thanks, Turner._

T.P: _Anytime. Now, I believe I said something about hot cocoa, right?  
_

B.P: _With little marshmallows and whipped cream._

T.P: _Right. As Bruce Wayne might say, "To the Bat Kitchen!"_

B.P: _Who are you talking about?  
_

T.P: _Oh, that's right. You haven't read that comic yet. Well, that's another opportunity we can take advantage of while Mom and Dad are sick. You seriously need to be caught up with the times._

B.P: _Not my fault Mom and Dad only let me read fairy tales . . . and where's the hot chocolate?_

T.P: _Coming right up, sis._

* * *

The Wonderland air was tense with suspense as both sides glared at one another with what could only be guessed to be a burning hatred for one another. One that just happened upon the scene might believe the sides to be arch enemies of sorts that had come to do battle with one another and allow only one side to emerge victorious and alive while the other would remain crumbled and defeated beneath their feet. One might expect either side to suddenly erupt into a flurry of movement to try and take out the other as quickly and as brutally as possible to ensure that they alone would come out sole winner of battle.

This was only partially true.

"You don't understand!" Lizzie Hearts tried to plead her case to the Red Knight. "I can't go to school! Take us to the palace immediately!" she demanded angrily, slowly losing her temper with the crimson vigilante.

With armed card guardsman bringing up their rear and occasionally threatening them with a quick movement of their ace-tipped spears, the group of three Wonderlandians, two princesses, one witchling, one Slimebiote, and one very annoyed Xenocubus made up a certainly odd looking group that were quickly being led down the winding path that snaked and threaded its way through Wonderland High's courtyard towards the entrance. Hedges that had been trimmed specifically to resemble giraffes and flamingos among an endless labyrinth of tall shrubs and bushes flanked them from one side of the walled off courtyard next to a pond that required to travel over its low bridge in order to get across. Origami fish swam lazily in its waters, occasionally swapping fins as easily as one might change their socks like the origami birds seemed obsessed with their heads. A set of over-sized croquet wickets and a mallet lay off to another side that looked to be absolutely useless for anything other than decoration yet were the perfect size for a giant of Tiny's size to use easily.

The Red Knight apologized as he rode his chesspiece horse along the checked path. "Sorry, your majesty, but those are the rules. Once you've stepped onto campus, no one is free to go until you pass your classes . . . _no one._ " his face echoed in a sympathetic tone inside of his crimson helmet.

Fluff Luv – despite his current form and diminutive size – growled like a pitbull when he caught sight of the way Lizzie wilted under those words. No matter how sympathetic the Red Knight seemed to be to their cause, he ground the Xenocubus' nerves to no end. He knew that the crimson warrior had a duty to uphold as the school's attendance officer and possibly as a future warrior and guardsman to the Queen of Hearts, but this was the life of his current and future ruler at stake here! Without a leader, Wonderland would descend into even further madness, a mess from which it might never pull itself out of no matter who rose to take the torch of leadership in the absence of the Queen.

"Look, I'm afraid we've gotten off to a bad start." the Red Knight sighed as he brought his mount to a stop. The crimson warrior brought his hands up to his helmet and gave it a slight twist before pulling it off a in a grand, sweeping motion as he tossed his head, sending his red and black hair flying in a fluid motion. His features were masculine and powerful, his smile a sparkling white and his skin a pale pink in color that seemed to suit him quite well; the boy's eyes were a deep, stormy gray in color. "Chase, is the name. Chase Redford." he introduced himself.

Apple glanced towards her shoulder when she felt a relentless tickling sensation against her neck and bit her lip as her face flushed a deep red in color when she noticed the jealous furious expression upon Fluff Luv's face. She had to admit that Chase was quite handsome and would no doubt make some girl happy if the way he had somehow managed to catch each and every last one of their eyes, despite a good majority of them already pegged down and dating the same man already. Apple was also quite sorry to say that she kind of actually loved the desirous look upon the Xenocubus' face as Briar, Lizzie, and Maddie all continued to stare completely dumbfounded at Chase as he dismounted from his steed.

It somehow made him even more appealing, if that was even possible.

"I understand your distress," Chase chuckled with a warm smile that made Lizzie turn a bright red in color. Fluff Luv couldn't quite understand why he suddenly felt like exploding right now, though he had a vague idea of what the reason might be; after all, Lizzie was only a close friend, right? They weren't _that_ close to one another and they certainly weren't in a relationship at all. So why did the Xenocubus suddenly feel like he wanted to pound Chase's face in right then and there when he noticed how he smiled back at the Princess of Hearts?

Raven coughed loudly, possibly sensing the waves of envy radiating off of Fluff Luv. "Lizzie, you said you mom's party is at tea time, right? What time is that?"

Maddie giggled. "Oh, that's easy! Tea time is at the time we have our tea! It's right there in the name, silly!" she laughed as she tweaked Raven's nose in a playful manner while Kitty snickered.

"No, I meant-"

"Four o'clock. Brillig, if I remember correctly." Lizzie cut her off with an answer. They were probably already undoubtedly late for their first class and if there was going to be any point in saving her mother from being beheaded and ousted from the throne, then standing around discussing the proper time to have ones tea was not going to get them anywhere.

"Not a problem. School lets out at three." Chase reassured them as he gestured to the stairs that led up to the building. "Now, you really don't want to be late. The vice principal doesn't like it when students are late."

Briar raised an eyebrow of confusion. "Uh, what about the principal?"

"The vice principal _is_ the principal." Chase explained casually as he led them up the steps as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "After all, it's not really fair to promote a vice principal out of their vice principal job just to make them principal. It's principally a matter of principle."

Raven felt like her head was going to throw up from all the sudden information she had just received but Maddie seemed to understand it. "Makes sense to me!" she shrugged.

"At least it makes sense to one of us." Skurd rubbed his slimy skull with his pseudopods. "Oh, I feel a headache coming on . . ."

Fluff Luv mumbled as he kept a closely trained eye on the back of Chase's head, as if he were trying to burn a hole straight through his brain. "Join the club, Snotty."

" _Hexcuse me! Clear the way!_ " a voice clearly of upper class came from behind the small group of fairy tales. Maddie and Kitty glanced down at their feet as a pair of paws wrapped up in black, fingerless gloves of fine silk wove their way through their skirts and pushed aside their dresses to allow their owner – a white rabbit – to push through, clearly in a rush. The bipedal lagomorph hopped along at an anxious pace, sending his long, floppy ears bouncing up and down with every movement, much to Maddie's amusement. Locks of light gray hair were combed neatly to the right side of his head and he sported a pair of furry, gray eyebrows, a gray nose, the buck teeth that were a common characteristic of rabbits, and lavender-purple irises. He wore a white waistcoat decorated with pink and purple hearts, spades, and diamond patterns underneath his gray jacket; an ombre black tie that faded to blue pulled the whole ensemble together complete with a small, copper clock at its center. " _I'm very late! I can't delay!_ "

"Someone's in a rush." Kitty smirked.

The White rabbit paused in mid-hop at the sound of the familiar voice and turned around with scrutinizing eyes that studied the two Wonderland girls with careful inspection. His lavender orbs widened upon joyous recognition and a smile crept across his previously highstrung face. "Oh, my ears and whiskers! It's Madeline Hatter! And Kitty Cheshire, too!" he grinned with a high class tone before he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, a-and, you're royal highness."

The rabbit bowed quite low to the ground, so far down that his floppy ears fell over his face and pooled up on the floor in an attempt to perfectly present himself to Lizzie. "Guys, this is the White Rabbit, Bunny's dad." Maddie introduced the white lagomorph to the rest of the group with a slight giggle for stooping down to whisper a small shred of information to the White Rabbit's ear. "Bunny's okay, at Ever After High, by the way."

" _Thank goodness!_ She's safe from the curse!" he sighed with relief, wiping his brow with a laced handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.

The sudden fluttering of small wings tickling the back of her neck caught Apple's attention and she was quickly reminded why they had come to Wonderland in the first place with a short look from Fluff Luv. "Oh, um, about that curse-"

 _BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!_

" _Oh, dear! Oh, dear!_ No time to talk! That's the bell that rings when the bell's about to ring!" the White Rabbit exclaimed as he frantically looked at his pocket watch with a look of dread upon his face. "Quickly now!" he gestured for the girls to follow him. The royal herald of the Queen of Hearts hopped along at a frenetic pace before coming to a stop at the main doors and – instead of reaching for the handle that was used by most of the school's taller student and staff – reached for a second knob several feet lower that opened up a door just his size; without another word, the White Rabbit bounded through and the left girls alone.

Apple was the first to take advantage of their sudden silence. "Okay, before we get going," the princess turned to suddenly yank Fluff Luv from her shoulder with a surprised yelp and give the Xenocubus a bone-crushing hug as she nuzzled him like a beloved stuffed animal. " _HOW THE HEX ARE YOU SO CUTE!?_ "

To his credit, the Xenocubus tried to answer the Daughter of Snow White as best as possible, he really did. But then again, it was difficult for anyone the size of a teddy bear to explain anything when they were currently being strangled in a hug that felt like a giant hand trying to squeeze every last drop of moisture out of him like a furry lemon of some kind. As if that wasn't bad enough, all the girls promptly broke down into fits of girlish giggling and squealing and cooing as he was passed around and given hug after hug that only increased when it was discovered that he made a sound like a squeaky toy whenever hugged too tightly; there was a reason why this wasn't a particularly favorite form of Fluff Luv's.

"Careful, ladies. Hug him too hard and he just might pop!" Skurd cautioned with a stifling of suppressed laughter.

Briar was currently the one holding Fluff Luv at the moment and reluctantly let the bat-like alien go with a sheepish grin. "Oh, um . . . sorry?" she chuckled, embarrassed as the ball of fluff gave her a slight glare while rapidly pumping his wings to stay aloft.

With a sigh, Fluff Luv nodded. "It's alright," he mumbled in a tone and pitch that reminded Apple of a pixie; it took a great amount of internal strength and a quick reminder from Raven to keep her from scooping up the Xenocubus again. "There's a reason I don't use this form too much."

"Why's that?" Maddie giggled as she suddenly babied him. "You're so _adorable!_ "

With a grunt of acknowledgment the Xenocubus fluttered back from the Hatter and landed on Raven's outstretched arm like a trained hunting hawk; at least the witchling had _some_ form of control, even though she was just as guilty of turning him into a living stuffed toy as everyone else was. "That's reason number one: I'm too cute! Believe me, it's a problem." he frowned firmly when he saw the looks of disbelief.

"What's the second reason?" Raven wondered.

At this however, the Xenocubus' fur when from a fluffy, new fallen snow white to a bright pink that was the color of cotton candy. He folded his wings over his eyes as if they were hands of sheer embarrassment as he gave a soft, discomforted answer. "I-I . . . I um . . . uh, _canmanipulatethematinghabitsofdifferentspecies._ "

Apple blinked, confused. "Um . . . could you repeat that?" she asked.

Skurd spoke up. "He said-"

"I don't need you explaining it! You'll make it sound worse!" Fluff Luv cut the Slimebiote off, chuckling embarrassingly when he remembered that he was still the center of attention.

" _Ben . . ._ what are you not telling us?" Lizzie inquired with an inquisitive gaze that held the authoritative look she had been practicing since she was able to understand the ramblings of her mother.

As expected and much to the satisfaction of the Princess of Hearts, the Xenocubus reluctantly answered with an even deeper shade of pink to his fur. "The long and short of it is that Fluff Luv can make the females of different species very lustful and want to mate. They can also manipulate emotions to an extent, but . . . well . . ." he trailed uncomfortably. The looks on the girl's faces said it all as they gave one another disquieting looks as their cheeks suddenly turned a bright crimson in color to compliment Fluff Luv's fur color; only the Wonderlandians didn't seem overly embarrassed and had somewhat mischievous smiles to add to their red faces.

"Uh, all in favor never speaking of this again?" Raven suggested.

Not surprisingly, no one disagreed. With that out of the way and Fluff Luv making himself cozy on Raven's arm, Apple stepped forward and examined the door the White rabbit had vanished through. Logic told her that, due to their added height, they should enter by using the first door knob available to them and she graciously did so with a quick movement of her ivory fingers. Apple gave a tug on the door handle, jerking her hand back when it glowed a bright blue; glowing lines etched themselves across the door in a series of jigsaw puzzle-shaped pieces and then peeled away with the loud grinidng of hidden gears to let them inside.

The inside of Wonderland High seemed to be even more impressive and Wonderland-y than the exterior if that was even possible. They walked into the main lobby of the school and were greeted by a tremendous bell tower consisting solely of four, gigantic clocks molded together into a cube; as expected, none of the clocks told the correct time according to Raven's guesswork. Wild colors and patterns swirled around them in maddening whirlwind of display with staircases running up to doors located in the ceilings and floor or running straight into dead ends that would become viable passageways when card-shaped door frames with obtuse entryways opened from seemingly out of nowhere. A vast collection of the students to be anthropomorphic animals of varying species all of which were dressed up in outfits and clothes that were more extravagant and profligate than their own attire if that was even possible.

"Well, what are you waiting for!? I said quickly!" the White Rabbit scolded them as he hurriedly hopped up to them, completely ignoring the wild bandersnatch running through the halls until it came to a skidding stop and spat out a mouthful of books and papers for a pair of students before sitting down like a well trained dog. "You mustn't be late for class! This way!"

"For someone who gets around so quickly, he really is stressed, isn't he?" Fluff Luv shuffled his wings to steady himself upon Raven's outstretched arm.

Kitty smirked. "You have no idea." she purred as the White rabbit turned around and pulled out his pocket watch to glance at the time, hardly seeming to notice when the tiles under his furry feet began to move and roll along like some kind of giant conveyor belt, taking him, Fluff Luv, and the girls with him.

Chase – who had been silently drinking all of the information that passed between the group of strange outsiders – watched them go with a satisfied smile upon his lips. It always did his heart good to see that he was able to calm the fires of fear whenever possible, as his job of the Red Knight-in training dictated him to do so; as a warrior of Wonderland, it was his duty to protect the life, the way, the essence of her people and nature against any who dared to oppose it. There had been horrible, awful wars back in Wonderland's past, eons long forgotten of the warring nomadic tribes constantly clashing over resources and rule of their domain. It wasn't until the world of Ever After invaded did the tribes of Wonderland unite under the Hearts clan and put their differences aside long enough to fight off the incursive forces. This had been before the Storybook of Legends had been conceived and the Grimm family had been positioned to act as a neutral political power and mediator between all kingdoms and territories to avoid another possible large scale war.

As a knight and warrior of Wonderland, it was Chase's duty to enforce the laws that the Brothers Grimm believed too small to monitor and instead focus on their main tasks of holding the world together. This was why Ever After High, the very center of the Grimm's small stake of territory (compared to the Queen and White kingdoms it was downright pathetic), was considered neutral ground for all and any parties wishing to send their offspring for a proper education.

Wonderland High on the other hand . . .

" _Oy!_ "

Chase blinked and glanced around for the source of the loud, abrasive voice. He suddenly yelped as a rock bounced off his thick skull, giving him a dull spike of pain as the owner of the voice spoke up once more. " _You there!_ " it commanded with annoyance. "Was that lil' Lizzie Hearts I just saw?"

Chase nodded firmly. "Yes, Cour– Ms. Jester. With some friends from Ever After." he corrected himself as the girl speaking to him from within the shadows of a pillar she was leaning against _hated_ it when she improperly addressed; seeing how she was technically his boss, he knew it was best to stay on her good side. The girl in question drew up to just below Chase's chin and had short, cream yellow, pastel purple, and blue-streaked hair styled into a one-sided fringe that obscured her right eye with a portion that braided down the left side of her head. Her eyes were a scarlet pink and a creamy yellow diamond was painted around her left eye, highlighted against her pale skin; her build was fluid and certainly curvy, if not a tad underdeveloped in her chest region. The girl's choice of clothing was wild and eccentric in origin, seeming to be nothing more than a wild collage of mismatched boots of varying lengths, leggings of opposing colors, extravagant collars and skirts tipped with bells, and a black gloves that reached all the way up to her elbows, all tied together by a hot pink jester's hat fixed to a gold headband fitted over her head.

"Ever After, eh?" the girl hummed as she pushed herself from the pillar and rubbed her chin in thought. "And who might they be then?"

Chase swallowed nervously. "Uh, well, you know I didn't get much of a chance to find out." he admitted sheepishly.

"Not even the wee lil' bat?"

Chase shook his head, a stoic look upon his face even though, deep within his crimson suit of armor his heart was pounding and racing. Despite not being as powerful as the Queen of Hearts herself, one of the two remaining rulers that still resided within Wonderland's borders, his superior was still _very_ powerful in her own right and was not someone one wanted to trifle or annoy in any manner, much less make her feel impatient. Thankfully for him however, the girl waved him off. " _Go on!_ Be on about yer business then! Off with ya!" she screeched at him with that grating tone.

" _Seems I better look into this._ " the girl hummed in thought as Chase left.

* * *

Raven always knew that Ever After was boring.

To be fair, it was boring by Wonderland standards and even that didn't seem to be the proper word for it. The witchling mulled over a mental thesaurus of words and literature she had picked up over the years in an attempt to find the proper term for what her homeland would be compared to that of Wonderland before finally settling on . . . _constricting._

In Ever After, there were only three dimensions that one would travel through on a regular basis, up and down, left and right, forward and backwards. In Wonderland however, there didn't seem to be any sort of restriction to the ways one could travel; in fact, one could say there were hardly any rules at all, even ones such as the law of gravity and physics didn't necessarily apply everywhere one looked. Hallways would curve up the side of walls and onto the ceiling, allowing their travelers to walk about as if this was something they dealt with on a regular basis. Doors would randomly appear out of the walls and floors and ceilings without any rhyme or reason and no one would give it a second glance. Corridors wound like corkscrews and loopty loops, floors moved like conveyor belts, clocks would always be wrong and correct at the same time, words would be written backwards and have to be read by foreigners using mirrors, paths didn't seem to have any distinct direction to follow, and yet everyone would treat it all as if this were . . . normal.

"Is . . . high school in Wonderland always this . . . _weird?_ " Raven wondered as a a pair of badger-like animals with anteater snouts and lizard tails ambled across the ceiling without a care. The young witch remembered Maddie once telling her that such creatures were referred to as 'toves' and that they were "something like badgers, something like lizards, and something like corkscrews", as well as the fact that they seemingly only made their nests under sundials and ate a diet made of cheese; Raven was quite sure she had never heard of a more ridiculous animal, and yet it just seemed like the kind of thing one would expect to find in Wonderland.

Kitty shrugged. "Seems pretty normal to me." she licked the back of her hand before brushing a stubborn lock of hair back in place. To both Raven and Fluff Luv the crafty calico was moving away from them on an opposite conveyor belt-floor directly above them and yet, upon second glance, Kitty would then appear to be actually traveling down the side of the wall opposite of them while they, Skurd, and Briar were moved up.

"Right. _Normal_." Fluff Luv rolled his eyes.

Apple was trying to make sense of everything. "I'm not even sure which way this hallway goes!"

Maddie giggled childishly as if the answer were obvious. "It's easy! It goes thataway!" she laughed, though Apple didn't seem as amused as the Hatter.

Lizzie unfortunately, didn't share her Maddie's enthusiasm and was currently pleading with the White Rabbit for his assistance, her begging becoming increasingly more worrisome as she was denied over and over again albeit with great reluctance and anxiety. What was really irritating Fluff Luv was that despite there being a plot to overthrow their current ruler – who was apparently well liked by her subjects, according to the latest polls Lizzie had read – that no one was actually doing _anything_ to stop it. First Chase refused to let them go warn the Queen of Hearts of her current situation and now the White Rabbit was being difficult; honestly, was it so hard to make an exception every now and again?

Of course, the other thing that was annoying him was how long he had been stuck as a Xenocubus. Honestly, it felt like _weeks_ to him, maybe even a _month_ , if that was somehow possible, and if it wasn't the sickening, overwhelming instinct to turn his six female companions into bumbling, horny prostitutes in order for him to feed off of their lustful energy, then it was the constant gooey eyes and high-pitching coos that were sent his way whenever someone got a decent look at his absolutely adorable appearance.

"Mr. White Rabbit, sir, please! You have to at least let my mother know I'm here. I really must speak with her!" Lizzie attempted to reason with the White Rabbit. The tone in her voice made it feel like a knife was being twisted further and deeper into Fluff Luv's chest with every word that fell from her lips. His instincts were telling him that someone this upset in a situation this dire _had_ to be helped, no matters the costs; it wasn't just the instincts he had developed over his time of being a hero, these were things he had known from the moment he was to walk and comprehend his parent's words.

The furry rabbit peered fearfully at his pocket watch and swallowed nervously. "Oh, my fluffy tail, no! _No, no, no, no!_ The vice principal w-would be most d-displeased." he trembled.

"Please, we're on a mission!" Raven explained as her moving hallway conjoined with the stretch of black and white checkerboard flooring that Lizzie and the White Rabbit were on. "Lizzie's mother is in danger and my mom is the Evil Queen. Y'know, the one who placed the curse on Wonderland!"

Fluff Luv coughed awkwardly into his wing as the White Rabbit immediately tensed up and took a few hops backwards from Raven, looking at her with a face of utter terror as he trembled under her pleading gaze. "Um, not to be _that_ guy, but I don't think that was the right thing to say."

"Once again, stating the obvious. Just keeping track for everyone that wanted to know." Skurd burbled sourly.

Raven sighed. While she was _quite_ use to the reaction she got from strangers once they learned of her family heritage – they seemed to ignore her attempts to remind them that her father was also the Good King _entirely_ – it was getting beyond old and she was honestly getting sick of it. At least a good portion of the student body back at Ever After High had stopped running away, screaming, or jumping out of windows – nowadays they usually only tensed up when she walked by and ceased all conversation until she had left. "Maybe while we're here I can break that, too. _Surely_ , for the good of Wonderland, you can let us go and-"

The White Rabbit cut her off with a nervous stutter. "I-I-I . . . I must t-tell you something . . ." he gulped nervously when Raven edged a little closer to him, a pleading look in her eye as Fluff Luv flapped his wings and moved onto her left shoulder. The royal herald quivered anxiously as Apple, Briar, Maddie, and Kitty all quickly crowded around him, blocking him into a trap of skirts, legs, and eager expressions that were desperate to listen to what he had to say. "Y-You . . . are correct. There is a plot against the Queen of Hearts!"

"I knew it!" Lizzie shouted uffishly, stomping her foot loudly on the floor in frustration.

"What about the Storybook of Legends? Do you know where it is?" Briar cut in as Lizzie went off in a spout of Riddlish curses and profanity that had the White Rabbit briefly distracted. From what Apple could garner from the way his fur around his face turned a bright pink in color around and the gasps of horror from Maddie and Kitty, it was quite severe and perhaps teetering on the very edge unsanity – that place on the far end of insanity from sanity that's neither sane nor insane, but a lot more insane than insane and sane really was.

The White Rabbit shook his head to try and get the stream of harsh words out of his head. "I do not, young lady, but . . . there is a prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Apple parroted with interest, swiftly cutting off Lizzie's verbal rampage before she could say things that would most likely have her own mother behead her herself for using such language that she had certainly never taught her daughter.

"Indeed." the White Rabbit nodded as he cleared his throat his and began to recite the prognostication. " _Into our world six girls and hero will drop to end this endless rhyme. The curse will tick-tock to a stop and ring its final chime. The legend book which the cat did swap they_ possibly _shall find, and the regal head shall_ not _be chopped . . . if they graduate on time._ " the royal herald finished with a slight bow.

Raven sighed with relief. "That actually kind of made sense."

"Of course, it did! It's ancient Riddlish!" Maddie nodded proudly.

Apple bounced up and down excitedly. "We're the six girls who dropped into this world!"

"The Book of Legends! My swapped it for that book of tricks!" Kitty realized.

"So . . . we'll find it?" Briar raised an eyebrow of confusion.

"And my mother will be safe!" Lizzie cheered.

The White Rabbit coughed loudly, bringing all the attention back towards him and, if the way he was tugging at the collar of his waistcoat with discomfort, it wasn't great news. "W-Well, t-that's only if you graduate . . . t-there's another p-p-part of the prophecy." he reminded them. "It states ' _Into our world six girls and_ hero _will drop to end this endless rhyme._ The prophecy states that there must be a hero and I, rather unfortunately, do not see one."

Fluff Luv cleared his throat loudly while he flapped his little wings and fluttered down to the floor in front of the White Rabbit, only dragging up to his chest in height. "That would be me." he proclaimed proudly before his expression fell into one of sheer of vexation. "That is, if this stupid thing would change me back . . ." he muttered under his breath as he beat a wing against the Omnitrix with mimsy.

The White Rabbit, having been brought up by in a large family of high class rabbits and always being told to mind his manners tried not to chortle at the words that had just come forth from Xenocubus' fangs. "I don't mean to upset you, good sir, but how could you possibly-"

Before he could ever possibly finish, the Omnitrix gave off a series of dying beeps and the last thing the White Rabbit before the Xenocubus disappeared in a blast of intense, green light and energy was a smug, little smirk upon his face. The first dramatic change was in his size as his tiny, compact skeleton unfolded like a piece of paper with his limbs being pulled in all directions like rubber bands. His legs lengthened massively with a series of snaps and cracks and his arms elongated while his fingers were crunched back together in a much shorter length than they had been. The thin membrane between Fluff Luv's fingers shriveled up and shrank back like a wilted plant, folding back into his darkening skin while his bone shifted about and reconfigured themselves enough to allow his pinky finger to regenerate once more. His head pulled away from his body on a thin, short neck placed atop a contorting torso and waist that were just beginning to take shape; muscles and sinew pulsed and layered themselves over one another beneath his skin, forming the healthy figure of a semi-masculine male. The Xenocubus' feet cracked and crunched nosily while his stubby toes were pulled apart, taking on two new additions as his claws dulled and thinned out into toenails while his long, whip-like tail was slurped back up into his elongating spine like a strand of spaghetti. The fluffy, white, cotton candy fur was shed all at once, being pulled back within Fluff Luv's body in a swift movement, leaving naked skin that was quickly wrapped and clothed in a familiar, green tuxedo and pair of black pants. The pointed ears rotated down to either side of his head and his cute, twitching nose was pushed out about a pair of forming lips that concealed a set of changing teeth. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a green top hat placed upon a head of chocolate brown hair and the sudden appearance of multiple Omnitrices all over his body.

"Man, does it feel good to be back!" Ben stretched his body. "I don't know how much more cutesy bat-talk I could take!"

The White Rabbit, to his credit, had managed to not faint from the sudden transformation and was instead leaning against Lizzie's leg for support as he clutched the area over his chest where his heart was while mumbling apologizes to the Princess of Hearts for daring to even lay a finger upon her royal figure; such acts without consent were considered treason and usually resulted in either several decades in the royal dungeons or – the Queen of Heart's personal favorite – decapitation. "Ap-p-pologies, y-your maj-jesty . . ."

"It's alright." she consoled him kindly. "But as you can see, Ben here should hopefully round out the necessary number needed for the prophecy to come true, correct?"

The White Rabbit nodded as he pulled out his laced handkerchief and dotted his sweating brow. "Y-Yes, qu-quite right, your highness. Seven is, after all, a lucky number."

 _BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!_

Before Apple could question the odd reasoning behind why seven was considered a luckier number out of the infinite others, the shrill shriek of the ringing bell cut them off and very nearly made the White Rabbit have a heart attack or jump right out of his skin – the Daughter of Snow White wasn't sure which sounded worse. "The second bell! _I'm late!_ " he cried with fear as he hurriedly pulled out a paintbrush from the folds of his waistcoat and shoved it into Raven's hands. "Here's class! Good day, must be off! _I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! No time wait, this can't for another date, I'm late!_ "

"He's kinda highstrung, isn't he?" Briar attempted a joke as the royal herald quickly hopped through a hole in the checkerboard floor to his appointment.

"Yeah, um . . . how is _this_ our class?" Raven asked as she held out the paintbrush before her, absolutely baffled at what she may or may not have to do. That was the problem with Wonderland: there were no easy answers that any logical person could see, and by the time said logical person got use to Wonderland's complexity, the answers would become so frustratingly obvious. With the exception of its inhabitants, Wonderland was notorious for being infuriatingly . . . well, _mad_.

Thus, it took a mad mind to understand a mad problem. "Oh, that's easy!" Maddie laughed at the young witch's confusion as she stole the paintbrush away from her and proceeded to messily swish it back and forth against the nearest wall. "You just take the brush and paint yourself a happy little door!" she explained as the image of a door took shape from the crude painting and steadily became more realistic until the Hatter was able to reach out, grasp the knob, turn it, and easily open the door.

"So . . . we just have to make it through one day of school? That doesn't seem so hard." Raven sighed with relief.

The moment those words escaped the witchling's lips, Ben and Skurd shared an uneasy look with one another. Through many past experiences, both painful and mind numbing, the two reluctant partners knew that if there was one thing you never wanted to do, it was question the inner workings of the universe or dare taunt the complexity of a situation; in this case, Raven had just violated both of those rules and if the aforementioned painful and mind numbing past experiences were a hint to anything, she had just triggered what would most likely be the most exhausting chain of unfortunate events yet.

"We're in for some rather unpleasant surprises, aren't we lad?" Skurd sighed.

Ben nodded. "If Omniversal Law of Karma # 6,544,122,008,987,675,455,321,987,654,321,012.34: Section 8008, Sub-section 19, Article 3.14159, Chapter 1337, Sub Article 69, Paragraph 8999-A, Line 2-D is anything to go by . . . then, yeah. We're in _big_ trouble." he sighed warily.

Unfortunately for the two of them, none of the girls seemed to share their concern or worry as they all filed their way through the door one by one with Ben bringing up the rear and closing the down behind; within a matter of seconds, the door began to ooze and drip its way down the wall before vanishing entirely, as if it had never been there in the first place.

The place the door had led them to however, was definitely something to behold. While not much different than the average classroom back at Ever After High, with its ornamental teacher's desk placed at the front before a chalkboard and its several tiers of desks and chairs – all of which seemed to share a chess piece motif, as expected – there were some differences as well. Fish-shaped windows dotted the walls and ceiling, showing locations that shouldn't have been there such as the blazing sands of an undisclosed desert or the lush undergrowth of a vibrant forest full of pixies and fairies and sprites of all species while bubbles carelessly floated through the air without a distinct path to follow; some bubbles even harbored sealife within them, though the fish and seahorses – literal tiny horses with fins for manes and fish tails for their hind legs – didn't seem to notice as they swam about.

The other thing that took particular interest was that they were walking on the ceiling.

"You do know the moment we acknowledge that we're on the ceiling we'll fall, right?" Briar spoke up with hesitance, remembering the seemingly universal rules of the cartoons she had grown up watching as a little girl before her mother had deemed them a "waste of her precious daughter's time" and instead tried to get her interested in dolls and makeup like all the other good little princesses were.

Skurd coughed loudly. "Not to be rude, my dear, but kindly explain to us all what you just did."

"I . . . said we were on the ceiling?" Briar raised an eyebrow.

" _And . . ?_ "

Realization dawned on the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty as she groaned and pinched her brow with exasperation. "And I just said that if we acknowledge that we're on the ceiling, the law of gravity suddenly applies."

"Exactly." Skurd huffed indigently. "I would believe the laws of physics will kick in approximately . . . three, two, one . . . _now._ "

As expected, the group of girls and Ben unceremoniously plummeted towards and landed on the very hard wooden floor in a painful manner, mostly because they had all landed in a tangle of arms and legs and were desperately trying not to activate any of the Omnitrices that decorated Ben's body, lest they trigger a transformation that would turn him into something that would only make their situation even worse than it was as they slowly and carefully began to disentangle themselves.

"Seriously? Is this what it's going to be like all day long!?" Briar grumbled with exasperation as she smoothed out the ruffles in her dress. "I'm pretty sure this dress wasn't designed for parkour, thank you very much . . ."

" _Ahem._ "

The small party of fairy tales (this somehow also seemed to include Ben as well)turned their attention towards the source of the voice and were met with a creature that bore a striking resemblance to a fish of some kind, perhaps a trout or cod. The difference was that this fish seemed to be just as home _out_ of water as he was _in_ it and proudly did so by balancing atop his tail fins like a pair of legs. He wore a deep navy blue waistcoat with white dress shirt underneath all tied together with a red bowtie that fit snugly around his thick neck and did nothing to slim down his pudgy figure; if Ben were to take away the set of spectacles over his eyes and the ruler in his flipper, he could imagine this creature to bare a striking resemblance to Headmaster Grimm. He certainly seemed boring enough.

"Welcome . . . to Fishosophy . . . 101," the fish welcomed them all with a slow and breathy voice, as if he were attempting to breath properly and were choking. "My name . . . is Mr. Gadus Morhua . . . please . . . take a seat . . ."

Apple, being the ever dutiful and good student that she was, did as she was asked without question. "Yes, sir!" she happily complied. The princess quickly scanned the room and decided to take a seat at a desk in the front row with a rook-shaped chair and book-like table attached to it. "This looks like a good spot."

" _Hey! Don't sit on me! Whatdda I look like, a desk!?_ "

The Daughter of Snow White yelped and jumped out of her seat as if she had just been lit on fire, promptly landing in Ben's arms and clearing quite a good distance from where she had been initially standing; naturally, Maddie was more than happy to give her a perfect score of nine, though she had to subtract points for the poor landing that Ben had provided. "That desk just spoke!" Apple panted.

"And so it begins . . ." Ben sighed.

Within moments the classroom was plunged into chaos as Raven was thrown out of her seat by a disgruntled chair that found being sat on was not comfortable in the slightest and Briar was snapped at by the teacher's desk, who seemed to have a rather touchy opinion on the matter of personal space. The classroom was descended into further pandemonium as the desks and chairs all began a rebellion, yelling and shouting insults at the fairy tales as the hat rack accused Ben at looking at his disgruntled wife while Apple merely tried to make sense of it all; she was pretty sure that the walls and floor were going to be joining in on the miniature riot at any moment now and was quite hesitant to be set down by Ben at that very notion while he tried to set the record straight with the inculpative hat rack that didn't seem interested at all in listening to his side of the argument.

Mr. Gadus Morhua didn't seem phased by the sudden eruption of noise and disorder within his classroom and merely waited with a bored expression as a tiny seahorse – an actual seahorse – slithered out of his coat sleeve along his arm and onto the very tip of his ruler, using it prehensile tail to hold itself in place. A shrill whinny that made Raven question whether or not the seahorse was like the little fish that knew of back home immediately silenced the classroom within seconds while the seahorse blew a bubble, hopped in, and happily floated away without care.

"You need . . . to take . . . a seat." Mr. Gadus Morhua reminded them, fixing his spectacles into a more comfortable position.

Raven nervously glanced back at the disgruntled desks and chairs with slight hesitance. She wasn't afraid of them – they were only pieces of furniture, after all – but given the fact that they didn't seem to like to be used as such, it seemed rather rude and inappropriate to condemn them to such a fate. "Um, I'm sorry, but we _really_ don't want to do the wrong thing again."

"You can say that again." Ben proceeded to glare accusingly at the hat rack who returned his intense gaze full force and without hesitance.

"We don't understand the rules!" Apple tried to explain.

Raven sighed with exasperation. "Ugh, talk about not fitting in! I'm a total fish out of water!"

Lizzie could easily sympathize with the young witch on that one. After the fall of her homeland and the future of her throne and subjects unknown, adjusting to the dreary boredom that was Ever After High took some getting use to; the first issue had been getting up every day but the weekend to get dressed, have breakfast, go straight to a day full of classes to prepare her for her role in her family's legacy, come back to her dorm with a mountain of homework to have done by a designated date, and then do it all over again the next day! It wasn't uncommon to see the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts pouting miserably and throwing harsh glares at her fellow classmates every opportunity she got back then, but eventually days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and ever so slowly, Lizzie had begun to adjust to the point where one wouldn't have noticed that she was not of Ever After origin.

Of course, Maddie and Kitty took a little more adjustment than she did. After all, the Headmaster looked down upon playing croquet in the hallways during class hours or having tea parties on the ceiling when class was in session – Maddie was able to get away with that simply because the Headmaster had given up trying to stop her after a little convincing from his younger brother – and ancestors forbid that there be any hunting of small birds and animals on school grounds, especially if said prey belonged to students that had arranged for their pets to stay with them.

And that didn't even cover half of what the pair of mad girls had done, some of which was deemed to be actually rather inappropriate in Ever After it turned out.

But whatever Raven had said seemed to please Mr. Gadus Morhua rather well. "A fish in a school out of water, you say? My pupils have learned quick, faster and faster! All I can teach I have taught you today, you seven have become as your master! _Pass!_ " the anthropomorphic fish smiled broadly as he tapped the floor with his ruler. Before Ben could comment on his sudden change in speaking, the floor began to glow a bright and calming blue in color beneath their feet, oozing and spreading out across the floor like a spilled drink across the ground until the entire classroom was bathed in its shining blue glow. Mr. Gadus Morhua then proceeded to give a joyous backwards flip and dove beneath the floor with a _splash!_ as if it were a lake of water.

"Not again!" Ben managed to curse when Mr. Gadus Morhua swam beneath them like they were standing on a glass-bottom boat. Within seconds of realizing it, the group of fairy tales all plunged down into the water with a tremendous _splash!_ Ben's instincts were telling him to either stop starring, get the anchors out of his pants, and start paddling or risk drowning or try to transform into an aquatic alien to save himself and the girls; neither option seemed necessary as he soon realized that he was still breathing air and not water.

A quick glance around revealed that he was trapped inside a giant bubble of sorts with water surrounding him on all sides, as if he were stuck inside of a gigantic aquarium. The girls all seemed to have found bubbles of their own as well, though most of them seemed too focused on just trying to stay stable instead of enjoying their gentle descent; naturally, Maddie was not one of them and was bouncing around inside her bubble like a rubber ball on steroids – making Skurd wonder whether the bubble would actually pop or not – while Apple seemed preoccupied by a group of adorable seahorses that had taken a special interest in her and were currently providing a sort of entertainment that made the princess giggle at their antics.

Eventually however, the seahorses retreated and them all to gently float down to what looked like a landing of sorts that covered in a yellow checkerboard pattern, a reoccurring design now that Ben thought about it. Then again, Wonderland seemed heavily centered around the game of chess and checkers and Ra forbid that he forget about its inhabitant's near obsession with tea time – it was something that Maddie never missed unless caught up in the most dire of situations, which rarely happened. Before he knew it, his bubble had landed in a desk and chair specially crafted to bare a striking resemblance to the numbers four and seven and proceeded to pop without warning; thankfully, Ben didn't proceed to drown once he found that he was able to breath just like the others as they landed in their own desks and popped their own bubbles.

"Now that's something you don't see every day." Briar commented as she looked upwards, drawing everyone's attention with her. Far, far, far above them was the glittering, shimmering expanse they had just passed through, though from their perspective it looked as if they still trapped under the sea. To some it might have looked like a glass barrier of sorts was holding the water back, like in the aquariums back in the Beauty Kingdom, when in actuality there was no barrier at all; the water, while retaining most of its properties, instead acted like a sticky gel when shoved into a tight space, forbidding the law of gravity from ever draining the aquatic tube of transport away.

Even so, Maddie briefly pulled off her top hat, reached inside, and pulled out an umbrella that she proceeded to open.

Before Raven could advise against the opening of an umbrella indoors – believe it or not, _that_ specific myth was actually true and was indeed crafted by one of her ancestors as a prank against one of Apple's aunts back in their school days – they were interrupted by a droning, gentlemanly from high above. Squinting her eyes and peering upwards as far as she could, Raven noticed a small figure perched upon a branch high above the floor attached to the side of a massive chalkboard that stretched nearly all the way to the ceiling; how the witchling had missed that in the first place, she had no idea. From what she could tell however, the figure was a bird of some kind, an owl if she wasn't mistaken, wearing a white collared shirt with a red tie beneath a purple sweater vest mortar hat whose cap bore a striking resemblance to that of a playing card, specifically the four of hearts. " . . . where Y equals the sum of pie plus the square root of thirteen."

Ben swallowed nervously when the bird slowly turned his head to look at him with an unwavering stare. " _Pupil Square Root!_ How does one solve this problem?" he hooted, clutching a piece of chalk in his talons as he spread his wings to gesture to a massive array of chalkboards spread all throughout the room, all of which were scrawled upon in complicated mathematics that made Ben just sick by looking at it; Cronwculus was by no means his best subject, but it wasn't his worst either. Even so, all the scribbling made his head spin.

"Um . . . Mister, uh . . ."

"You may call me Master Owlsworth," the owl addressed his question. "Now if you would please demonstrate to the class on how to properly solve this equation _without_ the use of a calculator?" he questioned him with the steely, unblinking gaze that the birds of prey were notorious for.

Ben gulped nervously as he tilted his head back to look at the full height of the enormous chalkboard. "That's all _one_ problem?" he whispered with astonishment before turning to Apple with a pleading gaze. The princess was surprisingly well trained in the art of mathematics and seemed to be the go-to fairy tale for a private tutor other than Dexter Charming or Humphrey Dumpty, more so the later than the former as a good portion of Ever After High still harbored a healthy amount of fear for the prince and his unstable inner demon. "Apple, you're good at this kind of thing. Got any ideas?"

The Daughter of Snow White beamed proudly. "Well, it-"

Apple was swiftly cut off by a harsh screech from Master Owlsworth, the wide eye owl looking particularly perturbed. "Pupil Linear, I asked the Pupil Square Root for an answer. Please await your turn." he glared sternly at her before turning to Ben. "Pupil Square Root?"

Ben gulped and began to sweat as he looked up at the chalkboard, trying to make sense of whatever lay before him, never mind all the other nonsensical equations and side problems decorating the walls around him; it was like this room was built specifically to make someone's brain explode. It wasn't until he heard a slight cough for attention from Skurd that he looked down at the many Omnitrices that bespangled his body.

"Well, here's goes nothing, I guess." Ben sighed as he chose the Omnitrices placed upon his left shoulder and slammed a hand down on it, swallowing himself in a blast of green light. His bones shifted and cracked loudly from within the layers of muscle and tissue, swimming to the surface and fusing with his skin through a series of loud pops and crackling noises like that of someone crumpling up a piece of paper. Any pain that might have been experienced was numbed through the process by the Omnitrix while his skin shifted and made a few minor adjustments until he was covered from head to toe in a thick carapace colored a light mahogany in color; his teeth cracked and groaned against one another as they dissolved together to form two plates of thick baleen that twisted into a permafrown accented with by black markings like lips. Ben's nails and fingers molded together into a pair of crab-like pincers as his bent into bug-like joints with his toes and feet thinning out to form spikes for the legs. A loud squelching noise filled the air as a pair of identical legs ruptured from Ben's insides, glistening with moisture when he balanced himself on his new limbs. His head exploded in size, his eyes moving apart as his brain bigger and bigger, pushing the boundaries of his skull to the limits until the armored plating of his carapace split right down the middle and his joints – all of them – turned a deep black in response. It should have been painful, but right now Ben felt more enlightened if anything; he could now see the world than just a TV show he could interact with, no, he literally began to see the world's inner workings as complex equations that mapped out the quickest escape routes, analyzed the probability of an act of sheer randomness happening, and cataloged the different ways he could solve the pathetically simple problem set before him. A green and black neck brace and loincloth appeared on his body with the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing at its center and completing the transformation.

Apple recalled seeing this alien before – albeit a female version of it – and watched as Brainstorm wordlessly hopped out of his desk and skittered across the floor and up the chalkboard, his four jointed legs easily allowing him to scale the vertical surface. The princess watched him climb higher and higher, forcing her to tilt her head until it practically rested upon the desk behind her; by then the Cerebrocrustacean had finally stopped his ascent when he was even with Master Owlsworth.

Brainstorm cleared his throat before 'speaking'. In actuality, Cerebrocrustaceans had lost use of their vocal cords eons ago once they had developed their massive intellects and electrokinesis through years of trial and error and several planets of their solar system that were no longer habitable and whose destruction made the Cerebrocrustaceans highly ashamed of their ancestors former actions; thus, they projected their thoughts through sound waves in order for less developed species to hear them properly. "If I may be so bold, my feathery, avian friend, but you are merely over complicating the problem."

Master Owlsworth raised an eyebrow and handed the Cerebrocrustacean the chalk in talons. "Interesting. Please, demonstrate for the class."

"With pleasure." Brainstorm seemed to smile just the slightest before he turned his attention towards the chalkboard. "If one merely simplifies the formulas and disposes the redundancies as well as _actually_ using pi to the highest known digit _instead_ of using a slice of delicious _pastry_ for a problem of mathematical nature, then the equation can easily reduce the percentage of time it will take for one to solve it." the Cerebrocrustacean droned as he used the piece of chalk to cross out the images of a slice of pie and make several more adjustments before doing away with the square root of thirteen and replacing it with a simple seven. "Or in more colloquial terms . . . cut the problem in half!"

Without warning, a sudden battle cry sounded from the back of the room and all attention turned towards a card guardsman wielding a massive battle ax that should have been impossible for his scrawny arms to lift. Regardless of the physical implications, the guardsman charged blindly at the towering chalkboard and proceeded to smash it with the ax, crudely hacking it in two with a single chop; the river of cracks and crevices snaked its way up the chalkboard like a winding fissure until it reached the top and dissolved the chalkboard into nothingness right between Brainstorm and Master Owlsworth.

"Well . . . that's one way to cut it in half." Kitty snickered.

Master Owlsworth couldn't agree more. "Problem solved! Remarkable work, Pupil Square Root." he congratulated Brainstorm.

"Please, it was mere child's play," the Cerebrocrustacean bowed politely; his skull plates had flicked open at the last second and fired off a blast of green electricity that snaked its way all over his conductive body, allowing him a limited amount of levitation that he gladly used to lower himself down to the ground. "When one has an IQ of 10^30, or one nonillion for the woefully uneducated, anything can _easily_ be solved with a simple equation."

The owl seemed to smirk at that notion as he flapped his wings to hover above them all. "In that case, Pupil Square Root, tell me what is the probability of me dismissing the class?"

The Cerebrocrustacean hardly waited for the bird of prey to finish his sentence before answering. "Estimated probability: exactly eighty-nine point sixty-four to the tenth power."

"Correct," Master Owlsworth nodded proudly as the white squares of the checkerboard floor beneath his classroom's desks glowed a bright blue in color. "Class dismissed!"

"Tell me, dear boy, what are the odds that this will end badly?" Skurd chided Brainstorm when the floor shifted beneath his legs. Before the Cerebrocrustacean could answer with a witty reply, the floor finally way beneath them all and sent them plunging into an abyss of darkness, much to his annoyance; a series of familiar beeps caught his attention before he was enveloped in a blast of green light and returned to his human form, providing the only form of luminescence within the dark void.

Thankfully before they all hit rock bottom and met a painful demise, Ben took notice that they seemed to be slowing in their descent. The floating cubes of black and white that he soon realized to be pieces of the floor that had previously been above them were falling much slower than they had been before, initially plummeting much faster than him and the girls, so that was a plus among other things. He had to admit, Wonderland was interesting place even if it didn't make sense half the time or even one-fourth of the time; it's just how it worked.

Within moments, they had finally reached what looked like another landing or level of some kind and quickly prepared themselves for touch down. Ben took quick note of their surroundings, raising an eyebrow when he noticed that the blocks and cubes that had previous been a floor and ceiling were now being re-purposed into slowly building up the towering, gigantic walls of the classroom they were landing in, stretching higher and higher back up the way they came; it made Ben wonder what exactly they would do when the walls finally reached the top of the floor above them, if that was even possible.

Maddie laughed as her umbrella puffed open like a parachute and surprisingly slowed her descent so that she was able to touch down upon the seat beneath her with the delicateness of a fairy. Thankfully, the rest of the girl's dresses functioned both as stylish and appropriate and parachutes in a pinch, a fact that they readily took advantage of . . . after some warning, of course.

"Ben, while you may not be an official citizen of Wonderland, I hereby decree that you are not allowed to look up under my skirt when we land," Lizzie ordered him with the best infuriated glare she could come up with. "Or it's off with your head!"

"Sheesh, you're getting more and more like your mother every day." Ben snickered. "Besides, it's not like there's nothing there I haven't seen before. Believe me when I've seen a _lot_ of that stuff."

Before the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts could ask him hexactly what he meant by that with the demeanor of a suspicious dragon that suspected its owner was not talking them out for an afternoon fly around Ever After and instead was taking them to the vet, her dress puffed open at that exact moment and she felt a slight jerk around her waist as her fall was slowed; Ben landed just beneath her with a pained grunt, as he had not been wearing anything remotely dress-like and thus did not have anything to slow his fall in any way shape or form, what with the risk of getting an undesirable transformation.

Despite the skeptical comment, Lizzie did appreciate the small gesture of Ben holding out his arms to catch her and set her down in the seat next to him, with a respectful bow and a short murmur of, "Your majesty", to boot . . . even if it was in a slightly jeering tone. She attempted to both thank him and inquire in what he was talking about earlier during her proclamation, but was promptly interrupted by a series of loud screeches and hoots and roars that was absolutely deafening in the acoustic accommodating rooms; the echoes made it all but impossible to hear anything else and the Princess of Hearts turned to look for the source of the sound and settled upon two familiar faces.

Ironically, most people and fairy tales believed that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were both human in origin notwithstanding the fact that they could have been classified as a different kind of human if the sciences had to be brought into the discussion; it was unknown how humans even evolved in Wonderlands hectic and maddening maze of insanity or how they even got there if they were not originally from the place, but there were enough differences in behavior that the Grand Council had classified them as a subspecies all their own: _Wonderlandian Carrollosi._

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum however, were not of the human variety and instead were both a pair of brightly colored apes of unknown species, not that anyone really cared in Wonderland. The most that anyone ever bothered to learn about them was which one was which and which one was the other and, despite the extreme differences – Tweedle Dum had orange fur, wore a massive blue bow tie and a pair of black pants held up by suspenders while Tweedle Dee had blue fur and wore a red vest with a purple ascot, both of them wearing clown makeup to their faces – no one could really remember who was who and which one was which until the two apes either corrected them, drove them mad, or got sick of their company and threw bananas at them until they left.

Lizzie remembered them fondly when she was a little girl and they were put in charge my none other than her highness herself while she was too busy attending to the world of Wonderland to properly care for her beloved daughter, always hacking and slashing and decapitating enemies with her claw-like fingers and legendary battle ax. During those days the two primates had kept her entertained with their animal antics and slapstick humor that usually involved banana cream pies to the face, electric buzzers, and of course, banana peels.

The two apes didn't let up in their loud cacophony of screams and hoots as they swung down from a series of pillars that Lizzie realized to be towering desks of impossible height and landed on a pair of much smaller desks positioned at the front of the classroom, pounding their chests and beating the tables to create even more noise – if that was even possible – until they suddenly stopped and assumed a more dignified posture.

The one on Lizzie's left that was wearing a mortar hat– Tweedle Dee if she remembered correctly – cleared his throat as he adjusted his vest as if to make him seem more impressive. " _Ahem._ I, Tweedle Dee, of the affirmative position, welcome you to Debate Class." the blue primate bowed slightly before gesturing to his orange compatriot, who was wearing a dunce cap upon his head. "Tweedle Dum will represent the negative position."

Without hesitance, Tweedle Dum argued back. "I will not."

"Oh, yes you will." Tweedle Dee frowned.

"No, I won't!" Tweedle Dum growled.

"Oh, yes you will!" Tweedle Dee debated haughtily.

" _No!_ " Tweedle Dum hooted, beating his chest angrily.

"I reject your refusal to be negative!" Tweedle Dee snapped as he used his opposable foot to kick a lever that cranked his desk up a few feet higher than his orange-furred brother.

"I reject your rejection!" Tweedle Dum shot back using his own opposable feet to kick a lever that cranked up his own desk about a yard above his blue-furred brother.

"Oh, no you don't!"

"Oh, yes I do!"

" _Nuh, uh! No way!_ "

" _Uh, huh! Yes way!_ "

" _Seriously!?_ " Ben cried out with exasperation, slamming his head down on the desk in front of him. "These guys are almost as bad as Blukic and Driba!"

Skurd hummed. "I beg to differ, dear boy. These . . . _gentlemen_ , as it were . . . are _far_ worse."

Raven couldn't help but smile as she watched the two Tweedle Brothers shoot up higher and higher into the air on their desks, seeming to be either completely ignorant of the incredible height they were at or too focused on winning their senseless bickering to bother teaching their class in a proper manner. Either result ended up with the group of fairy tales having to crank their heads back farther and farther with every movement the two apes made just keep up with them, their voices barely more than a faint echo at the height they had reached. "Well, you've gotta admit; at least their kinda funny."

"But what they're doing isn't debating!" Apple sighed with exasperation. "They're just saying strange things and disagreeing for no reason! They haven't discussed a topic yet, none of them have presented any information or evidence, and all they're doing is just arguing back and forth without any order at all! The Grand Council would be appalled by this!"

Kitty huffed as she rested her chin on her hand. "We're not getting outta here any time soon . . ."

" _Such negativity!_ "

" _No, it isn't it!_ "

" _Mum always said you were the negative one!_ "

" _How dare you bring my mother into this!?_ "

" _You idiot, she's both our mum!_ "

" _No, she isn't!_ "

" _Yes, she is!_ "

" _NO, SHE ISN'T!_ "

" _YES, SHE IS!_ "

" _AAAGH!_ I can't take it anymore!" Apple screamed with exasperation. Ben and Raven blinked at the sudden outburst and shared a look with one another, as neither of them knew Apple of all people to ever become so frustrated with someone or something. Sure, there had been that stubborn jar of peanut butter she had wrestled with for an hour until she finally gave up and asked Tiny Giant to open it for her and the pickle jar who seemed to be in cahoots with the aforementioned peanut butter jar, but those hardly compared to a pair of arguing apes.

The two of them watched as the Daughter of Snow White marched up to the front of the classroom and looked around for a second before her sights landed on a large lever placed between the two ever growing desks of their two current teachers. With a grunt, Apple pulled back on the lever and was met with the rapid sound of grinding gears that drew her attention upwards where she shielded her eyes from the intense glare above and watched as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum came plunging back down like a pair of falcons in stoop. With a tremendous _CRASH!_ and crunch of wood, the two primates came plummeting back down and crashed through the floor, leaving them slight dazed, disoriented, and all around simply confused.

Apple sighed and took a deep, calming breath to relax herself before she began to speak. "I'm sorry, but this is _Debate_ Class. Things need to make sense!" she tried to explain while she grabbed hold of Tweedle Dee's mortar cap and Tweedle Dum's dunce cap and proceeded to switch both of them for the other. "For starter's, you hats are backwards. You should be wearing . . . this one and you should be wearing . . . that one. _Thank you_." she gave a slight curtsy, earning a round of respectful applause from her peers.

Tweedle Dee was the first of the two brothers to speak up. "Well, I suppose there's no arguin' with that logic."

And naturally, Tweedle Dum had to contradict whatever his blue-furred sibling had to say. "Yes, there is!"

"No there isn't!"

"Oh, oh, who's being negative now, huh?"

"Oh, don't bring that up!"

"I can and I will!"

"You know, this is the reason why mum never invites us over for tea!"

" _No,_ it was because you have horrible table manners!""

" _No,_ you have horrible table manners!"

"I do not!"

"Do, too!"

" _Do not!_ "

" _Do, too!_ "

Apple sighed wearily and massaged her aching temples. It was bad enough that she had to put up with this kind of nonsense from the antics of the Crumb Cousins that would ensue whenever they caught a whiff of Ginger Breadhouse's delicious cooking – this usually resulted in somewhat amusing results, most of which involved an excessive amount of frosting and the Crumb Cousins being promptly evicted from Ginger's covered in food stuffs as soon as possible – but at least in Ever After High that was because the Crumb Cousins were destined to devour Ginger's breadhouse. Here in Wonderland, as far as she knew, there was no reason for the two primates to argue over every little detail and to be quite honest, it was nerve grating. How Ben put up with this on a near constant basis back home was a mystery within itself.

 _BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!_

Thank the ancestors for the bell and whichever genius invented it!

" _Oooh!_ Twelve o'clock! Time for lunch!" Maddie happily clapped her hands as she eagerly grabbed Briar and Raven by the wrists and all but dragged them towards and out a seemingly normal door placed in the wall on the far end of the classroom; if the day's events were anything to go by, this was actually probably the strangest thing Apple had encountered as she watched the Hatter drag off her friends with Kitty giving chase.

A slight cough caught her attention and she looked away from the eternally bickering Brothers Tweedle to see Ben offering her a hand. " _Ladies._ " he gave a smug smirk that made Apple snicker at his attempt to be gentleman-like. The princess happily accepted his hand and took a short notice to see that Lizzie had accepted his other offered hand as well, more so out of courtesy than any feelings the Princess of Hearts might have for Ben; after all, he already had nearly two dozens girls, herself included, happily attached to him all at once. How many more could he possibly gather under his thumb before the universe deemed it enough?

* * *

The Wonderland High Castleteria certainly was a sight to behold. The architecture, while impressive with its flawless curves and undulating railings, there wasn't a single straight line in any structure of the room that Apple could see or make out through the wild display of colors and patterns that madly clashed with one another. There were several tiers to the lunchroom, with balconies that jutted out like the uneven bricks in an old stone wall where a single table sat roughly five or seven or so students among schools of fish floating around inside bubbles and massive balloons of various sea creatures puffing through the air as if they were actually alive.

Apple wasn't sure what to make of that.

The fact that things, such as chairs and desks and hat racks and seemingly balloons all had faces and could talk back at you was slightly unnerving. It had been bad enough when the Well of Wonder had a sudden flux and made her desk come to life and make inappropriate jokes about her underwear during her Princessology class, but here this seemed to be a regular thing. One look at her bowl of vinegar and oyster surprise made her stomach turn when she realized that there live oysters happily swimming around in her food like it was a swimming pool, giggling and laughing as they played about; the fact that Briar didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the still living food that talked back to her and screamed with glee as it made its final trip down her throat didn't help matters.

"Whatf?" Briar glanced at Apple's queasy face with a mouthful of food. "Ees not like thees is taranchulas ongth a sthick." she swallowed. "Certainly not crispy enough."

Apple felt her tummy do a somersault at the sound of that.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up." Ben waved his spoon at the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty. "You've eaten tarantulas on a stick?" he raised an eyebrow.

Briar smirked at the flabbergasted look upon Ben's face. "Whisp dared me to and I gotta say, it's not that half bad; tastes like chicken. That's one hex of a girlfriend you got there."

"Ghoulfriend." Ben corrected as he took a mouthful of his own vinegar and oyster surprise before promptly spitting it and a giggling oyster back out into his bowl, disgusted. "Ugh. Now I wish I'd actually _tried_ to eat some of Grandpa Max's cooking . . . to be honest, this is probably better. Any of you ever eat squidburgers for a barbecue."

Kitty glanced over at Briar when she noticed the princess had quickly raised her hand. "Another dare?"

"From Whisp." Briar confirmed with a nod and a smug smile at the queasy look on Apple's face. Ever since the shadow genie had started daring her to eat bizarre and strange foods from seemingly out of thin air, the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty had since then created a second bucket list of things that she wanted to eat before she was put to sleep for a century; currently, she had only been able to cross off the squidburgers, tarantulas on a stick, phoenix egg omelet, and a butterfly she had accidentally swallowed when she was younger and laughing while riding her bike at a break neck pace – how something so sweet as a butterfly could taste so bitter, Briar would never know.

Lizzie coughed loudly. "If I may intrude, Ben, would you be so kind as to what you meant by your comment before? About seeing more than what I so kindly asked you not to look at before?" she raised an eyebrow.

Unfortunately for Ben, Apple (oddly enough) was the one to speak up. "Oh, you won't believe it! This one time back in Ben's realm he was being chased by this fish-girl that was trying to mate with him because she was on some sort of yearly cycled that messed with her head and made her chase after the most desirable male she could find, which just so happened to be Ben and he saw her naked and everything-"

Ben banged his head on the table several times until the Daughter of Snow White realized exactly what she was saying and decided to clam up right then and there with a deep crimson tinge to her face that only deepened when she realized the full context of her words. The rest of the girls starred at them with confused albeit somewhat interested looks that was making Ben mentally wonder why he had even let that little tidbit of information slip from his lips to _Apple_ of all fairy tales; a certain Daughter of the Cheshire Cat was probably going to never let him live this down for a good long time.

"You should really eat up." Maddie advised Ben and Apple, seemingly almost nonchalant from the spout of gossip. "We've got a long day ahead of us!" she smiled as she hurriedly shoveled more of her vinegar and oyster surprise into her mouth. Ben shuddered when he glanced up at his lunch saw the oysters in his bowl currently doing a synchronized swimming session together, spelling out the words ' _EAT ME_ ' in as big of letters as the bowl would allow.

"Um . . . no thanks. I think I'll see if I can't figure out a pattern to this stupid curse or not . . ." he mumbled to himself as he began fiddling with the Omnitrices covering his body until he settled upon one strapped around his left thigh and pressed down on it, swallowing himself in a blast of green energy. Ben's bones cracked and splintered loudly as they began to liquidate and dissolve inside of him, slowly turning his arms and legs into fleshy noodles that flopped at his sides and let the rest of his body sag upon himself like a poorly stuffed beanbag. The rest of his skeleton began to grind against itself while it compressed and compacted and began to vanish, the bones no longer having any use as his organs and muscles rearranged themselves around his limbs; his fingers fluidly melted together into a single digit that started to resemble the club of a squid tentacle, even more so when suckers suddenly popped forth from his skin like dozens of pimples and zits. Ben's skin turned a bright orange in color covered with mottled brown spots as his hips and torso fused together, shortening his body greatly despite the fact he was still roughly the size of Lizzie. His jaw thrust outwards in a jiggling, quivering fashion while his teeth splintered and crackled until they were nothing but baleen to filter feed with while Ben's head was pulled back and his eyes farther apart than before. A sudden, uncomfortable feeling overcame him until six whipping tentacles that burst forth from his chest and guts like some sort of alien nightmare – a sight that raised a scream of fright from Apple – as a green bodysuit with a black stripe down the middle and white cuffs for each tentacle materialized on him; the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared on his chest in a flash of green light, completing the transformation.

"Hmm. Squidstrictor." the Cephalod-ae took note of his form while he looked at the back of his tentacles.

Save for the sudden eruption of his many limbs, Squidstrictor was generally ignored as he slapped the Omnitrix upon his chest and was encompassed in a blast of green light, reverting himself back into his human form before he selected the Omnitrix around his right bicep and pressed down on that, swallowing himself in a second blast of green energy in the process.

Lizzie sighed glumly as she picked at her bowl of vinegar and oyster surprise. Being here back in Wonderland, her beloved homeland, was perhaps one of the best things that could have turned the depressing day completely around, but it compared naught to finally being reunited with her mother after such long departure. And now, here she was stuck in Wonderland High of all places without a way to get out; sure, there was the welcoming promise that she would still be able to make it to her mother's birthday party, but Lizzie had this nagging feeling in the back of her head that it wasn't going to be that easy, and that only made her feel worse.

"Hey, kid? What's gotcha so down?"

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts looked up from her lunch for the source of the voice before she felt a tap on her knee and looked down, doing her very best not to scoop up the little Splixson before her and give him a firm hug. He was almost as adorable as Fluff Luv, like a real live living teddy bear . . . well, almost. Lizzie smiled as Ditto rocked back and forth on his heels while he was joined by three previously spanned clones of identical appearance and mind, though this didn't mean they were dependent on each other; Lizzie had seen that during the day that Daring Charming had lost his right and hand to be Apple White's prince, and it was a victory that many maidens still held over his head while he desperately tried to regain his reputation.

"I guess I'm just a little . . . concerned . . . that we won't be able to warn my mother in time." the Princess of Hearts replied. "Things in Wonderland tend to be somewhat tricky, if you catch my drift."

The quartet of Splixsons took that piece of information and quickly turned towards one another in a group huddle, silently conversing among themselves in hushed whispers and occasionally glancing back up at Lizzie with inquisitive gazes and a mischievous gleam in their eye that the Princess of Hearts found oddly endearing. She took note of the fact that there were four Slimebiotes placed upon each of the Ditto clones' heads, each duplicate looking a little worse for wear and perhaps even a little nauseous as well.

A couple minutes later, the Splixsons broke away. "Well, we're your friends, right?"

"I suppose." Lizzie smiled as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Maddie and Kitty. They of course, were her closest and dearest friends out of their assorted group as she knew them the longest; they understood her dreams and fears, her desires and quirks, and essentially could have been considered her surrogate siblings if one wanted to go that far; some might have even claimed they were prime candidates for her majesty's royal harem, should she ever choose to create one.

Then there were Apple, Briar, and Raven. She was already familiar with the former two as they were all members of the Royal faction and were thus more than ready to resign themselves to fate and follow within their parent's footsteps to ensure the safety of their world's from the dangers that lay beyond. Raven on the other hand, was a tad more foreign to her since she was from the Rebel faction and thus was attempting to rewrite the stories laid out for her; some might have seen this as selfish and Lizzie would have readily agreed had she not taken the time to see things from Raven's perspective – something Apple had never bothered to do – and realized just how horrible things would become for her.

It was bad enough that there were already racial rivalries within the world of Ever After, with the dominant human races looking down upon the far more powerful races of magical descent, such as witches, fairies, mages, warlocks, sprites, and pixies and those that were not like them in any notable regard, such as ogres and trolls. Even the magical beasts that stalked the lands and lurked beneath the briny depths and soared through the skies were not safe from such prejudice – it was hardly a surprise to Lizzie that a great deal of the Queen and King lands that were not being used for magical agricultural development were set aside as highly protected wildlife and game reserves in an effort to preserve what was left of the dwindling ecosystems.

It seemed that the more numerous human species were afraid of anything they either couldn't control or understand or felt powerless against (Lizzie could at least understand that one) and thus absolutely had to destroy it on sight instead of trying to make peace and reach a better understanding. If it weren't for the uneasy truce held together by the Brothers Grimm and Grand Council, Lizzie didn't doubt for a second that Ever After would have descended into chaos with her precious Wonderland being pulled into the mix of things.

That left Ben out of their odd group, and he was honestly the one that she knew the least about yet oddly enough cared the most about. He had been harshly torn away from his own world, from everything he knew and everyone he loved and held dear, and thrown into their world without an explanation as to why he was currently tossed in the middle of their pathetic squabbling like he were supposed to put an end to it or something. He could have easily walked away from the whole mess or – from what Whisp claimed and Ben confirmed – have effortlessly wished it all away with a mere flick of his finger, and yet he didn't. He didn't even come close.

Ben instead chose to _help_ her. He could have easily backed out of the whole ordeal and they would have been down a member in their quest to save her mother, but instead he stood proudly by her side like an unmovable mountain through thick and thin. It had been him that had been by her side in the Flower Fields and it had been him that had comforted her through her worries and fears over her beloved homeland and family; to say that he was perhaps her greatest ally in her quest was an understatement.

"Yes, I believe so." Lizzie confirmed more strongly with a smile and small laugh when she saw grins creep across all four of the Splixson's faces.

"And whadda friends do?" a second Ditto clone prodded her along.

"Be there by your side through thick and thin, that's what!" a third duplicate grinned as he grabbed two of his brothers in headlocks and gave them a neck crushing hug that just about made them pop.

The lead Ditto, presumably the original turned back to Lizzie with a slight, sweeping bow. "So take it from us, toots, when _we're you friends!_ " he smiled at her, singing the last part. Much to the entire table's surprise – even the four Slimebiotes perched upon their heads – the quartet of Splixsons began singing in a barber shop quartet style that, given their high-pitched and somewhat adorable sounding voices, wasn't actually half bad.

" _We're you friends! We're you friends!_ "

" _We're you friends to the bitter end! (the bitter end)!_ " the fourth Ditto clone belted out as deep of a bass tone as he could, much to Lizzie's amusement.

" _When you're alone (when you're alone),_ "

" _Who comes around (who comes around)_ "

" _To pluck you up (to pluck you up) when you are down (when you are down)?_ " the barbershop quartet of Splixsons hurriedly scrambled around Lizzie and with some strain against their woefully underdeveloped muscles compared to that of an average human, much less species such as a Tetramand, were able to lift up the Princess of Heart's entire weight and then set her back down in her seat as gently as possible to emphasis their point; the effort in itself was amusing when Apple caught sight of the winded expression upon their faces as they continued to sing their surprisingly on=key performance.

" _And when you're outside, looking in who's there to open the door?_ "

" _That's what friends are for!_ "

The four Ditto duplicates then proceeded to hop up onto the lunch table and generously shake Lizzie's hand one after the other as if they were greeting an old chum they hadn't seen in years, with the exception of the last Splixson, who gave a tender kiss to the back of the princess' hand with a gentlemanly bow; his three brothers looked at him with miffed expressions while Lizzie blushed a light pink. " _Who's always eager to extend a friendly claw?_ "

" _That's what friends are for!_ "

By now the whole table was getting into the swing of things when the quartet of singing Splixsons suddenly became the quartet of singing and _dancing_ Splixsons and promptly started to dance around in a circle on the table top while Lizzie and Maddie happily clapped along. Briar was keeping rhyme by banging on the table like a drum as best as she could while Apple and raven tried to hold back their snickers from their private performance; they had always known their boyfriend to occasionally be a bit of a showoff, but this was something else entirely. " _And when you're lost in dire need, who's at your side at lightning speed?_ "

" _We're friends of every being comin' down the pike,_ "

" _In fact we never met a creature that we didn't like._ "

The song briefly paused there as the third Splixson clone leaned into Lizzie and gave a slight wink. "Well, not exactly everyone, but you get the picture. Mind lending us that beautiful voice of yers, toots?"

While not much of a singer, the combination of the admittedly embarrassing yet touching performance gave the Princess of Hearts enough reason to at least give it a try. " _Didn't like!_ " she sang as best as she could, a wonderful soprano that earned a round of applause from all the Dittos, among several catcalls and wolfwhistles, that is.

" _So you can see we're friends in need,_ "

" _And friends in need are friends indeed._ "

" _We'll help you on your journey forevermore!_ " the four Splixsons began to close up their number by syncing with one another in perfect harmony, a feat within itself consider that they, when in human form, hardly ever sang anything that didn't involve backup, and even then he mostly left that to his more vocally talented girlfriend. At this point, Briar really wished she had remembered her Mirrorphone and not left it charging in her dorm; she doubted she would ever see this performance ever again and wanted to document it as proof that their non-incubus friend did indeed have some vocal talent . . . and there was a slight chance she wanted to post it on Mirrortube because, honestly, who _wouldn't_ want to see four adorable aliens singing in a barbershop quartet?

" _That's what friends are for!_ " a highly unfamiliar voice suddenly butted in. The four Splixsons, who had stacked themselves on top of one another for their big finish to their little musical number all promptly fell off the table and into a heap on the floor where they were all roughly forced back together into a single entity moments before the Omnitrix timed out and returned Ben to the world albeit a little sore and disgruntled at having been interrupted.

"Ow, _seriously?_ " he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head sorely.

Skurd rolled his eyes. "Be thankful, dear boy. You were off-key the whole time."

"Says the booger who sings in the shower every opportunity he gets."

"You promised you would never speak of that!" the Slimebiote huffed as he crossly folded his pseudopods over his chest. "Honestly, of all the indignities."

A slow, loud clapping noise all caught their attention and they turned to see a girl standing over them all with the smuggest smile imaginable upon her lips. The girl in question drew up several inches below Ben and had short, cream yellow, pastel purple, and blue-streaked hair styled into a one-sided fringe that obscured her right eye with a portion that braided down the left side of her head. Her eyes were a scarlet pink and a creamy yellow diamond was painted around her left eye, highlighted against her pale skin; her build was fluid and certainly curvy, if not a tad underdeveloped in her chest region. The girl's choice of clothing was wild and eccentric in origin, seeming to be nothing more than a wild collage of mismatched boots of varying lengths, leggings of opposing colors, extravagant collars and skirts tipped with bells, and a black gloves that reached all the way up to her elbows, all tied together by a hot pink jester's hat fixed to a gold headband fitted over her head.

" _Bravo, bravo. An extraordinary performance._ " she drawled with a tone that may have been sarcastic. "Mind if I take a seat?" she purred and without so much of a response, promptly sat herself upon the table and casually glanced over her shoulder. "Ah, Kitty, Madeline! It is _such_ a treat to see you two back in Wonderland."

Lizzie sighed with exasperation. Of all the deities and fairy tales they could have encountered, it had to be _her._ "Everyone, meet Courtley Jester." she gestured towards the girl who now laying down on her stomach on the table without much care. "You might say she's a real 'wild card' around these parts."

Courtley pretended not to have heard the Princess of Hearts and instead acted surprised. "Did someone say something?" she feigned confusion before she lazily turned around and put on an expression of faux surprise. "Oh, why, it's lil' Lizzie Hearts! You know, I didn't even notice you sitting there . . . right. Next. To me." she purred in the princess' ear with a malicious tone.

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts tightly clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, her face turning a deep crimson in color from sheer irritation. "This is your future queen you;re talking to!" she banged her fists down on the table.

The smug leer upon Courtley's lips made any anger Lizzie may have had remaining when the jester leaned in ever so close so that they were but inches apart from one, her smirk growing broader and broader until one might have mistaken her for the Cheshire Cat. "Oh . . . are you now?" she said in a tone that sent shivers up Lizzie's spine as an uneasy silence fell over the table.

Raven looked at the silent war going on between her friend and their latest arrival and, to avoid an all out catfight that Ben may or may not have to get right in the middle of to break up, lest they cause some severe damage to a school they were only temporarily staying at. "So anyway . . . Courtley, are you a student at Wonderland High, too?" she asked curiously.

Courtley responded as if she had just been told the most ridiculous thing in the world and simply laughed at the witchling's naive perception. "I'm the _Student Body President_ ," she proudly enunciated every word of the title, though Ben hardly doubted it would ever compare to the title of 'Queen of Hearts and Ruler of Wonderland'. "You might say it's my business to know what's going on around here."

Now Apple was normally someone that was tolerant of all people, no matter how rude or poorly misbehaved or simply clumsy they might have been. After all, she was very tolerant of Tiny Giant's presence, as was everyone else, and this was mostly impart to the fact that he never took advantage of the fact that he could easily step on every last one of them (except possibly Ben) as if they were bugs and instead made many attempts to be careful around his much smaller peers; he always waited until the halls were virtually empty almost a minute before the final bell rang so that he could make it to class without stepping on anyone – his massive stride made it easy for him to get between classes if he jogged, an occurrence that made it feel like a miniature earthquake was happening right beneath the school – and he took extra precautions to ensure that his feet had a pleasant aroma to them that wouldn't make half of his classmates faint from the horrible odor they produced after four hours of Bookball practice.

But when Courtley Jester plopped herself down on Ben's lap without so much of a request or thank you, something inside her started to burn and make her blood boil just the slightest. After all, Courtley didn't know that Ben had a girlfriend – several, actually – and thus couldn't be held immediately accountable for her actions . . . at least not yet while she was drilling them with questions. "Starting with . . . _who R U?_ " she enunciated the last two words to the point where they could have been mistaken for letters.

"Hi, um, I'm Apple White," the princess began, digging her nails into her palms beneath the table when she noticed Courtley making herself _quite_ comfortable upon Ben's person, grinding her fluid figure against his firm frame. While he had to admit that the jester wasn't someone to scoff at appearance wise, she was steadily grinding away at his nerves with her invasive antics and proactive actions; granted, Whisp did this on a somewhat regular basis, but at least that was because she both deeply cared about him – and Nefera, though the mummy would have told you something else – and had spent a few thousand years alone in a lamp with sporadic company. "That's Briar Beauty, Raven Queen, and my _boyfriend_ , Ben."

"Actually, he's all of our boyfriend." Raven spoke up, gesturing to herself, Maddie, and Kitty as well.

Courtley raised a playful eyebrow at this. "Is that so?" she purred before turning to Ben with a seductive smile upon her lips. "Been quite the busy stud, haven't you?"

Ben swallowed nervously. "Uh, I guess so?"

"Smooth move, Casanova." Skurd mumbled. Fortunately for him, Courtley didn't seem to have heard him, noticed him, or didn't deem him worthy of her time, which was perfectly fine by the Slimebiote. Something about the jester just felt wrong to him and he knew somewhere within his genetometaphomorphic make up that something was going to happen; he unfortunately couldn't place exactly what it was as everything around him felt oddly familiar in a way that he couldn't figure out. For the time being he simply shrugged it off as the unstable amount of chaotic Wonderland magic in the air simply slowly driving him mad from exposure, like a radiation of some kind if that made any sense.

Courtley kept her attention solely on Ben as she slowly, meticulously walked her fingers up his sternum. "So . . . _Ben_ . . ." she cooed his name in a tone that made him swallow nervously and sweat with discomfort at how open and flirtatious she was being with him. "Where's a handsome fella like you come from, hmm?"

Ben decided to spare the jester – no matter how intrusive she was – the long tale of his arrival and the explanation of the multiverse and extraterrestrials and parallel universes that would follow. To be honest, he was only able to just barely wrap his head around the bare bones concept of the theory and was nowhere near a level of understanding as Professor Paradox or Hexiciah Steam and he doubted he ever would be, not withstanding usage of the Omnitrix. "Ever After High. All of us, really." he added uncomfortably.

"And you're here because . . ?" Courtley pressed, scratching under his chin with a single finger. Lizzie gritted her teeth tightly and felt her face heat up to the temperature of a soon to erupt volcano as she watched Courtley work her womanly charms on Ben, spinning herself on his lap so that she could straddle him with her legs and press herself even tighter against him with her breath upon the skin of his neck as if only she and him were there, completely ignoring them all; she even went so far as to teasingly prod the tip of his ear with her tongue! The nerve of her!

And what really confused Lizzie was that she couldn't figure out why she was so bothered by it. Sure the jester annoyed her to no end, but she couldn't place hexactly why she hated her so much at this exact instance.

Surprisingly, it was Apple that spoke up. "Well, it's kind of a long story-"

"Which you _do not_ have time to tell." Lizzie hissed at her through gritted teeth. Something about Courtley severely rubbed her the wrong way, and it wasn't just the way she feeling Ben up while they talked and were all but ignored by her. Honestly, did personal space mean nothing to this girl? And out of all the people at their table, Apple was the one to willingly talk about their sacred and _secret_ mission to the person that was currently behaving like she was the only one who had claims to the man she was currently dating!

Unfortunately for the Princess of Hearts, Apple remained oblivious to her warning. "But you see, there's a plot against the Queen of Hearts and we've come to stop it!" she whispered excitedly across the table, much to everyone else's horror.

That immediately caught Courtley's attention and she stopped toying with Ben's emotions and bodily functions long enough to peer at Apple with cold, cat-like eyes. "You don't say . . ." she frowned for a reason Apple couldn't understand.

"She did say," Lizzie snarled lowly. "And _far_ too much at that!"

Apple rounded on the future ruler of Wonderland, a sense of slight annoyance in her voice. "I just thought that maybe she could help find a way to get us hexcused from school. I mean, this vice principal everyone's talking about is more strict than Headmaster Grimm."

Raven had to agree with that and even Ben and Maddie couldn't help but snicker. "I know, right? I've never met _anyone_ who's such a stickler for the rules!"

Courtley seemed to find the joke amusing as well, though Kitty couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the jester as she relaxed into Ben's frame while reaching over and playfully tweaking Raven's nose like one might do when entertaining a small child. Something about her rubbed her fur the wrong way, and it wasn't just because she was using her boyfriend as a chair either; there was something underlining sinister that Kitty just couldn't place and unfortunately for her, the narrators were being suspiciously quiet as of late and weren't accidentally giving away hints like they usually did. Even the young one had gone silent and wasn't offering up any clues to help them out, which was a mystery in itself now that the foxy feline thought about it. And the tone of voice that Courtley was using wasn't helping her suspicions either. "On the contrary, I think the vice principal is pretty keen on _shaking_ things up."

 _BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!_

The jester snapped up at the sound of the bell with a bright grin on her face. "Ah, there's the bell!" she laughed gleefully. "It really was _so_ interesting meeting you girls . . . and you _Ben_ ," she purred seductively while she scratched him playfully under his chin with a lustful look; both Lizzie and Skurd felt like they were going to lose their lunches at the tone of voice and a severe look of possessive irritation crossed all of the girl's faces when Courtley had the gall to lay a sloppy kiss upon Ben's lips without so much as a warning.

Before any one of them – Ben included, though he was more focused on getting the taste of Courtley off of his tongue – could reprimand the jester for her actions, Courtley scrambled off of Ben's lap and promptly backflipped over the side of the railing. Everyone immediately rushed over to the side with looks of horror as Ben frantically tried to pick an Omnitrix to use, one that might hold the genetic code of one of his flying aliens, until they caught sight of Courtley gently floating above them on the back of a gigantic pufferfish-like balloon.

"Good luck in your classes," she waved at them casually. "Oh, and Ben? Feel free to come find me anytime if you require some . . . _assistance_ . . . with your schoolwork." she added with a slight wink and a kiss that she blew in his direction.

"I don't know whether to be entranced or disgusted, and I'm pretty sure it ain't the first." Ben shuddered as they all watched Courtley float off before turning to leave to get to their next classes and the madness that would undoubtedly ensue.

Once she was sure that Wonderland High's newest additions were well gone and out of earshot – she never underestimated the Cheshire Cat's senses and took extra precautions to ensure that the magical energy blocking runes and glyphs were well in place – Courtley climbed to her feet and courageously ran along the spine of the pufferfish balloon before she came to the tail and threw herself off. Most would have considered this suicide attempt to even promotional stunt of sorts from the amount of guts it would take jump from such a height, but Courtley was more than confident in her abilities. Her body moved gracefully through the air as she landed on a rail a floor below her and leaped off with the agility of a monkey; several more tumbles and rolls that would have impressed a professional acrobat quickly followed as she slowed her descent and finally popped back up.

Without waiting to catch her breath – it was hardly an effort anyway – Courtley positioned herself against a stand of lockers and folded her arms over her bust to make it seem as if she were casually waiting for something to happen. If her timing was right, he would be along any moment . . .

" _Oh, dear._ "

Right on time. Honestly, he was so gutless and spineless and so easy to manipulate to her will that it almost wasn't fun anymore. Some would have gotten tired of the constant bullying they could so easily place upon him, but Courtley couldn't get enough of it. It made her feel powerful and in charge, something that was hardly common or even allowed for a lowly jester. " _'ang on, Rabbit!_ " she called out when she caught him trying to casually leave without her notice.

The trembling tone in her voice made her internally grin from ear to ear. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What is it, Miss Jester?" the White Rabbit quivered behind the manila folder he had carrying with him.

"Those girls. The transfer students." Courtley got right to the point. " _Change. Their. Course work._ Make it more difficult." she glanced at her nails before turning to the spineless lagomorph with a icy glare, as if daring him to question her.

Fortunately for her, that's exactly what he did . . . or attempted to do at least. "B-B-B-B-But . . ." he stammered before his folder slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor, emptying its contents of various papers and documents all over the floor. Courtley watched him hurriedly try to pick him up in his arm before she suddenly lunged forward and stomped her foot down on the document the White Rabbit had just been about to pick up.

"You don't wanna make the vice principal angry, do you?" she sneered at him, daring him to argue with her once more. The vice principal's motives should never be questioned and their rule would always remain in power if she had anything to say about it; after all, what kind of a vice principal appointed a lowly jester such a place of power? A rather foolish one at that, and Courtley wasn't about to let them be told otherwise.

"No! _N-N-N-N-No!_ " the White Rabbit trembled.

Courtley was done with her little games and snarled at her underling with the demeanor of mother manticore protecting her cubs. "Then change their course work! Make it impossible!" she demanded before swiftly turning on her heel to walk away. "Those students must. Not. Graduate!"

The White Rabbit hurriedly nodded and promptly dropped his papers once more as Courtley stalked off. With a sigh he bent down and began to fill his folder once more, mentally apologizing to his daughter's friends for what he was about to do. May the ancestors have mercy on their souls . . .

* * *

"I am ready to roll!" Briar grinned as she and Maddie jogged ahead of the others.

"Lets do this!" Kitty agreed with Lizzie in tow.

Raven couldn't help but laugh at her friend's enthusiasm as she walked with Apple and Ben. "You know, I've actually got a good feeling about this-"

" _You fool!_ " Skurd roared with frustration, banging his head down on the Omnitrix he resided on with frustration. "Have you learned nothing about today!? The moment anyone, _anyone_ utters those words, horrible things happen to them!"

Apple giggled at the Slimebiote's expression. "I think you're overreacting, Skurd." she tried to sooth his frayed nerves before she caught sight of their latest challenge placed before them. The structure of Wonderland High had always confounded her as classrooms always seemed too big or too small and shoved into the oddest of places as if everything had been done last second, and the last time she had seen the outside of the school, there couldn't have possibly been enough space for the current room they were in – if it could even be called that.

What lay before them was a massive field that seemed to stretch onward for miles without end, the ground like smooth cement their feet that was decorated in an endless checkerboard pattern of red and white. Grand castle walls made of ancient stone criss-crossed their way over the battlefield, forming a massive, walled in barrier around a section of the classroom so that it acted like an arena of sorts; extensions that harbored turrets and towers stretched on over the horizon and the sky was colored a foreboding, yellow rust in color that made Lizzie uncomfortable. Her throat felt dry as her mind flashed back to the heart-crushing feeling that had overwhelmed her when she found her beloved homeland in such disarray, the immense hurricane of unstable and dark magic swirling over her world just waiting for the word of its mistress to descend and destroy everything she held dear to her.

A slight weight fell upon her shoulder and she looked up to see Ben with his hand upon her. "Hey, don't go thinking those kind of things on me, alright?" he gave a slight smile. "We'll get out of here, one way or another. We'll save your mother, that I promise you."

Lizzie nodded. "Thank you, Ben. It's just . . . such appearances are quite unpleasant." she gestured to the massive room before them and the way the sickly colored sky above them seemed to be plated like a ceiling of sorts. "Now, for the matter at hand . . ."

" _Chess!?_ " Raven gaped at the two armies of red and white positioned opposite of one another. "Aw, man, I'm horrible at chess!"

"Not as bad as me." Ben sighed tiredly. "Give me something to pound, and I'll do without even trying. Give me a brain teaser and, well . . ."

Apple smiled. "It's not _that_ bad," she reassured her boyfriend. "Once you know the rules, you just have to think ahead!"

"As if the boy ever thinks." Skurd quipped, earning him a respective flick upside the head as a response. Before Apple could have attempted to console Ben a little further, the square beneath his feet glowed a bright purple in color and a row of playing cards rose up out of the checkerboard ground like a picket fence on the edge of a lawn. With a sudden move, a flooring formed beneath their feet and the cards rose upwards, taking them all with them so that they were standing on a balcony of sorts above the ground . . . all except, of course, Ben and Skurd.

Apple hissed with regret. "Ooh, sorry. Didn't see that coming."

"Well . . . I fail to see how this could improve." Ben grumbled with annoyance.

He was quickly proven wrong when one of the pieces from the red army – a rook if he could properly remember – swiftly slid over to them across the surface of the board. Ben had to crane his neck back just to get a look at the entire piece, which seemed to mainly be a turret or tower that shot straight up from its pedestal and cradled an archer or guardsman of sorts in its nest. The guardsman was clothed in crimson armor and a red helmet that slipped down over his eyes, seemingly blocking his view. "Logic and illogic . . . strategy and tragedy," the Red Rook bowed to the girls on the balcony above Ben. "I am your instructor."

Ben mumbled sourly under his breath. "So much for my attempt at reverse psychology."

Skurd comfortingly patted his arm. "A valiant effort, lad, but the universe will forever remain a cruel mistress."

"Ben Tennyson, time for your quiz!" the Red Rook announced, suddenly appearing directly in front of him from a low window in his tower that might have served as a means of entry.

"Oh, come on! A quiz!?" Ben complained. "Can't I study or something first?"

The Red Rook remained uncaring as he smoothly zipped across the board and, much to Ben's shock, dragged him along without so much as even touching him; perhaps the conveyor belt flooring in the hallway applied her as well? "Nope! We must assume our positions on the board. As a future king and/or hero, you will take the part of the White King. White King, step aside!"

The king – a chess piece with long, white flowing robes, a long gray beard and a grand crown of ivory placed upon his head – breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped off his pedestal, hurriedly scurrying out of the battlefield-like classroom without so much as a backward glance, leaving the remaining White Queen greatly perturbed. "Of all the nerve!" she huffed indignantly.

"At least you are able to play, your majesty," the Red Rook offered her a monotone upside to her position. "Ben Tennyson, please take your position on the board."

Ben raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and waded his way through the first row of pawns and other pieces until he finally made to the empty pedestal that the seemingly cowardly White King had once occupied. "Is this right?" he asked.

The Red Rook didn't seem to have heard him. "Ready? _Begin!_ "

Ben naturally panicked. "Wait, what!? What am I supposed to do!?"

"Sorry, Mister Tennyson, but the game has begun and helping the enemy is against the rules." the Red Rook apologized without care as he moved himself back across the board until he was safely back between his ally's ranks on the far side of the board.

" _Oh, no you don't! You get back here and-_ " Ben started to bark angrily in the direction the Red Rook had retreated in before he felt a hand upon his shoulder and looked out of the corner of his eye to see the White Queen looking at him with an forlorn look.

Now that he had gotten a closer look at her, ben realized that the White Queen wasn't a woman at all but a teenage girl roughly the same age and build as Lizzie was, if he had guessed correctly; she was of the same height, possibly of the same weight, and even both of their faces shared the same, heart-shaped structure, but that was where the similarities ended. Her eyes were a light violent in color, her skin was almost as pale as polished ivory, and her hair was almost completely white, save for a few, thin, ash gray streaks, as well as a black streak that sliced the old fashioned way her hair was held up in half. She was dressed in a short white skirt that reached down just above her knees with elegant, gold designs of intricate design that fed into a light gray top that showed off a respectful amount of cleavage and traveled off into a pair of long, puffy sleeves colored gray in color. Upon her feet she wore a pair of white diamond-studded pumps that made her seem far taller than she should have been and placed atop her head was a simple tiara of sorts that was decorated with an unprecedented amount of feathers.

"It won't do any good," the White Queen shook her head. "As the rules state, the only way out of a game is to either win or lose, simple as that, which is really surprising when you realize how complicated and maddening Wonderland is, I mean, it's like nothing and everything makes sense here and-"

Ben coughed awkwardly. "Um . . . yeah. Thanks, I guess?"

The White Queen froze for a second before crying out in frustration and facepalming herself with frustration. The sudden movement made the feathers upon her head stir and, much to Ben's surprise, were actually attached to a white dodo bird that seemed to have been right in the middle of a nap on the queen's head before it was disturbed. Sensing that their owner was in distress, the dodo hopped down off the White Queen's head and landed on her shoulder, nuzzling her affectionately with his oddly shaped beak.

"Thanks, Flutterfeather." the White Queen smiled slightly as she scratched the flightless bird behind the head before she turned to Ben. "Sorry about that. I . . . tend to ramble sometimes. My name is Bianca, by the way. Bianca Chessman."

"Uh, Ben Tennyson." he allowed his hand to be shaken by Bianca. "So, um, quick question. Not to be offensive or anything, but are you in anyway related to the White Queen back in Ever After."

At the mention of the name, Bianca frowned and shuddered as if she had just had to work with someone she detested. "Unfortunately, yes. She's my mother," she growled lowly. "Don't get me wrong, I love her and everything, but she's _such_ a pain sometimes. And that's when she was one of the Three Queens! From what I've heard, she's got even worse ever since she fled Wonderland and got a job as a teacher at Ever After High."

"You have no idea." Ben smirked. "So what are you doing here?"

Bianca rolled her eyes. "In the _absence_ of my mother, I have to take her place. It's great practice for when I'll assume the throne and everything, but honestly, it makes it really hard to keep up with all my other classes when you're stuck in a never ending game of-"

" _Ben!_ " Apple's voice cut through the air like an eagle's scream, swiftly catching his attention and cutting Bianca off. "See that pawn in front of you? _Move it forward two spaces!_ " she instructed.

Ben sighed and turned his focus away from Bianca and back towards the matter at hand. Unless he was transformed into his Galvan or Protinaphibian form, he was at an absolute loss when it came to mind games as his school grades would have proven. He was by no means an idiot incapable of thought or a " _Dweeb_ " as Gwen had insistently called him during their more immature years, as he had proven himself time and time again of quick learning, an enhanced eidetic memory of near unrivalry, and an adaptability in situations that left more intelligent beings, such as his partner Rook, at a disadvantage.

Put him in front of a highly advanced door with highly advanced locking system however, he sooner choose brawn over brain depending on the situation – it looked cooler to bust down the door than simply unlock it, after all.

"Hey, dude, uh, Mr. Pawn?" Ben tried talking to the pawn in front of him. "Mind moving forward two spaces?"

He expected the chess piece to silent move in the order he had commanded it to or even talk a little bit before complying. What he didn't expect however, was the piece suddenly turn around and question his demand without hesitance. "On whose orders, then?"

"Uh, Ben Tennyson?" Ben tried.

The pawn unfortunately, continued to resist. "Never heard of a Ben Tenyson. All I've heard of are the Three Queens. Heard of a Queen of Hearts, heard of a White Queen, and heard of a Red-"

That was the pawn managed to say before he was suddenly whacked upside the head like a golf ball and sent sailing off towards the horizon with a terrified scream; Ben barely suppressed a yelp of surprise when he realized just how close he had come to being hit and looked up at what he quickly gathered to be the attacker. He was met with a tall woman with a white, slim face, dark gray hair that was tied back in a low bun streaked with arches of white and deep red in color, and a dark crimson crown bejeweled with dozens of jewels the color of scarlet and mahogany. Her eyes were a dark gray and her eyebrows were a dark onyx positioned above a short layer of red eyeshadow. Her robes consisted of a long red and white Elizabethan gown with ruffles, royal separate sleeves, and a high collar that was colored a hue of dark pink that was almost red but not quite there. " _Ha, ha, ha, ha! The Red Queen strikes!_ " she crowed triumphantly while she waved her scepter over her head. "Your turn, White King."

"But . . . wasn't that my turn?" Ben asked, utterly baffled.

Another white pawn turned to address him. "Well, ya see, yer majesty, a turn is a turn and if one of us turns, say, to talk to you then it counts as a- _AAAAAGH!_ " the ivory chess piece cried as it and two of its brothers were unceremoniously attacked one after the other by the Red Queen, sent flying through the air like golf balls as the queen's deadly scepter came into play.

" _What!?_ You can't do that! It's against the rules!" Apple accused.

"Stop talking to the pawns and just get away from them!" Lizzie advised. Ben didn't need to be told twice and hurriedly scrambled away from his position while the Red Queen watched his every move with the familiar look of a predator; he had seen that look all too well on Khyber's pet back when Zed had been nothing more than a mindless hunting partner before she had been adopted and domesticated into a fiercely loyal companion. Memories of when Jane had first acquired the Nemetrix and had lost herself to her animal instincts came flooding back to him and had it not been for Bianca's voice cutting through his thoughts like an arrow through the fog, he could very well ended up falling victim to the Red Queen's bloodlust.

"Ben! Look out!" Bianca yelled a warning.

The Red Queen was already giving her order, a vicious smile upon her lips. " _Red Knight to Bishop Seven!_ " she shrieked.

Ben came to a screeching halt as a mighty crimson stallion promptly hopped onto the square in front of him, its legs fused to the pedestal it stood upon while it snorted and glaring menacingly at him. Upon its back sat a deep crimson suit of armor accented with various hues of red in contrast to the white chess piece army and sporting black and red feathers in comparison to the White Knight's blue and white; a heavy broadsword and shield clipped to his side and his voice sounded vaguely familiar . . .

"Chase Redford?" Ben relaxed a few hairs.

The lid to the red helmet creaked open as Chase smiled sheepishly. "Yeah . . . sorry about my mom."

"That Red Queen is your mother?" Ben scoffed with disbelief.

"Well, she raised me. It's a long story." Chase shrugged sheepishly before he pulled the lid of his helmet back down. "Anyway, I just wanted to say how truly sorry I am that I, uh, well . . . have to attack you."

Ben felt an assertive smirk cross his face while Chase raised his gleaming broadsword over his head. "Dude . . . do you even know who you're talking to?" he grinned as he slapped an Omnitrix disk fastened directly upon his sternum and swallowed himself in a blast of green light and energy that began to scramble his genetic code into something new.

He could feel a prickling sensation crawl its way out from his chest, rippling across his shoulders and down his back as coarse, gray fur began to sprout forth from his skin in rolling waves that spread across his body until only his hands and feet were left naked and bare. His arched as he forced to hunch forward, his skeleton grinding and crunching loudly against itself as it shifted and reconfigured ever so slightly; the structure was similar and only needed some fine tuning. Ben's ears stretched back from his head and took on a rodent-like appearance as they were covered in a light coating of fur and nestled back against his head while his spine cracked and snapped and spat out a long, rat-like tail covered in a few stray hairs here and there. His toes melted into three claws with his heel pushing out behind him to form a fourth toe in a series of sickening pops and cracks that made Apple shudder at the sound. Ben's skull bulged outwards slightly into a rat-like snout as a few hairs formed a small goatee of some kind while muscles and sinew threaded their way across his figure, piling themselves on to create a more masculine appearance. A thick mane of raven black quills erupted forth from the back of his thickening neck and shoulders, completing the transformation as a pair of black pants and tank top with a green stripe down the front, green cuffs, and black fingerless gloves materialized on his body; the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared in a flash of green light around the waist.

The Espigilagisapien took advantage of his opponent's moment of hesitance and pounced upon him, knocking him off of his horse and to the ground. PorcuPain cackled with glee as he tore his claws into Chase's armor, creating a horrible screeching noise as keratin shredded metal for the several moments it took for the Red Knight to get over his initial shock and throw PorcuPain off of him.

Chase grunted as he quickly scrambled to his feet and held his sword in both hands, panting as the Red Queen screeched at him like a harpy. "Stop talking and attack! _Attack!_ " she screamed. PorcuPain recognized it as the tone that most super villains and crime lords used to berate their underlings, mostly Billy Billions, Dr. Animo, and even Don Skueaky as well.

"As you command, mother." the Red Knight nodded grimly as he raised his blade over his head.

PorcuPain smirked as he curled himself up into a ball of razor-sharp quills and spun in place for a few seconds to build up momentum before he shot forward. It wasn't that much different than when he was in his Arburian Pelarota form, with the one exception that he was essentially running blind and couldn't turn at all, but details, details. The one thing that did matter was that Chase hadn't seen it coming at all and had the wind knocked out of him as the Espigilagisapien flattened him to the ground once more and ran him over, his spikes making a series of uneven rattling noises against the Red Knight's crimson armor.

The Espigilagisapien unfolded himself and turned around with a smirk upon his face. "Come on, that the best you got, bub?" he laughed. Before the Red Knight could retort with a witty comeback, PorcuPain had curled himself up again and came racing back at him once more, slamming like an eighteen wheeler into him and sending him flying across the chessboard and into the white army's ranks.

" _Oooooh,_ " Chase groaned while he rubbed his aching head.

"Are you alright?"

He took a moment of his self pitying to pause and look up at the sound of the angelic voice he had just heard. Well, it wasn't so much angelic as it was curious, more like a goddess among mortals if the feminine tone was anything to go by. He turned around and felt his jaw go slack when he laid eyes on the holy angel standing over him, a look of concern upon her gorgeous features; every part of her was like a beautifully carved statue of ivory crafted from the elegant hands of the goddess Aphrodite herself. And even then, her craftsmanship for Pymoglian and the goddess herself paled when compared to the stunning beauty standing over him. "Are you alright?" she repeated.

"F-Fine." Chase stammered as he hurriedly climbed to his feet and tried to pretend he still wasn't sore all over and in desperate need of a lie down once class ended; this was just embarrassing for him. Usually he was at the top of his game when it came to his role as the Red Knight, enforcing every rule without question, following every command of his mother and the vice principal without hesitance, his strength and skill with the sword was unmatched. And yet, he was being bested by a literal rat!

Admittedly, he was rather impressed the changeling had lasted this long.

"So, um, I don't believe I've caught your name." he admittedly sheepishly.

The ivory angel rolled her eyes with a slight smile. "I suppose in your line of work that's a legitimate excuse, considering you're in the line of fire, per say. I'm Bianca Chessman." she introduced herself with a slight pink to her cheeks. She had seen Chase in action for years on end during their time on the chessboard battlefield had she had to admit, his physical prowess was quite impressive. Since when had he gotten so tall?

" _Chase Griblig Redford! Stop this nonsense and attack! Attack! ATTACK!_ " the Red Queen shrieked violently to the point where she looked just about ready to pass out from lack of oxygen.

The Red Knight chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, well . . . I, um, better get going and . . . stuff." he swallowed nervously before taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Um . . . want to hang out sometime? I feel kinda bad for uh, kinda . . . not knowing you existed in the first place? _What am I saying . . ?_ " he murmured to himself.

Bianca couldn't help but snicker at his woefully pathetic attempts at conversation. "I'd like that." she gave a smile.

A sudden surge of confidence flowed through Chase's veins and a warm, dazzling smile cross his face as he tried to come up with something witty or clever to say before he rushed back out into battle. Unfortunately for him, PorcuPain had other ideas and came racing towards him, clamping his jaws tightly around the Red Knight's ankle, and promptly dragged him kicking and flailing back out onto the chessboard without much ceremony. " _ItwasverynicetomeetyouBianca!_ " Chase managed to call over his shoulder as he was dragged away. "Let of me, you vicious brute!"

"You ain't seen nothing yet, bub." PorcuPain quipped as he let go of Chase and nodded at Skurd. The Slimebiote nodded in response and oozed his gelatinous makeup over the Espigilagisapien's right arm as he delved into the genetic database of the Omnitrix and selected one of its many samples. The fur that covered PorcuPain's right limb was pressed flat against his arm, amalgamating with his skin until it was layered over in a substance that looked similar to plastic upon first glance. Grooves that quickly faded into a deep black etched themselves across his morphing limb as bony knobs thrust themselves forth from his skin. The changing limb took on a bright red in color as it shifted and morphed into a thick, cubular barrel that fed back and into a row of brightly colored cubes not unlike blocks that wrapped over PorcuPain's shoulder and into a sort of pack upon his back, ending the transformation.

Chase yelped while the Espigilagisapien all too happily fired off the Bloxx-lobber, just barely bringing up his sword in the nick of time to deflect in an incoming projectile aimed directly at his face. His eyes widened when the block-like shell promptly exploded upon making contact with the blade, forcing him to quickly scramble to his feet to defend himself as PorcuPain relentlessly continued to fire at him. Any attempt to strike the Espigilagisapien was practically pointless as he swiftly dodged and weaved around Chase's swings.

"That's it! Keep up the offensive! Give 'im the ol' one-two!" Skurd coached PorcuPain on.

" _Attack! Attack! Attack! ATTACK!_ " the Red Queen shrieked like a banshee and Lizzie was left contemplating whether or not her mother had taken a leave of absence from the throne to perform a study on Wonderland's educational system.

The Red Knight was doing the best he could to obey his mother, but the he had to give credit where credit was due: the changeling was nigh impossible to hit and his skill in combat was unsurpassed, or at the very least on par with his training. He wasn't sure what drove him to do what he did next; it might his need to obey the command of his mother to the best of his abilities or maybe his desire to impress Bianca with his capabilities as a warrior, or maybe it was his inclination to hit PorcuPain at least once.

Whatever the reason, Chase gave a loud battle cry and swung his broadsword up as fast as possible, striking the Bloxx-lobber with a loud clang! as PorcuPain shielded himself and was knocked back from the sheer force of the blow. The Red Knight wasted no time and cleaved his sword downward with as much strength as he could muster, his weapon clashing with the Bloxx-lobber as PorcuPain attempted to shield himself.

" _Real swords!?_ " Briar gaped as she saw flecks and bits of the Bloxx-lobber being chipped off with every swing that Chase made and every block that PorcuPain took advantage of. "Do not tell me that this makes sense to you." she threw a look at Maddie.

Naturally of course, the Hatter ignored any outside commentary that wasn't from Raven, Ben, or her Wonderlandian friends. "Of course, it does!" she laughed. "They're not playing chess at all. They're playing Un-chess! You can move your pieces any which way you want as long as it is not a chess move!"

"That would have been nice to know before we before!" PorcuPain grunted against Chase's strength. The Red Knight drew back his blade and dealt a devastating move that shattered the Bloxx-lobber in half, leaving the Espigilagisapien defenseless as Chase went in for the kill. A collective gasp of anxiety came from the balcony as all held their breath and practically hung over the railing to see what would happen next. "Don't suppose you wanna call a truce?"

The Red Knight shook his head. "I'm sorry, but rules are rules!" he yelled as he swung his broadsword down.

 _CLANG!_

"Not while I still stand!"

The Espigilagisapien cracked open his eyes, his heart hammering his chest while his muscles remained tense and ready to fire off a hurricane of pointed quills laced with various toxins that would easily pierced through Chase's crimson armor. Glancing up he found himself beneath a tall figure with broad shoulders dressed in a powerful and white suit of armor with a large broadsword grasped tightly in their mighty hands, the only thing keeping PorcuPain from being sliced in half.

"The White Knight!" Apple sighed with relief.

"About time you showed up, bub!" PorcuPain snapped as he helped himself to his feet. "I was just about to turn Strawberry over there into a pincushion!"

The White Knight grunted against the Red Knight's strength. "My apologies, your majesty. On the bright side of things, I have blocked the attack!" he exclaimed as he pushed back against Chase. "What are you commands?"

The Omnitrix gave a series of dying beeps before a blast of bright green light swept over the Espigilagisapien's frame and returned him to his human form within a matter of nanoseconds. "Wait, hold up. It's my turn?"

"Yes!" the White Knight strained.

"And I can issue any command I want?" Ben stroked his chin in thought, an idea formulating in his head. Usually he was taunted by his peers, co-workers, and even his ghouls on the occasional basis, but what he lacked in intelligence, he more than made up for in his ability to adapt to a multitude of situations. It was more times than he could count that he had managed to figure out a new way of getting out of a situation instead of beating his head against the figurative wall of progress by trying the same thing over and over again – granted, it had taken him some time to realize that he couldn't muscle his way out of _every_ situation, but he was getting there.

" _Yes!_ " the White Knight grunted.

Ben smirked. "In that case," he turned to the girls up on the balcony. "I'm calling this a dance off!"

" _What!?_ " was the general agreement of vocalization from across the board, particularly the Red Queen who absolutely hated to lose and preferred cold hard battle. After all, those red robes of hers weren't originally dyed that way and she so did enjoy a good skirmish or two or at the very least, a grand tussle with the most vicious predators the Wilds of Wonderland had to offer save for the Jabberwockies; no Wonderlandian insane enough would single-handedly go after one of those monstrous reptiles.

Regardless of Ben's choice, the Red Rook was more than happy to accommodate – he had long since dreamed of becoming a popular DJ before being enrolled into the Red Queen's army – and seemed to coincidentally have the necessary equipment with him on hand. "Oh, brilliant move by the White King!" he exclaimed merrily as his turret tower was transformed into a low DJ stand while a pair of thumping speakers rose from the floor and began to lay on a heavy bass line. " _Drop da beat, yo!_ "

Much to the two knight's surprise, the chessboard beneath the White and Red Knight's feet popped up and turned a dazzling display of swift moving and random pattern generating squares. "Dancing? Th-This is . . . th-that's not what I was trained for!" Chase protested.

"That's what I'm counting on, Strawberry," Ben smirked. "Now dance like nobody's watchin'!"

"B-But _everyone_ is watching!" Chase panicked, his eyes frantically darting around the chessboard. All eyes seemed to be trained on him, everyone from Ben, Skurd, and the White Knight – who was considerably less confused and frightened than he was – to the girls quickly making their way down to the dance floor via a pair of playing card slides and both opposing armies; even his mother! Worst of all, Bianca seemed to be starring at him with the biggest smile on her face that just seemed to scream with mockery!

Chase swallowed nervously when the Daughter of the White Queen gave him a little wave and it felt like his heart was going at a million miles an hour. He feverishly glanced around for anyway to get out of his current situation, his mind racing to try and find a loophole of sorts within the rules, but he was stuck right where he was without even his trusty steed or sword to help him; he watched as the White Knight seemed to taunt him and then proceeded to mock him with perhaps one of the easiest dances to learn, a sort of hopping back and forth on one foot while dribbling a ball that Chase hadn't learned the name of, much less if it was even considered a dance at all.

He watched as Ben effortlessly took Apple in his arms and spun her around, a cheer of excitement coming from the princess as she was practically swung her around like a ragdoll to the thumping beat. She gave a joyful laugh and a slight blush of embarrassment when he affectionately pecked her on the cheek before tossing her out and pulling back in like a yo-yo, placing a light kiss upon his lips just as she came reeling back in.

"Come on, Chase, you can do this." he tried to assure himself as he stepped out onto the dance floor and gave his best shuffle. The only dances he had ever learned were the slow waltzes and spinning ballroom dances of royalty, and even those were far and in between in exchange for near endless combat experience. From the moment he could reliably walk he had a sword thrust into his hands and a training armor upon his shoulders while his mother barked at him from afar to run faster, jump higher, swing harder, and just plain screaming at him in general; it was what she considered parental encouragement.

The White Knight hardly seemed impressed. "Oh, puh-lease." he scoffed as he pulled out his next move and began to perform the almost obligatory Gangnam Style, some stupid music video that had come out on the Mirrornet from a clearly tipsy gathering of young royals and officials at a party they clearly shouldn't have been at doing things they clearly shouldn't have been doing for the sake of their reputations that had somehow churned out one of the most successful and highly irritating songs and dances to ever plague the Mirrornet . . . at least, in Chase's opinion. How they had managed to make, edit, and post the damn thing all in one drunken sitting before passing out was beyond him.

"Really? Oh, come on." the Red Knight frowned when his ivory counterpart jerked his thumbs at himself in a mocking gesture. What followed was a slightly better routine that popped and jerked to the rhythm of the thumping speakers and, much to his surprise, he found himself starting to get the hang of it; Ben however, seemed to have him entirely outclassed as he and the girls found themselves engaged in a miniature version of the Electric Slide, another Mirrornet sensation that had originated from a group of ogres attempting to perform a complex dance number for their addition for ' _Dancing with the Kingdoms_ ' and instead managed to produce one of the most popular dances of all time; no word on whether or not they had won a spot on the show had been released yet.

The Red Knight wasn't so much distracted by Ben's dance moves than he was distracted by how close his majesty was getting to the odd changeling. He watched with a raised eyebrow as the group fluidly dispersed to enjoy the rocking music to their own liking, with the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White bouncing and bopping to the beat together and the Mad Hatter's daughter dragging the mysterious witchling into a fast-paced waltz that really didn't seem to have much or any control over it, but none drew his attention like how Ben and Lizzie had so casually fallen into what appeared to be a tango of sorts, if the way he effortlessly dipped his majesty was any indication.

His attention was quickly drawn away when he realized that he was actually dancing. To be fair it was a poor rendition of the Funky Phoenix, a dance that had been around since the dawn of time and invented by some drunken village idiot who believed himself to be a powerful wizard and thus able to eat an entire oak tree that had somehow managed to slip by the guards of a Charming family ball to entertain the guests with his buffoonery and spark one of the biggest dance crazes in all of Ever After; the Charmings were still trying to deny having anything to do with the invention of the dance.

Nevertheless, the Red Knight who had little to no experience with the dancing of popular culture in Ever After and Wonderland, had somehow managed to pull off a decent performance . . . until he lost his balance and fell on his face, right off the dance floor. Honestly he couldn't have been more embarrassed in his entire life and it only got worst when he realized that Bianca had seen it all from afar . . . there was a slight chance she saw things differently, but something told him that the girl he was beginning to seriously crush on was as sharp as a tack.

The music came to a screeching stop as the Red Rook slapped his hands down on the records of his turn tables. "The Red Knight has fallen!" he proclaimed, much to the severe annoyance of the Red Queen, before turning to Ben and the girls. "You pass!"

"Well that is a relief." Lizzie sighed with assuagement. "You can stop dipping me now, Ben." she added as she rolled her eyes back and realize just how close to the floor her head was with Ben's strong hands holding her by her petite – but nonetheless deadly – fingers and lower back.

"Maybe I don't want to?" Ben teased her while he wiggled his brow tauntingly before he seemed to be suddenly snapped back to reality and hurriedly helped a crimson-faced Princess of Hearts back up on her feet, muttering an apology and shoving his hands as deep into his pockets as they would go as he shuffled a fair distance away from Lizzie. _Oh, my Ra, why did I just say that?_ he mentally berated himself while simultaneously trying to predict when the future ruler of Wonderland's temper would be unleashed upon him and when he could expect an attempt at decapitation in retaliation.

Luckily him, no one other than Skurd – who was silently plotting the best mocking gestures to throw at his flirting host – had heard his comment. "That White Knight sure has some moves." Briar commented.

"I'm just glad he showed up." Raven grinned. She was about to turn and thank the ivory warrior for his efforts and commitment to their cause when she realized with great stupefication that he was nowhere to be found, gone without a trace; this was beginning to grind her nerves and intrigue her at the same time. Since when did a warrior fresh off the battlefield disappear immediately afterward and not partake in the celebratory festivities or congratulations no matter how small. Usually warriors and soldiers would swell with pride at their victories upon the battlefield, having well earned them, and yet this one was like a masked vigilante, there one minute and gone the next with nothing to track them by.

 _BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG!_

Before Raven could contemplate the situation any further, the bell had promptly rung and the White Rabbit's panicked voice came booming over the loudspeakers. " _Oh, dear! oh, dear! The time is two o'clock and here are the announcements!_ " he recited frantically from out of sight. " _The vice principal had declared that next Thursday shall fall on a Wednesday, the tortoise shall stop mocking the turtle, and Raven Queen, Lizzie Hearts, Apple White, Kitty Cheshire, Briar Beauty, Madeline Hatter, and Ben Tennyson's schedules have changed!_ "

"What do you mean 'changed'?" Kitty snarled suspiciously; something smelled fishy here, and it wasn't the sardine-flavored catnip she had laced her lunch with.

The White Rabbit seemed to sense the group of fairy tale's unease and sounded even more panicked than before if it was even possible. " _You will immediately report to Tea Time 101!_ "

"And by 'immediately', he means . . ?" Briar trailed off with confusion before the floor underneath all their feet opened like a trapdoor into empty black space.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Skurd narrowed his beady little eyes at the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty before all seven of them plunged down into the inky, abyssal void with terrified screams and several mild curses on Ben and Lizzie's part. What was really baffling and irritating to the former of the two was why they couldn't have simply walked to their next class or, if the need to utilize some of Wonderland's pure madness was an absolute must, why they couldn't have taken a slide or something or anything for that matter that didn't involve them plummeting through the air at who knew how many miles an hour without the assurance of a mattress or something to soften their landing.

If it was any consolation, the look on Chase's face as he starred across the chessboard in the direction of the white army, particularly at a certain future White Queen, was utterly priceless.

Before long they had seemingly reached the end of their descent and landed quite painfully in a heap upon whatever sort of flooring or ground was beneath them with Ben at the bottom and suffering a good majority of the damage. This was greatly appreciated by the girls – despite the fact they too were just as sore as he was and arose from the pile of tangled arms and legs hampered dresses with various grunts and groans – but not so much by Ben himself. Thankfully he had managed to land in such a position that none of the Omnitrices that decorated his body were activated from the impact by some miracle.

"Thanks for the soft landing, Ben." Kitty purred as she climbed to her feet.

" _. . . no problem . . ._ " he groaned. " _Where . . . are we anyway?_ "

The group of fairy tales were momentarily blinded as a spotlight suddenly clicked on from above and cast an intense blue light down upon, illuminating their surroundings. They found themselves at the center of a large cube about five yards long and five yards wide with the height being about five yards tall as well, forming a perfect glass cube that hastily sealed itself over and trapped them inside much to their confusion and worry. A sudden round of loud noise caught their attention and they peered out into the surrounding darkness to find themselves sitting on a stage of sorts positioned before a row of darkened theater seats which – despite the sound of rousing applause and cheers – were completely empty and devoid of any audience.

Courtley smirked widely to herself as she lounged in a theater seat towards the back of the amphitheater, her figure shrouded in the shadows. She could hear the soft thumping of the White Rabbit's feet against the floor as he made his way into a seat behind her and silently sat down, his beady eyes trained on the clear glass cube placed on the front stage. The jester couldn't help but hand it to the vice principal for their clever mind and nefarious schemes, how they came up with one maniacal plot after the other and showing such brilliance in how to take care of the foreigners that had dared to disturb their peace; admittedly, she would miss the Hatter-dressed boy, but she didn't dare question the authority of the vice principal.

Her smile only deepened when the recording of shrieking applause came to a sudden stop as the class' teacher, the March Hare, hopped onto the scene with a crazed look in his eyes that twitched every so often as much as his whiskered nose did. His ears were long and stiff, standing straight up from above his head on either side of a tuft of messy brown hair that was several shades darker than the tint of brown the rest of his body was covered in. His feet were flat and floppy, his tail fluffy and stout, and his outfit appropriately as mad as he was, with a purple checker patterned sweatervest and red cummerbund from which a polka-dotted tie just barely grazed from its position around the hare's neck. "Welcome class!" he laughed madly. "I see that you're ready!"

"Ready for what?" Apple asked worriedly.

The March Hare didn't answer and merely skipped off into the wings of the stage to grab hold of an old rope and give it a mighty tug. "Tea Time has commenced!"

The sound of grinding gears drew their attention down to their feet where they all caught sight of a large drain of sorts as big as a wagon wheel stationed in the bottom of the glass cube that gurgled and rumbled nosily before spewing forth a strange, brown liquid that mildly warm to the touch and felt oddly enough like one was relaxing in one of the hot tub's at the luxury spa in the Village of Bookend that Ben had heard so much about but never had an opportune time to check out for himself.

Being feline in nature, Kitty was naturally apprehensive of any large amounts of liquid – particularly those bubbling up from beneath her feet like a hot spring - and immediately jumped into Ben's arms, much to his surprise. "What is this? What's going on!?" she panicked as the oddly-colored water started to rise higher and higher.

Struck with curiosity – enough to brutally kill one of Kitty's relatives – Maddie bent down and dipped her finger into the ankle deep waters and gave sample lick of what she had found. "Yep! It's tea! Ginger, to be exact."

"This is never how Tea Time works!" Lizzie exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah! There isn't any bread-and-butterflies! And there aren't any chairs to switch places with!" Maddie pouted.

Ben grunted as the steaming hot tea rose even higher, reaching to about his waist as Kitty frantically moved up onto his shoulders against his will, trembling with fear as she hugged her tail to herself lest it fall into the rising waters below. "Kinda have more important matters to deal with, Maddie!"

"It's too much! How do we make it stop!?" Raven panicked as the tea continued to rise even higher.

"Anybody thirsty?" Briar gave a halfhearted joke as she raised her arms above her head in an effort to keep them dry.

With little options left, apple trudged her way through the quickly rising levels of tea and over to the side of their glass prison, wrapping a knuckle on the side and thankfully catching the attention of the March Hare. "Um, excuse me? Mr. March Hare? If it wouldn't be too much trouble to-"

"Look at me! I'm standing three feet below tea level!" the March Hare cracked madly, pressing a button on a remote in his hands to trigger a laugh track to guffaw and snicker at his poorly made wisecrack.

" _What are we supposed to do!?_ " Kitty panicked as she started hyperventilating while standing on top Ben's shoulders just a few feet from the top of the cube. Her species of feline – arguably the only species of feline to ever successfully make its home in Wonderland – was deathly afraid of large bodies of water and avoided it at all costs, which was one of the reasons her prehistoric ancestors had evolved the ability of teleportation to compensate for their restricted range. As time went on and millions of years past and gave rise to sentience, the Cheshires had collected to form a united, nomadic tribe that had been at near constant war with the Hatters where their teleporting magics had come in great use. Of course, by then they still hadn't overcome their natural fear of water which was become a great hindrance to Ben's face at the moment.

Ben grunted as Kitty's foot slipped between his shoulder blades. "Kitty . . . I don't want you . . . panic or anything, but . . . I need you to get off!" he strained.

" _N-No! Never!_ " the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat mewed.

Unfortunately for the panicking Cheshire Cat, her boyfriend just happened to loose his balance under a sudden surge in the rising tea level that created a current strong enough to send the two of them plunging into the boiling liquid without mercy. Immediately Kitty began to thrash about in a pitiful effort to stay afloat, but she had regrettably never learned how to swim; it was just something that her species had never and probably would never learn how to do for as long as they existed. Soon enough she began to sink and she just barely managed to suck in a final breath before she went under, her vision stained a deep brown in color as she tried to make sense of everything around her.

She could see Briar and Apple's skirt balloon outward like gigantic species of deep sea jellyfish, their legs kicking rhythmically as they managed to stay afloat and trued to figure a way out of their current predicament. All that Kitty knew was that they were too panicked and running short of viable air to notice her and she could only hope that they somehow managed to think of a way out of their glass prison before she drowned; and given how little air she had managed to grab before going under, it had to happen soon.

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat felt something strong and firm clamp around her right bicep and she looked up to see Ben floating right next to her, his cheeks puffed to the brim with an oxygen supply he had managed to grab at the last second. Without warning, he suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, strategically maneuvering his tongue past her lips just enough that he was able to create a passage of sorts between the two of them for him to give a quick lungful of air.

Slightly shocked but feeling incredibly refreshed, Kitty quickly latched onto Ben's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist and quickly shot towards the surface, erupting forth with simultaneous gaps for breath less than a few feet from the top of the glass cube much to Kitty's horror; at the very least they had a few more minutes before they would be forced to go under again.

"We're almost to the top! Think fast, everyone!" Apple exclaimed. "Before we run out time!"

"Give me a second!" Ben managed to pry his other arm free of Kitty's iron grip just enough that he could access one of the many Omnitrices covering his body. "Uh, eeny-meeny-miney-"

" _Mo!_ " Skurd cried as he slapped his face down on the Omnitrix fastened to Ben's right wrist and swallowed himself in a flash of intense, green light that warped and scrambled his genetic code. His skin bubbled and began to pulse furiously as it formed into small bumps that quickly started to fuse together like water droplets on a window in a rain storm, forming large blobs of flesh that swelled and took over his lean arms. The sudden growths began to weigh Ben down as they started to harden into a thick, leathery hide before taking on the appearance of hard, crusty rocks colored a deep maroon; the rest of his arms bloated with muscles, becoming far bigger than his original self while his legs bulked and bulged with sinew and flesh. His feet ripped clear through his sneakers as his toes folded together into three, crusty plates while his skin flashed a deep black in color with the rocky plates forming like continents on a inky, black sea. Ben's head was forced down into his chest while his compressed and cracked loudly as his skeleton finally amalgamated with his skin to form a more durable body. His mouth widened horizontally with a loud crunching noise into an exaggerated grin, forcing his eyes farther apart in the process as rocky plates rushed to cover his skill. The final piece of the transformation was the addition of a pair of black and green shorts upon his person, a pulsing, molten core erupting forth from where his guts might have been, and the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing in a flash of light upon his forehead.

Courtley practically jumped out of her seat when she saw the enormous Galilean appear in a blast of green light, his sudden mass and weight quickly raising the water level to fill the rest of the cube as the girls all quickly grabbed one last lungful of breath and went under, tightly pressed against the sides of the cube by Gravattack's sheer size. The jester was practically vibrating with furry as the Galilean started to hammer away at the sides of the glass prison, though thankfully the walls refused to give thanks to the extra enchantments she had placed upon just on the off chance that one of the four foreign exchange students had an ace up their sleeve . . . and it seemed she was correct.

After all, the vice principal didn't tolerate failures, no matter how unexpected or overlooked they were.

The jester took a deep calming breath and relaxed back in her chair when she realized that the girls and Gravattack were still trapped within the glass cube and the walls wouldn't be giving in any time soon, despite the near hairline cracks she could just make out from the distance. By the time the walking planetoid actually managed to break through the walls, the girls would have drowned, the Galilean would possibly drown as well (Courtley wasn't one-hundred percent sure now), and the vice principal's nefarious plots would remain secretive and out of light until too late.

Unfortunately for Courtley, she hadn't counted on Raven suddenly disappearing from within the glass prison in a sudden burst of bubbles that lowered the level of tea slightly before reappearing on top of the glass cube in a puff of pink and purple mist. The witchling was shaken up, gasping for breath, and soaked through the skin, but she was nonetheless alive much to Courtley's fury. She quickly sent some of this fury off in the direction of the White Rabbit when she suspected when he cheering the girls on and had her suspicions proven correct.

"I don't know! I guess I just thought outside the box!" the Daughter of the Evil Queen seemed to be answering a question that had come from Apple, if the trail of bubbles from the princess' lips was any indication.

Courtley watched with increasing fury and tightly clenched palms as one by one the girls disappeared in blasts and surges of bubbles and reappeared on top of the cube all soaked from head to toe and smelling like tea but otherwise fine for the time being. Gravattack joined them a few seconds later, his weight making the glass creak and groan under his tremendous size; the girls all wisely took a step back before turning their attentions back to Apple, who was still trapped within the confines of the tea-filled cube.

"Come on, Apple! You can do it!" Briar coaxed her.

"Hurry!" Kitty pleaded.

Raven nervously bit her lip as she watched Apple start to sink to the bottom of the cube, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration and her fists tightly clenched while she tried to 'think outside the box' like everyone else had, but for some reason things weren't looking up. The witchling was sorry to admit that this might have partially been her fault for denying her destiny on Legacy Day and turning the narrow-minded Daughter of Snow White into a begrudging frenemy that was mostly friends by now. Apple was simply still too close-minded to 'think outside the box' as it were, molded and sculpted into the image of the next Snow White from the day she was born to the point where she had little to no original ideas of her own. Apple simply was incapable of being as creative and open-minded as Raven was, preferring concrete answers and logic to leaving things to fate, no matter how fast her world views were starting to change.

And it looked like it just might be the end of her.

Thankfully, Raven was far from the only one concerned.

"Everyone get back!" Gravattack commanded. No one argued and everyone quickly scrambled back as the Galilean planted both feet on the top of the glass cube, creating slight tremor that made the transparent prison tremble and shake under the sheer force. He quickly cupped his hands together into a bludgeoning fist and raised his arms over his head before giving a loud yell and bringing his fists down with as much force as he could muster. A thunderous boom! resounded through the theater, creating a spiderweb of cracks and crevices in the glass top of the cube. Another hit was all it took to shatter a hole the size of a wagon wheel in the top, just big enough for Gravattack to snap his arm down and grab Apple in his massive hand to haul her out just as she was about to run out of oxygen.

The princess sat there on top of the cube hugging Gravattack's leg for support as she gasped for breath. "W-We . . . we did it!"

"And just in time, too!" Maddie beamed. "You never want to let your tea steam for too long!"

A resounding round of laughter that followed the little quip drew their attentions back down towards the stage where the March Hare stood with a gleeful smile on his face. "You pass!" he clapped joyfully, oblivious to how Courtley was mumbling curses under her breath as she hurriedly left the theater behind. "I'm off to find a cup of sugar for my cube of tea!" he laughed madly as he pressed another button on his remote.

"I'm beginning to hate this place more and more." Gravattack mumbled as they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Briar coughed violently as the harsh-smelling smoke attacked her sinuses and worked their way down into her lungs, ensuring her a decent coughing fit that was on the brink of bringing tears to her eyes before she had finally managed to get the last of it out of her systems. By then she had taken note of their current surroundings and was quite baffled to say the least. From where she was standing, the floor was the standard checkerboard pattern that could be found all around the school, but it looked like what one might see if they had taken a picture of the pattern and enlarged the image on their Mirrorphone to the fullest extent, making the squares far bigger than they should have been. Looking up she found that the walls were absolutely enormous and shot up high into the clouds before finally making contact with the ceiling . . . and was it just her or was that a giant locker on the far, far, far side of the room?

" _Look out!_ " Raven yelled.

The Daughter of Sleeping Beauty snapped her head towards the sound of Raven's voice and glanced up as a gigantic shadow fell over them, which bore a great resemblance to that of the bottom of a shoe. It took her several harrowing seconds to realize that it was in fact, a giant shoe that was coming straight towards them and if it hadn't been for the near constant adrenaline rush coursing through her veins, Briar would have most likely found herself squished like a bug.

Regardless, her heart was pounding and she was near breathless as she watched the titanic owner of the shoe casually walk away without ever noticing then, each step they took feeling like an earthquake to her. "We've shrunk!" she realized.

"Or the school has grown huge!" Gravattack added as another foot came hurtling down towards him and Apple. The Galilean quickly thrust his hands out as a shimmering green field of energy came from his fingertips and raised his hands above himself and Apple just as the ship-sized foot came crashing down on top of them; a split second later, the foot shot straight back up as Gravattack just barely managed to deflect a good majority of the weight off of him and to a lesser extent the currently terrified princess cowering at his feet. They were all use to having to put up with Tiny stomping down the halls wherever he went no matter how hard he tried to be careful and it was easy to feel intimidated by his immense size, but this was something else. Whereas they were like dolls to the friendly giant, here they were like near microscopic insects to the students of Wonderland High, who didn't seem to have idea that they were there.

This briefly made Apple pale at the thought of accidentally stepping on some unfortunate soul as they had made their way throughout their day.

"Well, yes, sometimes it's hard to tell." Lizzie admitted as a third foot the size of a jabberwocky came crashing down mere inches to her - though 'inches' was a relative term to her size and the size of the owner's of such massive feet. "Oh, that's it! I for one have had _quite_ enough! It's high time we saw the vice principal!"

"But, uh . . . how do we even get to the office?" Raven wondered.

As was a reoccurring occurrence for the day, it was none other than Maddie that came up with a solution, much to Apple's unease. You knew the situation was bad when the only one with an idea was the maddest resident in all of Wonderland. "This is the only door we can reach, so clearly it's the right one to use!" she opened a door in the wall that would have otherwise gone unnoticed and gestured them all inside.

"I am never gonna get use to your logic." Raven laughed as Lizzie to the lead and lead them all through the door and into a large and grand hallway with paintings of obscure subject and origin lining the walls. The traveled down the hall for quite a long distance with Gravattack bringing up the rear until they saw a faint glow off in the distance, like that of light from underneath a doorway. The group of fairy tales and planetoid quickened their pace and it wasn't until they were nearly there did they realize that the hallway itself was an optical illusion; while the hallway did accurately project distance according to the laws of physics, the hallway itself became smaller and more cramped until they were all forced to hunch over against the low ceiling with Gravattack's bulky body blocking any means of turning back.

Now down on her knees, Lizzie turned the knob on the door and crawled her way out into a thankfully _much_ larger room. Once she was on her feet she turned around and held the door open to allow Maddie, Kitty, Briar, Raven, and Apple through before taking several steps back as Gravattack's enormous hand and arm came through and slammed against the floor. The second hand and arm came next and the tremendous and wide head followed suit, just _barely_ managing to fit through the door's frame as if the door itself understood that its last occupant was not of regular accommodation size and had enlarged itself to allow passage through if worked out properly. With a few straining seconds and some assistance from the girls as they all grabbed hold of his arms and gave as mighty of a tug as they could muster, the Galilean finally managed to pop free and stand up to his full height in the room, his head just barely grazing the ceiling as he kicked the door closed.

The room surprisingly simple for something from Wonderland and, for once and as far as Gravattack could tell, there wasn't a checkerboard or chessboard pattern wall or floor in sight, just bright colorful walls of pinks and oranges and yellows that blurred together like a sunset without much contrast between one another. An extravagant rug covered a good section of the floor in front of an impressive desk behind which a chair hung from the ceiling on a heavy chain whose links were shaped like big hearts and clubs and spades; it seemed the playing card theme held up. Off to one side of the desk was a large book shelf that reached from floor to ceiling and stood adjacent to a massive window offered a view from the hanging chair when spun around.

Much to Lizzie's relief, there seemed to be someone sitting in the chair with their back turned them and, despite all the alarms and warning bells this gave her Galilean companion, she spoke up. "Vice principal, glad I caught you! I require a word." she attempted to sound regal and meaning of business. "My name is Lizzie Hearts, Daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and my friends and I need your help!"

"We need to graduate, but our class schedule keeps changing!" Raven jumped in.

"The classes are dangerous!" Kitty added.

"And they're getting harder and harder to pass!" Apple continued.

"And if that isn't bad enough for you, this place has no sense of decency when it comes to passing between classes! Honestly, dropping your students out of the sky from one classroom to the other!" Skurd huffed indigently from atop Gravattack's forehead, drawing odd looks from their group.

A short silence followed the Slimebiote's words, long enough for the attention they had drawn to fade away and back towards where the vice principal was sitting with their back towards them. Not a word had been spoken otherwise and Lizzie took a tentative step forward, curious as to whether the vice principal had heard their plea or not and would help them. "Oh, my, that sounds completely _dreadful!_ " an eerily familiar voice spoke as the chair whirled around to reveal-

"COURTLEY!?" Raven felt her jaw go slack with disbelief. "You're the vice principal!?"

The jester scoffed and rolled her eyes with disappointment as she spun her chair back around. "If you'd ever bothered reading the school bylaws, you'd know that as Student Council President, I am _also_ Acting Vice Principal. _And_ as Acting Vice Principal, I'm also the Principal!" she replied over her shoulder with a small laugh as she casually filed away at a chipped nail. "See, it's a matter of principle."

Lizzie was clenching fists so tightly to the point where her claw-like nails could have driven blood as that sense of unease and mistrust wormed its way back into her gut and quickly took up residence without so much as an invitation. A quick glance out of the corner of her eye revealed that quite a few of her friends, namely Kitty, Raven, and even Gravattack and Skurd had looks of suspicion disbelief upon their features; a sudden blast of green light from the Omnitrix as it gave a few dying beeps did nothing to change the expression on Ben's face when he re-emerged into the world and protectively came up beside Lizzie as if his presence alone would instill a sense of power into all that gazed upon him . . . which usually it did.

Unfortunately for the Princess of Hearts, Apple still seemed absolutely naive to the matter at hand. "Well, b-but then you can help us!" the princess beamed brightly before sucking in a deep breath and launching off into as short and detail of an explanation as she could manage, much to Lizzie's steadily grinding nerves. "Okay, Lizzie's mom is in danger-"

Courtley cut her off with a mocking, pitied tone of voice that irritated Lizzie's nerves like no tomorrow. "Oh, and you _really_ want to get to her birthday party by tea time, or she'll _never_ hear about the plot to kick her off the throne!" she summarized tauntingly as she smoothly pulled herself up onto her desk and absentmindedly played with a Neuton's cradle placed upon the edge. "Oh, what a shame that school isn't over yet . . ."

"You're the vice principal; you can release us!" Lizzie pointed out.

Ben scratched his chin in thought, pressing his lips tightly as he watched Courtley's movements carefully. Something about the jester was rubbing him the wrong way, and his hero instincts were telling that something was _seriously_ off about their current situation, especially when Courtley gestured to an odd-looking clock that he had somehow missed on the way in that bore a high resemblance to a slot machine. "Oh, but would you look? It's just eleven o'clock in the morning! School never gets out at eleven."

" _Eleven o'clock!?_ Time is going backwards?" Apple was flabbergasted. "But that's impossible! Ben's not even that Clockwork guy!"

" _Forget the clock!_ " Lizzie roared loudly as she pushed away from the group and marched right up to Courtley with a venomous look in her eyes that, had she been a gorgon and not a member of the House of Hearts, would have turned the jester to stone or melted her right there on the spot. "As your future queen I, Lizzie Hearts, command you to release us!" she demanded in an authoritative tone.

Courtley scoffed. "Command, do you?" she copied her teasingly. "Well, my clocks are what count while you're in my school, and this one says it will never be three o'clock!" she cackled madly as she hurriedly pulled down on the lever and set the three slots spinning in rapid random motions until all three of them clicked and settled upon the image of a trollish Courtley grinning like madmen while the massive clock spun its hand around as if it couldn't make up its mind about what time it was.

"That's cheating!" Kitty snarled.

" _My mother will hear of this!_ " Lizzie roared even louder than before.

At that, Courtley laughed. "Ha! Your mother? What'll I care about your mother?" she growled before cartwheeling on top of her desk with that ever present smirk upon her lips that sent shivers down Ben's spine. He could tell now that something was seriously up about the mad jester, but it stubbornly refused to move anywhere but the tip of his tongue. "She won't be queen much longer!"

Maddie giggled. "Why it's-" she suddenly gasped with realization. "It's as if you almost want the plan to overthrow her mother to succeed!"

Understanding suddenly struck Ben and he fought the urge to slap himself across the face for being so incompetent and not realizing what was happening sooner. This was practically routine villainous plot right here!

Courtley on the other hand, gave Maddie a deadpanned look of disbelief before promptly exploding much like a manticore that had been neutered without any antiseptic and thus left to the horror of feeling the sheer amount of pain it would receive upon having its genitals removed – the usage of a rusty spoon was most likely optional. " _OF COURSE, I DO!_ " she roared viciously. "Because it's _mine!_ "

Lizzie looked to be on the verge of both figuratively and literally erupting like a volcano full to bursting at this point, her pale face now such a bright red from fury that Apple was quite certain that she was more colorful than any apple she had ever eaten in her entire life had ever been. Not only that, but the amount of blood rushing to her face right now, the rate her heart was bumping, and the adrenaline rush she must have been getting at that point made her highly volatile and it was a wonder that the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts hadn't simply exploded on the spot right then and there from how furious she must have been. And from the way her voice sounded very much like an affronted dragon about to lay waste to the village that had antagonized it into unleashing every last bit of its raw power and strength, Apple highly pitied what would come next if Courtley didn't get to a very safe place within the next few minutes. " _YOU!? YOU'RE THE TRAITOR!?_ " Lizzie screamed.

Courtley turned on Lizzie with a jeering sneer. "You think you're so special because you were born to become a queen!" she spat at the princess, just barely missing the flamingo perched in her crown. "But you forget . . ." she grinned a smile that would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame as she hopped down from her desk and appeared directly behind the baffled princess. "A joker can be whatever she wants!"

"Oh, yeah? Well two can play at that game!" Ben shouted as he slammed a fist down on the Omnitrix positioned around his stomach and encompassed himself in a blast of green energy. The changes began with the ever familiar itching sensation that indicated he was growing hairy, specifically a patch of indigo-colored fur between the back of his shoulder blades that quickly spread along his arms and down his back as his skeleton cracked and crunched nosily. He could feel his bones grow smaller, compacting him into a height a couple heads shorter than his original frame while at the same they were becoming denser, stronger, and more powerful when muscles and sinew quickly laced themselves across his skeletal network; his shoulders broadened while his thighs and legs swelled with tissue and the strength that came with the powerful tendons and ligaments that followed suit. The indigo-colored fur continued to spread across his chest and down the inside of his legs, bleaching into a creamy white as his ankles snapped in half and were pulled back into a new joint that made them resemble the hind legs of a hoofed animal. This was further enhanced when his feet tore through his sneakers and molded themselves into a pair of cloven hooves made entirely out of his fused toes and toenails that melted into a thick covering. The fur stopped at his knuckles, leaving his hands to deepen into a dark black as his skull shifted and reconfigured ever so slightly so that his jaw thrust out just a bit. The most dramatic changes however happened mere nanoseconds later when a pair of curved horns like that of a ram's burst forth from either side of his head, curled protectively around a pair of pointed ears while a fluffy tail sprouted from the base of his spine. The final piece of the transformation was a pair of green bands around his biceps, a pair of black fingerless gloves, and a belt with the Omnitrix and Skurd on it materializing around his waist.

Smashface snorted threateningly as he socked his fist into his palm and took several steps towards Courtley looking none too pleased with her. Trapped between a furious future ruler that would most likely not hesitate to messily decapitate her with a flick of her finger, an extraterrestrial that bore an odd resemblance to that of a satyr or faun, and a gaggle of highly perturbed and protective princesses and Wonderlandians, one might think that Courtley was outnumbered, outclassed, outwitted, outmuscled, and in every sense of the word defeated.

But then again, the joker always had an ace up her sleeve.

"SECURITY CARDS!" she screeched like a harpy.

An unfortunately familiar sound caught Smashface's attention and he turned to see a wall of armed playing card guardsman kick down the door – the much bigger and probably much more used door – to the vice principal's office and quickly form a wall behind him and the girls, wrapping them and Courtley and finally cutting off any chance of escape Lizzie might have had with their spade-shaped spears pointed threateningly at her.

And all through it, the Satyrian wished he could wipe that smug grin off of Courtley's face, though he strongly suspected that nobody wanted to do it more than Lizzie at this point; it was a wonder the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts hadn't passed out yet. "Escort these girls back to their classes – where they will spend the rest of their lives!" she cackled madly before going off on a merry taunting spree. " _Oh, the joker becomes the queen, it happens all the time! Oh, the joker becomes the queen, it happens all the time!_ "

"You have officially lost it." Briar snarled as a pair of guards grabbed her by the arms.

"Haven't any of you played cards before?" Courtley scoffed before turning towards Smashface. "And I was so hoping you and I could spend some quality time together . . . perhaps when I'm queen I might be able to arrange for you to become one of my servants . . . maybe . . ."

The Satyrian snorted irritably. "Not if I take you out first!" he yelled, surging forward with the force of a runaway train as he lowered his head and prepared to violently crash into Courtley and smash every bone in her body which he was somehow okay with. He wasn't sure what scared him more, the fact that he was alright with brutally mauling someone, or the fact that a small squadron of playing card guardsman snatched him up and quickly latched onto all four of his limbs, suspending him helplessly above the floor.

"Never fear! Skurd is here!" the Slimebiote chimed as he quickly slithered himself over Smashface's chest and arms and selected one of the genetic samples from within the Omnitrix. The Satyrian's arms started to swell with even more muscle and power than before, veins popping out and pumping alien blood and DNA through his bloodstream as the indigo-colored fur was quickly shed and lost in favor of quickly reddening skin that grafted and layered over itself several times for reassurance. The sickening sound of flesh being pushed aside filled the air as a pair of slightly smaller arms burst forth from under his original pair, nothing more than bare muscle and bone connected together by a series of ligaments and tendons attached to four strong fingers that were quickly – and thankfully – covered by more red skin. Fleshy bumps and protrusions sprouted from his biceps and ended the transformation as thick nails tipped the fingers.

With a sudden surge of strength from his Tetramand arms Smashface wrestled free of his captors and fell to the floor, immediately charging straight at Courtley with a heavy fist drawn back and his head lowered – a double whammy – for maximum power. At the last second however, he was suddenly dogpiled and shoved to the floor by the guards with more piling on him every second as he fought and struggled for freedom; when that didn't work, Skurd retracted the Tetramand DNA back into the Omnitrix and selected a new genetic coding that spread over Smashface's skull. A loud crunching noise filled the air as his fur and skin melted from his face and quickly fused with his skull, forming a tough substance that began to split and crack apart like mud drying in the sun. A molten liquid quickly flowed through the cracks and crevices as they turned a charred black in color and finished the transformation when the Satyrian's head suddenly caught fire.

Lizzie watched in awe and fury as Smashface blasted out an intense stream of fire in as many directions as his current position would allow him to before a guardsman quickly rushed over and dumped a pail of water over his head. The Satyrian glowered at the playing card before his head was ignited once more and he spat out another jet of flame that the playing card guardsman jumped over and once again dumped the contents of the bucket on Smashface's head; Lizzie realized it to be an infinite water bucket with great disdain, the Wonderland equivalent of fire extinguishers.

"Oh, do give it up," Courtley laughed. "As much as I love your silly little games, I have my own game to play . . . the one where I become queen! Now be gone!" she commanded.

And so, despite the many men it took and the many adaptation they had to make to their plan of operation, the loyal to a fault playing card guardsman managed to escort the struggling princesses and highly persistent Satyrian out of the vice principal's office without too much of a hassle. Granted, there were several scorch marks upon the walls, long scratches etched into the floor from dagger sharp claws, and more than once Smashface nearly escaped when he suddenly sprouted wings, but the situation was safely handled in a manner that pleased the vice principal greatly.

After all, making the vice principal angry was a fool's game and a game that fool's generally lost at.

* * *

 _Tap. Tap tap. Tap. Click! Click! Scrap. Tap._

She was breathless now and nearly drained of her energy, just like she was after every session of picking away at the heavy locks and seals and glyphs and wards that decorated the mirror placed within the office of the damn headmasters. As she slowly retreated away from the mirror, she made special note to imprison those two bumbling buffoons through this specific mirror, a sense of irony that she would find quite delicious, if the looking glass wasn't shatter upon her escape.

If she escaped.

With a sigh, she turned away from the mirror and slowly, lazily walked through the dimly lit void with the same elegant and stance as her title and position in her kingdom expected of her yet there was a lack of purpose behind it, and she was perfectly fine with that. She had always hated acting so prim and proper for people she didn't know and could really care less about, putting up a fake facade that everyone would kiss up to on the off chance she was feeling generous and might offer them a favor that they could cash-in on at some ungodly inappropriate time.

The only light that gave the empty abyss was those that came from the hundreds upon thousands upon millions of mirrors that levitated and floated through the realm on a magic she still wasn't able to fully understand, even after years of study. But being trapped in this place, this world between worlds, gave one more than enough time to do explore many possibilities and options and this had left her with more than enough time to examine the walls of her prison.

And even manipulate to a point.

With a wave of her hand and a flick of her ring finger the faded checkerboard pattern floor rose and erupted from beneath her, rising up below and in front of her feet with every careful and calculating step she took as she fluidly moved her hand in the direction she wished to go. It was only in this realm between worlds that she was able to command such power, to become the equivalent of an Olympian, and yet be confined to the world's reaches for as long as was decreed. And she knew from the terrible and deliciously diabolical acts she had committed and still planned to commit once she had gained her freedom, that it would be a long time before she would even be considered being granted freedom.

Not that she needed someone's permission to escape. After all, the first thing any sane man did once they were thrown in a cell of any kind, be it one with walls or out, was try to find a means of escape, no matter the cost; even limbs, organs, and lives could be tossed aside like used toys if it meant one more taste of sweet freedom.

Eventually she reached the mirror she so desired, a long full length mirror that allowed her a much wider view than the pocket mirrors maidens kept in their purses and only offered fleeting glimpses of their owner's faces before being clapped shut; as if she wanted to spend a few seconds numbly gazing at someone that didn't pertain to her and thus didn't interest her in anyway. The mirror itself opened up into an office of sorts and a thankfully much different one than the one she had spent a good deal of her imprisonment looking out upon when she wasn't casually browsing the rest of the looking glass gallery' it was like being surrounded by a million TVs with nothing good on to relieve her of her boredom.

The sight of a cackling jester girl and a small army of playing card guards dragging away an odd-looking satyr and several stunned princesses however, caught her attention. Especially when she realized that one of those struggling princesses was in fact her own flesh and blood, her so called ' _darling daughter_ ' as she had mockingly called her a few hours when she had lured the spawn into falling into the land she had cursed nearly a decade ago.

To say it was funny was an understatement, the fact that the spawn had been tricked into warping herself and her friends into Wonderland by foolishly reading the curse backwards. What she found even more hilarious was that scholars and magic users alike had spent years trying to find a means of breaching the barrier the Brothers Grimm had set up or find an entrance that hadn't been sealed up and the spawn had been able to crack it in a matter of seconds.

This still didn't change her views on the spawn just yet. She was still weak, like her pathetic father, and any opportunity she had taken to try and sow the seeds of twisted evil in her heart had been soiled and ruined. She would never amount to anything in the world, no matter what the little voice in the back of her head tried to argue; she had long since blocked it out after massacring it years ago day after day without relent until it had finally given up and left her in peace.

With a dismissive sigh she turned and began to walk again, the ground of the realm rising up beneath her feet at her command to carry her onward to another mirror that she frequented every now and again other than the one that opened out into the bumbling brothers' office. As she did so her mind began to wander off, particularly to the rather . . . strange being that had joined her ' _daughter's_ ' company as of recently. It had been quick and rather sudden and she had never expected it to happen so soon, but it had and she had missed it and remained oblivious up until that point; for the longest time she could have sworn that pathetic coward of a Prince Charming had shared reciprocated feelings with the spawn.

This stranger was an odd one at that. He looked different from others she had seen that were of his age and he acted different, too, similar to how the princes and heroes had acted back in her day but with such a minute difference that it somehow made the world to her . . . she couldn't quite place what it was that he had that they didn't, what set him apart from the rest that made her pause and look at him a little longer than the others that she usually panned over with a mind numbed expression.

It wasn't just his ability to change forms at will either. It wasn't exactly something new either, considering several fairy tales involved the protagonist or antagonist taking on the form of various animals and people to move along the plot; her own tale had required her to take upon the appearance of a hideous hag, after all. But these transformations, just like him, were different as well not just because they were nothing like Ever After had seen before in all its days, but a few of them were oddly familiar to her . . . it felt eons since she had last seen a sentient mummy and a vampire that didn't viciously hunt and attack prey like an animal . . . and yet, they weren't like any monsters she had seen before, with slight tweaks to their appearance that differentiated them just enough that one would notice the differences between the two if given enough time.

What intrigued her even further was that this stranger, this boy with the number ten embezzled upon his chest, reeked of raw power and strength, a kind that she hadn't felt in years. It briefly drew her back to the days when she had been a student in the hallways of the very school she was trying to break out into, back to the days when she had first met him and had felt a connection of sorts that drew her to him like a moth to the flame. But this was different as well . . . everything about him was different.

Unfortunately, from the few times she had seen him he was a good guy and certainly not the malicious type that would attack people without reason and lay waste to civilizations just for the fun of it. As far as she was concerned, if her 'daughter' had to have a right-hand minion to insist on calling a 'boyfriend' or even possibly a future 'husband', than she would have to do far better.

She finally arrived at her destination, a grand and ornate mirror that she had used herself back in her fairy tale days when she was on the run after fulfilling her tale and plotting and scheming for the ultimate takeover. Such chaos had been sewn back in those days: stories had been destroyed and tampered with, worlds had been conquered . . . almost conquered was the more appropriate term, and the single-handed most important puzzle and secret all of Ever After had ever known had come so close to being solved before the intervention happened and she had been damned to this doomed place for all of eternity.

Ever now and again, she took a break from picking away at the magical constraints of her prison and spying on the spawn long enough to check on her previous place of operations, an abandoned castle that lay desolate and desecrated in the small yet highly dangerous section of badlands that her kingdom's borders kept within her grasp. Given the woefully inventive minds and habits of her kind however, she suspected that the property and all land within several hundred miles of the place had been abandoned and cut off from the rest of the territories, officially cast out of its borders and forgotten to the rest of Ever After. She highly doubted any kingdom, no matter how money grubby and greedy they were, would ever want to claim that particular section of land that she had once called her own lest they wish to deal with an unprecedented and highly illegal amount of magical energy and radiation that would have quickly wasted away anything within several minutes of entering.

She usually didn't find anything out of the ordinary when she peered in upon her former place of residence and scheming, at least nothing stranger than the dusty hallways, cobweb-lined corners, and massive spiders that had been twisted nearly beyond recognition by the sheer amount of magical waste in the area that would have made an average magic user faint from such overexposure. This time however, she found something rather odd awaiting her on the other side of the looking glass.

A small band of knights had wandered their way into the chamber the mirror lay silent in, a pair of nearly identical twins with the masks of theater for faces that seemed to be under the command of a bulking man covered from head to toe in armor and looked to be in desperate need of some dental work if his horrible looking mug was anything to go by. What caught her attention the most however, was the hulking monster towering over even the metal-armored knight; his shoulders were massive and he was covered in shaggy fur on every part of his body that she could see, giving him a somewhat ape-like appearance if she looked past the royal robes of a noble that just barely clad his heavy figure.

"This had better work, magician." the creature snarled.

The creature that the other creature – the one that seemed to be in charge of the ungangly group – was referring to bore resemblance to a gigantic, bipedal turtle with a sharp, jagged shell and segmented carapace, razor-sharp claws sprouting from the ends of his flipper-like arms and acting as short, stubby toes on his feet. Dark, green markings covered his arms and the back of his weathered legs while bright, purple flames crackled and cooked around his blackened skull, held in place by a neck of what looked like sharp fangs and horns; red armbands with yellow cuffs wrapped around his arms and a red belt of a similar design sat around his waist with a bull skull in the middle and a crimson loincloth attach

"You place distrust in me?" the massive turtle scoffed. "Bravo. You actually managed to amuse me."

The hulking creature that may have once been a king at one point snarled and tightly clenched its massive fist as a warning. "Remember your place,

alien filth. I could easily kill you where you stand."

"I'm sure." the turtle rolled his eyes sarcastically before becoming serious once more. "These quarters shall do nicely . . . some fixing up is perhaps most likely required in order to suit our needs, but it shall suffice nonetheless. The amount of raw power and energy in the air is more than enough to fulfill our needs . . . it is rather

palatable, isn't it?"

The gorilla-like creature snorted and turned away to stomp out of the room. "Remember, alien filth. You are nothing more than a servant to me and it is only out of necessity and my own amusement that I don't kill you where you stand." he glowered before leaving with heavy footsteps that thumped heavily against the cold stone of the castle.

"I shall remember." the turtle rolled his eyes once more he lumbered off to continue further exploration of their latest headquarters. That alone was more than enough to severely tick her off, the fact that some group of idiots had stumbled upon her secret fortress of solitude and decided to set up shop there for whatever reason that she didn't know of. That being said, what she saw intrigued her to say the least and, given the circumstances, she didn't have anything better to do than pick away at magic seals and sit around and kill time. Messing with these fools might actually provide a means of entertainment to her.

And there was a chance that she just might be of use to her as well . . . if she played her cards right, unlike a certain little spawn and her little pet. Honestly, everyone knew that a joker could become a queen in a game of cards. It was just logic!

* * *

 _ **'Took you long enough! I grew a** **third** **beard in the time it took you write this thing!'**_

 _ **That's not a beard, that's a hairy tarantula!**_

 _ **'What!? AH, IT'S SPIDERY! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!'**_

 **What has my unlife come to? Anyway, apologies for the long wait. I'd explain everything to you guys, but I have a feeling I'd just be being redundant. Either way, I'll be trying to update stories more often, but with the (moment of IRL) threat of school approaching and me in my senior year, it just might become even slower than before (believe me this is** **far** **from what I want).**

 _ **It's far from what we want, too!**_

 _ **'AHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!'**_

 **Mr. Nibbles, lunch time! Anyway, I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter . . . because I'm running out of things to say at this point right now. So I guess without much more stalling, thanks for reading!**

 **As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below! And don't forget to let me know about Daring and Courtley! It really helps!**

 **Hasta Luego!**

 _ **'IT BURNS!'**_

 **Acidic vomit?**

 _ **Acidic vomit! Yay!**_

 **Oh, vey.**


	26. Way too Wonderland Pt 3

_***Thunder rumbles and clouds ominously roll across the sky, blotting out the sun as lightning flashes in the distance. A fierce gale picks up and a torrent of violent weather lashes out at the earth below as a might voice makes the very mountains tremble with its fury* WHO DARES TO HAVE THE AUDACITY TO DOUBT MY LOYALTY TO YOU ALL!?**_

 _ **Creaty, silly, stop mocking big, ol' Zeus-y! We've got fans and readers to address!**_

 **What, I can't be the pseudo god of theater? * _receives stern glare*_ Alright, alright, enough clowning around and down to an important matter. I have recently – as in several weeks ago – received a review that made the accusation that I would never be coming back . . . please understand that I am not angry, I am not vengeful, I am not going to get Zeus to hurl lightning bolts at your house or anything. I am not going to attempt to shame this person and I implore you to do the same because, truth be told, they have a right to make the assumption. Given the length of time between each chapter, I can understand that some of you would come to the belief that I was abandoning you all with the mother of all cliff hangers.**

 **But please also understand that I am extremely dedicated to this site and this story – and my others – as a whole and have no plans _ever_ to stop writing or updating or entertaining you all with my works of fiction. Believe me, I've read amazing stories that were permanently put on hiatus and never finished, and I don't ever want that to happen to you all. In the event that I _would_ be quitting writing – which I will _NEVER_ do if I can help it – I would alert you all to it and proceed to give you all the basic premise of what would have happened in the future chapters that were never written, thus allowing for someone to attempt to pick up the torch where I left off and finish what I had started.**

 **But let me make this clear: _I am never leaving Fanfiction for as long as I live!_**

 _ **I thought you were an undead Tetramand?**_

 **It's a figure of speech, babe.**

 _ **Yay! We're back! This calls for a tea party!**_

 **. . .**

 _ **Say, Creaty?**_

 **I told you not to call me that. What is it anyway?  
**

 _ **Does it seem quieter around here to you?**_

 **Now that you mention it, it _does_ feel like something is missing . . . can't quite place my finger on it though. By the way, make mine a ginger tea with two lumps-**

 _ **Yay!**_

 **-of sugar. Two lumps of _sugar,_ babe.**

 _ **Aww . . .**_

 **Well, with nothing else to suddenly ruin the moment, its onto the reviews I guess! Wait a moment, I forgot about the Omniversal Laws of Karma . . . damn those rules . . . _AAAAAAGH!_ Maddie, why does this stupid monstrosity you insist on treating like a child instead of the voracious beast it is continue attacking my face!? I haven't done anything to it, I swear!**

 _ **Because you refuse to show Mr. Nibbles any respect!**_

 **I might show him _something_ that _resembles_ respect if he stopped attacking my face at every random moment! _GAH!_ Onto the reviews! _Again!_**

 ** _Karlos1234ify –_ Yes, Hunter and Sparrow are going to be feeling that for a while and something tells me that the former of the two if going to have some explaining to do to a certain Daughter of Cinderella. As for Dexter and Cupid . . . well, lets just say you shouldn't expect things to go normally. Especially with how things normally go around Ever After High even _without_ Ben and his ghouls running amok.**

 _ **ajjr12 –**_ **Due to plot development and possible time restraints (IRL, curse you IRL),** ** _Epic Winter_ will not be involved as you know it. There be a version of it buried in here somewhere but, like the masterful _Sigmu_ does with the Ever After High specials, it'll be something different yet relating to the pot. It's hard to explain, but long story short just don't expect to see _Epic Winter_ as you know it.**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Yeah, I meant to put that plug of yours in the last chapter, but I literally posted it mere minutes before I left to get my wisdom teeth pulled out so it kind of slipped my mind at the last second. I do plan to go with your alternative plan (way to keep things incognito,** ** _mi amigo._ Well played), since Briar is someone I want to add to the harem and there are other pairings in the EAH gang that need some attention (as much as we might like it, Ben and his harem can't hog the spotlight _all_ the time). As for your questions, Bianca Chessman is an OC submitted by a reader that I thought had enough potential to work with without border lining on hogging all the attention away from the main story line; she is the Daughter of the White Queen and is in no way, shape, or form related to Apple, Snow White, or their extesive family line.**

 _ **Wolvenstrom –**_ **In that case, I'll be sure to make it quite enjoyable . . .**

 _ **Creaty, why are you smiling like that?**_

 **Smiling like what?**

 _ **Smiling like you just got a mean idea that you really, really, really want to do, like the time you put out Hade's hair with water from the Phlegethon.**_

 **Am I smiling? What the Hades is wrong with me!?**

 _ **Don't worry, I can fix it!**_

 **No, no, put that mallet away! Mallets don't solve every-**

 _ **WHAM!**_

 _ **There we go! Now you have a happy smile!**_

 **Thanks . . . are we missing someone . . ?**

 _ **You know, I can't remember . . .**_

 **Neither can I . . . eleventeen-billion-five . . . singing salamanders . . .**

 _ **Oh, Creaty! You're so flirtacious!**_

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I shall,** ** _mi amigo!_**

 _ **Isom –**_ **To be honest, I'd rather attend Wonderland High than the school I use to attend when I was human in a previous life (that's reincarnation for ya). At least** ** _there,_ all the madness that transpires would make _sense;_ but I digress. Glad you like the redesign for Savara, and the reason I went with the roley-poley version of Seducire was because there are already so many strong, swift, and lean predators in the Nemetrix and yet we don't have any predators that have their prey come to them instead of running it down.**

 **As for Deadpool . . . we actually don't know where he is. But when we find him, we'll let him know about your little . . . _favor_ . . .**

 _ **Creaty, you're doing it again.**_

 **Am I? What am I doing?**

 _You're smiling all nasty-like, like Mr. Nibbles before he starts chewing on the furniture._

 **For the love of Galvan Prime! Won't someone make this nightmare end!?**

 _ **Gotcha covered!**_

 **No, no, no! Not again!**

 _WHAM!_

 **Wha . . . What were we just talkin' 'bout?**

 _ **Hmm . . . nope! Doesn't ring any bells!**_

 **Then can someone answer the phone already . . ?**

 _ **Nope! We have a death battle to discuss!**_

 **Fine by me . . . whatz a death battle . . ?**

 _ **ThatChronicKid –**_ **Can't make any promises, but maybe Jane will show** ** _some_ mercy . . . maybe . . .**

 _ **mechazard01 –**_ **My Ben will not receive any of the forms Rogue Ben has received during his time in** ** _Troubles of a Misplaced Hero_ , so no Crosswing or Dinostrike. As for your previous questions, yes, each Omnitrix harbors the genetic code of a single alien's DNA and each Omnitrix changes every time Ben transforms.**

 _ **starravenwolf –**_ **Funny you should mention Zac. I actually play a considerable amount of League of Legends, though I mostly main Nautilus and Ekko. I've been studying Zac for some time as he's a champion I think I might want to try out some time once I have enough IP; but I digress. While the actual character won't appear after a frisky night between Ben and Gooliope, there's a chance that a similar child might be born. No guarantees!**

 **As for marriage counselors . . . I haven't the foggiest idea.**

 _ **Guest –**_ **In due time,** ** _mi amigo._ Valkyrie will appear in due time. All in due time . . .**

 _ **Why do you keep repeating yourself?**_

 **I have no idea . . .**

 _ **warprince2000 –**_ **As much as I'd like Lagoona and Ben to be together (and make little sea guppies together XD), I don't tamper with canon couples no matter how appealing it might be. Gil and Lagoona are a good couple, as are Draculaura and Clawd and Cleo and Deuce; plus, it's kind of a little late for that. There is however, a massive chance the two get together in my one-shot series (as their first chapter together already states).**

 _ **Marshman101 –**_ **Believe me, when you've been around the block as many times as I have and reside in a surprisingly well furbished and comfortable cell in the Wonderland with the King and Queen of Insanity as your roommates (that's the ever lovely Maddie and ol' whats-his-face if you forgot like I have . . . I think), nothing seems weird to you. In other words, I welcome your oddly sexual and steamy comments to my corner of Fanfiction where insanity rules supreme (apparently).**

 _ **Matthew gemm –**_ **Believe me, I love Huntlynn as much as everyone else (they're the one canon couple that even mad homosexual shippers can't and won't break apart because their relationship is absolutely perfect and hits all the righ points without being overly disgusting), so as much of a buffoon Hunter might be at times, I am** ** _never_ splitting him apart from Ashlynn (except in the inevitable one-shot and lemon series where he'll have never had an interest in her to begin with. I'm not _that_ cruel to break 'em up).**

 _ **Mephistopheles –**_ **Welcome new comer, to my corner of Fanfiction where insanity reins supreme (apparently). And let me just say that I means a lot all of what you said and I surprisingly admire that dedication to reading a good story (I have been guilty of doing the same thing and keeping Maddie up all night with my reading when I should be sleeping or doing other . . .** ** _things_ ). Now while I am trying to even things out between which aliens appear at which times (meaning Blitzwolfer and Diamondhead won't be appearing as often as some might like to), I can guarantee that our favorite Loboan will appear this chapter, so sit tight! And no, the Evil Queen, Snow White, or any adult/MILF will be joining Ben's harem; if you want to see that kind of thing, wait until the one-shot/lemon series that will inevitably arise from this.**

 _ **Like cookie dough!**_

 **What . . ?**

 _ **Well, you said 'arise' and cookie dough rises when in the oven and so it will arise like cookie dough, which I absolutely love and goes just wonderlandifully with tea and crumpets, too!**_

 **Your logic is weird.**

 _ **And yet you love me anyway. Ain't madness grand?  
**_

 **Whatever you say, babe.**

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **Unfortunately for Apple, I don't think she can hear you, which works out great for me. *** ** _grins evilly*_ I've always wanted to be this powerful . . .**

 _ **You're doing it again, Creaty!**_

 **Stop calling me by that name!**

 _ **Only when you stop responding to it!**_

 **I . . . you, I . . . uh . . . fair point. _Touche._ Anyway, I do actually have an explanation for why everyone is so scared of Courtly, as well as why jokers and jesters are so looked down upon (and no, it has nothing to do with the possibility that they don't take anything seriously). And yes, the Security Cards (guess it's my turn to add a coin to the bad pun jar) are quite formidable when they need to be, though they tend to rely on strength in numbers than actual physical strength, so if you get enough of them all piled on a single person, then they're quite effective.**

 _ **Now that's what I call stacking the deck!**_

 **Maddie?**

 _ **Yes?**_

 **Put a coin in the bad pun jar.**

 _ **Aw, phooey!**_

 **While I can't make any guarantees, lets just say that Nefera's arrival to Ever After is going to be a big hit with the guys. Both Ben _and_ Whisp are going to have to make it _very_ clear that their Jewel of the Nile is off limits and that anyone who so much as _tries_ to even flirt with her will either end up tied in a knot or being turned into a camel . . . or whatever Whisp is feeling like that specific day. Maybe a cockroach . . .**

 _ **DracoAngelus17 –**_ **I know! I'm such a horrible yet oddly amazing person! I don't know how I manage to do it, leaving all you guys waiting for eons before finally shining light on your meaningless existence only to disappear again (okay, that's maybe laying it on a little thick, but you get the picture)! And believe me, in the words of one one Candance Gertrude Flynn, Courtly's "** ** _going down! D-O-W-N! DOWN!_ "**

 **Someone _really_ needs to publish a book on the Omniversal Laws of Karma. According to _Omniversal Law of Karma #234,454,875,991,337,223.02: Section 67, Sub-section 198787, Article 23, Sub Article 23, Chapter 3765488, Paragraph 62-A, Line 69-V, the moment anyone utters the fatal words "things could not get worse", "how could things possibly get worse", or tempts fate by proclaiming how triumphant and victorious they are, the Great Goddess of Karma will descend down upon them and screw them over . . . evidently she's really emphasizing on the screwing bit._**

 _ ** _Hmmm . . . are you thinking what I'm thinking?_**_

 ** _That or loyal and beloved reader will soon be a father as well as devoured?_**

 _ ** _Well, yes, but I was also thinking that some blueberry muffins would go great with this tea!_**_

 ** _You're one of those half-glass full ghouls, aren't you?_**

 _ ** _Yeppers!_**_

 _ **Malchior the Bad –**_ **I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am not bringing Skidmark into this story, the main reason being that he is part of the** ** _Transformer's_ franchise and I have no intention of bringing in any more series to this already complicated story; it's bad enough I have _Ben 10, Monster High_ (both of which are getting reboots), _Ever After High_ , and even a little _Generator Rex_ as well, so Skidmark and consequently _Transformer's_ will not be introduced to this story in any way, shape, or form. I am aware that Roadhog is not a Transformer, but he's honestly the closest fan-made Omnitrix alien to a Transformer that _isn't_ a Transformer.**

 **As for your suggestion for the Queen of Hearts to love Ben like his ghouls and girls do, that's an also absolute denial, though that doesn't mean she won't take a liking to him.**

 **The Forever King proposing to the Evil Queen . . . hmmm, that certainly has potential, though there's undoubtedly an ulterior motive since he would never marry a woman who has magical roots, considering their dislike of _anything_ that isn't human. Daring will _not_ be turned into a second Beast and I'm not quite sure if I want to pair him up with Rosabella either, so we'll just have to see which way the snowball rolls. And I will most certainly not be bringing back the Evolutionary Function of the Omnitrix because it is super over-powered and should only be used in times of dire need, such as the ending of _We Are Monsters_. The reason I refuse to bring back the Ultimatrix for a majority of the series is because Ben could literally go Ultimate any time to solve any problem or win any fight and it just wouldn't be interesting otherwise, plus negating the need of the other aliens in the first place as well.**

 _ **The drawings! I need them! I need them for my eyes! My eyes need the drawings!**_

 **Uh, well, you heard her. Why your parents stopped your drawing spree is beyond me, but we'd love to see what you came up with, if you wouldn't mind. Post a link – if possible – before Maddie goes off the even deeper end!**

 _ **Schoodle! Schoodle! Schoodle! Schoodle! Schoodle!**_

 **I'm not sure if I'll write Ben and Lizzie's wedding or not as Wonderland marriage rituals are very complicated and are taken _very_ seriously. As for Ben's dragon, as with most of the dragons in EAH, I model them off of the fire-breathing beauties from _How to Train Your Dragon_ , so if I had to make a guess, I'd go with something similar to either a Monstrous Nightmare or a Whispering Death (no promises though).**

 **While I appreciate the math you did calculating the number of transformations that Ben has (and by extension his ghouls), he actually has approximately _84_ aliens at his disposal; this is because Ben no longer has the Ultimate forms and doesn't have Ultimate Water Hazard, Skidmark or his Ultimate transformation or any of Insanedude's aliens either. I have expressed this numerous times: I am not taking any aliens from other franchises because that would count as another crossover which is something I cannot afford at this point in the story. Ben does not and will not possess the Ultimatrix unless bestowed upon him by Professor Paradox – as this would render his non-Ultimate Forms completely obsolete. And I am trying to avoid as many mechanical and robot-like aliens as possible since that is something that doesn't resonate too well with fans of the series; after all, how does a robot – with the exception of the Galvanic Mechamorphs since they are techno-organic lifeforms – have a genetic code for the Omnitrix to scan?**

 **I already have a predetermined list of OC aliens that I will be adding in to the story as it progresses. Each of them have been carefully selected or created to possess a certain power/ability or provide an interesting concept that hasn't been done before and while it is subject to change, this is highly unlikely. Once more, I could consider the possibility of adding in the OC alien Roadhog into this story – with permission from the creator, if they can be found and/or reached – but I am _NOT_ adding in any OC aliens that are from other franchises such as _Transformers_.**

 **That being said, why don't you set up an account on this site? It would allow you to get alerts when any of my stories – or any other stories you follow – get updated and you could PM all your questions and suggestions and get answers back sooner than three or four months later. Seriously, I wish I could respond to your reviews faster than what I initially can afford, but with you being Guest, well . . . that's kinda next to impossible. Now then, where we're we?**

 _ **Of course, he's a Tetramand, silly! He's just an undead one!**_

 **Ah, yes. And that doesn't mean I'm rotting either! Geez!**

 _ **TheSonicHeroes –**_ **I always do,** ** _mi amigo!_ I always do! And as for Boba and Stormer . . . I have no sympathies for their foolishness. Everyone _knows_ that spying on two sexy girls making love to one another is a death wish, especially when those girls are two fairy tales who are Rebels. Very nasty indeed.**

 _ **KittyWolf –**_ **Until I actually see the special itself, all possibilities for** ** _Epic Winter_ will remain null and void so . . . most likely not.**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I'm pretty sure I actually did give credit to you . . . I must have it lying around here somewhere . . . why in the name of Galvan Prime is there so much unnecessary junk around this literal hellhole?**

 _ **Hmm? Oh, I'm just cleaning out the closet!**_

 **Why is there so much junk in that conveniently small closet?**

 _ **No clue!**_

 **Huh. Well, anyway, I have heard (and seen a few clips) of _Epic Winter_ that does confirm that Daring is in fact the Beast from Rosabella's story (much to my annoyance, but I did make a note of this at the beginning of my story), but since that time line doesn't exist in this one, I might pair Daring up with Ramona like I mentioned last time; it's sort of like Abbey and Heath's relationship, how Abbey keeps Heath and his ego in line while being amused by his antics. The only question I have is how will the Dexter-Cupid-Raven love triangle be resolved because I really want to see Cupid get a happy ending if Dexter and Raven get together (possibly with Blondie if the minds at Mattel think they can go that far without immense backlash. I mean, they put Darling and Apple together for a destiny and Raven's voice actor ships her character and Apple together, so . . . things could get interesting).**

 **Actually, seeing the live-action remake of The Jungle Book (which was _awesome_ by the way) made me want to go back and watch the original version, which struck up my interest in the Vulture Song once more, especially since the robed choir I was apart of back when I was alive sang that song at one point; that, and the idea of a Splixson Barber Shop Quartet had been bouncing around in my head for a while. And truth be told, _Zak Saturday_ was the one to come up with the idea of a love interest for Chase in order to get him off of Darling (at the moment, we don't know if he has a crush on Darling or if he simply admires her skills and given Darling's newfound role and desire to be a hero instead of a princess, she could be a lesbian for all we know and not feel the same way . . . at least in canon). As much as I'd like to (and will) see Darling and Ben together, DarlingxHolly has quickly become a favorite ship of mine due to the works of _GalaDanelion_ (check 'em out! They're _good_ ).**

 _ **Heh-heh-heh-heh**_ **, Apple doesn't realize what she's gotten herself into. One can only imagine what her reaction will be when she and Ben make love for the first time (a lot of people, myself included, think that she'll be super submissive and like to be spanked like the naughty girl she is. I think it has something to do with the irony of the situation considering how controlling Apple was with Raven up until** ** _Way too Wonderland_ ).**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **Applause for the rhyme, which obviously has something to do with** ** _Epic Winter_.**

 _ **Ooh, I love riddles! Here's one for you that, if answered correctly, will reveal a secret into the futre of this story! 'On titan's wing the abyss shall fall and flee from the battle feeble and small. Foes unseen and ignored, but not forgotten, shall rise once more and seek what is not their own – my, how rotten. Two armies shall rise and clash one fateful night, one twisted and black and the other pages that took flight. Only one will shall become victor and smother the other – how long before the fall of the Great Earth Mother?'**_

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **That threat sounds rather promising, especially for ghouls like Whisp, Clawdeen, Jane, and Venus (I practically just listed all the ghouls currently in Ever After, didn't I?) that like to snuggle up close to their man for a good rest.**

 **Yeah, _Frozen_ was a definite good movie, and not just because it diverted away from the standard prince/princess trope (though admittedly, that does work in a few cases such as _Aladdin_ and _Beauty and the Beast_. Some of the others, like the _Little Mermaid_ not so much, but I try to ignore that and just enjoy the show). My only complaint about the movie in the first place is how long it's stuck around. Basically, I hate _Frozen_ because of how popular it is and how people won't shut up about it after seeing it. And after having to listen to my little cousins sing every _Frozen_ song as off-key as possible (more than half of which are girls, I might add), I absolutely loathe the movie no matter how much I loved it when I first saw it. That being said, I have high hopes for the upcoming movie, _Moana_ , as the leading role is once again a girl with the guy taking a backseat as comedy relief (though not that we don't know their name like the prince from _Snow White_ ). Admittedly, there's a potential that the two of them might end up together, but I highly doubt Disney's going to do that after the success of _Frozen_.**

 **Blondie may be a rather oblivious girl (considering how she seems to have no qualms with intruding on private property), but I doubt she'll overlook Sparrow's massive ego and obnoxious attitude. Really, the only person of the opposite sex I see even capable of tolerating Sparrow for longer than needed is Duchess and that's because she's just as nasty, too.**

 _ **I think Kitty's been having too much catnip.**_

 **Isn't she always like that?**

 _ **I suppose . . . I guess I should only really be alarmed if Lizzie starts getting a little too . . .**_

 **Flirtatious?**

 _ **Does a Jabberwocky secretly tap dance?**_

 **I still don't know what that means.**

 _ **And neither do I! Hee-hee-hee!**_

 **Right . . . anyway, time for a brief history of what I have created for Ever After High. Wonderland as you already know was nothing more than a wild and untamed place of pure and utter madness with no order of any kind, logical or otherwise, and so deadly that it was considered a death sentence to banished there (not unlike the Kumungu Jungle). The few survivors that did manage to escape the blood-thirsty wildlife and insanity of the place were taken in by local, nomadic tribes of various species and races that were constantly at war with one another over resources and territory. It wasn't until the kingdoms of Ever After invaded Wonderland did the tribes unite under the most revered and respected of the clans, the Hearts, and managed to push back and eventually defeat the incoming forces before coming to an uneasy truce; with both worlds influencing one another substantially, Wonderland took on a form of government similar to that of Ever After, with the Hearts family being the reining rulers and the Red and White houses acting as different branches of the government that balanced one another out (sort of like the United States sense of government, though a lot less complicated and more maddening).**

 **Either way, Wonderland High might be infuriating at times but I won't deny that it would be fun to attend.**

 _ **Ooh, I like that idea!**_

 **It is rather . . . amusing, to say the least, to watch someone so courageous and bold suddenly become a submissive, nervous wreck and for once not have it be related to any tragic event or occurrence. If time permits, that might appear in a 'filler' chapter of sorts where some time is needed between arcs or villain battles to smooth things out a tad.**

 **I think that just about covers everything. As always, comment, review, suggest and request down below!  
**

 _ **Onward!**_

 **I give up.**

* * *

The little bell that jingled and chimed whenever the door opened to signal the arrival of a new customer rang bright and cheery like the little ping that signaled a successful update to the Mirrorlab's extensive computer network and mainframe; to Dexter Charming's ears, it was sweet as a well orchestrated ensemble by the most talented of musicians. He sighed as he sat back in the comfy, padded seat of a booth located in the back corner of the Hocus Latte Cafe. The restaurant itself wasn't particularly anything fancy or expensive and was more casual in nature in that its customers could occasionally drop by in their sleep wear and pajamas – provided it was appropriate for being out in public – and order breakfast. The layout gave the cafe a sense of homeliness and being outdoors at the same time, especially considering that the entire Hocus Latte Cafe had been built around the sturdy and still growing trunk of a magic oak tree; around the heavy trunk sat several comfy arm chairs and multiple television sets were perched in its branches to provide the cafe's patrons with entertainment and a means of hearing new announcements.

"Your Bewitching Witch Brew" a waiter dispensed a covered cup of warm, bubbling coffee in front of the prince. The drawl in her voice that told him that she'd rather be anywhere else.

"Thank you." Dexter nevertheless gave her a smile as he took a deep sniff and sip of his drink. " _Mmmm._ Ginger, you have outdone yourself yet again."

It was common knowledge that despite her meager upbringings of being raised in a gingerbread house, the Daughter of the Candy Witch had made quite a name for herself with her culinary skills. Her delicious creations were highly sought after by restaurants and cafes throughout Book End – Hocus Latte had bought the recipe for her famous Bewitching Witch Brew frappuccino and she received half of the profits made as a result – and after several successful business deals she had contracted with the help of Humphrey Dumpty acting as her temporary attorney, Ginger had amassed a considerable fortune that she tapped into whenever she was low on some of her more . . . _exotic_ ingredients; most of it was locked up in a savings account that her mother had set up for her in the mean time.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop Sparrow Hood from trying to plunder some of her fortune with an unnecessary amount of pleading and begging, the idea being that he would get Ginger to chuck a couple of bucks at him to make him either go away or stop talking in general. Thus far, it hadn't been working.

Despite the Son of Robin Hood's thievery, Dexter returned his attention to the matter at hand. It was at least five minutes to noon, the designated time that Cupid was supposed to arrive and knowing her, she would be flitting and fluttering all over the place with those beautiful, downy wings of hers . . . and that soft, cotton candy hair . . . that dazzling smile that gleamed like a set of perfect pearls . . .

Dexter blinked uncomfortably. Where had _that_ come from?

He had never looked at Cupid like at _all_ ever since the two of them had collided headfirst into one another on the first day of school of their destiny year and had struck up a close friendship among a shower of scattered papers, lost glasses, and a hundred apologies between the two of them. To him she had always been his best friend forever after, the one factor in his life that he could always count upon to help him in a tight bind where his brother and family had failed to even assist him. To them, he was nothing but a son, a sibling, and an extra whose role in the stage performance of life had yet to be cast, an understudy who was always overlooked and overshadowed by the wonder that was his older brother, Daring. And yet the goddess had dared to see him as something more than an extra or pathetically naive nerd to use for personal gain – for that he would never be able to thank her enough times.

It had only been until recently when his dreams of winning Raven Queen's affections had been brutally destroyed by someone that had come entirely out of left field did he begin to see the young goddess in a new light. It still burned him that he been cheated like this, to be blindsided by someone that no one – not even Ben Tennyson himself – had ever seen coming, but he had learned to accept that it just wasn't meant to be; the aching muscles, throbbing bruises, massive headache, and the unwanted second personality he now shared a body with were clear indications.

Perhaps in some distant dimension he _had_ won Raven's heart and the two had indeed been given a happily ever after all their own. It was a nice thought.

Said nice thought was quickly interrupted when he felt someone sit down in the booth with him with nothing but a soft grunt and a slight bounce of the padded settee to signal that he was not alone. Even so, he was still quite surprised to find Rosabella Beauty sitting across from him as if it were the most normal thing in the world, despite the fact that she seemed to be more preoccupied in panning over the personal clipboard she had piled high with papers and sheets.

"Um . . . Rosabella?" Dexter coughed awkwardly.

The princess held up a finger to signal that she needed but a moment more before she turned those bright, hazel eyes on him with full attention. "Yes?"

The Son of Prince Charming suddenly felt uncomfortable when that bright smile and admittedly beautiful face was looking directly _at_ him as if he were actually there and not _through_ him like so many other girls did. Most girls ignored him in general and thus – unlike his older, more charismatic brother – the young prince had an extraordinarily difficult time talking to them; the only exceptions to that rule were Blondie (his boss), Cupid (his best friend forever after), Darling (his twin sister), and Raven now that the two of them had put their incredibly short relationship behind them. The fact that he barely knew Rosabella in the first place – other than the fact that she was an animal lover and was cast as the one to break his curse – didn't help matters.

Swallowing nervously, he decided to just try and get it over with, fast and quick like a bandage being ripped off. "Uh, er, I've been wondering . . . um, that is, I-I-I don't mean to be rude, but, er . . . uh, wh-what I mean to, um say is . . . _why are you here_?" he finally managed to weakly spit out.

The air seemed to suddenly get very heavy as all background noise – the clinking of silverware, the clanking of plates laden with food, the rippling conversation of patrons – simply melted away and left the two of them sitting there across from one another in silence, as if waiting to see who would break first. Dexter gulped, hoping he hadn't said anything wrong or offensive while Rosabella starred at him with an owl-like gaze for the longest time, as if she were scrutinizing every last feature of his – everything from the slightly askew angle of his glasses and crown to the faded scuff marks on his face and elbows, as if he had been roughly shoved into the ground – with the most meticulous precision; it felt like she was somehow examining his soul.

The Daughter of the Beauty and the Beast mercifully broke the silence – thus saving Dexter from an unnecessary heart attack – and seemed to return her attention to her current task. She was a surprisingly very busy princess and carried around a clipboard layered with tasks and lists that she made for herself to take care of, the papers littered with last minute notes and reminders scrawled out in various colors among brightly toned post-it notes of last minute changes. All of this – including the petition she was circulating around to ban the use of cage-farmed fairy dust in Science and Sorcery classes – was pushed aside for the time being when Rosabella pulled out a note that she had stashed towards the top of the pile beneath a notice for a clean up of the Brownie Bayou that needed volunteers and placed it on the table in front of him.

"I always read over everything of importance at least three times to make sure there aren't any communication issues between myself and my associates," Rosabella stated calmly as she tapped what Dexter realized to be a letter scrawled out in messy handwriting. "I was told through this letter that you wanted to meet me over lunch . . . was there something I missed?" she asked, just as confused as he was.

Curious and confused at the same time, Dexter gingerly reached and picked up the piece of paper, his eyes panning over the semi-legible words that danced across the sheet.

 _Dear young mistress Rosabella,_

 _Your presence is requested at the Hocus Latte Cafe at hexactly 12:00 a.m. In the Village of Book End. As you may well know, it has come to my attention that I am to be your future prince in the tale of the Beauty and the Beast and I wish to discuss these matters as soon as conveniently possible. I am well aware of the rather hectic schedule you have laid out for yourself, but I reiterate that this is an urgent matter that can not delay for much longer; we are after all in our Destiny years and if we are to successfully prepare to assume our roles, future planning is required._

 _I look forward to basking in your esteemed elegance,_

 _Dexter Babbage Charming_

Rosabella had to stifle a laugh when she saw Dexter's face take on a rosy hue not unlike that of a ripened apple when his eyes read over the signature. She found it hard to believe that someone could have as ridiculous of a middle name as 'Babbage', but then again, her own middle name, 'Villeneuve', was not something to be very impressed by either.

"I didn't write this."

Rosabella cocked an eyebrow, deciding that the clipboard that demanded her attention could wait for the time being as she set it aside on the table top. "What?"

Dexter sucked in a deep breath, unsure of what to do. "I didn't write this," he repeated. His tone was neither one of anger nor distrust, but one of weariness and confusion. "That isn't my handwriting."

Sliding the letter back towards her, Rosabella peered closer at the words suspiciously. "Are you sure?" she wondered. She wasn't sure what to believe, as she had never seen the prince's handwriting herself – they did share at least one class together, but beyond that she had never closely interacted with him on a personal or even professional level and thus knew very little about him other than who he was related to and what story he belonged to. That was generally all anyone seemed to care about these days and it made her blood boil like molten dragon vomit when haughty royals and nobles would compare their bloodlines with one another and spend hours politely arguing over who was of the purest family tree or who had the fewest blights on their pedigree; it was almost like breeding horses or dogs and it absolutely disgusted her.

Dexter nodded. "I'm sure." he said as he reached across the table and snatched away the Daughter of the Beauty and the Beast's clipboard, taking her pen and finding one of the rare, blank post-it notes at the bottom of the piles before hastily scribbling something out that Rosabella couldn't make out. Normally she didn't let anyone touch her clipboard and mess with her carefully organized system, but she was willing to let the matter slide. Eventually, Dexter finished and presented her with a sample of his handwriting, a sentence that simply read 'My name is Dexter Charming'.

Indeed, when she compared the note with the letter she had been given, she found several differences that even worst of detectives would have been able to point out. The 'D's were too well rounded on the letter, where on the note written by Dexter they looked as if they had been accidentally sat upon by an unwary troll, and the letters themselves were either crooked or ramrod straight instead of being written in the fancy, italicization that was found on the mysterious letter. The main clue however was that whomever had gone to the trouble of writing the letter in the first place had written it with a quill and their right hand, while Dexter wrote with his left and usually used a pencil or pen – no student in their right mind ever wasted their time with a feather quill pen that constantly needed to be dipped in ink every few seconds when there were horribly long essays to write and Crownculus problems to solve before tomorrow.

Even if she wanted to, Rosabella couldn't deny it.

They had been set up.

"We've been played." she muttered sourly, crumbling up the letter with disgust.

Dexter didn't stop her and instead sat back in his seat, contemplating over the sudden turn of events. If the letter Rosabella had received was a fake, did that mean that the one that had been supposedly sent by Cupid was a fake as well? If it was a fraud, it was a very good one at that. He knew the goddess' handwriting _very_ well, as they usually ended up as lab partners in Science and Sorcery and she would take notes while he followed the instructions. The perfume that laced the letter was also something that confused him, as Cupid was the only one who ever used that particular brand, a sweet scent that smelled overwhelmingly like blooming flowers and chocolate and honey all rolled into one at such high consistency that it both nauseating and soothing at the same.

Whoever had written the letter sent to him had to have had access to both Cupid's dorm and a means of copying her handwriting as well if they were able to fool him after he had carefully read the letter so many times. And now that he thought about it, the way the letter was actually written should have rang alarm bells in his head as well; there was no way in the ancestor's name that Cupid would go to that much trouble to write a letter that she could have easily hexted him, and in a far more casual manner as well no matter how much she liked to tease him.

"I fail to see how this could any worse." Dexter sighed.

Rosabella looked at him. "I can't be too sure, but didn't Ben warn us not to say that?"

Dexter pressed his lips in thought. "Maybe . . . I-I mean, Murphy's Law does state that 'if anything can go wrong, it most likely will', regardless of the situation or conditions at hand." he tapped his chin. "Even so, I don't really see how any of the current variables could equate to what most would consider to be a nuisance. After all, something isn't considered to have gone wrong until it starts to bother fairy tales, and even then its only some people that find it to be pestiferous."

No sooner had the well educated prince said those fatal words did the sound of impending doom arrive on the soles of heavy, worn, leather boots that Rosabella certainly didn't approve of and with an electric guitar no less. Before either Rosabella or Dexter could even hope to try and silence him, Sparrow Hood had strung an earth-shattering cord on his guitar the drew many startled yelps and screams from the other patrons of the cafe as much as it did their attentions, much to Dexter's embarrassment and Rosabella's frustration.

It only got worse when the singing started.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it was off-key as well.

" _This is the night, it's a beautiful night! And we call it_ bella notte!" Sparrow crooned atrociously as he strode up to them in what he must have thought was a charismatic manner; to Rosabella it looked like he was in extreme pain and trying to show off as much of his pelvic region as possible. Granted, the future thief's arms and face were pockmarked with scratches and gouges from what must have been wickedly sharp talons and he was doing his best to hide the limp he was carrying in his left leg as he serenaded the princess and prince, but that hardly meant that any of them were impressed by his musical talents.

" _Look at the skies, they have stars in their skies on this lovely_ bella notte!" Sparrow wailed as he struck a thundering cord that jarred Dexter to his core and made every window in the cafe quiver and tremble at the threat of being shattered by such a sonic boom. The remaining patrons that hadn't fled at the first sight of the Son of Robin Hood were now thoroughly disgruntled and got up to leave regardless of whether they had finished or even gotten their meals. The waiters and employees that weren't currently tucked away in the limited safety of the kitchen all but simultaneously decided to go on their breaks without so much as a word or complaint, coming to the conclusion that simply asking or demanding Sparrow to leave was more trouble than it was worth.

Before long it was only Dexter, Rosabella, Sparrow, and a few more determined customers left in the nearly abandoned Hocus Latte Cafe, its employees seemingly not coming back any time soon if the ' _CLOSED_ ' signed hastily placed on the front door was any indication.

Words failed to describe how humiliated Dexter was feeling right now as Sparrow continued to play his divertimento for them, refusing to leave the two of them alone and ignoring any of their pleas or empty threats. Why the Son of Robin Hood was so adamant on serenading them with his romantic lyrics and off-key voice was beyond either of them, but he had the sneaking suspicion that whoever had forged the two letters that had lead them into this trap in the first place had also managed to get Sparrow involved; unfortunately, any attempt to try and divulge such information from the conman was only met with even louder and more tone deaf singing.

Ignoring the stratagem that he and Rosabella had managed to get themselves into, Dexter had never felt more embarrassed in his entire life. He was use to being overshadowed and compared to his older brother and thus having most of his accomplishments seem pathetic and monotonous in comparison to the sibling that had slayed his first monster – a rather greedy harpy that had taken interest in the young prince's shiny toys – when he was but a child, but this was beyond that. This was worse than trying to casually talk to a girl that he didn't personally know, worse than trying to ask Raven out on a date, worse than the dream where he went to all of his classes in his underpants and didn't realize it until Blondie had broadcast it out to the whole school during her 'EAH's Funniest Moments' segment.

The timely tingling of the bell gave the Son of Prince Charming but a glimmer of hope that his current nightmare would be over, only to have that faint spark be crushed into dust when he saw who had inadvertently intruded upon them. Ginger Breadhouse, Venus, Jane, Skelita, Whisp, and C.A. Cupid stood just inside the entryway of the cafe – seemingly ignoring the sign that advertised the restaurant's temporary closing – with masks of shock, confusion, and even amusement upon their faces . . . at least most of them; the goddess of love looked absolutely devastated while attempting to look as neutral as possible.

Dexter felt his throat go dry when the young immortal's crystal blue eyes flickered on him for the briefest of seconds. "I, uh, have to use the little prince's room." he excused himself from the booth while hurriedy making his way towards the back of the cafe, leaving Rosabella alone with Sparrow; the young thief didn't even seem to notice that his private concert for two had expanded its audience.

The Daughter of the Beauty and the Beast couldn't blame Dexter for being so anxious. It was practically common knowledge that he and Cupid shared some sort of infant, awkward feelings for one another and she could personally never really recall noticing the young, technical prince taking an interest in herself as a result, much less even speaking to her. She had indeed seen him around school – it was kind of hard not to ignore how Dexter had gotten the same treatment as his former, unrequited crush – but beyond that they had never interacted despite now seeming to share a destiny and future together.

The princess felt a frown come to her lips as she thought about what the future held for her. She had never understood the whole idea behind forcing two complete strangers that might share nothing in common with one another to fall in love and marry at the end of their tale, whether they liked one another or not; and then they would be pressed into producing an heir to continue their legacy, if not by their own relatives then by the Grimm clan or Grand Council as if that wasn't awkward enough. Granted, she had yet to hear of any fairy tale couples ever filing for divorces or expressing extreme distaste in their spouse, but her parents and their fellow classmates were almost brainwashed as it was into believing that their personal interests and desires didn't matter at all, that they were meant to be nothing more than playing pieces in a complicated game that may or may not exist.

Still . . . Rosabella did have to admit that Dexter was attractive and rather endearing as well. He certainly wasn't as handsome as Daring or as brave and stoic as Ever After High's latest and most bizarre addition, Ben Tennyson, but that didn't mean he wasn't tolerable. For starters, he was a gentleman – albeit one who stuttered a lot – and was quite polite, which couldn't be said for Daring as he often preferred to amuse himself with his own reflection than the girl he was taking out on a date and currently admiring himself in the reflection of her eyes. He was also rather intelligent as well, something that Ben lacked in general when he wasn't transformed.

It was just . . . Rosabella wasn't sure she felt the same way. She was indeed prepared to go through with her destiny for the safety of Ever After if necessary, but she just didn't feel that spark her mother had felt when she and her father begun to bond during her imprisonment in his castle. Maybe if she spent more time with him something would happen?

A light tapping on Rosabella's shoulder tore her thoughts away from her as she turned her head and came face-to-face with a set of venomous, green eyes with hints of neon lilac and electric blue all swirled into a dazzling, hypnotic display that was a tad too close for comfort.

"Can I help you?" the princess asked politely, unnerved slightly by the mesmerizing gaze. Her gaze briefly flickered away from the genie and towards her companion, none other than C.A. Cupid herself . . . Rosabella had an inkling of an idea at where this was going.

Whisp respectfully took a few steps back as she playfully tapped her chin in thought. " _Weeeeeeeell_ , I just wanted to ask you something . . ." she trailed off innocently.

Rosabella had dealt with her younger cousins – Briar Beauty's younger brothers – long enough to know that tone of voice all too well. "I'm listening . . ." she lifted a wary eyebrow, her gaze drifting slightly behind the genie where Sparrow had thankfully stopped playing his awful music and seemed to be currently entranced by a flirtatious Venus, much to a certain shape-shifter's annoyance and reluctance.

The djinni didn't skip a beat. "Be honest with me, Bella – can I call you Bella? You look like a Bella to me," Whisp mumbled to herself. "Anyway, be honest with me: do you like Dexter as more than a friend? A boyfriend? Maybe a future spouse?"

The Daughter of the Beauty and the Beast immediately knew the answer to that one. "Well . . . not particularly. Don't get me wrong, he's very nice and rather endearing in an adorkable way, but I just don't feel anything special when I look at him." she sighed. "I know that might make me seem shallow, but I honestly don't think I'd ever be able to build a healthy relationship with him in my line of work . . ."

"Then you wouldn't mind if say, oh I don't know . . . Cupid took your place?" Whisp asked eagerly with a wide smile on her lips, making the young love goddess flush a deep crimson with embarrassment when the djinni playfully elbowed her ribs.

The princess remained silent as she contemplated the genie's words. She wasn't overly committed to following the destiny her parents had laid out for her like the devious Faybelle Thorn or sweet and innocent Cedar Wood, preferring to focus her attention on more pressing matters such as the treatment of creatures and beasts everywhere. That being said she had told herself that she was prepared to set aside her own personal beliefs and desires to follow in her parent's footsteps if such a decision had the potentiality to do more good than harm. But here, someone was willingly coming to her with a chance to live her life how she wanted, to pass the baton onto someone else . . . she immediately knew her decision.

"Not at all. In fact, you would probably be doing me a favor," Rosabella let a small grin cross her lips as she hurriedly gathered up her clipboard and papers and turned to face Cupid with that same, comforting smile. "Believe me, Chariclo, you would make Dexter _much_ happier than I ever could." she reassured the love goddess.

Cupid was reeling from the sudden choices that had just transpired, almost feeling the urge to lean on Whisp for support while Ginger and the ghouls bustled and busied themselves behind her back. "I . . . I-I don't know what to say . . . thank you . . ." her voice was hoarse while on the verge of tears of joy.

Rosabella pulled the young deity into a hug. "Just promise me you'll take good care of Dexter for me, alright? He's a nice guy who deserves the affections of someone as devoted to him as you are." she praised Cupid before giving her one final hug and taking her leave of the Hocus Latte Cafe, oblivious to the sudden disappearance of certain wailing guitarist and the mysterious figure watching through window outside that ducked out of sight when she passed by . . .

A pair of hands clapped briskly, calling all attention that wasn't currently seated at a table and enjoying the sudden peace and quiet towards Ginger of all fairy tales. "Alright, girls, we have a date to make right!" the witchling declared as she hastily took charge and started giving out orders. "Skelita, you and I will tackle the kitchen and cook for our two guests – nothing too fancy or romantic, more along the lines of casual – while Whisp will act as the waiter."

The genie saluted and promptly snapped her fingers, engulfing herself in a puff of sweet smelling smoke that oddly smelled similar to cotton candy. When the vapor dissipated, she now wore a tight, black tuxedo with a crisp, white dress shirt and a red rose planted into her left breast pocket for appearance purposes. A notepad and pencil were held in her hands and a crudely drawn mustache had been scribbled on her upper lip with black marker; despite this little fact, Whisp seemed fully capable of twiddling it like a stereotypical mustache-twirling villain. "You can count on me, _mon amie!_ "

Ginger nodded gratefully as the djinni bustled herself off to the kitchen. "Now, Venus and- where are Venus and Jane?" the Daughter of the Candy Witch looked around, noting the distinct lack of a certain shape-shifter and plant-monster ghoul.

" _Ay caramba,_ " Skelita sighed. "If I were to guess, I would say taking care of Sparrow."

It was noted that the young witch cringed slightly at that. "Alright then . . ." she acknowledged before turning to a certain love goddess. "And Cupid?"

"Yes?" the Daughter of Eros perked up.

Ginger smirked and gave her a small wink. "Just relax and let us take care of everything, alright?

Cupid felt herself turn a light cardinal in color as Skelita and Ginger disappeared through the swinging doors and into the kitchen to make themselves scarce before Dexter got back from his self loathing in the bathroom. The young deity was sure the cooks might need a little persuasion to cooperate without question, and if Skelita's skeletal appearance or Ginger's notoriety didn't do the trick she was pretty sure a private concert from Sparrow would be more than enough to seal the deal; the only issue would be convincing the conman to play for a bunch of nameless chefs he didn't know after the little . . . _surprise_. . . they had in store for him.

That left Cupid to nervously take the seat Rosabella had been occupying mere moments beforehand. She anxiously twiddled her thumbs as the seconds ticked by, her leg bouncing up and down while she waited for Dexter to return and wondering whether this was actually a good idea or not. The young goddess wanted to remind herself that she was probably just getting last minute jitters and that the butterflies in her tummy were at fault for her sudden anxiety, but she truly had no idea what she was doing. None of the dating advice she so freely gave out to others without diffidence was coming back to her, only thoughts and worries of whether she looked good or not, what Dexter would think of her, and if she possibly had something stuck in her teeth or not because ancestors forbid she had a piece of spinach or whatever they served in the Castleteria stuck between-

" _Cupid?_ "

The Daughter of Eros immediately tensed up upon hearing the young prince's voice, doing her best to try and remain calm when he sat himself back down in his seat across from her with an even more baffled expression than before. "H-Hey, Dexter," she tried to start a mild conversation. "Wh-What's new with you?"

The Son of Prince Charming sighed wearily. "I'm not sure I should say anything . . ."

Cupid sat there for a few seconds, contemplating over what she should do. Her eyes flickered over Dexter's shoulder and towards the kitchen at the sound of the door squeaking open and Whisp and Skelita peeking out at her; the genie snapped her fingers and engulfed herself in a puff of smoke, making over a hundred different sets of ears sprout all over her body.

"You can tell me anything," the love goddess got the idea from the rather unsettling image and reached across the table to lay her hand upon Dexter's fingers, a comforting smile on her lips. "I'm all ears." she urged.

Dexter looked at her with an almost unreadable expression before a smile of relief crossed his tired features. He had thought that today would have been simple with maybe only a few small surprises here and there that in the end he would barely notice. Instead, everything had spiraled out of control into some bizarre and crazy romantic set up worthy of Wonderland's talents and he just wanted everything to end so that he could get a moment's peace. To him, Cupid's cool, alabaster skin and gentle touch was an anchorage to the cyclone of chaotic events that had surrounded his day thus far; he instantly much more relaxed in her presence and with a quick sip of his coffee and a pleasant smile on his face, began to fill her in on the day's shenanigans.

"Well, it all started when Daring decided wearing breakfast was the latest fashion trend . . ."

* * *

F.N: _Even if the ruler ruling is a fool-_

M.N: _A rule's a rule at any school! Hahahahahaha!_

T.P: _Um . . . what? Mom? Dad? You're making, like, zero sense._

B.P: _Ugh. It's the Wonderland Fever I was telling you about, remember?_

T.P: _Oh, right . . . thought that would have cleared up by now . . ._

B.P: _The flying playing cards, dancing knights, and howling monkeys wasn't an obvious enough hint?_

T.P: _Um . . . what?_

B.P: _What, you haven't seen those floating pictures that pop up at the beginning of every chapter?_

T.P: _Are you sure you don't have Wonderland Fever?_

B.P: _Yes, I'm sure! Do not stick me with those knuckleheads!_

M.N: _The wolf and raven hand in hand-_

F.N: _Have fun together wherever they can! Hahahahahaha!_

T.P: _*sigh* Fine. Lets just get narrating._

B.P: _Thank you. *ahem* Ben, Raven, Apple, Lizzie and the rest of the girls passed all their classes, but Courtly Jester, the student vice principal, still won't let them graduate, because she's planning on overthrowing the Queen of Hearts and ruling Wonderland for herself!_

T.P: _Yeesh, this story has spiraled out of control . . ._

B.P: _I know right? *sigh* If only narrators were allowed to help . . ._

T.P: _You just want to talk to Ben, don't you?_

B.P: _NO! I mean, uh, maybe . . . what I meant was . . . er . . . if I add five plus seven Man-Bats, how many banana is the purple you've nenurpdeburped!?_

T.P: _Oooooooookay . . . either you've got Wonderland Fever on the brain or it's that time of the month._

 _ **SLAP!**_

T.P: _Okay, definitely the Wonderland Fever._

 _ **SLAP!**_

T.P: _Okay, now I don't know what to believe anymore._

* * *

Briar wasn't sure she would ever understand Wonderland logic.

It wasn't because of the day the lot of them had been having either – though that did play a significant part in her opinion on the chaotic state of the place – or of the rumors that she had heard of Wonderland customs and culture. No, it was mostly because as soon as she, Lizzie, Apple, and the others had been dragged out of the vice principal's office, they simply stood there in the hallway right outside her door for a solid five minutes without so much as twitching a muscle or expressing any form of boredom before the door opened once more – thankfully they had left through a march large version instead of the mouse-sized one in the wall – and the playing card guardsman marched them back in.

Apparently Courtly liked to gloat to herself in private.

"Courtly Jester!" Lizzie snarled like a rapid bandersnatch while her captors kept a firm grip on wrists, lest they be cut to ribbons. "You may be a joker, but this isn't funny! You'll pay for this!"

The smile on the jester's face however said otherwise as she all but danced over to the Princess of Hearts and leaned in as close as possible, less than an inch away at best and close enough for Lizzie to lunge forward and bite her stupid, dumb nose if she wanted to; it wasn't uncommon for Wonderlandians to use such cheap tactics when backed into a corner and without their spiked croquet mallet. " _Hah!_ Not when I am the new queen!" she stated as if it were obvious.

"Not gonna happen, Courtly!" Raven growled.

"We'll never let you become the queen!" Apple chimed in.

" _Fat chance, you she-devil!_ " Smashface barked abrasively from beneath the pile of playing card guardsman that had thrown themselves upon him. It was a rather impressive feat for nearly a full deck of guardsman to somehow dogpile themselves on top of the Satyrian and hold the position while simultaneously dragging him and his friends out into the hallway without getting up and risking an escape, but they had somehow did it much to both Smashface and Skurd's annoyance.

"Oh, really?" Courtly purred as she sauntered over to them in a slow and overconfident manner that was just screaming for the hand of the universe to come down and screw her over, that Smashface was sure of when she specifically walked over to him and leaned down so that they were face to face, less than a foot away from that irritating grin of hers. "This is _my_ school and we follow _my_ rules and I can do whatever I want!"

Apple was more than happy to object. "That's abusing your power!"

Courtly however, was more than happy to ignore the princess' complaints as she expertly backflipped through the air and landed on her desk with the greatest of ease. "If you really want to graduate to leave here," her cocky smile seemed to grow ten times crueler as she grabbed a dangling piece of rope and gave it a sharp tug. "Then it's easy!"

A hatch opened up high on the wall, at least twice of Courtly's height from the floor, to reveal a pink parchment scroll sitting comfortably on a pedestal. The paper quickly unfurled from its position on high and clattered to the floor, rolling several dozen feet before coming to a stop at Lizzie's feet with great grandeur; the full length of the scroll was almost absurd, nearly ten times as long as Courtly was tall and the jester seemed to be enjoying oh, so very much. With a quick flip, she was off the desk and back standing in front of the Princess of Hearts, quickly rambling on in a voice that Smashface would have associated with a shifty car dealer . . . if Ever After had cars that is.

"This contract stipulates that you've signed over all your right as the heiress to the Queen of Heart's throne . . . to me." Courtly giggled victoriously; now she was beginning to remind the Satyrian of a certain deity of the Underworld and he was pretty sure that if her wrists were restricted that Lizzie would have mauled and maimed the taunting jester a _long_ time ago without much hesitation.

" _Never!_ " Lizzie hissed, her fists clenching to the point where she was sure she was drawing blood. Probably for the second or third time in the last twenty minutes or so.

Courtly would not be deterred so easily however, and did her best to try and hide her annoyance and come across as friendly as possible, regardless of her otherwise unfriendly intentions currently and beforehand. "It's a simple choice, Lizzie Hearts," she waved a pen tantalizingly out of reach. "You and your friends can spend the rest of your lives here at school . . . or 'voluntarily' sign on the dotted line!"

Lizzie barely felt the contract and pen being shoved into her suddenly numb and cold hands as she stood on the brink of losing her destiny. She knew that she didn't want to do it, she wanted to refuse and deny it with all her heart and tear the contract to shreds and shove the pen up Courtly's nose as a proclamation that she wouldn't be dealing with this kind of insanity today or ever, but . . . there was a catch. The princess felt conflicted while her gaze flickered back and forth between the pen in her fingers and her captive friends, her teeth nervously biting her lip as she contemplated what she was to do. She loved Wonderland with a passion, she loved it with all her heart and then some, and she would anything to protect it. But then there were her friends . . . the closest thing to a family she had had since the Fall of Wonderland, the closest thing she had had to a family ever since she had been cut off from her mother in aspects of the matter. They stood by her through thick and thin, picked her up when she was down, and were ready to defend her with tooth and nail whether they were of Wonderland of not . . . was it worth it?

There was a chance that Courtly would double cross them and keep them locked away in some ungodly classroom of a deathtrap while she took her sweet time overthrowing her mother, but . . . there was the chance that they could gain their freedom and be off to warn her mother of the impending doom as well.

"I . . . but . . ." Lizzie sighed warily. "My friends will be free?"

Maddie cried out. " _No!_ Don't do it Lizzie!"

"She'll become Queen of Wonderland!" Smashface exclaimed, the pile of card guardsman trembling violently as he fought even harder and threatened to send them flying in all directions like autumn leaves in a gale.

Lizzie chewed on her lip. "But, Ben . . . she'll let us go." she tried to reason with them. "If we stay here, we're doomed anyway!"

"Lizzie, listen to me." Raven commanded as she wrestled herself free of her captors and spoke in that tone of voice that was just the slightest bit laced with the sinister vigor of her family heritage that terrified even the rowdiest and most uncooperative of fairy tales to shut up and listen to what she was saying. "You _have_ to be the Queen of Hearts. It . . . i-it's your . . . _destiny!_ " she blurted out.

A collective gasp resounded around the room as everyone starred and gaped at the Daughter of the Evil Queen. The subject of following ones destiny was like acid to Raven – she tried to avoid talking about it as much as possible and respectfully declined any and all of Blondie's requests to discus the matter on her show, sometimes with a little . . . _incentive_ . . . if the blonde was being too persistent for her her own good again – and for her suddenly proclaim that someone _had_ to follow their destiny, to suddenly and unexpectedly denounce everything she had been fighting for with a single sentence, was more than enough to boggle anyone's mind.

" _Raven?_ " Apple felt her jaw drop.

The witchling sighed with guilt. "I know, I know. I've never really been big on destiny," she admitted. "But look, sometimes following your heart and following your destiny are the same thing! Your heart has always been set on being the next queen, Lizzie. You can't give up on it now!"

Courtly gave a sarcastic laugh before turning as nasty as a harpy. "How heart-felt . . . _just sign the contract!_ "

" _Someone_ has issues . . ." Skurd mumbled from beneath the deck of security cards as he slithered his gelatinous makeup for Smashface's right arm and back in an attempt to construct the Bloxx-lobber weapon that had been so useful as of lately. The playing cards were displaced just the slighjtest by the sudden shift but managed to keep their hold on the severely annoyed Satyrian.

The Daughter of the Princess of Hearts heavily contemplated her choices, the horrible screeching of Courtly feeling like hedgehog barbs in her skin as she glanced back apprehensively at the contract in her hands. If she signed the contract, there was the chance that Courtly would double-cross them and throw them in some unspeakable deathtrap that she had been planning for years on end. There was no telling what the jester might do once she gained truly persuasive power as the position of one of the Three Queens held and that worried Lizzie greatly; for all she knew, it would be the downfall of her homeland. Her family would be forced to leave their home, banished beyond Wonderland's borders and helpless to watch as everything they once loved and held dear to them crumbled into an unstable pile of ashes around a queen who was even madder and more twisted than her mother.

Who knew what would happen to the ones she cared for . . . Maddie . . . Alistair . . . Kitty . . . Bunny . . . Ben . . ?

Lizzie could feel her heart rate rising as those images came to her and her grip on the pen was iron clad as she started to hyperventilate. Kitty and Maddie knew that look in her eye and couldn't help but let wolfish grins cross their lips as everyone that was clever enough to notice the signs wisely took a few steps back while the princess gritted her teeth. Her alabaster features were starting to turn a bright pink in color that was slowly turning into a deep crimson of pure rage as nearly all the blood in her body rushed to her head.

" _I won't!_ " she roared, chucking the contract at the floor. The pen was snapped like a toothpick in her hand and Courtly allowed herself to yelp with fright when the two halves were launched at her head with deadly accuracy and embedded int the wall behind her a good four inches or so. Smashface couldn't help but with whistle with admiration as the Omnitrix beeped and swallowed him in a blast of green light, timing out and returning him to his human form; the guardsman refused to get off of him.

This didn't mean they weren't trembling in their boots when Lizzie let lose a torrent of cursing so foul it might as well have come from Phlegethon river of the Underworld. A few of them were worryingly clutching their necks, the very thought of being decapitated being less than appealing.

Even Courtly was taken aback by the flood of profanity that fell from the Daughter of the Queen of Heart's lips and for a brief moment a mask of fear slipped across her face at the thought of what might become of her if her wicked plot happened to just fail; the results would undoubtedly be dangerous for her health. "Then . . . you are condemned to _detention!_ "

Ben grunted as he managed to pull half of himself out from beneath the pile of playing card guardsman, propping himself on his elbows to glare angrily at the cruel jester. "As they in Russia, ' _fat chance, Igor'_!" he yelled as he raised a hand and slammed down on the Omnitrix, expecting himself to be bathed in the familiar blast of green, genetomorphic energy. He expected himself to be turned into Diamondhead, Mindmesser, Brainstorm, even Nanomech would be acceptable . . . if the Omnitrix wasn't currently be uncooperative. "Oh, come on, a recharge!?"

A victorious smirk sat itself on Courtly's face, but before she could snap her fingers and command the troublesome girls and Ben to be taken out of her sight – never to be heard from again if she could help it – a timid, gentlemanly voice with a slight stutter caught her attention. Looking down over her shoulder, the jester set her steely gaze upon the White Rabbit, her eyes boring into him for such insolence as interrupting her in her moment of triumph.

"Uh, v-v-vice p-principal," the rabbit stuttered with terror. "Wonderland school r-rules say, you cannot give them detention without . . . uh, without-"

" _Without what?_ " Courtly snarled in a manner very similar to that of a very hungry and perturbed gorgon that had just about enough of her prey's antics and was looking for a meal. Her crooked stature as she loomed over the the herald was eerily serpent-like and that venomous look of her eyes and cruel curve of her nails only added to this effect, of which was absolutely terrifying to anyone shorter than her.

The White Rabbit, to his credit, managed to not faint on the spot and merely cowered in his fluffy boots. "W-W-Without a d-disciplinary trail at th-the school c-c-court?" he swallowed anxiously.

The vice principal's response to laugh maniacally, as if she had just been told a funny joke. "Why would I permit _that?_ " she snorted.

"A-Actually, it's your rule?" the little lagomorph reminded her, seemingly more brave than before.

Courtly rubbed her chin in thought. "Is it? Well, then it must be followed!"

"This can't end well." Briar sighed warily.

The Daughter of the Joker Card didn't seem to have heard the princess as she proceeded to pace about on the floor, tapping her chin in thought. A Cheshire smile continued to form on her lips the more she thought about things and this only made Briar stand by her statement even more. "Yes, a trail will be a fun way . . . to _find you guilty!_ " she giggled joyously, drinking in the startled gasps that followed like sweet Fairy Wine.

"You can't do that!" Kitty hissed viciously.

"This is rigged!" Apple protested.

" _OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!_ " Lizzie roared loud enough to shake the entire room to its core.

Courtley pretended not to hear them as she turned on her heel and clapped her hands. "Summon the witnesses! Prepare the court!" she ordered. The security cards all saluted in unison and snapped to attention, quickly and roughly escorting the latest troublemakers of Wonderland High out of their superior's office at her command. The jester watched with a cruel, malicious smile as her rival fought and struggled against the cards, spouting off threats of decapitation at the top of her lungs; it gave her _so_ much pleasure to watch the once mighty fall so soundly.

If there was one thing that made her uneasy however, it was when the Daughter of the Joker Card caught the eye of the strange shape-shifter currently in her custody. He didn't fight or struggle as he had before when he was being forced to leave the room and instead gave her a cold, hard look that was enough to send a shiver up her spine. If her plan was to succeed, then she would have to play her cards just right.

After all, no one ever suspected the wild card.

* * *

T.P: _This isn't looking good, is it?_

B.P: _What was your first hint?_

T.P: _To be fair, there isn't much of a story if there isn't a conflict of some kind. Most stories or fairy tales are about their protagonists overcoming their problems and the obstacles laid before them in achieving their goal._

B.P: _All I hear is, "Blah-blah-blah I'm so much smarter than Brooke, blah-blah-blah, I'm not doing anything to help solve the current problem, blah-blah-blah, I'm so much better, blah-blah-blah!" and not enough narration._

T.P: _You're sure it's not that time of the month?_

 _ **SLAP!**_

T.P: _Me and my big mouth . . ._

B.P: * _sigh* Moving on . . . meanwhile, back at Ever After High, Alistair Wonderland and Bunny Blanc still think that Raven's misfired spell transported the girls and Ben somewhere inside the school . . ._

* * *

Alistair sighed wearily as he hiked up the spiraling set of stairs that led up one of Ever After High's tallest towers. The school was rather notorious for using every available space for storing and stashing away old pieces of furniture and junk that the headmasters couldn't bear to throw away or magical artifacts that should have really been kept under more careful lock and key than just shoving them away into a cardboard box and hoping some knucklehead didn't stumble upon them. To be fair however, most of the artifacts stored away in the dust laden recesses of the attics and closets were quite harmless and usually couldn't cause much more damage than permanently turning someone's hair green if used by inexperienced hands, which was a good majority of Ever After High's student body.

"C'mon, Alistair!" Bunny called from farther up.

"I'm coming . . . I'm coming . . ." the Son of Alice in Wonderland panted as he trudged up the flight of stairs, exhausted. He and the Daughter of the White Rabbit had been searching for the better part of the afternoon for their missing friends and companions, even going so far as to skip lunch; in hindsight, that probably wasn't the best option as Alistair's stomach growl in complaint. He was mentally cursing Bunny for being so athletic and light on her feet, cursed her perky chest for bouncing for every step she took, cursed her sweet, sugary smile . . . he really didn't know why he was cursing when he knew he was falling for her _hard_.

With a grunt, he finally clambered up the last step of the towering turret and stopped to catch his breath while Bunny frantically began to rummage through boxes and ancient, wooden cabinets that had seen better days before they were infested with termites. It might have seemed like an odd thing for one to search in a drawer for friends who would have never fit in there in the first place, but with the nearly infinite possibilities of magic – one of which was being able to maximize space in even the most unlikely of places – Alistair wasn't one to argue when his crush dug through an old hat box for a possible answer.

With a frustrated sigh, Bunny tossed the hat box aside. "They have to be around here somewhere!"

Alistair drew in a deep breath as he stood up and stretched his aching muscles. "There is no more 'around here somewhere', Bunny. We've searched the entire school! Even the dungeons!"

Bunny felt a light blush cross her face as she sat down on an old stool. She always loved it when Alistair got serious, the way his brow furrowed and his lips curved just the slightest into a contemplative frown always succeeding in making her hot under the collar. The Daughter of the White Rabbit wanted nothing more than to jump up and kiss him and finally confess the feelings he had for him for the longest time, but . . . her skittish, rabbit nature always got the best of her. Being the only boy in their group of friends, Alistair had been the object of nearly all of their affections at one point and it was only now with Ben picking up girls left and right that she finally had a chance to take a crack at him; if he liked her back that is.

With that ever lying question hanging in the air, Bunny spoke up. "Well . . . we haven't searched-" she attempted to say before she was cut off when the trunk she had been pointing at suddenly snapped shut like the two halves of a giant clam. The chest then began to jump and rummage around quite violently, a muffled voice coming from within that sounded none too pleased when it began to fire off unfamiliar curses that neither of the two Wonderlandians felt they should repeat. Before Bunny could reach to open the lid however, a blast of golden light leaped forth from the the cracks and keyhole and the wooden trunk was promptly demolished in bits of splintered wood seconds later.

Alistair starred with astonishment at the creature that stood before them, dusting itself off with a pair of scythe-like claws that took the place of the hands and fingers that would normally be found on a humanoid being. Spikes jutted forth from the joints of the blade-like arms and legs while it balanced on the very tips of a pair of feet similar to that of its hands, blinking at them with a pair of wide, yellow eyes from a tri-horned skull. The color palette of the strange creature seemed to be a deep violet in color with golden patterns tracing themselves along the spine and the limbs. To top it off, a familiar disk with a sharp, hourglasss like design sat firmly between the creature's eyes, almost as if it were . . .

" _Ben?_ " Bunny asked hopefully.

The Parae Cortarix shook her head. "Nope. Clawdeen." she said as she reached with one of her scythe-like hands and carefully tapped the Omnitrix on her skull. The device timed out in a second blast of yellow light and returned the werewolf back to the world, a frown of annoyance upon her lips to clash with the mask of concern that she wore on her face.

"What were you doing in that trunk?" Alistair wondered.

The werewolf drummed her fingers irritably on her arm as she folded them over her bust. "I was lookin' for Ben and the others when I heard you two and . . . sorta fell in."

"From the ceiling?" Bunny asked with disbelief.

"Hey, when you're looking for someone like Ben and someone as new as the Charming girl you don't leave anything out of the question." she retorted with a slight scoff. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe."

"Believe me when I say we might have an idea." Alistair admitted with a slight smile before realizing something that made his amused facade falter. "Wait, Darling's missing, too?"

Clawdeen nodded and sighed tiredly, rubbing her brow as she did so. "The Hatter girl – Maddie if I remember correctly – wanted her to sit with us at lunch, but she never showed up; said something about a future chapter with lots of fan service or somethin'. Me, Cerise, and Daring have been lookin' for 'em ever since."

Bunny and Alistair shared a look with one another with matching, crimson cheeks. If there was anyone who was blunt enough or mad enough to suggest something like that from out of the blue, it was definitely Maddie. "We saw her in the study hall just before Raven, Apple, Briar, Kitty, Maddie, and Ben all disappeared." she remembered.

The werewolf's expression suddenly became greatly concerned. "Wait, what do you mean _disappeared?_ I just found him again! Why in the name of Ra would he disappear again!?" she roared with terror as she grabbed Bunny by the shoulders and violently shook him with desperation.

" _Yo!_ Clawdeen!"

A thunderous roar followed by the sudden blotting out of all available light in the small tower was just enough to get Clawdeen to stop throttling the Daughter of the White Rabbit long enough to Alistair to catch her as she stumbled and try to make sense of the multiple duplicates of a worrisome werewolf while she rushed over to the bantam window of the turret. She was met with a blast of smoky, hot breath that made her cough and gag and glare irritably at the mighty, purple dragon with soft, lilac wings bespectacled with bright flashes of green and magenta upon which none other than Daring Charming sat. With the proud prince taking the seat on the dragon's head, Clawdeen found Cerise Hood sitting farther back between the great wings of the fire-breathing reptile with her thighs tightly clenched to prevent herself from falling; her hands were otherwise occupied keeping her precious hood firmly attached to her head.

"Good news! I've guessed where Darling is!" the Son of Prince Charming grinned proudly. "Climb on!"

Cerise growled angrily from behind him. "Daring, you just got your damn license to fly this thing! You're lucky I'm still even here!" she barked out.

"Oh, come on! You only live once upon a time!" he tried to goad them on.

Cerise gave him a cold glare that made the overzealous royal flinch just the slightest. "You did _not_ just YOLOUTme."

" _Maybe . . ?_ "

The Daughter of Red Riding Hood sighed wearily and rolled her eyes. "As much as I hate to say it, this is probably faster than us just wandering like three blind mice." she gave in as Daring pumped his fist in triumph and then proceeded to direct the gigantic dragon to land on the roof of the small, teetering tower; the rafters creaked and groaned under the dragon's immense weight. With no time to waste, Bunny, Alistair, and a reluctant Clawdeen hurriedly climbed up the dragon's waiting tail like a ladder and scrambled to seat themselves as soon as possible.

Daring flashed them all a dazzling smile, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively towards the two fairy tale females that were aboard and earning either a fierce blush or fiery gazes. With a quick pat to the dragon's head, the beast gave a massive flap of its wings and shot off into the air at such a high speed that Bunny could have sworn sensitive ears popped from the sudden rush, her grip white knuckled and her heart pounding in her chest as while she hung on for dear life. Her ragged hyperventilation steadily began to decline when she felt Alistair's familiar hands slide around her shoulders and waist and pull her closer to him, giving her a more secure seat upon the dragon's back. The loud thumping of his heart had a calming effect on the Daughter of the White Rabbit and she soon found herself daring to glance down at the world far below in between attempts to look at her comforter without giving herself away.

Clawdeen personally wanted to gag – she hoped to Ra that she hadn't been _that_ dopey-eyed when she and Ben first started dating – and decided to settle her stomach by inquiring exactly just why she should trust Daring of all fairy tales in the first place. "So, Sherlock Bones, just where are you takin' us?"

Not understanding the reference or torrent of sarcasm behind it whatsoever, the royal smiled proudly and puffed his chest out in triumph. "The way I see it, my canine companion, Darling just ran off to the . . . _way for it_ ," he paused dramatically. "LiFairy!"

Alistair hummed as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Dexter _did_ mention that she had been doing a lot of research lately . . ." he thought aloud.

"Bookworm Darling and Klutzy Dexter," the older Charming sibling gave a pretentious chuckle. "It's hard to believe those two are my siblings, sometimes."

Those were the last words – and undoubtedly the most famous – Daring uttered before he carelessly and blindly flew their dragon mount right through the grand bay windows of the Headmasters' office – which was strangely empty and devoid of either of the Brothers Grimm – and a good portion of the opposing wall. An untold amount of damages were caused that day by the prince's negligence, everything from gaping holes in walls and classrooms to tremendous scorch marks mild injuries from any and all that didn't get out of the way of the out of control dragon in the nick of time; even Madame Yaga wasn't left unscathed and had every last strand of her long, gray locks burnt off with a single blast of searing hot flame. It was also on that day that the Charming family had a mysterious – or not so mysterious, if one thought about it – dent put into their fortune and that Daring found himself the proud owner of a traffic ticket and the school's record for the longest detention known to fairy tales.

Needless to say, Alistair, Bunny, Cerise, and Clawdeen decided to walk the rest of the way to the LiFairy.

* * *

Ben grumbled irritably at the golden, heart-shaped cuffs that were digging into his wrists as he, Raven, Apple, Maddie, Kitty, Lizzie, and Briar were all led down a far too long hallway by a procession of heavily armed playing card guardsman, the vast number of which concentrated their numbers in the middle where he was being led along. "Are these really necessary?" the brunette wiggled his fingers.

"I-I'm afraid so," the White Rabbit called from the front of the group. "I have been appointed as your defense counselor for school court. Now please, hop along, we're late!" he called out upon taking a look at his gold pocket watch and finding the unreadable numbers and minutes to be far ahead of where they should have initially been.

Lizzie sighed and continued down the seemingly endless hallway, taking little to no note of the grand portraits that lined the walls of vice principals from days past whose names she couldn't be bothered to remember for the like of her; she was too busy worrying and fretting over how the day's turn of events had gone. It had all started out so mournful when she woke up that morning to realize it would be the first time she wouldn't be able to be with her mother on her birthday. Then it become a small ember of hope that exploded into a crackling flame of joy when she had returned to the land she loved so dearly with friends that she cherished so much. And then . . . it had gone downhill from there so quickly. It seemed everyone and everything was against her and she couldn't even begin to fathom why it felt like she was being led to her own execution by the people her family had so kindly and justly ruled over for as long as anyone could remember.

"Hey."

She felt a slight, rough nudge that felt like someone was poking her with their head and turned to see Ben briefly trying to readjust the position of his hat without his hands while Skurd sat on his shoulder and watched with amusement. "Don't sweat it. We'll find a way out of this." he tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, it'll be all over before you know it," a faceless playing card guardsman chimed in. "Just keep yer face down, play your cards right, and maybe they'll cut ya a deal."

Skurd sighed wearily and pinched his slimy brow. "And I thought your puns with awful." he mumbled to himself.

Ben scowled in the direction of his gelatinous partner before softening as he returned back to Lizzie. "Look, my point is that we're all behind you one-hundred percent. Through thick and thin, through light and dark, we're with you."

"You got that right!" Maddie laughed loudly.

The White Rabbit abruptly cried out with exasperation from the front of their procession. "Must you dawdle? We're late! We're late! We're late for a _very_ important! No time to waste, we must make haste, we're late!"

Before any of them – namely Briar or Kitty – could come up with a witty comeback, they came to a stop at a pair of tremendous doors so immense that it looked like even the biggest of giants could have walked through without the threat of striking their head on the towering frame; one would have to strain their neck just to even attempt to see the top frame. Despite this small matter, the White Rabbit had no trouble planting his back against the two, great doors and slowly pushing them open with great strain and effort as the playing card guardsmen waited patiently on either side of their accused party. The door groaned on their hinges in protest, having been disturbed from their great slumber, and banging in anguish against the walls with enough force that an echoing _boom!_ wound its way around the now silent court room for a far longer than it comfortably should have.

Apple took a few tentative steps forward, nervously biting her lip and wringing her hands while her bright, blues eyes flickered anxiously around the room. It wasn't so much the fact that they were in a Wonderland courtroom – from what her political classes had taught her, the most outlandish of punishments could be issued here without problem and when the judge "threw the book at you", they literally chucked the biggest and heaviest book they could get their hands on right at the guilty party without much contempt for the outcome – but it was that they, herself included, were in trouble once more.

It made her insides squirm uncomfortably and the butterflies that had once again found themselves into her tummy flutter obnoxiously so that she unable to keep herself calm. The last time Apple had been trouble, she had been nearly split from her destined prince – at least, if the rules of battle were taken into account – and separated from her closest friends and surrogate family that she had come to love and appreciate more and more with every day of shenanigans and chaos they managed to find themselves in; the princess didn't like being in trouble. At the same time however, she felt a sudden rush course through her veins, the same rush she had gotten when she had nearly pulled the fire alarm the day that she had gotten detention for a different reason entirely. It made her feel alive and she was dimly aware that her senses were suddenly heightened with the swift rush of adrenaline; if this was how Ramona Bad Wolf experienced the world every day, she could see why the Daughter of the Big Bad Wolf seemed to have a permanent stay in detention.

The soft, whispering murmurs of rumors and accusations in their direction felt like manticore spikes assaulting the Daughter of Snow White's poor eardrums as they led past a viewing audience of students of various shapes and sizes and species who were all starring at them with quizzical expressions; the teachers were far more brooding and gave them looks of contempt and scorn.

Apple gave a startled yelp as a bronze railing suddenly snapped up in front of her, blocking any further attempt to move forward and found that the lot of them had been encircled in a stand of some kind. The platoon of security cards that had been placed to watch over them stood at attention in neat rows on either side of the podium; a guard kindly removed Ben's handcuffs and allowed him to freely take the stand mere moments before the podium abruptly rose into the air and nearly caused Apple to lose her balance.

The princess almost lost her composure when she saw the judge slowly rise from behind his tower desk, having to hold back a slight smile as the pudgy form of an enormous caterpillar managed to squirm his entire bulk into the far too small chair. Once he was seated, the massive insect grabbed a pair of gavels with his two, right arms and banged them down on the desk to call order, ceasing any and all volume in the room as he cleared his throat.

"Well, lucky for our headmaster friend, there is someone out there who is in far more need of a dietary plan then him." Skurd mumbled quietly.

Kitty hissed at the Slimebiote. "Be quiet! You'll get us into even more trouble!" she mewed worriedly.

Thankfully, the judge didn't seem to have heard them.

"I am the high esteemed and honorable judge Catterick R. Pillar and I call this court meeting into session!" his voice roared loudly through the quiet courtroom, as if he were unsure if anyone could have possibly misheard him as he learned over the desk and glared incredulously at the group of Wonderlandians, fairy tales, and abstract alien shape-shifter. "Now then . . . _who are you?_ "

Lizzie brushed off the annunciation of every other word that dripped from the overweight caterpillar's mouth and pushed her way to the front of the stand. "I am Lizzie Hearts, Daughter of _the_ Queen of Hearts!" she declared deafeningly, a scowl of vexation crossing her lips. "And you are allin a _lot_ of trouble!"

The threat should not have been taken lightly; Ben certainly knew it was nowhere near being a mere empty warning. From what he recalled from the private lessons with the Princess of Hearts on her homeland's traditions and customs that he found strangely enamoring, the royal decrees and proclamations of the royal family were often as demanding as they were obscene. And yet, they would be followed without hesitance, no matter how ridiculous it was. The Queen of Hearts could quite literally demand that the entire palace be remodeled in a day and the near infinite number of playing cards at her beck and call would scramble to obey, notwithstanding the near impossible time constraint.

Those that somehow got on the wrong side of the Hearts family – mostly public enemies and criminals – or failed to fulfill their orders were subjected to horrible methods of death, most of which involved terrible accounts of decapitation through various means. It was unknown why the Hearts were so fascinated were the removal of a victim's head, but not many bothered to question their methods lest they lose their own skulls.

Despite this however, the entire counsel and jury laughed uproariously.

"What's so funny?" Briar wondered, befuddled.

"Why do I get the feeling that that's not a good sign?" Ben muttered softly. His fingers absentmindedly began to fiddle experimentally with the Omnitrix fastened on the sleeve of his jacket over the familiar soft on his wrist while the laughter died down.

The overly rotund judge Catterick R. Pillar sighed as a he wiped a tear from his eye, his jowls and great belly still jiggling like layers of jello as he tried to recompose himself. " _Ha!_ If _we_ were in trouble, it stands to reason _we_ would be the ones on trial. And yet, there _you_ are!" he pointed out, earning the ire of some of the staff in their direction. "Therefore, it follows that _you_ , and not we, are the ones in trouble. That's _logic!_ "

"Oh! Makes sense to me!" Maddie shrugged cheerfully.

"Whose side are you on!?" Briar hissed at the Hatter.

Lizzie sighed and pinched her brow, unable to bring herself to berating her dear friend for only making the matter worse by agreeing with those that were accusing them. "I don't suppose you have any experience in court, Ben?" she asked the brunette.

"Oh, sure," he shrugged. "This one time, I was accused by the Galactic Council."

" _What!?_ " Skurd exclaimed incredulously. "Why was I never told this!?"

"You never asked."

" _Ben!_ What happened?" Lizzie pressed urgently.

The wielder of the Omnitrix hummed and rubbed his chin in remembrance, briefly ceasing with his anxious fiddling of one of many copies of the alien metamorphic device upon his cuff. "Lets see . . . I was found guilty and naturally had to fight my way out. Apparently you can do that in some courtrooms . . . I doubt we can do that here though, even if this is Wonderland we're talking about here."

Lizzie sighed and allowed her shoulders to slump in defeat while Raven scratched her chin thought, as if an inkling of an idea were just within the witchling's grasp yet so tantalizingly out of reach. "Let me try something," she spoke up after a few short minutes. She then turned to address the corpulent judge, trying to ignore the fact that she suddenly had everyone's attention. "Your honorable, um . . . bugginess?" she tired, not exactly sure how she was to approach the looming caterpillar. "This is all just a big misunderstanding-"

"And what don't you understand?" Judge Catterick interrupted her.

"No! No! Not us! You!" Raven tried to correct him. "See, we came to this school by accident and we aren't be allowed to graduate!"

The avoirdupois arthropod's voice rumbled like thunder from his looming seat. "Why should you graduate when you've missed understanding? Understanding is the point of an education!" he shouted. "And you said yourselves, you've missed it!"

Raven looked like she was going to pull her hair out at any second and Ben looked like he was going to lose it far sooner than that even. Lo and behold however, it was the perfect princess Apple White that lost her cool first and suddenly exploded into a panicked fit of suppressed rage. "You're twisting our words!" she protested. "This is all happening because of that . . . that . . . _that horrible Courtley Jester!_ "

A collective gasp abruptly swept through the courtroom at the Daughter of Snow White's harsh words, looks of complete shock and dread swiftly making their way through the gathered crowds while everyone seemed to shrink back from the trembling, breathless princess as she sank back into the comforting embrace of her in awe boyfriend. Even her companions and lover were taken aback by such foul language used by someone who was almost abnormally sweet on a daily basis. For the future ruler of Ever After, the one to always keep herself calm and composed in the face of chaos and pandemonium to suddenly lash out like a vicious viper . . . well, it was almost unthinkable, almost un-Apple-like.

"Well that sure got their attention . . ." Skurd mumbled as Ben gently threaded his fingers through his girlfriend's golden locks in an effort to try and restore some semblance of whom she had been mere moments before suddenly exploding like a volatile volcano.

Apple huffed almost childishly into her boyfriend's chest. "I don't care. It's true and everyone knows it." she squeezed Ben a just a little bit tighter. "I mean, who does she think she is? She's practically running this school like a prison!"

Before any further discussion on the matter of the differences between a high school and a maximum security mirror prison could be further contemplated, the all too familiar sound of a set of all too familiar heels clicking ominous against the floor echoed through the eerily silent courtroom. Like the hoarse caws of the crow and the wailing of the strings of the cinema's shark attacks, the sound heralded alarm and apprehension and left nothing but devastation and terror in its wake wherever it went. The silent courtroom seemed to unanimously hold its breath when the clicking of the heels fell eerily quiet mere moments before a second set of doors positioned next to the jury banged open with a thundering _boom!_

The White Rabbit was the first to break the taciturnity that befell the counsel, his voice even and laced with fear when he tried to keep himself calm in the face of almost certain doom. "All rise for her prosecutorial excellence . . . _Courtley Jester!_ "

It took every last shred of Lizzie and Ben's willpower not to throw themselves at the approaching joker in an attempt to strangle her.

The smug, innocent smirk upon Courtley's face as she made her way down to the main floor of the courtroom was aggravating beyond belief with the constant jingling bells of her bright, flashy costume only adding to the grating of nerves. "No need to rise on my account! I am but a humble public servant!" she laughed cheerfully as she approached the jury stand before her voice dropped low and threateningly. "With vast powers over _each_ and _every_ one of you . . ."

With the staff thoroughly intimidated – Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum had instinctively hugged one another and clapped over the other brother's mouth while Mr. Gadus Morhua quivered in his seat with a wet, squishing noise – the jester then effortlessly bounced and cartwheeled and somersaulted her way up to the judge's desk without a care in the world. She even went so far as to playfully tug at the roly poly caterpillar's thin mustache and white, powdered wig before getting down to business. "So, where were we?"

Catterick R. Pillar huffed and readjusted his wig so that it stopped itching his sensitive antennae so much. "They've plead their case," he sighed with boredom. "I'm not convinced."

"What!? We hardly said anything!" Ben exclaimed as he let go of Apple and pushed himself to take the front of the stand. "You're our counselor! Aren't you supposed to be helping us!?" he hissed with irritation at the White Rabbit.

The royal herald nervously checked his pocket watch. "Yes . . . in time."

" _Time?_ Time for what!?"

" _Time_ to read the charges!" Courtley declared loudly as she threw herself off from the judge's high desk and popped back up from a perfect somersault. "We, and by we I mean _I_ , the vice-principal and _future Queen of Wonderland_ , hereby charge these six girls and devilishly _handsome_ young man," she purred teasingly as she approached the podium and curled a finger under Ben's chin for emphasis while she hungrily licked her lips. "With: _unruliness!_ "

A second, collective gasp of shock made its way through the courtroom and Ben soon found himself banging his head repeatedly on the bronze railing out of sheer disgust. Was it just him, or would these people believe just about anything? With no disrespect to his Wonderland spouses and friends, these people had to be some of the most gullible he had ever encountered in all his year's of being a galactic hero.

If it was any consolation, Skurd seemed just as upset as him and looked like he wanted to tear himself in half.

Courtley merely chuckled to herself at the amusing display and continued on with the false truths and lies that flowed from mouth as effortlessly as water flowing over a waterfall. "If found innocent – yeah, no way, won't happen – they will be allowed to graduate." she proceeded to explain, taking a brief moment to smirk in Ben's direction. "When found guilty . . . then it's detention for life! Or . . . _off with their heads!_ " she roared, slicing her hand across her throat for emphasis. "Whichever comes first."

Ben gritted his teeth and gripped the bronze railing with white knuckles as he glared venomously at Courtley, as if hoping she would suddenly self-combust right there in the now chaotic courtroom that Judge Catterick R. Pillar was so desperately trying to return to 'disorder' with his two pairs of mallets rapidly pounding the desk. "When I become queen, I am _never_ going to get tired of saying that!"

Eventually however, things became quiet once more as Catterick gave a tremendous bang of all four of his gavels and finally brought silence to the courtroom. "Call the first witness!" he ordered.

Courtley grinned maliciously. "The prosecutor calls the Red Knight, Chase Redford, to the stand!" she bellowed.

The protesting creak and steady clanking of metal was enough to draw Ben's ire away from the accusing jester long enough for him to turn his attention towards the aforementioned crimson warrior as he stoically approached the witness stand. For the briefest of second, the Ben caught his regretful gaze as he slipped off his helmet and took his seat as instructed with a stoic expression upon his features.

This wasn't going to end well.

"So, Chase Redford, the Red Knight," Courtley stated his name once he had gotten comfortable for emphasis. Her tone of menacingly and maniacally whispering threats and sinister warnings had flawlessly fallen into the roll of the innocent, public servant fulfilling her duties that she had just about everyone warped into believing her to be, something that Ben took especial note of. "From what we understand you caught these six girls and one boy sneaking onto school property!"

Skurd grumbled irritably. "Is there no respect for the Slimebiote?"

No one seemed to have heard him over Apple's protest. "Not fairest! We weren't even students here!"

"But of course you were students here, because you were on school grounds!" Courtley smiled cheekily. "Isn't that rule?"

Chase sucked in a deep breath. "That is, and I am duty bound to follow it." he recited. "Rules are rules."

Ben didn't dare to tear his gaze away from Courtley as she backflipped up onto the judge's desk and casually lay on her stomach and continued to question her witness without much care for her posture or manners. "When they received their class assignments, what did they do?"

"Um . . . I guess they sort of sped off down the hallway?"

"So, you might say they were running in the halls?" Courtley leered with the toothy grin of a predator that had managed to corner its helpless prey mere moments before tearing them to shreds. Much to Ben's annoyance – he found himself becoming less enthralled with Wonderland once he actually experienced it – the entire courtroom gasped with revulsion, as if they had just learned they had attempted to brutally murder their beloved vice principal; he was pretty sure that if things didn't turn in their favor Lizzie was going to come quite close to dispatching the jester herself in a few moments.

"Technically . . . yes?"

Lizzie scoffed incredulously. "That's ridiculous!" she shouted. "The _halls_ were running; we were just standing on them!"

Courtley gasped with mock horror. "Oh, you naughty, sassy girl! Now you're talking back?" she feigned grief as she leaped off from the judge's desk and down to the floor to heatedly pace back and forth in front of the jury of staff. "These seven _heathens_ first sneaked onto school grounds, and then were seen running in the hallways, and now they're talking back! And that isn't even beginning to cover all of the reckless damages they have made to our beloved school in the process! One rule heedlessly broken after another! Can there be any doubt? These girls are _unruly!_ "

That was the last straw.

Before anyone could attempt to stop him – not that Lizzie would have, given the deep shade of red her face had rapidly turned – he had slapped a hand down on the Omnitrix located on his left cuff and enveloped himself in the familiar blast of green energy and light. He felt his skeletal system groan and splinter sickeningly as his frame expanded and grew taller, his arms simultaneously pulsing and swelling when fresh tissue and muscle threaded and weaved themselves beneath his rapidly changing skin. His chest became bigger and more barrel-shaped to accommodate his greatly increasing lungs and he could feel the familiar sensation of his bones crunching and snapping like broken cornstalks as they reconfigured and rearranged themselves inside of him; the brunette sooner enough had a second joint to his legs and he could feel the endurance and stamina building as he continued to change. Ben's skull gave a series of soft crunches while it was forced out into a powerful, pointed muzzle similar to that of a canine as each of teeth ground and morphed into razor-sharp fangs. He felt his jaw then split into four, flexible flaps that opened and closed on a whim of hinge-like joints located in his mouth. His fingers trembled and exploded into wicked, black claws and his toes tore through his shoes in the form of curved, gripping talons. A long, fluffy tail sprouted from the base of Ben's spine as a mane of dark, coarse fur rose from his shoulders and neck while spikes popped out of his elbows and shoulders; a green and black body suit materialized upon his settling form with green wrist bands and a collar around his neck with the Omnitrix and Skurd located at its center.

" _I'll show you unruly!_ " Blitzwolfer snarled.

The courtroom could do nothing but watch in stupefied horror as the Loboan bunched up his powerful legs and pounced through the air, abruptly crashing right into Courtley with a startled yelp from the joker and pinning her to the floor. His claws dug into the carpet on either side of her wrists and his dexterous talons tightly clamped themselves around her ankles while Blitzwolfer drew his head in closer to Courtley and growled; he was pleased to see a brief flash of panic cross her face at the sight of the railroad spike-like teeth that lined his jaws.

This was quickly masked with the familiar mask of mockery that the jester so often wore. "Ooh, you _are_ a naughty boy, aren't you?" her voice purred and curled like wisps of smoke from a hookah when she took note of the submissive posture that the Loboan had unconsciously taken. "What say we add assault and battery to your list of crimes, hmmm? Or maybe some bestiality? Perhaps just catergorize the whole thing as sexual assault? Are you going to publicly humiliate me in front of all my subjects? Teach me a lesson I'll never forget? Please, I'm _dying_ to know . . ."

Blitzwolfer experimentally flexed the jointed flaps of his jaws in an effort to try and regain some form of terror from his current victim. "You are sick in the head, ya know that?"

" _Ben!_ " Raven's voice snapped his attention away from the taunting jester like lighting. "You're not helping! Stop before you make things worse!"

"As if the lad could possibly make things worse than they already are." Skurd mumbled to himself before realizing something and wearily rubbing his slimy brow. "Then again, he always does, doesn't he?"

Before the Loboan could attempt to even defend himself he was suddenly grabbed by his powerful arms and shoulders and roughly pulled off of Courtley by the security cards that had been placed to keep watch over him. Their grip was tight and white knuckled while they poked and prodded him threateningly with their spade-shaped spears, as if daring him to try and attack their superior a second time. A pair of playing cards then proceeded to help the jester to feet as she sniffled and attempted to hold back false tears like a frightened child, which only drew a savage growl from the back of Blitzwolfer's throat while he was forced back onto the podium with the rest of his 'convicted colleagues'.

The disturbed courtroom was now left in a chaotic state as the members of the jury and audience mumbled incoherently among themselves, throwing innumerable disapproving glares and glances at the six girls and one alien that had the audacity to come waltzing into their own school and turning it on its head without so much as common courtesy. Lizzie got the sickening feeling that a vast majority of them were looking straight at her more than the others, as if they were trying to burn it into her head that they didn't approve of this sort of rambunctious behavior from their future leader and that there was a distinct possibility of her being removed from the throne. Then again, it was rather hard to tell when a good portion of those stares rapidly turned away upon taking one good look at the sharp fangs and claws of a certain Loboan that growled at them like a protective guard dog when one of them had the temerity to try and silently scold the Princess of Hearts.

With his superior now putting on a grand show of pretending to be violated and greatly disturbed while being consoled by her security cards, the judge was having a hell of a time restoring order to the greatly discontinuous counsel. "Disorder! Disorder! _Disorder! Disorder!_ " Caterick repeatedly banged his four gavels until he was finally granted sweet silence. "How do you plead? Guilty, _extremely_ guilty, or _outrageously_ guilty?" his voice getting increasingly more violent with each option.

The White Rabbit – who had just about fainted at the sudden appearance of an enormous, extraterrestrial that bore an uncanny resemblance to the canines that his kind so greatly feared – hopped forward, baffled out of his mind. "What? _Guilty?_ "

"Very well then!" Judge Catterick R. Pillar bellowed as he brought all four of his gavels down on his desk with a tremendous _bang!_ that rattled the very courtroom. " _Guilty as charged!_ "

"N-No! No! That's not what I meant!" the White Rabbit wailed with desperation.

The obese caterpillar ignored his pleas of mercy and proceeded to roar at the top of his lungs. "Eternal detention for _life!_ "

Perhaps not so strangely enough, it was Kitty Cheshire's snarky voice that had enough guts to snap back at the powdered wig-wearing insect. "You'll have a hard time taking over Lizzie's destiny without the Storybook of Legends! And my mom, the Cheshire Cat, has it! So there!" she hissed, as if trying to spite the overweight caterpillar for his absurd punishment. It only took mere moments for her to realize what she had just said but by then it was already too late.

The rapid jingling of bells was like the rattling tail of a rattlesnake before it struck when Courtley suddenly cut the flow of mendacious crying approached her with swift interest. "The Storybook of Legends? _Here_ in _Wonderland?_ "

The joker could hardly believe her good fortune. It just wasn't possible – it never was that easy – but if what the loose-lipped cat had just let slip was true, then her scheme to take over all of Wonderland was easier than she could have ever dreamed! She was so absorbed with sudden giddy and glee that she almost didn't notice when Blitzwolfer eyed her hungrily and make a mock snap of his jaws at her, only missing her nose by mere inches as the security cards restraining him just barely managed to hold him back from sinking his fangs into Courtley's face; he normally would have never resorted to just brutish and criminal behavior, but for the jester he was certain he could make an exception.

" _Ooh-hooo!_ " Courley giggled mischievously to herself while she tented her fingers. "How the plot thickens!"

"Nice going, Kitty." Briar frowned with a low sigh.

Needless to say, the Daughter of the Joker Card was ecstatic with her sudden discovery. "Sorry, Lizzie, the deal if off." she grinned toothily as she pulled out the document she had so desperately tried to get the princess to sign almost an hour prior and watched it all burn up in an abrupt eruption of flame. "I don't need you to sign the contract! I just need to sign your page in the Storybook of Legends and your destiny is mine!" she cackled cruelly. "As well as other things . . ."

Blitzwolfer snarled when he felt the jester's claw-like nails trace themselves across his collarbone and crawl down his sternum and chest like the creeping legs of a stalking spider. The seductive, mocking grin that she flashed him tied together with her leering look was more than enough to make him heavily unsettled and for roughly four of the six girls currently looming up behind him clench their fists tight enough to draw blood; the other two consisted of a woefully confused, narcoleptic princess and a witchling that was attempting to keep her cool lest her dark powers flare and perform some unpredictable act of unholy black magic on the unsuspecting courtroom.

The maddening cackle of Courtley Jester as she left the courtroom with an even bigger smirk upon her lips was the last thing the small group of aliens, fairy tales, and princesses heard before they suddenly took note that the floor had abruptly and unexpectedly opened beneath their feet and sent them plummeting into empty, black space with a furious howl rising above the rest of the terrified screams of their decent.

* * *

She was still utterly exhausted from her prior attempts of escape and could do little else but sit on the edge of the large, queen-sized bed and wait as she slowly regained her energy reserves. She had spent what felt like almost weeks – but could have very well been only a mere day or two – wandering through the endless hallways and sprawling plains of her abyssal prison with her only light coming from the infinite number of mirrors that shone and sparkled like stars in the night sky. There was nothing else for as far as the eye could see, nothing but mirrors and blackening void the farther she traveled away from the mirror of her imprisonment; she was alone.

After coming to reluctant terms with this, she had settled down with a more clairvoyant mind and discovered that she had been granted a bed to rest herself in, a few changes of clothing identical to the wicked extravagant dress she had been wearing when everything had spiraled out of her control, and a small supply of basic foods and beverages to supplement herself with for at least a week before she ran out and another supply would magically appear upon her bedspread.

Considering the other places in Ever After where she could have been imprisoned – there were several nasty gulags out in the middle of the freezing tundras run by brutish trolls and twisted goblins that were none too pleasant to be an inmate of – she had a rather nice setup going for her; a bed to rest her head on, clean clothes that somehow managed to magically clean themselves every few days when she was beginning to contemplating on wearing a previously worn outfit a second time, a steady income of food to keep her from starving. The one thing it lacked however, was a means of entertainment and escape.

If she had her way, she would be granted at least one of those things in the coming weeks. At least, she thought it might be weeks. It was so hard to keep track of time in a place where there wasn't a sun or moon to signify day and night and the mirrors that levitated and floated about in what had been her home for the past ten years or so didn't always give her a good idea at time intervals. Her usual evil and dark spells were nearly null and void in the Mirror Realm, dampened by the place between world's natural effects, and she was left with little more than party tricks and the most basic of spells that young witchlings learned almost before they could even walk.

With a sigh, she got up from her bed and stretched her long, ivory arms in an effort to get rid of the kinks that had set into her tired muscles. She had nothing better to do, so she might as well make her rounds through the maze of mirrors and see if there was anything remotely interesting to watch – there was this pair of old, crotchety wooden puppets who heckled the fairy dust out of anyone that came within five yards of them and she found them to be greatly amusing.

Her heels clicked nosily in the silent void as she began to slowly trail her way through a corridor of mirrors that weren't particularly organized by location or significance; the Mirror Realm didn't work that way. Most of the time it was absolutely quiet, leaving her to try and fill the awkward silence that permeated the foreign realm like a foul stench bury itself into ones nostrils. The only other noises that accompanied the sound of her voice and the clicking of her heels were those of the mirrors themselves whenever she 'tuned in' and listened, though this only lasted as long as she was within a few feet of the desired mirror and standing still. The deafening silence was so bad sometimes that she occasionally had to – with great strain – move one of the stubbornly floating, magic mirrors near her bed so that she could fall asleep to at least something other than the sound of her own breathing and the rustling of the sheets as she tossed and turned.

It was maddening to be in this place for so long. It was a wonder she hadn't gone mentally insane yet.

" _Red Knight, to my office at once!_ "

Speaking of going mentally insane . . .

She approached a familiar mirror that was greatly askew when compared to its surrounding brothers and felt a sinister smile slither its way across her alabaster features when she caught sight of a familiar jester giddly plotting to herself on the other side, blissfully unaware of who was watching her with intense curiosity. She occasionally wondered what might happen if those that she watched discovered just what lurked on the other side of the looking glass they spent hours preening themselves in front of, the reflection that they spilled all their darkest secrets to when they thought they were only talking to themselves, the mirror that they performed the most embarrassing of habits in front of – namely singing into a hairbrush with nothing but a towel on that sometimes unexpectedly dropped. The thought made her cruelly smile while she tented her fingers and watched.

"Once I crash the Queen of Hearts' birthday party, I'll take the Storybook of Legends from the Cheshire Cat." the joker card chuckled gleefully to herself as she used a stick of ruby red lipstick to draw a crude crown on the mirror, only to add a broad, cheerful smile just underneath it. "We'll see who's grinning then!"

She felt her sinister smile grow just the slightest bit bigger. "My, my, my dear, Cardilia Hearts, how you've grown since we last encountered one another," she hummed with dark amusement to her tone while she watched Courtley absentmindedly detail her crude drawings just the slightest. "Scheme, my little fool, scheme to your hearts desire. You have been quite a pleasant surprise, to say the least. My own _daughter_ may resist the call of evil, but you see more than game . . ."

She could never quite grasp why her own flesh and blood seemed deaf to the haunting calls of villainy and transgression. True, there was the near constant threat of those that weren't aligned with her ideals gaining the upper hand and defeating her – she continued to insist that those dimwitted brothers and that old mummy of a hag had merely gotten lucky in catching her off guard with the imprisonment spell that bound her to the Mirror Realm for as long as they dictated – but as far as she was concerned, the pros far outweighed the cons. After all, one didn't simply gain complete and utter control over all of Ever After by sitting back and being a proper prince or princess, that just wasn't simply how it was done. Only those had the initiative and lusting desire to conquest and conquer until all was within their grasp had their dreams recognized and their goals achieved, no matter who had to be stepped on an order to obtain it.

And if her own darling _daughter_ couldn't see that, well . . .

The sound of Courtley's voice drew her out of her thoughts and back to the ailments of the sinister jester. " _Rats!_ I forgot!" she cursed to herself. "The Cheshire Cat can turn _invisible!_ How can my card tricks compete with that?"

She hummed in thought, a slow smirk creeping its way across her lips with a small chuckle slithering its way from her throat. "Hmmm, looks like Courtley could use a little help," she mused. "My evil influence, of course, speaks _volumes._ "

With a swirl of her hand and the soft murmuring of words long forgotten and cast away into the most ancient of texts upon her poisonous, pomegranate lips, she curled her ivory fingers and claw-like nails into a fist and gave a single punch to the side of the mirror she had paused in front of. Her grin broadened just the slightest when rings of crimson and dark magic radiated outwards from her hand and the dull _thump!_ of a book tumbling from a shelf came from the other side of the looking glass. It was of course, an easy spell for one of her caliber but it was also one of the most forgotten spells that had ever been crafted in all of sorcery; the Grand Council always did want to keep the most powerful spells out of the hands of the . . . _common folk_ , as they sometimes referred to them within their private sanctums.

Oh, if the people of Ever After only realized just how judgmental their own protectors and guardians were.

" _Who's there?_ " she heard Courtley's voice call from the other side of the mirror. She reveled in the tone of apprehension and immediate suspicion as the joker's eyes flickered about for any sign of intrusion. "Read, little jester, read your fill. Then rule over Wonderland while I bend the world to my will . . ."

She grinned to herself as she watched the joker card stare intently at the book, marveling over the ancient and worn cover whose leather binding was adorn with the foreboding image of a horned skull with crimson, ruby eyes placed in the sockets. She delighted in the feeling of watching Courtley's face light up with malicious intent and wonder when she realized just what had 'stumbled' into her hands and the near infinite possibilities at her disposal when she called in a pair of ignorant security cards.

" _Time for you to prove your worth, I curse you now to crawl the earth!_ " Courtley recited and it felt to her like she was watching the daughter she had always wanted, the daughter she always _knew_ she was to have cast her very first spell for the first time. She watched as the pairing of unfortunate security cards shrank in a blast of noxious, purple smoke until they were only the size of mice – just the right size for one to step on. The sound of intruding, heavy footsteps and the soft clanking of metal caught her attention and she felt a frown take the place of her once proud smile when she saw the Red Knight march into the office and stand at strict attention. Honestly, of all the henchmen her new pawn could have under her thumb, it _had_ to be one of the two Protectors of Wonderland.

She hoped to the ancestors above – or below, if one took into account of a certain Ruler of the Underworld with _breathtaking_ anger management issues – that the two of them weren't in a romantic relationship. That was just _sickening_.

"You, _ahem_ , summoned me?" the Red Knight attempted to pretend he hadn't just seen his superior talking to a pair of miniature security cards the size of rocking horse flies.

The Daughter of the Joker Card quickly recomposed herself and attempted to cover her up her once sadistic behavior with a quick wave of her heel to send the two shrunken playing cards scurrying off into the corners of her office. "Ah, yes, Red Knight." she cleared her throat while she climbed to her feet. "The Queen of Heart's birthday party starts in half an hour. _I_ am placing _you_ in charge of the school until I return." she instructed as she slipped by her underling and made her way over to a trapeze bar that hung low from the ceiling, her preferred choice of entering and exiting her place of power.

The Red Knight saluted proudly. "Yes, ma'am! In charge."

She watched with dwindling interest as her new pawn spun around on her heel and promptly back flipped onto the trapeze bar with ease, her legs hooking over the rod and effortlessly pulling her up with spellbook in hand. "You know my rules: _you're not to break a single one of them._ " she hissed threateningly with a stern look in her eyes.

With that said and done, Courtley Jester disappeared from view as the trapeze bar was lifted up and out of sight, leaving her underling to heave a great sigh and make his way over to his superior's desk where he sat down in her chair with his helmet on the table. "Rules . . . are rules." he mumbled.

Seeing that everything else of interest had swiftly left the room, she decided it was time to take her leave and check back in to see the fruits of her labor. With her pathetic excuse for a _daughter_ and her pitiful _friends_ trapped within Wonderland's grasp and a joker with newfound power seeking to wreck havoc on an unsuspecting realm, things were bound to get interesting some time later.

After all, the Jester line hadn't failed to entertain her before.

* * *

"Like a lit candle, the dodo flies again!"

"What does that even mean?"

"I think it means she's comin' around."

"Alright, everyone, stand back and give her some air! Let her breath!"

Raven moaned weakly as she tried to make sense of the voices that were so insistently beating her pounding skull like a drum. When the distorted, echoing voices didn't become any clearer, she instead decided to simply focus on the malformed images that her eyes were trying and failing to process. She groaned with discomfort as she reached with a hand to press her fingers to her throbbing temple and leaned a little deeper into the war, furry pillow that was kindly holding her steady while she recovered. It took a few seconds for her greatly confused mind to remember that pillows weren't necessarily covered in fur, nor did they have cold, sharp claws that sent odd little tingling sensations across her ivory skin while they gripped her shoulders.

She was also then aware that her feet were soaking wet and seemed to be submerged in some sort of liquid that reached up to only a little past her ankles, missing the hem of her greatly disrupted dress by several inches; her entire body hurt, as if she had a dragon dropped right on her back and had somehow survived the bone-crushing weight. " _Ugh . . ._ my head is killing me . . ." she hissed.

"Yeah, fallin' and breakin' everyone else's fall 'll do that to you." she heard Blitzwolfer's voice chuckled sheepishly, his throaty growls sending vibrations from his chest through her back; it was an oddly pleasant feeling, like a relaxing massage for her weary muscles.

Her vision finally cleared up by that point and granted the witchling a clear view – it was admittedly still a little fuzzy around the edges – of Apple's concerned faces as she anxiously fussed over her like a worrisome mother hen, as if she were going to shatter at any moment. "Raven, are you alright?" she fretted.

"Yes, that was a rather nasty fall you took." Lizzie added.

"I'm fine . . . for the most part." Raven gave a low hum of relief as the pulsing pain in her head started to ebb away.

"Are you sure?" the Princess of Hearts pressed with tightly clasped hands. She couldn't help but feel responsible for the witchling's safety while in such an unfamiliar place – at least unfamiliar to her Ever After friends – that she had insisted on bring them to. After all, had it not been for her begging and pleading with Raven to try and reverse the horrible curse her horrid mother had placed upon Wonderland they wouldn't currently be in this mess, being treated like common criminals by a psychotic joker who seemed to run everything with an iron fist and then getting hurt in the process. Had she just kept her mouth shut and just cried herself to sleep that evening instead of pressing the witchling into bring them all here, none of this would have happened.

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes. " _Yes_ , Lizzie, I'm _fine_. Other than a giant-sized headache, I'm totally fine." she mumbled as she took to attempting to suppress the thumping sensation within her skull that stubbornly refused to leave her alone as quickly as she would like.

The gruff rumble of Blitzwolfer snapped everyone's attention towards the Loboan before any of them could repeat the question a second time and attempt to turn Raven just as insane as the Wonderlandians from frustration. "I think a more important question is, where the heck are we?"

"Finally, the lad's using his brain and asking the important questions." Skurd mumbled.

The group of maidens and resident alien ignored the Slimebiote's sarcastic remark and took in their surroundings. They were in a large room of sorts with a low ceiling through which rusted pipes covered in layers of mold and slime ran through and thus made the space feel even more small and cramped than it really was. A few drains and pipes opened up and allowed a disgusting, murky water that had the uncomfortable viscosity of fine mud or maybe even mucus to flood the room to about ankle height, giving off a faint, fetid odor not unlike that of rotting vegetation. Giant lilypads bigger than a wagon wheel were scattered about the indoor bog, upon which their party had taken shelter on. Bookcases that were falling apart and decrepit shelves were pushed against the walls with poorly kept books attempting to seek dry ground upon their shelves; the continuous sound of dripping water made Blitzwolfer cringe with every drop.

"What is this place?" Briar gagged, pinching her nose in disgust. "It smells awful in here!"

A loud snore drew their attentions towards the front of the room where a very peculiar creature sat back in his chair behind a desk, taking a nap without a care in the world. The odd-looking creature had the familiar shell of a turtle or perhaps a tortoise covered in small patches of moss that had mistaken him for a rock; given how little he seemed to move, Raven couldn't say she was surprised. The creature's arms were instead replaced by the flippers of a sea turtle with three dull claws along the edge that must have acted as fingers for when the bizarre looking creature was actually awake. The head was shaped like that of a bovine with a pair of ox-like horns sprouting from either side of the skull with moss and vines draping down like a thin veil. A simple neck tie hung around the dozing creature's neck, as if he were attempting to give off some sense of class while in near eternal slumber.

"Who or what is that thing?" Blitzwolfer raised an eyebrow. He had seen some rather unusual people and creatures ever since they had fallen into Wonderland, but this by far had to be one of the most strange.

As if on cue, the creature stirred with a loud snort and sleepily awoke from his nap with a wide yawn. "I am the Mock Turtle." he introduced himself with a smack of lips, as if tasting his own breath. "But do not mock me for I am every bit as good as a real turtle!"

Maddie beamed brightly. "Hiya, nice to meet you Mr. Mock Turtle, sir! Would you telling us where the schoodle-"

"This is detention. There is no escape." the Mock Turtle cut her off with a sluggish yawn while he fell back into slumber, earning an ireful pout from the interrupted Hatter. It were as if the entire introduction had sapped him of all his energy.

" _Quick!_ Lets escape!" Kitty hissed, nudging Briar in the shoulder and pointing towards an unattended door at the front of the classroom beside the sleeping Mock Turtle. The princess initially had her hesitations about sneaking out of detention of all places – the Evil Step Librarians handled generic detention back at Ever After High and they watched those entrusted into their temporary care like _hawks_ , as if they didn't trust the troublemakers that had ended up under their watch for a second – but given how lazy the Mock Turtle was, she hardly doubted they would have much trouble leaving.

After helping Raven to her feet and listening to her explain to a still worried Lizzie that _yes_ , she was fine and _yes_ , she could walk just fine on her own, the group hurriedly made their way to the door as quietly as possible. Surprisingly, it wasn't even locked and all it took a quick turn of the knob for them to open the door and make a dash to freedom; it sounded a little too easy.

Apple quickly discovered that it _was_ too easy when she stepped through the door first and found her shoes submerged in ankle deep swamp water for the second time that day. She wasn't sure how it was even possible, but they had ended up right back where they had started, right in the middle of the detention hall where they had been unceremoniously dropped like yesterday's garbage. Everything was the exact same, as if they had never left and were only just returning, everything from the bubbling cesspool of revolting bog water and leaky pipes to the overly humid atmosphere and thunderous snoring of the Mock Turtle, who was still asleep and completely oblivious to their escape attempt.

"What? No, it can't be!" Apple tugged at her blonde curls in bafflement.

"Come on!" Briar anxiously tugged her on the princess' arm as they ran at the door a second time. She was getting a bad feeling in her gut and if there was one thing her father had told her, it was to always trust her gut no matter the situation or matter at hand. With as much strength as she could muster, the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty rammed her shoulder into the door and banged it open with all her might . . . only to find themselves once again on the other side of the room from the door they had just left through and an absolutely ignorant Mock Turtle still sleeping on the job.

Lizzie was getting more and more frantic now. "This cannot be happening! This _cannot_ be happening!"

"Like hell it is!" Blitzwolfer growled as he pushed his way to the front of the group. Raven instinctively jammed her fingers as deep into her ears as possible, knowing exactly what was coming next. The rest of the girls were quick to follow as the Loboan drew in a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and firmly planted his hands as deep into the bog as they would go. A thunderous, ultrasonic howl that seemed to decimate the sound barrier erupted from the back of his throat and smashed into the door with enough force to blow it clear off its hinges and giving them yet another opportunity to escape. Blitzwolfer quickly bounded for the open door with the rest of the girls stumbling through the swamp right behind them . . . only to once again fall into the same trap for the third time in a row!

The Mock Turtle hadn't even stirred and continued to snore.

"Damn you, you accursed door! Damn you and your vexatious, infuriating, comedic ways!" Skurd shook his little pseudopod with fury from the collar placed upon his host. The series of dying beeps and blast of green light signaled that the Omnitrix had timed out and returned Ben to the world in the process, but if anyone noticed they didn't make any remark.

Their attention was instead quickly caught up by the shrill, heart-rending wail of absolute tragedy and despair from Lizzie as she collapsed to her knees and wept for all she was worth. She wept for the loss of her realm. She wept for the loss of her beloved homeland. She wept for the inevitable loss of dear mother and father. She wept for all the trouble and hardships she had put her friends through on this stupid quest on some off-kilter belief they of all people could return Wonderland to its previous glory. She wept for the pure sake of shedding as many tears and anxiety in as little time as possible to relieve herself of her sorrows. Even when Ben crouched down and pulled her into a strong, comforting hug in an effort to try and bring the flow of salty tears to an end, she buried her face into his shoulder and let him run his fingers through her hair while she continued to weep her hardships away. Her entire frame trembled with every sob she gave and her throat was dry and rasping from her eternal grieving.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie," Raven whispered while she knelt down and embraced the woebegone Princess of Hearts, unsure of what else she could do to show her just how sorry she was. One by one the rest of their rag tag group of heroes put their own anxieties aside to be there for the weeping princess who would lose everything she had once known in but a matter of hours; all they could do was offer their pity and comfort while they enveloped Lizzie in a tight embrace. " _I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry . . ._ "

The dripping pipes and the continuous snoring of the Mock Turtle refused to offer any solace.

* * *

Cerise only felt the hairs on the back of her neck relax when she had safely stepped over the threshold of the LiFairy doors and entered the silent sanctum of scholar. Massive floor-to-ceiling shelves covered a good portion of the LiFairy's upper floor space shrouded in shadows and dim lighting before leading to a short stair case that led to a more bright and well lit area that was used for reading and larger solitary studying; a good majority of the book shelves there were still knocked over and being slowly repaired after the incident with Apple.

"Lets split up. We'll cover more ground." Alistair instructed.

" _Shhhh!_ "

The Son of Alice in Wonderland sighed and muttered a soft apology to the Evil Step-Librarians while they threw a pair of stern, hawk-like glares at him that could have sliced him to ribbons like a pair of throwing knives. Why the two diabolical women wouldn't tolerate even the slightest of sounds was beyond him – it might have had something to do with the bitterness that came with being related to a far more successful step-sibling who was now a queen instead of a librarian – and he currently didn't care to further investigate the matter. He instead decided to take Bunny's hand and head off in one direction while Clawdeen and Cerise were left to take a different route through the labyrinth of books.

Cerise took a deep breath and sighed a second, weary sigh as she looked at the task before them, taking note of how long the aisle of books they had ended up in was and how high up it went, going several stories up into steady darkness that was only lit up by a few, spare lanterns filled with fireflies hung at the beginnings and ends of the bridges and walkways that criss-crossed their path overhead in a tightly knit pattern of intricacy. She wasn't exactly sure _why_ Ever After High even required such a massive space for books and old texts, but she had heard rumors of a forbidden section of books that were kept high above and out of the prying hands of students that were only available to a select few of the staff members; and even then, it was a quest all in itself to even retrieve one of the legendary books of prohibited knowledge. As far as hearsay went, no one had been allowed into the forbidden section ever since it had been constructed, which often confused Cerise as to why it had even been built in the first place.

That mattered little to her now. At the very least, it narrowed the amount of space they would have to search, as she was quite certain that a princess of Darling's upbringing would _never_ attempt to reach the forbidden books section unless given a hexcellent reason to break rules. That being said however, there was the possibility of her being teleported there by chance if what Alistair and Bunny claimed was true . . .

The Daughter of Red Riding Hood groaned in frustration and rubbed her temples. She _hated_ it when things were far more complicated than they needed to be – the one exception being her boyfriend on most occasions – and _loathed_ it when questions she asked never had simple answers. The half-breed wanted nothing more than to scale the towering bookshelves – she knew she could do it, she just never had much of a reason to – and begin searching the darkened, upper levels where she would be fear to explore without inhibition of her bloodline being revealed; she could have blazed through the entire forbidden section with blinding speed with her sensitive nose put to work and on all fours and her ears fully exposed for maximum effort, but she was stuck among those that would see her as little more than a monster if they knew the truth.

But searching the forbidden book section would require both of the headmaster's permission and then an explanation as to why they wanted to look through the prohibited books in the first place. And if Headmaster Grimm learned that they had been delving into the affairs of Wonderland against his wishes and after such a strict warning only several hours prior . . . it was going to be messy.

It was times like this that she envied the ghouls that she shared a man with. Even though they had been torn away from their world and dumped in a place that was only familiar to them by the vaguest means, they were free of any restrictions that kept her and her fellow fairy tales pinned down. They didn't have the pressure of following a predetermined fate, whether it was desirable or not, and even though they constantly received segregation from their now fellow classmates, they weren't the least bit bothered by it and tended to keep to themselves; they all lived under an uneasy truce.

"Even with our noses this is gonna take forever!" Clawdeen suddenly exclaimed, tearing her from her thoughts.

" _Shhhhh!_ " Cerise hissed violently. The Riding Hood fearfully glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone had overheard her partner and instinctively tugged her crimson cloak just a little tighter over her head just in case someone had happened to look their way.

The werewolf chewed her lip anxiously, waiting a full minute while her ears attempted to pick up any signs of approaching feet before relaxed just a few degrees. " _Sorry,_ " she whispered. " _Forgot about the whole 'Big Bad Father' issue._ "

" _Shhhhhhh!_ " a pair of more violent hisses came from several bookcases over, earning an ireful growl from Clawdeen as a response. How the Evil Step-Librarians managed to hear _her_ yet remain completely unaware of the young couple currently making out with one another on the other side of the bookshelf to her left was beyond her. With a low snarl from the back of her throat, Clawdeen flexed her fist and thumped heavily against the bookshelf to her left. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile when a pair of surprised and barely suppressed yelps came from the other side followed quickly by the impactful _smack!_ of a weighty book of some genre falling right between the startled couple and the ever insistent shushing of the Evil Step-Librarians.

"Don't worry about it." Cerise murmured quietly with the faint traces of a smile on her lips. Without another word she turned and continued down the corridor of books, leaving Clawdeen a tad perplexed.

The Riding Hood gave a deep sigh while she tried to push the images of a make out session between herself and a certain witchling out of her head. She had already come to terms with the fact that she had a crush on Raven – she was _so_ amazing to be around and it honestly surprised Cerise that more boys weren't practically throwing themselves at her the way they approached Apple – she was just nervous about what would happen when she worked up the nerve to express her feelings towards her. Raven was someone she deeply cared about and she couldn't bear the thought of her closest friend even remotely disliking her for any reason; she was after all the only that she dared to openly share her secret with.

Cerise just didn't know how long she would be able to keep up the false facade she had constructed to obscure her feelings before she would go absolutely mad; she just couldn't get Raven out of her head. She wanted to hug the witchling like a child embrace a well loved stuffed toy, she wanted to kiss her all over and tell her how much she adored her, she wanted to mark Raven as her own and protect her from the dangers of the world like a guard dog protecting their master. The Riding Hood wanted so much out of Raven . . . she just wasn't sure if Raven was ready to give anything in return.

The half-breed was so immersed in her thoughts that she almost didn't noticed the smell. The familiar smell . . . that familiar smelly smell that smelled . . . smelly. It was the smell that Cerise realized with wide eyes and swelled heart that belonged to the ashen and amaranthine goddess that she worshiped so secretly worshiped, the mortal celestial whose aroma of dark magic and sweet lilacs made her pulse pound and her throat dry up. Her sharp, hazel eyes flickered about for any sign of her quarry as she hurried back out onto the main floor of the LiFairy until she set her sights on a table stacked high with books under which a pair of familiar, faint, lavender leggings sat.

She couldn't express her relief as Cerise rushed over to the table with an excited smile. " _Raven!_ "

What she was met with when she pushed the books aside however, was anything but her magically-gifted demigoddess. Instead it was the vindictive, spiteful, and all around bitter face of Duchess Swan babbling away on her Mirrorphone without a care in the world before she had been so rudely interrupted that Cerise was unfortunate enough to meet. " _As if!_ And no talking in the LiFairy!" she honked indigently. "So anyway, she was like 'yes way' and he was like 'no way' and she like 'uh yes, way' and he was all like . . ."

The Daughter of Red Riding Hood sighed in exasperation and bit back the furious growl waiting to be unleashed at the back of her throat and walked back over to the section books where Clawdeen was waiting for her with a confused expression. "They're not here." Cerise grumbled sourly.

"I take it you didn't find anything either?" Alistair guessed when he and Bunny caught up with the two wolf-born a few moments later, earning a pair of ireful glares and a faint growl from the werewolf as an answer.

" _Hexcuse me!?_ This is a LiFairy! Stop people are _trying_ to study here!" Duchess abruptly snapped rudely before returning to the rather obnoxiously loud conversation she was having on her phone. "What? No, not me! Now, as I was saying, he was all like 'no way' and she was all like 'yes way' and then she grabbed that new pair of shoes she got at-"

" _SHHHHHHH!_ " the Evil Step-Librarians furious hissing sliced through the air, finally silencing the disruptive princess.

With the two calamitous curators of books practically breathing down their necks and threatening to burn searing hot holes right through their skulls if they so much as made another peep, the three fairy tales and werewolf stalked off to a more quiet section of the library to discuss their next move of action. This unfortunately, didn't generate many ideas as they had quite literally searched the entire school from top to bottom and everywhere in between, everywhere from the rooftops and the headmasters office to the school's rarely used dungeons and the dorms and even the Castleteria kitchen just in case their missing friends had somehow ended up stuck in an oven or one of the oversized cooking pots used to prepare Tiny Giant's lunches and meals.

"They couldn't have just vanished from the world." Alistair rubbed his chin in deep thought. He hated it when a mystery never presented clues or hints to aid in finding in the proper answer and it only aggravated him further when the solution was just out of reach; they were clearly missing something, but whatever it was it still eluded him.

Bunny sighed dejectedly. "But where else could they have gone? We looked everywhere!"

Clawdeen crossed her eyes to seemingly glare at her the tip of her nose accusingly, as if it were a traitor to their cause. "The nose knows an' if there's one thing my nose knows, it's that they ain't here."

"There's just something we aren't getting." Alistair mumbled to himself. "But what?"

Their answer soon came in the form of a book. A very large catalog of healing balms that could be made from various magical plants with a myriad of effects falling from the top of a high shelf and landing on the floor right behind them with a thundering _smack!_ to be exact. Despite their initial surprise, the four of them instinctively craned their necks upwards and watched with amazement as books and manuscripts of varying titles and genres came flying off the shelves like a flock of disturbed birds before plummeting to the floor and landing all in a winding line one after the other; Bunny flinched every time a book struck the floor and Cerise and Clawdeen clapped their hands over their all too sensitive ears until the din had finally died down.

"Well . . . that was weird." Cerise narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

It was then that Alistair noticed something peculiar about the fallen books, ignoring the fact that they had seemingly flown from their designated shelves on their own accord. With his pulse quickening he removed Bunny's tight grip from his shoulder and hurried over to the start of the winding trail of literature, taking note of a very large and emboldened letter on the open page: an intricately written ' **R** '.

"Look at this," he gestured for Bunny, Cerise, and Clawdeen to come over. "Each book is open to a page that has an illuminated letter . . ."

Bunny gasped with recognition. "They must spell out a message!" she exclaimed joyously.

Alistair grinned and eagerly began to take in the highlighted letters while he followed the trail. " _Raven's spell to Wonderland did fly . . . in a Mock Turtle's dungeon at Wonderland High . . . seek help from the tea and hats guy-_ "

Clawdeen cut him off before he could read anymore. "Wait, hold up. Isn't this that crazy Riddlish language that you guys speak?"

"It only _sounds_ like a crazy language because you aren't a Wonderlandian," Alistair explained. "But yes, it's Riddlish. If my hunch is correct, Maddie must be sending us a message."

"What do you think it means?" Cerise wondered.

Alistair momentarily hummed as he put the words together in his head before speaking. "Raven's spell sent them to Wonderland and they're in detention. And we need to talk to the-" he translated before he was cut off by the voice of a hoarse vulture.

"For the last time, _shhhhh!_ What are you, mad as a Hatter?" one of the two Evil Step-Librarians rasped violently from behind her desk, only backing down with a very noticeable cringe when Clawdeen offered a ferocious growl and a good look at her fangs and claws as a rebuttal.

Bunny gasped with realization. "Wait . . . _mad_ . . . mad! I know where we have to go!" she exclaimed excitedly. Taking that as their cue that they had overstayed their welcome and would no longer be tolerated – no matter how much the two librarians were threatened by a certain lycanthrope – the three fairy tales and werewolf hastily left the LiFairy to make their way to the Village of Book End.

Had they stuck around a little longer, they might have enjoyed watching the two Evil Step-Librarians faint in shock at the sight of the fallen books flap their pages like wings and expertly shelve themselves once more without complaint.

* * *

The Mad Hatter's Tea Shoppe and Haberdashery was still as lively and colorful as ever, despite the fact that one of its most devoted employees was certainly missing in action. Top hats with wings absentmindedly flitted about through the air while tea cups and tea pots happily skipped and hopped about across the floor, eager to offer their services to any of the tea shop's customers whether they were requested to or not. Doors located on the walls next to stairs that led up and across the ceiling would occasionally bang open and offer a glimpse to some far off, exotic place of origin before clapping shut once more; Alistair could have sworn he saw a coral reef on the other side of one of the doors and mermaid give him a friendly wave and flick of her tail before the hatch snapped back shut.

The Mad Hatter himself busied and bustled about like a brightly colored bee with his extravagant suit and iconic top hat. "Oh, now that is hat-larious! Maddie? In Wonderland? I don't believe!" he laughed with glee. "Even with the worlds sealed, she still manages to get locked in eternal detention! That's my girl! I'm so proud of her!" he chuckled. "She's just like her old man, you know, I was in detention every other day and every other day as well!"

The mountain of sweets and tea cakes and the teetering towers of flowing tea cups the Mad Hatter flung forth with surprising grace and accuracy was astonishing and soon enough, Alistair, Bunny, Cerise, and Clawdeen were practically buried up to their necks in food; naturally, the two wolf-born were the first to dig after murmuring a polite 'thank you' in between bites.

Alistair however, was not feeling all that hungry. "Okay, if you were there so often," he attempted to steer the conversation back towards the matter at hand while pushing aside a stack of tea cups. "How do they get out?"

The Mad Hatter laughed as he tossed the half-full tea kettle he was carrying into his hat and sat down in a chair at the table they had claimed, his long, lanky legs bunched up against his chest so that he looked like a jack-in-the-box just waiting to pop out and surprise someone. "Oh, that's easy! I use to do it all the time!" he grinned. "There's a Wonderland High rule that not many people know about! In fact . . . _I don't even know!_ "

"'ou canthnot be theriosth." Clawdeen glared with exasperation through a mouthful of food at the Hatter's realization.

"Well, you see, I have a rememory problem. I forgot!" the Mad Hatter explained.

Alistair sighed and tapped his chin in thought. While he was grateful to the Mad Hatter for acting as their temporary guardian and keeping tabs on them as a service to her majesty, the Queen of Hearts, as well as their respective parents, there were times when the Hatter's child-like enthusiasm was less than appreciated. Namely, when the Son of Alice in Wonderland was so embedded in solving a mystery that potentially involved the lives and well being of his close, childhood friends. Thankfully however, growing up with the nonsensical whimsy that was considered normal in Wonderland – as well as a mentally unstable mother – helped him build up impressive levels of tolerance and patience.

"Well, I know a rememory game." he said. "Just say the first word that pops into your head!"

" _Foot!_ " the Mad Hatter replied eagerly. "Oh, I like this game!"

"Jabber . . ." Bunny prompted.

" _Walking!_ " the Hatter answered.

"Horse . . ." Cerise joined in once she had swallowed.

" _Fly!_ "

"Diamond . . ." Clawdeen goaded.

" _Ring!_ "

"Dragon . . ." Bunny attempted.

" _Fruitfly!_ "

"Escape . . ." Cerise tried.

" _Tea-scape!_ "

Now that they had gotten the hang of the game, Alistair then made an effort to try and help the Mad hatter fully jog his memory. "Detention . . ."

" _Tiddlywinks . . ._ " the Hatter trailed off, his finger unconsciously tapping his knee as if he were on the threshold of her discovering something new that was _just_ out of his grasp before he gasped with remembrance. "That's it! _Tiddlywinks!_ "

Clawdeen gave the cheering bedlamite a skeptical look as he happily performed a victory dance that was none too short of embarrassing. "You're sure we wanna go with this guy?"

"Unless you've got a better plan in that massive chest of yours, yes." Cerise snarked with a teasing grin. Much to her amusement, the werewolf huffed indigently and subconsciously folded her arms over her large bust with a fierce, mahogany blush upon her cheeks.

"I withdraw the question."

* * *

The rattling of the pipes as volatile liquids and substances flowed through them provided little alleviation to the greatly distraught Daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Even though Lizzie had long since run out of tears longing for release from their tightly knit prison, she refused to even consider letting go of Ben even after the other girls had left her to aimlessly wander about the Mock Turtle's dungeon of eternal detention with nothing better to do. With her spike-like nails digging into the fabric of his suit and the flesh of his arm and shoulder, Ben was left with the duty of acting as Lizzie's makeshift security blanket, not that he minded that much.

The Princess of Hearts was, in a word, broken. She was like a shattered mirror whose pieces had been thrown to and scattered by the four winds, never to be returned to their rightful place or shape. Her mind was blank, her emerald orbs locked wide open, her jaw clenched, and her voice barely more than a raspy whisper as she murmured incomprehensible things too quiet for Ben to pick up to herself. He was her last lifeline to sanity, the one constant that was keeping her from utterly falling apart and descended into the darkest depths of madness.

The clock whose hands always seemed to tell the wrong time that was looped around Kitty's tail rung ominously.

"Four o'clock. Brillig. My mother's birthday party starts in a few minutes." Lizzie sniffed softly to herself, her voice strained and devoid of empathy or emotion; she was dead inside, a hollow, tormented, china doll of her former self.

"Isn't there _someway_ to get out of here?" Briar wondered with exasperation.

Kitty sighed. "I would teleport out of here to get help, but my powers aren't working." she offered before she flashed a bright smile and swiftly disappeared in a fluttering. Shimmering shower of sparkling light, only to reappear mere seconds later in the exact same spot she had been. "See? No good."

Briar moaned. "This could take a hundred years!"

"Ah, chin up. You could sleep right through it, Briar!" Maddie giggled, oblivious to the way the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty groaned and cradled her frustrated features in her hands.

Apple sucked in a deep breath to try and calm herself before speaking up. "Okay, everyone, we just need to stay calm and think about the problem _logically_. Maybe there's something in this room that could help us escape. Or give us a clue?"

"The girl has clearly lost her mind." Skurd mumbled. "There is _nothing_ logical about this."

"Still, you have to give her points for a positive attitude." Ben shrugged before returning his attention back to the greatly perturbed princess in his arms. Her nails were starting to really dig into his skin and cut off the circulation to his arm, but any attempt to try and loosen Lizzie's hold just long enough for his skin to return to its normal color was beyond hopeless; she was too cracked and he couldn't stand seeing her, much less anyone else like that. It didn't sit well with him, not at all. She had once been the mighty and powerful heiress to a country whose very nature justified her almost apocalyptic temper . . . and now with everything crumbling around her, she was but a hollow husk of what she had once been with nothing but him to keep her from fully falling apart.

Ben ran his fingers through her ebony and crimson locks and she responded just the slightest by leaning further into his embrace, as if she were trying to bury herself in him to hide away from the horrors of the world. He knew she was scared – it was as clear as the stuffed flamingo perched upon her head – and he honestly where she was coming from. He hid it well, but he was always scared whenever he ran into battle with that tiny voice in the back of his head questioning his every move and wondering whether this would be the fight that would finally claim his life. The brunette attempted to mask it with overconfidence and sarcastic wit mixed together with that charismatic charm that seemed to draw the girls towards him like flies to honey, but deep down . . . he was just as scared as Lizzie.

The loud hiss of an unstable tea kettle cut through his thoughts and he looked up to see the small, decorative teapot in the brim of Maddie's oversized top hat whistle violently as the steam pouring from the neck forced it to shoot off like a rocket. The kettle bounced and ricocheted around the room, banging and clanging off the pipes overhead before it finally knocked the end cap off of one of them and released a fresh torrent of unidentifiable sludge down upon Apple and Raven, dousing them in the stuff.

"Ugh, this place is _hextremely_ icky." Raven shuddered in disgust as she wiped some of the grim from her face. "Somebody better think of something fast."

"We tried _everything_." Kitty mewed disappointingly.

"And the only door out leads us right back in!" Briar added.

"We really will be here for life!" Apple panicked.

" _That's longer than forever!_ " Maddie exclaimed hysterically.

Ben watched in near disbelief as the girls descended into absolute delirium and pandemonium, yanking and carelessly tossing books off shelves in a frenzied search for a secret passage of some kind to aid in their escape or desperately trying to rouse the dozing Mock Turtle from his eternal slumber with little to no success. Kitty had somehow ended up on the ceiling and was slowly making her way down the walls, leaving deep claw marks where her nails had heavily gouged the wood in a panicked recklessness. Maddie was repeatedly taking running starts and throwing herself at the only door to the detention cell over and over again, only succeeding in breaking it down occasionally and ending up right back in the middle of the bog-filled dungeon where she had started, only to charge blindly at the door again without pause until there was a continuous stream of Maddies and broken doors running nonstop.

"How long has it been?" the wielder of the Omnitrix glanced at Skurd.

The Slimebiote hummed for only a brief second before answering. "One minute. Give or take a few seconds."

Ben shook his head. "This is madness."

"We're all mad here . . ." Lizzie muttered quietly into his chest. "They're mad . . . I'm mad . . . even you're mad . . ."

"How do you know I'm mad?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"You must be, or you wouldn't have come here . . ."

"She's lost it." Skurd sighed.

"I hate to agree with you, but . . ." Ben trailed off as he place his hand upon Lizzie's delicate, ivory digits and rubbed soothing circles into the back of her wrist with his thumb in an effort to try and calm the worrisome princess. A comforting sigh of relief came from her as she nestled just a hair deeper into his frame, deeply inhaling the scent of his suit jacket and squeezing him just a little bit tighter; it were as if she was scared that he, her one constant, her rock, her unbreakable pillar, would be torn away from her when she needed him most.

At this point, they needed a miracle. Any miracle would do really, but what . . ?

"You can push books? Why, that's hat-tastic!" Maddie suddenly exclaimed.

The natural reaction, of course, was for everyone to stare at the Hatter for having the gall to disrupt their carefully constructed chaos. "Um, who is she talking to?" Briar wondered.

"She thinks she can talk to 'narrators'." Raven explained with a pair of friendly air quotes to match.

"Hey, with the stuff she knows, don't knock their existence." Ben lightly defended the Hatter. He was still apprehensive of the existence of beings that dictated the very actions of him and his friends and lovers – even if he was aware of beings that could quite literally wish all of existence away with but a thought and then bring it all back with but a snap of their fingers – but given how Maddie was aware of some of the more . . . _intimate_ moments between him and his ghouls, he wasn't about to fully denounce them just yet.

"Quiet in class if you please!?" Maddie shouted with mild irritation. "I am trying to communicate with our invisible friend."

"Yeah . . . right." Briar took a few steps back . . . just as a precaution, of course.

Naturally however, this went completely unnoticed by Maddie – that or she just didn't care – and expectedly turned her attention towards the ceiling. "Narrator? We need your help!" she proclaimed.

"As you humans say, 'another one bites the dust'. Now we've got too complete loons." Skurd muttered depressingly.

Regardless (or ignorant) of the Slimebiote's quiet heckling, Maddie gasped and clapped her hands excitedly. "Look at the teacup drawing!" she pointed eagerly before spinning around and turning her finger's attention towards a faint scribble upon the wall. "And there! And there, too! And there, there, and there! And even there! _That's it!_ " she cried happily.

"What's it?" Apple raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Maddie bounced over to the slumbering Mock Turtle's desk and pointed towards a teacup drawing that had been carved into the lower right hand corner like some sort of Wonderland graffiti. The image started out in a spiral to form the 'bowl' of the cup before curving into a fancy handle and then descending down into a small, matching platter that ended with the hastily written letters 'M.H.' engraved into the wood. "Those are my dad's initials," Maddie explained. "He used to be in detention _all_ the time! In fact, he was famous for getting out of detention."

"You mean 'getting into' detention?" Raven asked with apprehension.

"Nope, getting out!"

Apple was the first to catch on. "So there _is_ a way out!"

"But how can we ask the Mad Hatter if no one even knows to look for us here?" Kitty moped.

Maddie once again turned towards the ceiling for answers and fell silent for a few seconds, as if she were listening to a debate happening overhead; Raven rolled her eyes towards the ceiling as well, but was met with nothing more than the already too familiar sight of interlocking pipes filled with volatile substances overhead. "Good!" Maddie suddenly proclaimed. "Narrator, if you can push a book, then I have an idea!"

With further ado, the Daughter of the Mad Hatter then proceeded to begin knocking random books off shelves.

"Not a word, Snot Rocket." Ben murmured out of the corner of his mouth.

The Slimebiote folded his arms over his chest with a dignified huff of annoyance. "I'm not the one dating her, lad."

Before the brunette could offer a retort, he felt Lizzie's grip on him tighten just the slightest that it pulled his attention towards her. A wave of relief washed over him when he looked into those stunning, emerald orbs of hers and found just a hint of a shining spark of the former princess that he once knew not too long ago, the one who wouldn't stand for anyone – not even a petty court jester – to steal her birthright and lay claim over the land that she loved with all her heart, the one who could make even playing cards as lethal as a sword and look absolutely stunning while doing it, too.

"You gonna be alright?" Ben asked even though he knew it was a stupid question. The burning desire to make one Courtley Jester little more than a sorry little smudge that crackled and smoldered like a hungry flame in her eye was more than a good enough answer.

"Of course. What kind of future queen would I be if I let me taken over by a literal fool?" Lizzie scoffed, though her grip never faltered on him when she turned to look at him directly. "This isn't exactly easy for someone of my lineage to say, but . . . thank you. I honestly don't know where I would be right now if you hadn't insisted on coming with me to save my mother."

Ben flushed a bright crimson in color as a response. "Well, uh, you know . . . the others, um, helped, too . . ." he chuckled bashfully.

"Still," Lizzie sighed deeply while she rested her head in the crook of his neck and rested herself upon him as if he were a portable mattress, much to his embarrassment. "I appreciate you the most. To think the great Ben Tennyson helped the humble heir of Wonderland's throne save her mother from dethronement." she drawled with sarcasm and wit at her disposal.

"Please, the lad's ego is already big enough. Stop inflating it while you still can!" Skurd practically begged of the Princess of Hearts.

Before Ben could think of a descent retort he was once again cut off, this time by an overexcited Maddie – arguably however, this was the Hatter's natural state of being. " _TIDDLYWINKS!_ " she exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

Apple blinked with disbelief. "Tiddlywinks?"

"You mean like the game?" Raven wondered.

Maddie simply nodded. "Yep! That's what they said he said! 'Tiddlywinks will free you'!"

As if she had spoken the magic words, the Mock Turtle abruptly and finally awoke from his slumber – Ben was beginning to wonder if the odd-looking creature had actually had a heart attack and passed away in his sleep after remaining so oblivious to their shenanigans without even being disturbed once – with excitement in his tired, rasping voice. "Oh, a challenge!" he cried with glee. "It has been so long: 'An obscure school rule: if you declare a challenge and then pass the proficiency test, you are released from detention'."

"So . . . it's like a 'Get out of Jail Free' card?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"Not sure you're what you're talking about, but it sounds right to me!" Kitty flashed that ever familiar Cheshire smile of hers.

Much to Ben's surprise, Lizzie hurriedly climbed to her feet and proceeded to then all but practically drag him through the slime-filled bog that covered the floor and over to the Mock Turtles desk where a game of Tiddlywinks, complete with brightly colored chips and a waiting, plastic cup, sat and waiting. "If I win at Tiddlywinks, we get out?" she bargained while Ben righted himself and attempted to shake himself free of the excess moisture in his pant leg.

The Mock Turtle leaned down to regard the Princess of Hearts with narrowed eyes, as if she were a fly that had landed on the tip of his nose that he had only just noticed and was struggling to see. "Actually, any kind of trial by combat will suffice. The acting vice principal today is the Red Knight, so . . . that would be swords! Oh, what fun!" he clapped his flippers together like a happy seal.

"This does not bode well." Skurd remarked warily.

The Slimebiote was quickly proven right when the Mock Turtle then yanked down on a worn, rusty chain whose protesting groan was quickly followed by the shrill whistle of hot steam slicing through the sleepy, afternoon air high overhead. A faint, low hum of confused chatter accompanied the sound of ancient gears groaning and moaning in protest as they were forced to finally be put back to work after who knew how long of a rest. The rumbling of pistons whose slumber had been disturbed after an age filled the air and a frighteningly loud noise blocked out any other noise that attempted to be heard over the awful din.

Lizzie quickly realized this to be quite similar to the sound of water gushing and rushing down a suddenly unclogged drain and instinctively clung to Ben with a white knuckle grip when the lilypad they were standing on suddenly shifted underfoot and threatened to send them toppling into the disgusting cesspool of slime that covered the floor. Yelps of fright came from the other girls as they all attempted to stay balanced on their own lilypads, only to suddenly be blinded when the entire wall opposite of the gleeful Mock Turtle's desk slowly began to rise from the floor with the steady grinding of gears long forgotten.

"Why does this always happen to _meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?_ " Ben screamed as they went over the ominous lip of no return and were sent plummeting over the edge of the revolting waterfall of sludge and swamp water. It absolutely baffled him that a school – even if it was Wonderland of all places – would allow this much falling to happen to its students between classes. Generally, falling was to be avoided at any and all costs and if there was no chance to escape it then there usually was the comforting presence of a parachute or other means to slow ones descent. Wonderland however, did not offer such luxuries that he was pretty sure he would have killed for by now.

They were dumped unceremoniously in a heap of entangled arms and legs at the center of one of the many hedge mazes that covered the ground of Wonderland High, encompassing and walling them in with leafy barriers carefully grown and maintained to form intricate patterns of hearts and aces and clubs when viewed from the right angle. Ben was considering himself quite fortunate that if there was only one thing he could be glad he was lucky for since they had started their crazy adventure was that the Omnitrix had mistransformed him during any of their sudden falls; the thought of accidentally turning into Way Big and crushing his girlfriends into a bloody stain upon the ground did not sit well with him.

"That's it, someone get me a lawyer! I want to file a lawsuit with whomever runs this joint!" Skurd complained.

"I'm afraid any confrontation with any form of government will have to wait for a later time." Lizzie groaned as she peeled a large lilypad from her face. A faint sound came to her ears and her nerves were instantly set on edge when she realized with a chilling reality what it was. While she and Ben and the fairy tales apprehensively climbed to their feet, the noise got louder and her assumptions quickly proved to be correct when it was found that they were the voices of many eager and excited students all chanting the same thing over and over again, popping out form the labyrinth of green and cheering them on an almost blood lust quality:

" _Challenge! Challenge!_ "

" _Challenge! Challenge!_ "

" _Challenge! Challenge!_ "

" _Challenge! Challenge!_ "

" _CHALLLEEENNNGGEEE!_ "

"Stay back! Back, you barbarians! Back you ruffians!" Skurd demanded threateningly.

Briar swallowed nervously as she and the others were forced back to back at the center of the small clearing they had landed. "What does this mean? What's happening?" she asked nervously while Ben briefly contemplated one of the many Omnitrix disks fastened to his suit while Lizzie anxiously clutched his hand tightly.

"I could be wrong, but . . . I _think_ it's a challenge!" Maddie guessed.

Skurd of course, was sarcastic as always upon having the obvious stated one too many times. "And just what, dear girl, makes you think that?"

As if right on cue, the very large and very sharp point of a sword was thrust through the hedge wall directly in front of them, expertly carving out a perfect square in the wall of greenery before it suddenly exploded out in a shower of leaves and foliage that fluttered haphazardly to the ground at the feet of none other than the Red Knight; it may have just been the perhaps too dramatic lighting that was tricking his eyes, but Ben could swear that the crimson warrior actually looked _much_ more threatening than the last time they had encountered one another.

"This is just off the top of my head, but how about _him?_ " Maddie replied, only earning a groan of defeat from a weary Slimebiote.

Chase Redford's deeply distorted voice echoed across the hedge maze. "As acting vice principal, the rules decree that I must battle you!" he declared while he tightly gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and assumed a fighting stance.

"I guess this is where I come in."Ben frowned as he cracked his knuckles, stepped forward, and proceeded to slap the Omnitrix fixed firmly to his breastbone, swallowing him in a bright, green glow of metamorphic energy. His skin began to harden into a smooth covering, the little hairs on his body solidfying and rearranging themselves into little, spiked diamonds that rose up from his arms and fused together into a solid layer of crystal. With a series of loud crackling noises they traveled up the brunette's arm, traversing across his skin as his bones amalgamated with his shifting form. Ben's frame bent and warped loudly with a loud cracking noise when his height and size increased by several feet, his shoulders broadening and adding to his already impressive frame; his jawline pushed out into a large, charismatic fashion and his teeth melted together to form a pair of hard plates. The back of Ben's skull was pinched back into a sharpened crest and a pair of sharp blades tore out through the back of his shirt, adding to his considerable bulk. A black jumpsuit with a wide, green stripe down the front that highlighted his crystalline chest and muscles materialized upon his body with a green belt that held the Omnitrix and Skurd completing the transformation.

To his credit, Chase bravely stood his ground when the Petrosapien finally opened his eyes, as if he had just been awoken from a deep sleep, and slowly drew up to his full height. He easily towered over the Son of the Red Queen by a few feet and made his crimson armor look like little more than a cheap, cardboard costume that a child might craft out of masking tape and crayons. It was only when he watched Diamondhead's bulky, right arm crackle and tinkle like broken glass and morph itself into a curved and sharpened blade nearly as long as his own body did Chase very nearly lose his cool; the newly forged weapon easily dwarfed his own sword!

Swallowing nervously, Chase watched as the Petrosapien assumed a similar fighting stance to his own, his weapon of choice raised up and behind him in preparation for a devastating beginning or demolishing block and parry. For the longest time the two of them seemed to stand there, silently feeding off of the rousing chants and cheers of the gathered crowd to fuel themselves for the inevitable fight; the Red Knight felt his fingers twitch nervously and his grip falter just the slightest for a split second.

That was when he struck.

It should have been impossible for anything that hulking and massive to move that fast, but that was exactly what Diamondhead did and with surprising swiftness as well. Chase only just barely brought his sword up at the last second and blocked the attack, his breath caught in his throat as he strained to keep his blade steady under the Petrosapien's great strength and the intense pressure he seemed to so easily exert upon his sword. His heart was hammering in his chest like a drum and adrenaline coursed through his veins like fuel through an engine, sending him into overdrive as his survival instincts kicked in.

And like that, they were off. Like lightning and thunder they endlessly clashed with one another, expertly swiping and blocking and parrying every strike that was aimed at them before returning the favor full force, only to have the same motions repeated in a never ending circle of sweat and violence. The cheers of the gathered crowd served to sustain their dwindling energies as Chase attempted to go for a decapitating motion that involved exposing himself to the danger of being struck, but with the reward of defeating his opponent and maintaining the order he sought to uphold; he had no intention of actually injuring or hurting the Petrosapien – even though he highly doubted it could be done – but he was the only remaining agent of law and order. It had be enforced at all costs.

It was quite unfortunate then that Diamondhead took advantage of his exposed front and suddenly drove his foot into the Red Knight's stomach, forcing the wind out of him and sending him skidding back as his sword clumsily fell to his side, nearly falling from his grip. He felt a sudden breeze and he glanced out of the corner of his helmet to see the curved, crystalline blade of his opponent but a breath away from his neck, specifically where the jugular vein would have been beneath the armored suit. The Petrosapien laughed tauntingly with a smirk upon his features.

Chase gulped and sucked in a deep breath, pushing out the roar of the crowd in his ears and suddenly brought his broadsword up to smack the Petrosapien's blade away from him before expertly diving in with swift and rigid strikes and swipes of his blade in an effort to land a blow to his crystalline opponent. He could hardly believe how fast they were moving, two beings that should have been reduced to sloppy, but powerful swings and crushing blows rather than the lightning fest of fury they were putting on for everyone's amusement.

His heightened senses alerted him to the attempted downward swing that Diamondhead was trying to pull – a move that would be devastating if executed correctly – and he jumped backward at the last second just as the crystalline behemoth drove his weapon deep into the ground. Taking the momentary pause the Petrosapien made while he tried to free himself, Chase rushed forward with a yell and threw his entire weight into his opponent's chest, knocking him free and flat on his back where he then proceeded to thrust his sword at the Petrosapien's face; the blade hovered but an inch away from impalement.

Raven winced as the crowd became ecstatic at how the tables had turned, how the once mighty had fallen. Her throat was dry and she watched with tightly clasped hands as Diamondhead swung the curved blade that had once been his right arm and smacked the sword away from him long enough for him to hurriedly scramble to his feet and engage in combat once more. Sparks flew like lighting bolts as the weapons clashed with further fury and ferocity between them, blinding the Daughter of the Evil Queen with every strike so that it was like starring into the blazing light of the sun.

The height of the scuffle came when Chase made a daring dash and thrust of his weapon and just barely nicked the side of the Petrosapien's face, bringing the battle to an abrupt halt as the two of them stood there, absolutely breathless. The crowd had fallen silent and watched as Diamondhead slowly brought up his left hand to run a finger along the shallow groove that had managed to scar itself along the side of his skull. The Red Knight couldn't shake the feeling that he had just crossed a line that was never meant to be crossed.

"He's in trouble, isn't he?" Lizzie was unable to look away from the spectacle as what she could have sworn to be a low growl of sorts rumbled from the back of the Petrosapien's throat.

"You have no idea . . ." Apple whispered. Was it just the Princess of Heart's imagination or was that a faint smile upon the fair maiden's lips among a light, cardinal blush?

The crowd erupted into chaos as Diamondhead suddenly whipped his arm around and nearly knocked the sword from Chase's hands and proceeded to ram his shoulder into the Red Knight, nearly setting him off balance while the Petrosapien swung his weapon of choice a second time; the crimson warrior only just barely managed to block the second strike, wrestling with the blade in an attempt to turn things in his favor. The Son of the Red Queen's breath was in his throat now when he realized that his foe was barely even using the full of extent of his strength, not even using his free arm to try and steady his hold while they struggled; it was like he was being toyed with.

That only served to enrage the Red Knight even further. He had been relentlessly trained from the day he could walk and hold a sword in his hands to be his mother's living weapon. He lived to serve her and the other Two Queens, swearing his life to the blade and pledging his honor to protecting his majesty. Where most Wonderlandian children had spent carefree hours having endless tea parties, picking on the caterpillars, playing with the wild bandersnatches, and running about without a care in the world, he had been ruthlessly trained day in and day out without rest. He grew up without friends, only learning how to attack and defend, to serve and follow orders without hesitation, to always strive to be better than he had been yesterday no matter how much his body and mind ached without rest. Every night he would flop back into bed only to be woken up at the crack of dawn to resume the training that had gone long in to the night before.

Chase Griblig Redford was not about to let some random changeling make everything he had worked so hard for go to waste.

With a warrior's battle cry and a herculean surge of strength, the Red Knight unexpectedly shoved upward on his broadsword and succeeding in making Diamondhead stubble just the slightest, giving him an open to slice his sword out in a wide arch that forced the crystalline behemoth to take a step back. Another swing forced him to take another step backwards and a third was quickly blocked and disarmed by the Petrosapien as they hastily got back into the rapid rhythm of repeatedly attacking and defending themselves without end. The crowd of students was whipped into a frenzy by the chaotic display, their relentless cheering only fueling Chase's aggression as his swipes became more hostile and desperate.

It wasn't until he managed to deal a blow that Diamondhead just barely managed to block did things start to take a turn for the worst. With the Petrosapien briefly disoriented for the just the slightest moment, Chase roared with fury and thrust his sword forward with all his might.

 _ **SHLING!**_

" _WHOA!_ " Diamondhead grunted.

" _BEN!_ " Lizzie screamed.

The crowd fell absolutely silent and the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts felt her hands fly to her mouth in shock. Her face seemed to have paled several shades, as did Apple and Raven's while Kitty, Maddie, and Briar all cringed and winced at the grievous wound that Diamondhead had been dealt. The blade of Chase's sword was buried through the Petrosapien's gut straight up to the hilt, thrusting out from the other side amid a small shower of crystalline flakes that had been shaken free from the sudden eruption of cold, hard steel. For the longest time no one moved, as if none of them could quite believe that Diamondhead had just been stabbed right before their very eyes by the one they saw as a protector and enforcer of rules and law.

If it was any consolation, Chase looked just as horrified at what he had done.

After what felt like an eternity however, Diamondhead finally shook his head free of the mask of stupefaction he wore and grabbed hold of the sword's hilt with a heavy hand. His large fingers effortlessly and smoothly pulled the blade out as if he were merely sliding it out from its scabbard; there was no blood, no sign of extreme pain. Just a small flaking of crystalline dust and a tinkling sound like that of shattered glass as the Petrosapien easily filled and healed over the wound, much to everyone's shock and relief.

"Looks like we're getting' serious then." he remarked before turning to his parasitic partner. "Skurd? Mind hittin' me with your best shot?"

"As you command!" the Slimebiote faithfully saluted his host. He quickly proceeded to slither and ooze his gelatinous body over the massive, curved, and jagged blade of the Petrosapien while simultaneously tapping into the genetic database of the Omnitrix and selecting a suitable sample. A cracking, clattering noise like that of splintering rock filled the air as sharp, jagged cracks and rifts split themselves across the surface of Diamondhead's weapon, rapidly cutting deep grooves and channels that formed steadily darkening and fading islands of rock and stone. Bubbling, hot magma belched and oozed through the labyrinth of cracks, instantly catching fire and baking the air into an almost unbearable temperature that already had the Red knight sweating with fear.

Being stuck inside a portable, tin can didn't help matters, of course.

"Ooh, flaming sword!" Diamondhead grinned with the demeanor of a predator that had finally managed to corner its helpless prey as he glanced over his Pyronite-enhanced weapon. Chase couldn't decide which he was more scared of, the new weapon his opponent had just acquired or the fact that his broadsword had been pulled out of his foe's stomach with such carelessness, as if it happened on a regular basis."I take back half of everything bad I ever said about you."

"At your service." Skurd bowed with a hint of humor.

"Keep it up and I might take back everything."

"Don't tempt me, dear boy. I just might take you up on that offer." the Slimebiote seemed to smirk. "Now then, I believe we can both agree that this lad requires a good thrashing?"

"Word." Diamondhead concurred wholeheartedly. With a thunderous yell the crystalline behemoth thrust his flaming blade forward into a sharp, upward arc that effortlessly brushed off Chase's feeble attempt to block, batting him aside like he were a discarded toy that he no longer wanted. With surprising speed the Petrosapien brought the searing flames of the sword crashing down with the sound of breaking stone from where he had missed his initial target.

The Red Knight yelped as he ducked beneath a blindingly fast horizontal swing that had the potentiality of beheading him had he not moved in the nick of time – the scarlet plumes that decorated his helmet were just barely grazed and sizzled hotly like fresh bacon strips. At the last second he grabbed his sword by the blade with his gloved hand and held it over his head just as Diamondhead brought his own blade down like a mighty hammer upon the broadsword, threatening to snap it like a twig. Flames spat and hiss with every following blow as the Petrosapien repeatedly threatening to melt the crimson warrior's broadsword from the sheer heat that was being exerted.

Perhaps had Chase not been so busy cowering in his suit of armor and desperately trying not to give under the sheer amount of force that was being pounded into him he might have seen the kick coming. Well, he wasn't entirely sure what hit him until after he was sent sprawling across the courtyard and lying on his back, dazed, disoriented, and with a large dent placed in the breastplate of his armor. Propping himself up on his elbows he saw a large crystal thrusting out from the ground directly in front of the spot where he had been moments before, the blunt end almost matching the dent in his armor perfectly.

He also found himself but an inch away from the blazing hot tip of a Pyronite-encursted sword.

The Red Knight swallowed and looked up at the Petrosapien looming over him, a triumphant smirk upon his face that only broadened when the crimson warrior had finally noticed that his trusty broadsword had slid just out of reach. "As a not-so-friendly friend of my says, 'Game. Set. Match.'" he grinned, the flaming sword flaring up with heat for emphasis.

Chase was sweating in his scarlet suit of armor, though he wasn't sure if it was due to the extreme heat pouring forth from the smoldering sword or if he was just nervous. He had been bested by the changeling _again_ , and in the same day no less. He wasn't sure who he feared more at this point, the crystalline behemoth standing over him, his mother when she would learn of his defeat, or his employer when she realized that the girls she had spent so much time keeping in line escaped from his clutches; he quickly decided that he was more afraid of Courtley than any of the other two. The jester was notorious for being absolutely brutal when any one of her rules was so much as disobeyed, becoming a hurricane of pain and punishment beyond anything he thought possible of a mere mortal.

Frantic to recover victory from the jaws of defeat, the Red Knight desperately swung his legs around and delivered an unexpected kick to Diamondhead's knee, causing him to buckle under the unexpected blow. This gave Chase enough to make a mad scramble for his sword and hurriedly climb to his feet just in time to catch the Petrosapien's flaming blade, locking them in stalemate once more.

"Don't you ever give up?" Diamondhead grunted.

" _Never!_ " Chase shouted.

"You're starting to rub off on the lad, dear boy. He's starting to sound like you." Skurd commented. "Truly a frightening thought, if you ask me."

"And that half of everything bad I ever said about I took back, I take back." Diamondhead grumbled sourly.

"Don't paradox yourself, lad! _Fight!_ " the Slimebiote urged.

The two warriors of crimson metal and pale green crystal, as if in silent agreement with one another, simultaneously drew back their respective swords for another clash of molten rock and cold steel . . . only to suddenly be interrupted by the presence of a third sword!

The Red Knight's eyes widened and his voice seemed to take on a higher pitch of anger. " _You!_ "

"Oh, _now_ you show up! After I did all the hard work!" Diamondhead complained.

The White Knight merely bowed apologetically. "My sincerest apologies, but I had to wait my turn. It would be against the rules to do so, now wouldn't it?" he seemed to ponder for a brief moment before he swiftly undid the stalemate he had tied the three of them into with a single, upward thrust of his sword. "Now go! The queen needs you!"

"No one is going anywhere!" the Red Knight roared gruffly. "The rules clearly state that I _must_ battle them!"

The crimson warrior's ivory counterpart lightly tossed their sword in his grip and thrust it threateningly out at Chase. "Then you know that the rules also allow a champion to take their place!" the White Knight defiantly before hurriedly turning towards Diamondhead and the group of stunned fairy tales. "Run! Get to the queen's birthday party and save her! I'll hold him off!"

"Oh, no you don't! We're not going anywhere until you-" Diamondhead growled as the White and Red Knight's lunged at one another with a mighty clash of their swords, reinvigorating the crowd of entertainment-deprived students once more. The White Knight gave a mighty swing of his blade, the weapon clashing soundly against his scarlet counterpart's broadsword with a burst of sparks that forced him back in order to regain his balance.

Lizzie urged the Petrosapien. "Ben, come on! We must hurry!"

"We must make haste! We're not too late!" the voice of the White Rabbit cried frantically from one of the hedge maze's many inlets and outlets, the lagomorph anxiously hopping from his left to his right foot and wincing every time the swords of the two knights clashed over the din of the crowd. "Come with me! To the palace!"

Diamondhead took another glance back towards the battle just as the White knight blocked another attack aimed at his torso, his alabaster armor rattling as he struggled and strained against Chase's fury. He looked back the other way and saw the retreating backs of Raven, Briar, Kitty, and Maddie as Apple led them after the fleeing White Rabbit between the roaring crowd and through the hedge maze's leafy corridors; only Lizzie remained restlessly waiting for him, wearing a pleading look that he cursed himself for being unable to resist.

"I'm not retreating! I'm just running away in a manly fashion!" he barked over his shoulder while he made a mad dash for the lingering Princess of Hearts and took her waiting hand in his gigantic, crushing digits as delicately as possible. Using her other hand to hike her skirt up to keep pace with the Petrosapien, Lizzie led them through the winding, confusing layout of the labyrinth of greenery, always remaining just a few paces behind their friends when they turned corners and whipped around bends. Eventually, after much running, they came to another courtyard in the middle of the maze from which a large bush carefully trimmed into the shape of a teapot stood proudly in the very middle.

The White Rabbit bounced and scrambled his way up to the lid of the hedge and pulled out his pocket watch from the depths of his coat. "Quickly now! Down the rabbit hole." he frantically gestured for them to follow him while he drew his finger counterclockwise along the watch face of the timepiece. The top of the teapot-shaped bush suddenly opened up in a blast of bright, golden light like a secret hatch. "There's not a moment to lose!"

Lizzie panted lightly as she struggled to keep her dress from tripping herself up, only now just beginning to mentally curse the outlandish dress code they had been given. Had she not looked up in time, the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts probably wouldn't have noticed the way Kitty had fallen behind the rest of the group until she was running even with her and Diamondhead with that ever present and leering smile upon her lips that almost always signaled that trouble was soon to follow. "I'll go ahead. Cheshire cats travel light and always with a smile!" her grinned seemed to broaden as she gave a sudden jump and delivered a quick peck to the Petrosapien's cheek. "Be safe!"

By the time the frisky feline had vanished in shower of glittering light, Lizzie and Diamondhead had already made it to the teapot-shaped hedge just as Raven and Apple grabbed the others hand and jumped in unison down the waiting rabbit hole, with Maddie gleefully tucking herself up into a cannonball and Briar merely hoping there would be a soft landing when they soon followed suit.

Lizzie gave a startled yelp when Diamondhead gave a sudden tug on her arm and effortlessly hauled her into the air and onto his back between the two sharp blades that sprouted from his shoulders. "You ready?" he asked the princess.

"Do you even have to wonder, Ben?" she smiled adventurously, securing and locking her grip around the Petrosapien's thick jawline with determination in her eyes. With a running leap, the two of them jumped straight down the rabbit hole without hesitation, plummeting down towards who knew where as the White Rabbit hopped and closed the secret entrance behind them.

* * *

Sparrow Hood was in absolute bliss.

At first, he had been so apprehensive of the smooth, green-skinned ghoul with the bright, fiery hair and cute, curved fangs when she beckoned him to follow her with that alluring curl of her claws and pointed nails that seemed to pull him closer and closer like a fish on a hook. As he faintly recalled, the ghoul wasn't particularly fond of him for . . . some reason that he couldn't quite remember; he just knew that she hadn't liked him back then. Now however, she seemed to have taken a sudden interest in him . . . it was rather unexpected, but the Son of Robin Hood felt that it felt almost . . . natural.

" _Trust in meeeeee . . . just in meeeeee . . ._ " her voice was absolutely hypnotic when she sang, the way it seemed to curl itself around him and wrap in a sudden chill that sent shivers up his spine. " _Shut your eyes . . . trust in meeeeee . . ._ "

Sparrow found himself helpless to obey – not that he would have hesitated for a chance to continue listening to her mesmerizing voice – and felt his eyes slowly droop shut. He had been so stressed out before, wasting his time belting out off-key melodies for . . . someone or something that he couldn't remember, but now he felt _so_ relaxed, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His legs might as well have been made of melted metal as he slowly, sluggishly, blindingly followed the sound of the ghouls entrancing voice as she sang. The curl of her claws just barely grazing his skin felt like an electric charge as her fingers agonizingly walked themselves up his chest and gave a teasing scratch under his chin.

" _You can sleep, safe and sound . . ._ " the mortal goddess' voice felt like it was gently caressing him with her oh, so soft hands. " _Knowing I am around . . ._ "

His eyes felt _so_ heavy. The conman couldn't help but wonder how in the name of the ancestors he managed to continue following the sound of the ghoul's hypnotic tones whenever they were just too far out of reach of his ears for his liking. His body felt so tired but in a way that it felt _good_ , like all his worries and concerns were simply being washed away by the vexing vixen's vox. Her voice felt like it was slowly and proactively wrapping itself around him, the sweet sound of her singing only being highlighted with her taunting and teasing touch that impinged in all the right places and released _so_ much stress; the thief's muscles might as well have been soup by now.

" _Slip into silent slumber . . . sail on a silver mist,_ " the siren's song continued on. " _Slowly and surely your senses will cease to resist . . ._ "

Sparrow was quite certain he didn't _want_ to resist. That would mean tearing himself away from the ghoul's gorgeous voice and he most certainly didn't want to do that. Her singing was sweetly sensational and the accompanying, provocative motions only solidified her sway over him. Her skin was soft beyond words, like that of silk when her cool hands slowly slid their way across his warm, limber arms while they occasionally felt him up just to see how muscled he was. The very tips of her claw-like nails patiently glided their way around his collarbone, striking all the right points as her hands descended upon his shoulders and began to work out the tense knots in his tissue; she was giving him a massage.

" _Just relax . . . be at rest,_ " her voice purred in his ear, the very tip of her tongue lightly digging its way into the auditory cavity and sending a pleasurable shiver up his spine. " _Like a bird in a nest . . ._ "

At this point the Son of Robin Hood was absolute putty in her hands, his body going completely limp and inert while he felt a big, dopey smile creep its way across his face. He was in heaven right now, being waited upon hand and foot by the goddess of his dreams as she serenaded him with a voice as sweet as sugar to please his musical senses. He just wished he could open his eyes to gaze upon her beauty once more, but he didn't dare disobey her alluring, tantalizingly, hypnotic tune for fear of her ending the song preemptively.

" _Trust in meeeeeee . . . just in meeeeeee . . . shut your eyes . . . trust in meeeeeee . . ._ "

He could sense that her voice was waning, that she was ending her performance long before he was ready to let her go. " _More . . ._ " he begged, his voice little more than a whisper.

" _Hmmmm_ . . . nah." was the last thing he heard before he was suddenly blasted in the face by a wet spray of something that vaguely smelled like sugar but was sticky like honey at the same time.

Sparrow gave a sharp yelp and awoke from his trance with a start, instinctively bringing his hands up to wipe the odd concoction from his face, only to find that they were firmly pinned to his sides. The conman struggled and wriggled about like a worm when he realized that his legs were bound as well and something was preventing him from fully screaming out in panic.

The thrashing about came to an abrupt halt when he heard that familiar, sickeningly sweet voice call to him. "You can struggle all you want, little bird, but you'll only make them hungrier."

"V-Venus . . . you're starting to scare me." a second, less familiar voice shivered uncomfortably.

The Son of Robin Hood's eyes widened with fear and shock when he was suddenly spun around and came face to face with the aforementioned plant-monster ghoul as she lounged on a large rock in the warm rays of the sun. Now that he at least knew who his captors were, he was able to take in his surroundings and current situation and realized that he had been taken – or walked, he couldn't really recall – Enchanted Lake, the shaded pond a fair distance from the Village of Book End that was unofficially claimed as Duchess Swan's property. It was a place where he had been ocassionally invited/dragged to by the swan maiden and it was where she went to calm her mind and dance upon the water's surface through means no one quite fully understood. The pond was of considerable size, sheltered by ancient oaks and an apple tree that offered fresh fruit whenever Duchess got hungry, looming over stands of cattails and reeds that offered protection to smaller fish and frogs from the fishing birds that occasionally stopped by for a light snack.

There were two things that Sparrow was quite certain of however. The first was that the thick, thorny vines that were tightly coiled around his body and slowly squeezing him like some kind of enormous python most certainly didn't belong there. The second was that there was a pile of discarded clothes at the base of the rock that Venus sat upon by the water's edge, an amused and seductive expression upon her lips.

"I know you like it, Sweet Mango," her voice purred and it sent shivers of fear up the conman's spine now that he was in her web of greenery. "But I'll try and dial it back for you."

Sparrow's eyes flickered about as he tried to pinpoint exactly who the plant-monster ghoul was talking to before he set his sights on a head of damp, unkempt, mauve and magenta hair beneath which a pair of crystal blues starred skeptically back at him just above the water line. It took little time for even the Sparrow's nigh microscopic brain to put two and two together, to which he was greatly horrified.

The thief groaned with despair. "Why does Sparrow always see the creepy monster chicks naked?"

The surface of Enchanted Lake bubbled and frothed slightly when Jane released a severely irritated growl from the back of her throat. "If I recall, your first encounter with a 'naked, creepy monster chick' as you call us was entirely _you're_ fault. I am not to be held accountable for any injuries that may involve mutilation by talons or severe pecking simply because you could not mind your own business."

Venus gave a flattered smile. " _Awww_ , did my little Sweet Mango get jealous while I was having lunch?" she smiled sweetly. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Jane blushed a deep cardinal as a response and sank a few inches deeper into the pond. She was already embarrassed by the fact that Sparrow had come to while she was having a swim – they still hadn't had a chance to purchase a proper swimsuit for her, even though they had talked about going to a place called Looking Glass beach one of these days when things were relatively peaceful – and Venus' affectionate ribbing was doing little to disperse the heavy shade of crimson upon her features. She was already envious that Venus had been forced to work her irresistible charms on the Son of Robin Hood in order to get him to cooperate with them – even though her ghoulfriend greatly expressed how much she hated seducing someone that wasn't her boyfriend or any of her other spouses – and honestly couldn't wait to be rid of him; his atrocious choice of music was absolute murder on her heightened ears.

His voice, even when defeated and captured, was just as grating. "How'd I get here? And for that matter, what do you two chicks want with a hot man like Sparrow? That Ben guy not treatin; you right or somethin'?"

Venus scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "As if," she grumbled with disgust. "For your information, we've been assigned to keep you away from Dexter's date while Ginger and the ghouls set him up with Cupid. A much more suitable match than Rosabella, if you ask me; as for how you got here, all it took was some 'Pollen of Persuasion' and the rest, as they say, is history."

Sparrow frowned angrily, mostly because he had been manipulated so easily by someone who was so outrageously gorgeous. "That was not in the deal!" he spat.

Jane suddenly became very interested and cocked an eyebrow as she swam towards the pond's edge, where the conman was suspended high above the ground by a series of monstrous vines that wrapped and curled themselves around the branches of the canopy overhead, as if he were a pinata of sorts just waiting to be whacked. "Deal?"

The musician promptly clammed up right then and there. If there was one thing that his employer had made clear when they "liberated" him from his lengthy detention sentence in exchange for a private concert by the 'Sparrow-man', it was to keep their identity a secret at all times. Should the secret be revealed, the 'Sparrow-man' was going to find himself with an even longer detention sentence without any hope of escaping.

"Uh, what deal? Sparrow doesn't know any deal." he quickly attempted to cover his tracks. "Unless you're talking about _the_ deal, which would be me, Sparrow Hood, because Sparrow Hood is totally the deal! And a big one, too!"

"You're a big something alright . . ." Venus muttered under her breath as she shifted herself up to sit on her knees. The plant-monster ghoul then proceeded to beckon him towards her with a slow, seductive curl of her claws and Sparrow found himself being lowered from the treetops and brought up nice, close, and personal with his captor as the vines obeyed their mistress. "Enough games. You know what we're talking about here."

"Sparrow doesn't know what you're talkin' about. _Ohhhh!_ "

Jane instinctively jammed her fingers in her ears, finding the conman's off-key crooning to be incredibly abrasive to her sensitive senses. It set her nerves on edge, and not in the good way whenever she was getting nice and cozy with Ben, Venus, or Robecca; it felt instead like she was being attacked by hundreds of freezing needles being jabbed into her skin. "Is there not someway we can keep him quite while we question him?" she pleaded with her ghoulfriend.

"I guess it's time for some more 'Pollen of Persuasion'." the plant-monster ghoul relented. While it was considered unethical and taboo by many monster species – including herself in most cases – Venus didn't have much of a problem when it came to manipulating the minds of those around her, as long as the outcome justified the means. She was a natural when it came to mixing together various spores and pollens into noxious concoctions, creating everything from insecticides and growth formulas to fungal removers and natural herbicides; making some more of her 'Pollen of Persuasion' came second nature to her.

Sparrow tensed up as Venus drew in a slow, deep breath from which she would expel the concilium concoction directly at his face and overwhelm his senses, from which there was a chance there might be no recovery; at least, in his mind. The conman instinctively shied away from the approaching plant-monster ghoul and began thrashing and struggling about once more, trying to get loose of his bonds and make a run for it before any of his secrets could be spilled. With sweat starting to trickle from his brow, Sparrow opened his mouth as wide as possible and bit down on the vine that was currently keeping him – mostly – gagged. The creeper immediately let go and the rest of his bonds quickly unraveled lest they receive a similar punishment, allowing the musician to drop down and roll across the ground.

"Later, bithces! Sparrow out, peace!" he called over his shoulder.

In hindsight, he probably should have kept his mouth shut. It seemed for whatever reason that the normally shy and anxious Jane that he knew was not putting up with any of his nonsense today, much less his irritating insults. Before Venus could even attempt to stop her, the jungle ghoul had lunged out of the pond and after the fleeing conman – stark naked – just as she brought a hand down on the waiting activation button of the Nemetrix. A flash of hot, crimson light enveloped her and began to distort and change her genetic code at the molecular level.

She felt her bones grind and groan as they were forced to shift about her internal structure, her organs expanding and disappearing as needed. Her skull cracked and splintered in response when her face bulged out into a short muzzle, her bottom jaw jutting out just a little bit more while her teeth crunched and sharpened into needle-like fangs; her gums pulled back with a disgusting slurping noise. Muscles coiled and threaded themselves together along her chest and back as her skin paled several shades until it was a nearly blinding white that was quickly laced over with inky, black stripes and red spots and slits. Jane's arms and legs reconfigured themselves, forcing her down on her hands and knees while her nails tore through her fingers and toes and came out as wicked, crimson claws that looked to be much sharper than was needed. A loud tearing sound filled the air in response to a row of serrated fins rose from the top of her vertebrae, running down the length of her spine as a long, reptilian tail whipped out from her tailbone. The jungle ghoul's once blue orbs dulled into a fiery red and quickly split into a second pair of eyes when a row of gill-like slits juxtaposed to a set of sack-like organs opened up on her neck. The transformation was completed with the addition of the Nemetrix in the form of a heavy, spiked collar around her neck.

The Buglizard gave a breathy bellow and gave chase after the fleeing Son of Robin Hood, eliciting a terrified scream from Sparrow when he foolishly dared to take a peek over his shoulder to see if he was being chased. The musician pushed his body into overdrive as he charged almost blindly through the underbrush of the Enchanted Forest in the hopes of loosing his pursuer in the thick brush and vegetation; his heart was hammering in his chest, threatening to come bursting out of his chest like some sort of alien nightmare that had been feasting upon his organs.

At the moment however, he was more terrified of the enormous extraterrestrial chasing after him. He didn't know how far the Buglizard was behind him, but he could swear that he could feel her hot, wet breath breathing down his neck every few seconds while he blindly charged ahead with reckless abandon, his only thought to escape being horribly mauled at the hands of the vicious predator. He could never quite understand how he managed to always get himself into these situations, where he always seemed to be risking his neck for some stupid reason or other that he wasn't entirely sure of. He wasn't sure if the Great Goddess of Karma, or whatever it was that Ben claimed to have it out for him, had turned her sights on him for the time being, but he could be certain of one thing.

Karma was a bitch.

" _Sparrow!_ Stop running! You're only making her angrier!" he heard Venus' voice call from behind him.

"Yeah, because that totally makes sense!" he sarcastically shouted over his shoulder. "Sparrow'll hold still so she can _tear me limb from limb!_ "

" _That's only if you make yourself look appetizing!_ "

"Oh, that makes Sparrow feel so much better!" the musician yelled before suddenly giving off a girly shriek when a black shadow the color of night soared over his head and Buglizard slammed into the ground in front of him, cutting him off. The Son of Robin Hood very nearly ran into the greatly irritated alien animal and just barely managed to come to a screeching halt in front of her crook maw, less than a couple yards away from her wicked fangs. They had stopped in the middle of a small clearing of sorts with nothing but towering trees that gave way to a small patch of sunlight in near stark contrast to the comforting shadows of the forest and what looked to be an old, stone well positioned at the base of a gigantic oak tree; what the well was doing there in the first place, Sparrow could care less about.

The Buglizard took his temporary hesitation as a sign to attack and instinctively flexed the internal muscles in her neck, expelling a foul smelling gas the faint color and odor of regurgitated digestive fluids into a thick cloud that enveloped her and the entire clearing, obscuring Sparrow's view and leaving him blind to her whereabouts.

Sparrow felt his heart skip a bit as he was swallowed in the fog, his vision lost and his sense of smell easily overwhelmed by the noxious fumes produced by the Buglizard. He was madly searching his brain for any wilderness survival tips his father had attempted to pass onto him while he had been too busy taking a fancy into learning how to play the toy guitar his mother had crafted for him, but he was coming up with nothing. His attempts to try and recall anything he might have learned in this Beast Training and Care classes or his Heroics 101 course but he once again drew a blank. He was now mentally kicking himself for not better paying attention to information that had the potentiality to save his neck from being brutally mutilated at the hands of a ghoul he should have never attempted to tick off.

It was always the quiet ones that snapped first, after all.

He heard the sound of footsteps through the fog and only relaxed a few degrees when he realized with relief that they were lighter in comparison to his predatory pursuer. "Sparrow, don't move and just tell us what you were talking about earlier!" he heard Venus' voice plead with him.

A menacing hiss snaked its way through the steadily dissipating smokescreen of noxious fumes that had Sparrow gagging and choking for fresh air and sent a shiver up his spine. He couldn't make sense of where the noise was coming from in the thick fog, his senses disoriented and distorted beyond their natural means. One moment he could have sworn he saw the faint image of a shadowy sharp lurking through the noxious gas and then the next it would be gone, only to be replaced by the rattling hiss of a predator on the hunt from directly behind him. The Buglizard was closing in on him from all directions, seemingly taking her time and prolonging the inevitable short time it would take to pounce on him from out of nowhere and scare the living daylights out of him . . . or worse.

The Son of Robin Hood froze on the spot when he heard another breathy whisper of a growl from directly behind him and whirled around to come face to fang with the gigantic beast, close enough that he could have reached out and run a finger along the length of one of Buglizard's wicked fangs, close enough that her awful breath and foul-smelling saliva that dripped from her jaws was nearly enough to knock him out from the powerful odor. Sparrow could just make out Venus' form from behind the Buglizard's enormous frame, just out of reach of helping distance should the alien reptile choose to press those lethal jaws of hers but a few inches closer.

With little other choice, Sparrow gave into his primal instincts and promptly decked Buglizard as hard across the face as possible before turning tail and fleeing towards the other side of the clearing as quickly as humanly possible. The savage roar of Buglizard made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up and only served to make him run faster when he realized that the predator was practically on top of him and seemed just about ready to tear him to shreds. With his heart in his throat, the conman gave a running leap and jumped atop the rim of the great, old well on the other side of the clearing, taking another quick jump and grabbing onto the lowest hanging branch. He attempted to use the trunk as a means to help him get up but his boots worked against him on the slippery trunk and gave little to no traction, leaving him hanging there like bait on a hook.

The horrible screeching of Buglizard was practically in his ears now and Sparrow swallowed what felt like a boulder lodged in his throat; he had but one chance to by himself time. If he could react fast enough, he just might be able to evade the Buglizard at the last second and buy himself but a few, precious seconds to make a run for the undergrowth and try and loose her in there. It was a stupid and dumb plan, not to mention highly risky if he didn't pull it off correctly, but at this point he didn't much of a choice. The conman doubted that Venus would try and rein in her rampaging ghoulfriend with the necessary force to subdue her and with no one else around to help him, he was left to his own devices.

" _ **ROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWRRRRRRAAAAAGGGH!**_ "

It was now or never. With a final breath for courage, the musician waited patiently for the raging Buglizard to come to him, the adrenaline pumping through his veins sending his senses into overdrive; he noticed everything about the enormous extraterrestrial. He took in the way her lean, powerful muscles rippled along her powerful legs, the unconscious flickering of her tail as it swept low over the grass like a snake waiting to strike, the way her chest and those fume-producing organs embedded in her neck puffed in and out like a pair of inflating and deflating balloons, the way her claws twitched every few seconds, the strands of disgusting drool that hung from those powerful, lethal jaws.

The Buglizard suddenly charged like a runaway locomotive at him, her lean, muscled frame effortlessly powering her forward and into a startling, acrobatic leap. Sparrow felt like he was going to faint when the alien reptile came hurtling at him through the air with claws outstretched and jaws wide open, ready to slam into him and clamp down on some unfortunate part of him with those wicked, curved fangs of hers. At the last second however, the Son of Robin Hood gave every last surge of strength he had left in his body and pulled his body up as fast as possible before swinging the heel of his boot down and driving it into Buglizard's skull. The gigantic beast screeched in pain and plummeted downward . . . straight into the well beneath them!

" _Jane!_ " Venus screamed as Buglizard bellowed and plummeted down the old well. The plant-monster ghoul shot across the clearing and dove for the tip of the Buglizard's disappearing tail, just barely managing to grab onto the end and jam her heels into the earth at the last second. Her flora muscles strained to hold onto the predator's incredible weight while the alien reptile desperately scrambled to dig her claws into the ancient, stone bricks of the reservoir. This proved to be fruitless against the slick, strangely rainbow water-stained surface of the walls and the Buglizard found herself slipping further and further down the well despite her ghoulfriend's best efforts.

Venus struggled to keep her footing as she was suddenly pulled forward and braced her feet against the rim of the old well, the slick scales of Buglizard's tail slowly starting to slip through her fingers. She frantically attempted to reach the Omnitrix clamped onto her left wrist in an effort to transform into a more powerful form in order to keep her ghoulfriend from falling; it was all for naught, however. With a final, horrible screech, Buglizard went plummeting down the well and into the abyssal darkness, dragging a screaming plant-monster ghoul with her.

Silencing soon overcame the fading screams, leaving Sparrow dangling over the gaping maw of the old well with stupefaction written all over his face. His grip faltered for just the slightest when his muscles slackened and nearly gave way, sending him falling just a few inches closer to the waiting gullet of the superannuated shaft. The Son of Robin Hood gulped when he felt his fingers tremble and start to weaken even more, his pinky and ring fingers unable to take it anymore and releasing their hold on the branch overhead. Sweating trickled down his broke like melting ice as his middle and index finger went next, leaving him dangling by nothing but his thumbs for the briefest of seconds before he was sent plummeting towards the ground and down towards his doom; maybe Venus and Buglizard would cushion his fall?

Sparrow soon found he didn't have to worry about such trivial matters when he landed flat on his back on the ground below. For what felt like an hour he simply lay there in shock, unable to believe that he had been able to survive an ordeal with all his major body parts and beloved guitar intact, if not merely a little worse for wear. Once he was over the revelation that he was indeed alive and not torn to shreds by some alien beast, he then found himself trying to fully comprehend what had just happened. Had there not just been a well beneath him a few seconds ago? The conman was pretty sure there had been a well, otherwise what had his two pursuers fallen down when they tried to grab him? But if they had fallen, where had they fallen to if what they had fallen into was no longer there.

"Sparrow thinks he's just gonna lie here for a little while . . . _oooooh_." he gave a pitiful, mocking cheer from his spot on the ground before he promptly fell asleep from over exhaustion.

* * *

B.P: _And so Raven, Apple, Maddie, Kitty, Lizzie, and Ben "graduated" from school and were finally on their way to the Queen of Hearts' Birthday Party, where the sinister joker in the deck was planning to steal the throne and rule Wonderland!_

T.P: _You know, you're getting pretty good at this sis. But, um, why are you shivering?_

B.P: _Stop patronizing me, will you? Honestly, you're just as bad as that Courtley Jester card is creepy and unsettling._

T.P: _Um . . . what?_

B.P: _*sigh* Am I the only one that sees the pictures at that beginning and end of every story!?_

T.P: _I have no idea what you're talking about, so I'll say yes._

B.P: _You just don't want to get slapped again, do you?_

T.P: _Maybe . . ._

B.P: _Maybe if you stopped asking me such personal questions and constantly making me look bad you wouldn't get hit so much._

T.P: _What do you mean 'constantly making you look bad'?_

B.P: _I see the way mom and dad look at you. They_ obviously _like you more than me, all just because I want to make the stories have better, more happy endings! Is that so wrong!?_

T.P: _Brooke, there's a time and a place to follow the script and a time and a place to improvise and write your own tale. Just like there's a Happily Ever After for every Once Upon a Time, there has to be conflict in order for there to harmony and peace. You can't have one without the other without major consequences . . . or at the very least, a disinteresting plot._

B.P: _You keep telling yourself that._

T.P: _*sigh* You're just as stubborn as Ben. I'm beginning to see why you have a crush on him._

B.P: _I don't have a crush on him!_

T.P: _You keep telling yourself that._

B.P: _Shut up!_

F.N.: _The mango ripens and blooms and then begins to flowers-_

M.N: _Before it becomes smothered in hot dragon fire! Hahahahahahaha!_

B.P: _Oh, no, they're out of bed again!_

T.P: _I came back from collage for this?_

* * *

 **And there we go!**

 **Finally! _*collapses*_ And just before the holidays, too! Consider this an early Christmas present to you all after neglecting to update after four months of absence. To be honest, I am _really_ burned out and cannont _wait_ for the holiday break; it's when Hades becomes a little less nasty and I can take a break from writing. Provided Lady Persephone isn't in one of her baking moods again. Every year, she and Hestia go on a baking spree to celebrate the holiday and I always somehow end up getting dragged into the whole process . . .**

 _ **At least you're working with cookies! It's a dream come true!**_

 **Speaking of a dream come true, it's nice to finally have some peace and quiet around here without Wade constantly interrupting everything. Wait, did I just say what I think I just said?**

 _ **Yep!**_

 **Damn those Omniversal Laws of Karma. And if my suspicions are correct, that ominous screaming can only belong to one person . . .**

 _ **'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' *WHAM!***_

 **Oh, come on! The coffee table _again?_ Is there seriously nothing of mine that won't be broken!?**

 _ **'I could break something else if you like . . . once I stop seeing double of everything and my internal bleeding stops.'**_

 **You are the only guy I know who could be optimistic about having internal bleeding. _*sigh*_ Welcome back, Wade. Just so you know, we had fun while you were gone and didn't miss you at all. It was the greatest Christmas present ever.**

 _ **'Oh, I would totally be emotionally wounded by your lack of empathy over my disappearance . . . if I had emotions that is. At least other than hunger. And anger. And the happiness I get when beating the ever living /censored/ out of some unlucky /censored/. And lust. Lets not forget lust.'**_

 **You feel emotions? I'd sooner believe you were Batman.**

 _ **Yeah, well, thanks to that stupid Mephistopheles guy, I'll never be able to sing!'**_

 **You're a bounty hunter/assassin/fourth-wall obliterating anti-hero. Why would you _ever_ need to sing? And what does that have to do with anything other than your greatly appreciated disappearance?**

 _ **'Hmmm . . . a bounty hunter/assassin/fourth-wall obliterating anti-hero you say? Thanks for the reminder, Four-Eyes!' ***_ **cocks guns*** ** _'I got me some ass to kick. Toodles!'_**

 _ **Did he say 'toodles'?  
**_

 **I think we should be more concerned about what he's actually planning on doing than what he's saying . . . although now that I think about it, both are something to be worried about. At least for a later time, because I'm bushed and all I want to do now is spend some time with my girl before the insanity that is the holiday festivities gets sent into overdrive.**

 _ **Aw, Creaty, you know how to treat a girl just right!**_

 **Living two lives will do that to you, babe. So without further ado, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 _ **Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings from the Underworld!**_


	27. Way too Wonderland Pt 4

_**AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHH!**_ **I hate Aquamarine** ** _so_ much! She's so annoying with that prim and proper attitude of hers and that stupid, over-powered ribbon-magic-wand-thingy that can stop anyone or anything in their tracks and- _ugh!_ I am going to watch _so_ much Aquamarine hentai!**

 _ **'Wait, what?'**_

 **I said I was going to watch a lot of Aquamarine hentai. Isn't that what you do when there's a character from a show that you really hate and need to get your frustrations out?**

 _ **'Well, /censored/, yeah! Of course that's what I do! Mostly because the producers won't let me unalive them . . .**_

 **That's probably a good thing.**

 _ **But Creaty, don't you hate Lars, too? Are you gonna watch hentai of him, too?**_

 **Um . . . no. Just . . . just no. I thought you, my girlfriend, of all beings in the Omniverse would know that I don't swing that way. For Lars, I'm going to throw him out of Aquamarine's ship from the stratosphere and see how it long it takes for him to go _splat!_ on some unfortunate spot of ground below if he isn't redeemed somehow by the end. After that, I'll probably have Aquamarine eaten by a Vulpimancer . . . at least, that's what I'll do when I write the crossover.**

 _ **Ooh, sneak peek!**_

 **Maybe. I mean, it's not like it's gonna happen any time soon. I'm not even halfway done with this story!**

 _ **'Speaking of stories . . .'**_

 **. . . We're on, aren't we?**

 _ **'Do you wanna /censored/ to lots of Aquamarine hentai?'**_

 **Why do I vent my frustrations out to _you_ of all people?**

 _ **I'd be more than happy to listen to your problems, Creaty! And maybe do something other things, too . . .**_

 **Save it for the lemon one-shots, babe. In the mean time, we should probably answer some reviews, no?**

 _ **Yay!**_

 _ **ajjr12 –**_ **I will not be doing that particular episode as I have plans to introduce Ramona Badwolf in a far more interesting way that is more relevant to the plot I have in mind. This doesn't mean some canon webisodes won't be done however (with their own twist, of course).**

 _ **I thought we were supposed to forget that script? Forget that curse?**_

 **Stop trying to advertise your theme song, babe. Only Deadpool can get away with that because . . . well, because he's Deadpool. Simple as that.**

 _ **'Exactly! Being me is all the reason you need! Whoo! Cue theme song!'**_

 **How about we move on to the next review instead.**

 _ **'Fine, Mister No Fun, be that way. I'll find a way to play my theme song, one way or another!'**_

 **You keep telling yourself that.**

 _ **starravenwolf – Alrighty! I did some digging around in the notes that Creaty may or may not have and came up with a list of the top five most likely candidates to drop into Ever After next, which may or may not be accurate. He's being oddly secretive about this . . . anyway! They're listed down below!**_

 _ **1\. Nefera de Nile**_

 _ **2\. Jinafire Long**_

 _ **3\. Gigi Grant**_

 _ **4\. Twyla Boogeyman**_

 _ **5\. Bonita Femur**_

 _ **Now hand over the tea! We had a deal and I have a mallet I'm not afraid to use if I don't get that super yummy hat-tastic Six Realm Wonderland tea and American McGee's Alice: Madness Returns tea set!**_

 **Maddie, who are you yelling at and why are my notes all . . . over . . . the . . . place . . .**

 _ **Um . . .**_

 _ **'That awkward moment when you realize you can't handle the sour . . .'**_

 **Maddie . . . did you look at my notes?**

 _ **Maybe . . .**_

 **And did you just reveal something to a reader without my consent?**

 _ **Probably . . .**_

 **My room. _Now._ We need to have a little . . . _talk_ . . .**

 _ ***wolf whistle* 'Rrrrrrr! Send me some pictures!**_

 **Go eat your infinite burrito, Wade. And while you're at, take Mr. Nibbles out for walkies. Ever since he got that evil you's head to play with he's become _much_ more docile and willing to at least _consider_ listening to us.**

 _ ***sigh* 'Fine . . . but I'll still find a way to play my theme song!'**_

 **How is that even relevant?**

 _ **Jeptwin –**_ **A story I'm quite fond of, eh? Does that ring any bells?**

 _ **'I wouldn't know. I'm taking the stupid monstrosity out for a walk and you're "punishing" your girlfriend.'**_

 **Stop insinuating things!**

 _ **'I'm not insinuating anything. I'm taking our beloved pet out for a walk while**_ **you're** ** _insinuating things and screaming your head off like a /censored/.'_**

 **Touche, you son of a _/censored/_ , touche.**

 _ **'Right back at ya, you /censored/.**_

 _ **LegionnaireBlaze – 'How dare you spell the Great and Mighty Deadpool, the Grand Poobah of All Things Awesome and Worthy of Being Awesome's name wrong!? I have none of a mind to declare war on your sorry /censored/!'**_

 **I'm pretty sure my life is screwier than yours.**

 _ **'TO BATTLE! PREPARE YOUR KAMIKAZI TACOS, MEN!'**_

 **Yep, definitely screwier than yours.**

 _ **transformers and star wars fan –**_ **I've honestly been toying with the idea for a while. While I have a feeling that leaving Brooke as nothing more than a lover from afar would be unfulfilling, there's a lot of stuff to cover should she gain a physical body. That would mean she would have to give up her narrator abilities and thus this would leave her quite literally as . . . well, as a nobody.**

 _ **StrongGuy159 –**_ **I will without fail!**

 _ **Isom – 'Are you talking to me?'**_

 **Uh, oh, you dissed his movie.**

 _ **'Are you talking to**_ **me?** ** _'_**

 **You shouldn't have done that!**

 _ **'Are you talking to**_ **me** ** _!?'_**

 **Now you're in for it!**

 _ **'My. Movie. Was. AWESOME! AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!'**_

 **Well then . . . um . . . Lion King reference?**

 _ **Creaty, why is Wade raving on about taco tanks and burrito bazookas?**_

 **I don't know, babe, I don't know. But something tells me we should avoid ordering from Tartarus Bell for a few weeks . . .**

 _ **Menatron the Angel of Ideas –**_ **Unlike Wan Shi Tong, I don't remember or know everything. While I do know who you are referring to that involves and concerns Hopper (Ra only knows how much pain he's going to go through when he first initially tries to get her attention or date her), my mind draws a blank where Daring is concerned (unless it involves a certain canine, consider my mind to be as blank as a sheet of paper).**

 _ **Malchior the Bad –**_ **While that does solve the DNA issue – I now just remember that Anodites have DNA as well, but not in the conventional sense that most of the Omnitrix aliens have – I still stand firm about bring in any other franchise's extraterrestrials into my story and for that, I thank you for understanding. Regarding Ben's dragon . . . he's going to** ** _officially_ actually have two of them (this is subject to change): one of them relies on brains and the other relies on strength, so needless to say I have the dragon issue taken care of.**

 **I don't get why people think that Courtly needs a Jabberwocky or even more power than she already has considering she had the Evil Queen's spellbook – arguably one of the most powerful relics in all the realms – and Ben quite literally has no control over what alien he turns into anymore at this point in time (not that he had much control before, but no he has absolutely none). Besides, with the way I set things up, there won't be a way for Ben to back out of being the technical Prince of Hearts either way. That, and I already have plans for a different sword of sorts to come into play . . .**

 **When I look for OC aliens to include in my stories (of which I already have enough, but the list is subject to change), I look for two things:**

 **Aliens with powers and abilities that I do not yet have.**

 **If an alien does have the same powers and abilities of an already existing alien in the story, they have to use it in a different way than the already existing alien or present a different way of utilizing it. An example would be Frostbite (yeti-like alien, right?): while he has ice powers like Big Chill and Arctiguana, his come from touching things instead of blasting out an icy vapor.**

 **That being said . . . who is Atomfire? I tried to find a picture on Deviantart, but nothing turned up. Besides, if the name is a hint towards anything, his powers and abilities will be similar or all but identical to Atomix and Bonez.**

 **And thanks! I'll admit, looking back, I'm little miffed that Sonic Doom didn't quite come out as I had hoped (one of the clones is a bit off and the other seems to have a problem with her eyes), but regardless I'm happy how the everything else turned out and I'm happy that you like them, too! I chose against drawing Minuette (still working out how to properly spell that) and Tortuga because I wanted to both give a more dynamic feel to the drawings and include some of the secondary transformations that the ghouls unlocked. But seriously, if you have links or a means of posting them, I'd love to see how they turned out!**

 **As for Maddie, keep in mind that there are an infinite amount of dimensions out there within the Omniverse. The Maddie currently acting as my girlfriend and eternal tormentor is a Maddie from another dimension that has never encountered Ben in person and only knows of him as a character/person within my stories/someone I mess around with.**

 **Regarding a set of armor for Ben in Dragon Games, we'll have to see. Speaking of Dragon Games, it's unknown if Jane will participate in them in the first place, much less actually participate as a dragon or dragon-like creature; either way, thanks for that Animo joke. And on a less positive note, the link you attempted to send me doesn't go anywhere or to any video, which is a really irritating part of Fanfiction.**

 **As for Ben signing the book and receiving a new power . . . well, I won't spoil anything, but the chances of that happening are unlikely. Regarding a possible EVO transformation . . . I spoil nothing!**

 _ **Blazorna Ibara –**_ **Deadpool, is there something you'd like to tell me?**

 _ **'Whatever are you talking about?'**_

 _ **Do the words 'Doorknob Central' and 'Immortal Chimichanga of the Apocalypse' mean anything to you?**_

 _ **Who told you!? I need answers, woman! I mean, uh, I have no idea what you're talking about . . .**_

 _ ***sigh***_ **Look, I ain't got any cash; I'm just an eternal victim of torment and torture. You want any money, take it up with either Deadpool – who has a butt-load of cash off of my anger management problems in an Underworld fight club – or Hades himself. He** ** _is_ the God of Wealth, you know, which means he's pretty much the richest god around. Go bother him for a while, you walking feather duster.**

 _ **Redrangerlegacy –**_ **Not this particular jester, but you're not far off!**

 ** _masterart –_ The rest of the harem will all arrive in due time when that time is needed. As for Courtley, she will be joining the harem once she has reformed, but this isn't going to happen for quite some time. She did try to take over an entire realm with dark, forbidden magic, so it's bound to be a very long time before everyone forgives her and Ben starts developing feelings for her (that being said, I can guarantee you that Courtley, Maddie, and Whisp are going to be quite close).**

 _ **Stretchy-Rat –**_ **While I can understand the annoyance that comes with waiting for Ben to** ** _technically_ become a girl – I emphasis this because it's a bit more complicated than you might initially think – please keep in mind that I am waiting for the right time. Fortunately for you all, that should be soon, as in at least one chapter after _Way too Wonderland_ has come to a close; two more chapters in total at the very least, I promise! Now regarding your answers to my riddle . . . I'm sad to say that you only managed to guess one part right, and that is regarding the Evil Queen.**

 **Here's a hint, or rather, another riddle to solve your current one: _What is Krampus?_**

 _ **Kittywolf – 'How dare you call me boring!?**_

 **Don't you have someone to go brutally assault for daring to insult your movie?**

 _ **'Oh, yeah. I'M COMIN' FOR YOU,**_ **ISOM** ** _, YOU SON OF A /CENSORED/!_**

 _ ***Ahem***_ **Yes, well, then. Anyway, you're welcome to try your hand at the riddle if you think you can crack it!**

 _ **'A penguin will fly and a snail will be fast. The fish will walk and the horse will finish last!'**_

 **Translation: Maddie's betting against you.**

 _ **Yeppers!**_

 **Care to prove her wrong?**

 _ **Jelly Cheese –**_ **Yes and no. Yes, as in I am at her mercy whenever she gives me "the puppy eyes" and no, as in I have some sort of control over her in certain things, such as revealing information about the story that she shouldn't. That being said, that doesn't stop her from-**

 _ **Surprise! *smack!***_

 **. . . slapping me with a fish. And a salmon this time, I might add. A nice change from the usual mackerel or herring.**

 _ **Shatterhawkwolf –**_ **Not sure how you can't see Ben with a dragon from the Stoker-like class, since those are the stereotypical dragons most people think of when asked to describe your standard dragon (four legs, two wings, six limbs in total, long tail and neck, lethal jaws, fiery breath and temper), but I'll respect your opinion. That doesn't mean I haven't taken it into consideration though; believe me, there were certain reasons why I considered giving Ben a dragon from the Stoker or Boulder-like classes, or to be more specific, certain dragons, namely the Monstrous Nightmare (or Gruesome Horror as it is known in EA) and the Whispering Death (or Rattling Ruin as it would have been known in EA).**

 _ **Shatterhawk –**_ **While that isn't to say there won't be an epic mage battle at some point in the future, it's definitely not coming up this chapter. After all, Courtley's just an ameture compared to Charmcaster, Raven, or The-Mother-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but that isn't to say the final battle won't be something to look forward to, especially since we seem to be missing a certain transformation for this whole Wonderland-related mess . . . And to be fair, the times that the girls have seen Ben shirtless were usually filled with a distraction of some kind that prevented them from getting a good look at those scars on his back, such as the time Apple got the text message that her parents were coming over and did a perfect imitation of a screaming banshee as a result. But don't worry, those scars won't be forgotten!**

 _ **ThatChronicKid –**_ **Deadpool is . . . otherwise occupied.**

 _ **'I'M COMIN' FOR YOU, ISOM!'**_

 _ **I don't think 'occupied' is the right word, silly.**_

 **You got that right.**

 _ **DracoAngelus17 – If you say so!**_

 **Your sister is creepy as _/censored/._**

 _ **She's not my sister!**_

 **Then what exactly is she? A doppleganger? A succubus that just happened to take a similar form? An evil, sex-and-torture-craving android? A diabolical clone? Your long lost and certifiably mentally unstable twin that you never knew about? A mutant cheese that just happens to look like a more twisted and frightening version of you?**

 _ **Um . . .**_

 _ **'Just think happy thoughts, kid! Happy thoughts!'**_

 **For once, I'd suggest you follow Wade's advice. Without a location we can't find you and come to your rescue or send you a potential weapon to defeat Dementia – believe me, we have a whole armory of planet-shattering weaponry at our disposal – so until then, staying positive is your best option. On a side note . . . I hope your ready for fatherhood. Because something tells me Dementia ain't gonna let you go until she's a soon-to-be mommy.**

 _ **Now that's one baby shower I will**_ **never** ** _attend!_**

 **You and me both, babe.**

 _ **'I'll play my theme song at your funeral!'**_

 **Once again, how is that relevant to the current situation?**

 _ **'Wouldn't you like to know?'**_

 **Yes, yes I would. And don't you have taco tanks to be working on?**

 _ **'To the taco tanks!'**_

 _ **Hvulpes2. 0 –**_ **While that is somewhat true, keep in mind that Grimm is a stickler for details. Since Rosabella is a princess and the Daughter of Beauty and the Beast from the story of the same name, he's adamant that it be Dexter and Rosabella that get together now that the identity of the Beast has been revealed. He's basically a mule when it comes to this point and it's only when things such as True Love intervene – essentially cosmic trump cards in a sense – does he back down; notice how he was dead set on getting rid of Ben before it was revealed he had a destiny to fulfill and now he's more focused on making sure Ben doesn't "ruin" other fairy tales with his presence.**

 _ **infadinityfollower –**_ **Thank you!**

 _ **DRAGONDAVE45 – We unfortunately can not keep that promise!**_

 **What Maddie means to say is that things tend to get a little . . . hectic around here, to put it lightly. That being said, I'm still on the fence of whether or not I should give Courtly any minions to summon in the final battle, since Ben is hindered enough as it is and will most likely be forced to fight off _two_ potential threats at once. Besides, as powerful as the Jabberwockies are, they're . . . well, you'll just have to see for yourself! And I will indeed check the story out (or will have? Time travel is so confusing) to see what possibilities there may be.**

 _ **Unknown –**_ **I can promise you that the lemon that features Toralei as the main ghoul is going to be particularly spicy and something tells me that Wyndowna is into gangbangs because she has the multiple hands going for her. That being said, there are plans for a Parent's Day chapter when all the parents come to visit (this will be quite soon, since the Wonderland portals will be open again and I'm pretty sure the parents from Wonderland will want to catch up with friends and be reunited with this children) when Persephone finally manages to track down Ben. After all, she and Cupid are technically related (Cupid's like her great niece or something. Olympian family trees are really weird) and if Cupid can travel to Ever After High, so can Persephone! And perhaps a certain God of the Underworld, too . . .**

 **Seeing as I already have a mountain of requests currently piling up – including plans to draw my interpretation of an Omnitrix Sotoraggian – this probably won't happen for some time. And yes, when the final chapter and epilogue is posted, I do plan to create profiles/descriptions of each of Ben's children for those that are interested. As for Shadow Ben, I have no plans to implement him simply because he's everything that Albedo is and everything Whisp was. As for the Plumbers using the Esoterica's extra dimensional technology, that wouldn't work since it would only allow them to pass between their dimension and Diagon's, whatever became of it.**

 **And before you say they could reprogram it, none of the ghouls have a Galvan or Cerebrocrustacean form (Clawdeen does, but she's in Ever After), and they have Blukic and Dribas their Tech Support. Even with Cooper and Elle helping, it would take months to crack the complexity.**

 _ **lucabrasi138 –**_ **Did you get any of that?**

 _ **Nope!**_

 _ **'Nada!'**_

 _ ***SCREEEEEEEEEEEECAAAAAAAWWWWW!***_

 **Oh, be quiet, Mr. Nibbles.**

 _ **Mephistopheles –**_ **I think you might have something in common with one Alsmiffy from** ** _Hat Films'_ Skyblock series, in which he himself proclaimed to be the Mad King . . . then again, he had isolated himself in the nether with nothing to eat but an endless supply of mushroom stew so and didn't have multiple personalities all crammed into one body, so . . .**

 _ **Aw, you really think we're the best? Thank you! That means a lot coming from funny little schoodle-brain like you!**_

 _ **'Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!**_ **Nobody** ** _is madder than me! NOBODY!'_**

 **Don't you have someone to wreck horrible vengeance upon?**

 _ **MadamStar –**_ **To be honest, your English isn't that bad; I hardly notice any mistakes you might claim to make. Anyway, I already sent you a message – not sure if you got it or not – but I never did say that Courtley wouldn't be in the harem; if you're referring to the list on my profile, that is still subject to change, despite how many girls that are already in the harem are on there. As for my favorite version of Alice in Wonderland, I'm still partial to the first animated feature of the film that Disney made – mostly out of nostalgia – but I also like the 2010 film (as well as the Alice x Mirana pairing that some authors, namely** ** _NamelessSaint_ so relentlessly ship together).**

 **And believe me, you eventually get use to characters breaking the fourth wall.**

 _ **Like me!**_

 _ **'And me!'**_

 **Shouldn't be out killing a certain someone?**

 _ **'It takes a lot of time to prepare, alright!?'**_

 _ **The Brod Road – You had it coming and you know it!**_

 **Easy now, easy with the hammer, babe! Now then, did I seriously forget to reply your review last time? If I did, my deepest apologies; I shall try to cover both of your messages as best as I can. Now while you're right about the rabbit hole taking them all to the wrong place – this actually happens in canon – you would be incorrect about them traveling through different universes and dimensions or encountering Paradox because the former is entirely unnecessary and the later is not scheduled to appear until much, much, _much_ later . . . if at all.**

 **I think it would be rather difficult to fire Daring . . . at least, without the presence of a cannon.**

 **While I can confirm that Headmaster Grimm is going to attempt to try and 'correct' his wayward students, I can not confirm whether or not he is behind the current confusion concerning Cupid and Dexter (gotta go for that alliteration, even in the comments). That being said, we'll have to see what kind of references end up being made as the story progresses; after all, almost anything can happen in a Wonderland far, far, far, far away.**

 _ **'TOO. MANY. PUNS!'**_

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaand, Wade's even further over the edge than he was before. _Nice._ And don't worry, I fully intend to respond to your messages on Deviantart within the coming week. Remember, patience is a virtue, young grasshopper.**

 _ **'You know what's also a virtue? Let Deadpool play his theme song before he gets cranky!'**_

 **That's not a virtue.**

 _ **'Says you!'**_

 _ **Darkness Rissing –**_ **While someone did make a deal with him, it certainly wasn't to sabotage Dexter and Cupid's date. After all, he showed up** ** _before_ Cupid entered the scene, thus making it a false attempt to sabotage Dexter and _Rosabella's_ date (not that he succeeded because that's not what he was suppose to do). And while I will say here and now that Jane will not be nude when the Nemetrix times out, I can not say they will land right in the middle of the Queen of Heart's birthday party; while I have heard some complaints that Jane and Venus take up too much screen time (what can I say, they're two of my favorite ghouls), they play a much smaller role in this chapter that doesn't really have much effect on the plot, but it was imperative that at least Jane end up in Wonderland for . . . reasons that will eventually reveal themselves by the end of the chapter.**

 **Truth be told, I'm not sure whether Chase was actually an official accomplice to Courtley's plan. It's been speculated that the Red Queen – Chase's adopted mother – was in on Courtley's scheme, but there's been no official statement. Thus, Chase is an innocent accomplice who was tricked into obeying his code of honor and boss' commands without knowing the full extent of the outcome; as far as he knows, Ben and the others are nothing more than a group of students who were invited to the Queen of Heart's birthday party and didn't receive a statement that they didn't have to attend school.**

 **That being said, I doubt the Queen of Hearts will be fond of Chase for many weeks to come.**

 _ **maverickmoxey2000 –**_ **The reason I didn't list Skelita is because she has much more control than some of the other ghouls when it comes to being away from their boyfriend for too long. Granted, she doesn't like it anymore than they do, but she's far less likely to try and sneak a few moments here and there.**

 **While I can agree that the rules are sound enough – that's what I was initially going for – I'm going to have to decline on that being when Ben 'chooses' to become submissive . . . at least for the alien choice. While I can get behind the big gun aliens like Four Arms and Humungousaur becoming more submissive around a certain time of the year, Blitzwolfer is definitely out of the question solely because that would make Ben little more than a pet dog, the exact same thing that Kai wanted him to be when they first met; it's only for that reason that Blitzwolfer won't be an option. Four Arms or Humungousaur would be the most likely candidates because as female Tetramands get more aggressive – as per Avea's lemon chapter – the males become more submissive and in most cases involving dinosaurs – at least in theropods – the females are always bigger, like today's birds of prey.**

 **While I can agree that Superman x Wonderwoman would be the most likely couple for someone who has never watched the JL/U show, Batman x Wonderwoman is much more entertaining, the reason being because, as you said, it's so generic and cliché to have the Man of Steel and Amazon Princess become a couple. The Dark Knight however, offers something much more appealing, especially when we see how Diana manages to chip away at his sleek, black exterior piece by piece (such as the episode where she got turned into a pig by Circe and Batman _willingly_ sang to change her back. Too bad they weren't official by the time the events of Batman Beyond rolled around.**

 **I think the main reason people like Dexter x Cupid as an OTP couple is because they either want to give our favorite love goddess a happy ending instead of being woefully single forever or they need to pair Dexter with someone else because Apple x Raven is so much better and fun; even Raven's voice actor went on record saying she ships her character and Apple together. And if the majority of the highest rated stories for EAH being Apple x Raven pairings isn't enough to convince you, I don't know what will.**

 **The main reason I like _Moana_ better than _Frozen_ , other than the fact that the main character princess isn't married in the end to some total stranger, is that the songs are actually quite enjoyable and don't grate your nerves for months on end after you've seen it in theaters; that and I prefer tropical settings to frozen wasteland. And if that weren't enough, Maui is both an appealing character – even though you might find him annoying at the beginning of the movie – and his tattoo 'Mini Maui' was animated by Eric Goldburg, the same animator who made none other than the Genie from _Aladdin._ Fortunately for the movie, Mini Maui didn't steal the spotlight (that isn't to say _Aladdin_ wasn't good, it's just that everybody only really remembers it because of the Genie's presence).**

 **Agreed. That being said, which do you think is more impressive to be dating? A goddess or a genie? Both are essentially the same power and weakness wise: both are immortal, possess incredible power and both are bound by some rule or other, with genies being the number of wishes and gods and goddesses being ancient laws of sorts that prevent them from doing certain things.**

 **Believe it or not, you aren't far off when you said you waiting for one of them to blow their top, at least until towards the end of the chapter. And technically speaking, Lizzie hasn't gotten her '10-time', as you call it. They're still friends at this point, albeit ones that are starting to realize they may have affections for one another, but are nonetheless still close friends at this point, maybe even the equivalent of surrogate siblings (though nothing like Ben and Ghoulia's relationship). Other than that however, you're mostly on the ball; you just forgot Apple and Cerise, if memory serves right.**

 **And yes, Courtly's is kinky by Wonderland standards, but she's mostly just insane and mischievous. Maybe even more so than Whisp.**

 **Wonderland before it's unification was pretty much like that, which is what forced the Wonderlandians to evolve as they did. The way I see it, the human population of Wonderland rose from prisoners and criminals that were banished to Wonderland by various kingdoms from Ever After – they initially had no idea what was on the other side, similar to the Phantom Zone when it was first discovered – that devolved into ruthless and blood thirsty, nomadic, warring tribes that fought over any and all resources with one another when the local wildlife wasn't an immediate threat; the most vicious of these was the Hearts clan, a group of warriors who had a habit of decapitating all of their foes and prisoners and tearing out their hearts so that they may bathe in the blood in the belief that they grew stronger with every heart whose blood they soaked in, hence their name. It wasn't until forces from Ever After eventually invaded Wonderland that the tribes banded together to fight and it wasn't until the Great Dragon that threatened all of the fairy tale realms did they bring their senseless war to an end and create the Storybook of Legends.**

 **To be fair, there are those predators that specialize in killing only one type of prey or those cases where on isolated islands there is either only one predator or one apex predator, like the Komodo islands where Komodo dragons are arguably the only predators worth noting due to the fact that they practically eat _anything_ , even other Komodo dragons. In fact, scientists are pretty sure that they once feasted upon a species of dwarf elephant that lived on the island before they went extinct and they began hunting feral water buffalo, boars, and goats.**

 **I remember that lore. I'm not sure why they chose to get rid of it since it was, in my opinion a pretty good idea that tied a lot of the champions and characters together and made you feel as if the matches you were playing would actually decide the fate of an entire world. One of these cases was in the famous "Noxus vs. Ionia" match in which the two nations were pitted against each other by a pair of professional teams; the prize was that their respective nation would be the canon winner of the war and they would get an item in the game named after them. Long story short, Ionia was victorious and had a pair of boots named after the nation as a result.**

 **That being said, the lack of a League of Legends and Institute of War _does_ allow for some interesting stories and lores to be written. I'm not sure if the new Piltover and Zaun would even be possible if the Institute was dissolved, though there might have been a way to integrate both.**

 **Either way, I have been getting your messages and I fully intend to respond to each of them in the coming week. Just as soon as I can feel my fingers again.**

 _ **SSJR Goku Black –**_ **I don't know what constitutes as a short chapter you, my friend, but the last chapter numbered some 71 pages on my word processor. Hell, the first chapter of** ** _Way too Wonderland_ was approximately 101 pages total.**

 _ **Indominus –**_ **Wait no longer!**

 _ **Da999 –**_ **Can do!**

 _ **luciayshadow –**_ **I would readily kneel before Rebecca Sugar if it meant more Steven Universe episodes came out faster. Then again, I suppose the long wait ensures that each episode will be the best it can be.**

 **That being said, I have seen Moana and while I still like Zootopia better, I _much_ prefer Moana to Frozen . . . mostly because the songs don't make me regret seeing the movie in the first place (and I only say that because Frozen is _everywhere_ and there doesn't seem to be any restraining it). I liked Brave as well; in fact, I'm pretty sure Pixar was the first to do a Disney princess movie where the girl doesn't get a prince at the end, and yet does it get any credit? Of course it doesn't because Merida didn't sing. _Typical._**

 **There's only one girl that I could actually say that to without getting punched in the gonads, and that was my girlfriend back in my previous lifetime, and even then I only said it whenever she was having a rough time and was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. That being said, Cerise's feelings for Raven will be revealed soon enough, just as soon as Raven begins to wonder whether or not she has feelings for Cerise as well. It's the stereotypical 'will they, won't they?' scenario and I guarantee it will be resolved before Sombra tears her hair out . . . I hope . . .**

 **You'll have to be a bit more specific to the Spongebob and Great Scarrier Reef reference as I sometimes write stuff without realizing who or what I'm referencing, if anyone, and I haven't seen Great Scarier Reef yet. And yes, Venus and Jane have ended up in Wonderland, though their impact is significantly reduced because there's only one reason why they're in Wonderland in the first place; as for what that reason is, well, you'll just have to see, heh-heh-heh . . .**

 **And as per requested, a certain someone has uttered a certain line in a certain part of this chapter for your amusement ;)**

 _ **benalien100 – 'My, my, what have we here? A reviewer with an even bigger mouth than me! Do you know that means? It means I can't allow you live!'**_

 **Alright, that's enough Wade. Don't you have another reviewer to get revenge on and another that you're declaring war against with militarized Mexican food?**

 _ **'Right! I mustn't be distracted! Tally-ho!'**_

 **Sorry about that. Wade just tends to-**

 _ **'But that doesn't mean I've forgotten about you! We shall meet again, this I vow!'**_

 **. . . Anyway, I'm sorry to say that a vast majority of your ideas are either poor in nature or aren't what I'm looking for. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading them and there were a few in there that definitely got me thinking about things, but ideas such as Aggregor just suddenly up and appearing with no warning whatsoever and as an executioner of all things or throwing Lord Transyl – who as far as I'm concerned is _dead_ after being in that coffin in space facing the sun for so long – or Vilgax randomly appearing at Parents Day with no build up to it makes absolutely no sense; this is the equivalent of Tony Stark finding out that he's somehow related to every single one of the Avengers with absolutely no explanation or suspense. It just doesn't work.**

 **Let me compare what you're asking for to _Gravity Falls._ In _Gravity Falls_ , the entire show revolves around dropping hints and clues so that the audience can feel like they're getting in on the mystery. For example, Bill Cipher was hinted at _multiple_ times in previous episodes before he finally made his debut and even then we continued to get more and more subtle hints towards what was in the coming seasons. In comparison, your ideas have none of that. The villains – some of which have no relevancy to the plot whatsoever – just up and suddenly appear with no explanation as to how they got there or why they are there in the first place.**

 **Another thing that doesn't work is Briar up and suddenly having feelings for Ben. I know I sometimes did this back in my previous story and believe me, I aim to make things a bit more realistic relationship-wise back there, but again, there's no build up to it at all. This would be like Black Widow randomly falling head over heels in love with the Hulk with no explanation offered; it's too spontaneous. That being said, I do plan to get Ben and Briar together (but under different and arguably more interesting circumstances), their first date _will_ be skydiving, and Apple will rest assured be _very_ uncomfortable with the idea of her best friend forever after dating her boyfriend.**

 **Finally . . . Shadow Ben. I'll admit, the concept is interesting but there are several flaws with it. For one, he is way too powerful, having abilities and powers that don't even pertain to him or what he is. If he is meant to be Ben;s shadow, he should have the same powers as Ben. On top of that, Vilgax is Ben's arch nemesis and will forever and always will be, no contest; he may not have been the most powerful, in contrast to Diagon (at least until he absorbed Diagon), but he is nonetheless meant to be Ben's arch nemesis until one of them kills the other.**

 **Secondly, the whole concept of Ben having another evil counterpart of him is just . . . no. Just . . . just no. Albedo already fits that role, as well as multiple alternate dimensional counterparts of him; a shadow version is unnecessary.**

 **Thirdly, he has a relationship with the Evil Queen. Now granted, this is something I admittedly find intriguing and would definitely take advantage of in the upcoming EAH one-shot and lemon series, but I had sworn to myself that Ben would not have any MILFs in his harem. Now before you argue that Snow White IV seems to be infatuated with Ben, let me stop you right there and remind you that – while she admits that he is attractive and an ideal suitor – her constant teasing of her daughter is more of a prompt for Apple to stay with Ben and try to better herself; she doesn't want her daughter to be like her because, contrary to where she is now, she is every bit Rebel as much as she is Royal.**

 **Now as I said before, there were a fair number of your ideas that I liked and plan to utilize, mainly your Parents Day idea (which, let me say again, has been confirmed to be written quite soon). Now, while I don't plan to have Ben threaten the Evil Queen's life – as he doesn't know the full extent of her evil. He doesn't know the full story behind Raven's scars yet, which is when he _really_ hates the Evil Queen. And yes, that does mean that Raven will eventually reveal her scars to Ben when she feels that the time is right – I do like the idea of Hades talking to the Evil Queen or at least acknowledging the fact that she's most likely watching them (albeit to himself). Another idea I like is the addition of Poppy, Darling, Ginger, Faybelle, Courtly, and Isi to the harem, mostly because I already had that planned in the first place.**

 **That being said, Blondie is the one girl that I'm still on the fence about because, unlike a majority of the other girls that are a part of or are scheduled to join Ben's harem, Blondie offers little to nothing that isn't already there. She's a reporter, right? Well, guess what, so is Spectra. She can get into locked spaces and other places that most other fairy tales can't? So can Spectra again. Basically, Blondie is Spectra's Ever After High counterpart in every sense of the word and as such offers nothing new to the harem.**

 **Plus, I can't have all the girls fall for Ben. While Blondie does think that he is handsome and attractive, she doesn't really think Ben's her type of man, even though he seems to be a universal bloodtype of sorts when it comes to the opposite sex. Again, I'm still on the fence when it comes to Blondie, but the odds are that she will most likely not be making out with Ben anytime soon.**

 **Your suggestion for Boo York is something else that I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline. While I do have plans to implement Astranova into the story and an eventual relationship with Ben – albeit through completely different circumstances – Boo York is not among them at all.**

 **As for Vilgax and Malware, they aren't scheduled and never will be scheduled for this story because A) Malware is officially defeated/doesn't offer anything new to the story that another villain can't do (plus I'm going for more of a fairy tale theme to this one, hence the presence of the Forever Knights) and B) Vilgax was already the main villain in a story Xover I'm currently writing with _Blazorna Ibara_. It basically takes his story, _The Troubles of a Misplaced Hero_ , and _We Are Monsters_ and mashes it all together into one crazy Xover event, of which Vilgax is the main villain of. If you haven't read it yet, the first two chapters are already posted and the third and final chapter is in production as we speak (read).**

 **Regarding your OC . . . how about _no?_ Seriously, this is OP as fuck (pardon my French) and he's not even a Celestialsapien. He might make a cameo as an _actual Tetramand_ with _actual Tetramand powers_ , but that's about it.**

 **Finally, this is not one of those stories where Ben becomes Super Saiyan. _Period._**

 **On a closing note . . . would it be possible for you make an account to PM me a majority of these questions and suggestions? I'd rather not have my reviews spammed with this kind of thing instead of actual reviews. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them nonetheless, but you've sent how many?**

 _ **'Are we done here?'**_

 **Taco tanks, remember?**

 _ **'Oh, yeah! Viva la revolution!'**_

 _ **I don't think that really pertains-**_

 **Just drop it, babe. At least the more distracted he is, the more peace and quiet we have . . . and the more alone time there is for us . . .**

 _ **Oh, Creaty, you're such a charmer!**_

 **Aw, you're making me blush . . . you probably tell 'cause, well, I'm already red . . . but that's beside the point! As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 **Onward!**

* * *

 **NOTICE**

 **Let it be known that I, _Creaturemaster,_ am acquainted with _Morantis_ and we have relied on one another to help further the development of our stories in the past (me relying on them more often than the other way around, actually). That does not mean however, that I am in constant communication with them and that I know where they go or what they do when they vanish for long periods of time. That being said, those of you who are fans of of both our works or simply ask me if they know what's taking so long for _Morantis_ to update . . . for lack of a better term, _keep your panties on!_**

 **As authors, we strive to give you the best quality we can possibly muster and as much as it may bother some of you, this is why updates are so few and far in between with us. We all know you eagerly (and perhaps a tad too impatiently) await the next chapter of some thrilling and riveting epic that we've spent weeks, perhaps even months or years hyping up, but please keep in mind that as authors, we adore you. We want to make sure that whatever we post we'll be happy with and in turn, you'll be happy with as well.**

 **For example, lets say that for the final episode of _Samurai Jack_ theoretically ends with Jack suddenly waking up from nearly half a century of being in a coma and finds out that everything that he went through – all the pain, the sorrow, the joy, the happiness, all the enemies and friends that he made and gave hope to – was nothing more than just a figment of his imagination. He's not some lost prince to an emperor or some samurai wielding a magic sword against a shape-shifting demon that's sent him centuries into the future. He's just an average guy – an average guy named Jack – who is in no way special and is so ordinary and average that the only unique thing about him is that no one can remember his name. Unable to cope with this harsh reality, he commits suicide in the hopes of somehow being reunited with the world in his dreams.**

 **How would you like it if _that_ was the end to the epic saga of _Samurai Jack_ , a series that received universal acclaim before it was tragically canceled and then revived nearly a decade later, only to receive what might conceivably be the worst ending ever? Thankfully, this did not happen, and you want to know why? Because Tartakovsky cared about what some would call his master piece and he cared about his fans enough to give them an ending that he was satisfied with and knew that they would be satisfied with. Likewise, we want to ensure that every chapter we post has the chance to be better than the last one because we have improved as writers and want to reward you readers and fans alike for giving us this chance.**

 **Beyond that, we also have lives outside of Fanfiction. It may come as a complete surprise to some, but I am not actually an undead Tetramand residing in the depths of the Underworld to be eternally tormented for some sin of unknown origin. I am in fact a regular teenager who has graduated high school, needs to get their driver's license, has a time consuming job at your local fastfood chain, and must attend college in the fall so that they may graduate once again and live their life how they so chose while making a living and paying off the immense debts I have accumulated during my college career. That doesn't sound like I have a lot of time on my hands, right?**

 **The same is with _Morantis._ We share an audience and they are fully aware that you're getting impatient with their lack of updates. But please understand that they are only trying to give you the best quality work they can while simultaneously balancing everything their life outside of Fanfiction throws at them.**

 _ **And now, back to our regularly scheduled program . . .**_

* * *

". . . and then he starts singing! _Singing!_ In a public restaurant!"

"Oh, my Wand!" Cupid gasped with astonishment.

"It gets worse." Dexter groaned while he tiredly pinched his brow. "He doesn't _just_ start singing in a public restaurant. He starts singing a _love song_ in a public restaurant! In front of everybody! _And_ off-key, too!"

The love goddess had to resist the urge to burst out laughing for fear of passing out from lack of oxygen. "Oh, my Grimm!"

"And that's not the worst of it," Dexter couldn't help but chuckle at the sheer ridiculousness of the events. "He's walking all around like he owns the place and is the greatest thing since sliced fairy bread! And the dancing . . . oh, my Fairy Godmother, the dancing! It was the biggest fairy-fail I've ever seen, even worse than the time Daring tried to ride a pegasus bareback for the first time!"

The Son of Prince Charming felt _much_ better after being able to blow off some steam and vent out his troubles to someone he knew would listen to his every word. Most of the time, people tended to either zone out of even doze off while he was talking or got excited about something that he cared about; even Raven had once accidentally fallen asleep when he had tried to explain the inner workings of a Mirrorphone to her, and that had been what he considered the 'simplified' version. Cupid however, was someone that he could talk to about almost anything – even stuff he knew for a fact that she would never understand as well as he did – and she would listen to him with such attentiveness that he could swear that the young deity just liked to listen to the sound of his voice.

For some reason that he couldn't quite place his finger on . . . it was nice to have someone who actually liked to hear him talk.

And when the Daughter of Eros laughed at his recount of his day's shenanigans he found that he loved listening to the way she laughed at his jokes and his witty sarcasm. To him it sounded like a hundred wind chimes ringing in the breeze and filling the air with their sweet melodies; it filled him with a sense of calmness that he had never felt before. Sure, he had heard Cupid laugh numerous times, but now it was just her and him, without anyone else around to talk over her beautiful voice and he had never felt so relaxed in his life.

" _I've heard of getting a monster case of the munchies, but this is ridiculous!_ "

" _Pixie dust! I accidentally used too many crab apples and deviled eggs! GAH! Stay back, you little munchkins!_ "

" _Man your stations! Prepare to be boarded! Don't fire until you see the white of their eyes!_ "

" _Te estás divirtiendo mucho con esto._ "

The tremendous clattering of pots and pans and cookery rang loudly throughout the Hocus Latte Cafe, instantly setting Dexter's nerves on edge from the sudden noise. The sounds of ataxia only became more chaotic and more varied as the harrowing seconds came on, ranging from what might have been mixing bowls shattering against the floor to utensils and cutlery being used in a manner of weaponry. A consistent squelching undertone only pierced by the sound of wet bellows and rumbling accompanied the constant cacophy of chaos coming from the kitchen.

Dexter swallowed tensely and tightly curled his knuckles. "Wh-What's happening?"

Cupid bit her lip, already greatly considered by how pale the prince's face had turned and how strained his breathing had become. "I'm not sure," her voice was laced with concern as she scooted herself to the end of the booth and leaned out to call toward the kitchen doors. "Is everything alright back there?" she called.

" _Si!_ Everything is fine! Do not worry!" Skelita reassured her from out of sight.

The sound of a cackling genie's voice however, was less than encouraging. "It's so big! And squishy! It's big and squishy and malleable! _Why_ is it so big and squishy!? The only things that should be big and squishy are Nefera's-"

The love goddess cringed when the sounds of pandemonium only increased in volume and cut off whatever the genie was about to say. Her teeth anxiously gnawed at her bottom lip when she noticed the way Dexter was tightly gripping the table with the pastiest knuckles she had ever seen in her time as a deity; even her bone white skin paled in comparison. She took immediate note of how Dexter was clenching his teeth as if he were in the most unbearable pain and was doing everything in his power to keep from crying out in anguish. His stunning, baby blue eyes were squeezed shut with such force that Cupid feared he might blow a blood vessel if he didn't stop.

"Dexter . . . what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

To say the Son of Prince Charming looked terrified when confronted with that question was an understatement. "I-It's him . . . he's starting to freak out . . ." his voice was dry as he tried to keep his composure.

He was mentally berating himself for letting his discomfort slip and allowing his alter ego to get this far in taking over. The young prince couldn't believe he had managed to keep himself together this long given how many unusual and incredibly stressful things seemed to happen around Ever After High on a regular basis, with or without Ben's presence adding to the madness. He had taken multiple precautionary measures to ensure that his monstrous counterpart had a less than likely chance of coming out the moment he had gathered up enough courage to venture out of his room after the events of his first rampage; he quit the bookball team, avoided going to any of his classes that involved strenuous, physical activity, and directed Blondie through the lengthy process of filming and editting her broadcasts via Mirrorchat and hexts from the safety of his dorm; even then, the distrustful whispers and continued to follow him like a gang of gruesome ghosts.

As if that weren't disappointing enough, his efforts proved minimal at best. Day and night he struggled to maintain control over his body that his doppelganger so desperately fought for and after a good number of weeks he was beginning to feel the fatigue, try as he might try to hide it. Every time he so much as dozed off he was left vulnerable and thus he had programmed his Mirrorphone to wake him up every half hour or so with the loudest music he could find to ensure that his alter ego didn't gain the upperhand; Hunter Huntsman however, had as of yet to appreciate Dexter's methods.

He wasn't sure if that fully explained the strangely fresh scars that marred the huntsman's body though.

Stress and intense emotions was what gave the Beast enough leverage to break free of the mental prison Dexter had imprisoned him/it in – he wasn't sure how to address his de trop doppleganger. He couldn't fathom how or if anyone else lived with such a bizarre and frightening condition as an alternate personality in their head that could theoretically take control if he so much as let his grip slip just the slightest. It left more questions unsolved than answered and only created more confusing and controversal queries instead of getting rid of them; did the Beast exist because of him or did he exist because of the Beast? Could one live without the other? Who was the original personality and who was a tumor that was better left forgotten?

The café gave a low rumble, shaking dust and debris from the rafters in response to a thundrous, gutteral roar. The silverware and glasses of complimentary iced water on their table rattled and clincked ominous when the building trembled a second time, followed by a chorus of other chaotic cacophonies that sounded unusually similar to that of screaming. Dexter hoped to the ancestors above that it was only by sheer coincidence while he tried to keep his breathing steady and his heart rate low.

" _Gaaah! Agh!_ " the young prince suddenly cried out when his arm spasmed uncontrollably. A series of horrifically painful-sounding cracks and snaps came from his biceps as the bones shifted and nearly tripled, quadrupled in size in a series of short, destructive bursts that made Dexter grit his teeth with every convulsion. His heart was in his throat when his skin started to horrible itch and coarse, shaggy hair began to grow like weeds all along his arm, coating it in a forest of fur. His fingers twitched violently before wicked claws erupted from his fingernails and slammed into the tabletop, leaving deep gouges in their wake as the prince desperately gripped his shaking wrist.

The Son of Prince Charming was dimmly aware that Cupid had jumped across the table and was tightly gripping his shoulders with white knuckles. "Dexter, stay with me! Fight him! You need to fight him!"

He needed to concentrate his chaotic thoughts, to find an anchor that he could use to himself down in the swirling mess that was his mind. He tried to focus on the memories of his family, of his parents, of his older brother, of his twin sister, but that did little to absolutely nothing when his inner monster reminded him of all the negative things that they had done to him; everytime Daring had shown him up in every competition or game they played in; how his mother and father had doted upon his older brother and sister while generally ignoring him; the time his own father had asked him to throw a jousting contest so that Daring would emerge the victor and win their family an increase in their fortune.

" _Dexter!_ You can do it! I believe in you! You _need_ to fight him!"

The young prince could feel his body continue to warp from the negative emotions coursing through him like a vile venom, twisting his form to become more and more powerful and monstrous; thoughts of his family clearly weren't going to help him. With little other option, he instead chose to focus on the sound of Cupid's voice and the memories it brought to him; he remembered when they had first met; how she had been the first girl to treat him like an actual person; the long conversations they would have where they could express just about anything to one another in complete confidance; how she had thoughtlessly helped him try to win over Raven's heart.

The monster that lurked within him attempted to recall all of the negative memories he had with the Daughter of Eros, such as the moment when he realized that his crush no longer shared feelings for him and had fallen for someone completely out of left field. He remembered how hurt and upset he had been when he had nearly succeeded in finding happiness only to have it snatched away from it at the last second. He had been so devastated that he had jumped to conclusions and let anger cloud his judgement to the point where he had taken out his frustrations on the one constant in his life that had always been there to pick him up when he fell down.

Unfortunately for the monster inside of him, the positive memories of Chariclo Arganthone Cupid far outweighed the few negative thoughts he had about her. Dexter found his ragged breathing slowly starting to labor, his involuntary convulsions become less frequent, and his imposing figure began to dwindle and shrink with every passing second the beast within became more and more reluctant to fight for control. His powerful, crushing hands shriveled up like weeds in the hot sun and his fingers resumed their more dexterous form under Cupid's calming caress; eventually, the savage monster within his psyche had been passified and Dexter opened with his eyes with a sigh of relief.

"Is . . . is he gone?" Cupid asked after a few moments.

The young prince nodded, panting breathless when he gave the young deity a smile. "Yeah. He's gone . . . for now . . ." his tone drifted off into depression as he rested his head on the table and pulled his arms around him, as if to shut out the world around him so that he could be alone with his thoughts while he mentally berated himself for coming so close to losing it. He was only vaugely aware of Cupid's lithe arms wrapping themselves around him in a comforting embrace and her head resting upon his shoulder, as if to reassure him that things were starting to look up. He didn't have that much belief at this point – not yet anyway – but he more than welcomed the warm sensation that bubbled forth from the pit of his stomach at her soothing touch.

Dexter still couldn't understand why he seemed to become so calm when around Cupid because he was never this relaxed when around any of his other friends; even Raven hadn't made him feel _this_ relaxed on the few dates they had. It were as if nothing could possibly go wrong for him when she was around, as if the world had suddenly come into focus like he had been wearing the wrong glasses his entire life. He couldn't be falling for her, could he? There was no way he could like Cupid, she was just friend and that was how she saw him as well . . . right? If that were true, then why did the Beast seem reasonably easier to deal with whenever the young goddess around during one of his rampages?

 _ **WHAM! BOOM!**_

" _RRRRRRRWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGH!_ "

It seemed those questions were going to have to wait for another time. Without warning the swinging doors that led to the kitchen burst open with a resonating _slam!_ The entire establishment shook as if during an earthquake as Ginger, Whisp, and Skelita came hurling out of the scullery screaming at the top of their lungs until they crashed against the opposing wall and slid down into the boothes or exploded into a random collection of bones in the case of the later. A low, wet roar rattled the café and what looked like a hot, white, bubbling wave of molten candle wax came slowly oozing forth and into the main dining area; the burbling, slimy mess swallowed everything in its path, eating up chairs, tables, dishes, discarded utensils, leftovers, anything and everything.

Cupid didn't realize she had flinched when the sudden interruption had come, much less close her eyes as a result. "Wha . . . what is _that?_ " she asked, slightly afraid to hear the answer.

"W-Well, it _was_ suppose to be a lemon meringutan pie, but I think I _may_ have used too many deviled eggs. Nasty little creatures . . ." Ginger explained with embarassment as her confectionary creation frothed and percolated across the floor, absorbing everything within reach and growing bigger and bigger all the time, much to everyone's unease. It was only when it was nearly five times the size of Ginger did things start to become increasingly worrisome; the enormous pile of mucilaginous mush churned and squelched as it began to pile itself up higher, building itself into a crude humanoid figure that generated a pair of heavyset arms and legs to support itself. With a wet gurgle, a wide mouth split itself across the broad chest and a pair of large, yellowed eyes like that of lemon wedges popped loose from the pile of pulp just above the massive maw from which what looked like lemon juice or egg yolk dripped from.

Skelita sighed wistfully as her left radius and ulna skittered along on its fingers to try and collect the rest of her discarded body. " _Ay-ay-ay_ , why do these kind of things happen to us? We try to bake a simple pie and we end up creating _un monstruo!_ "

Whisp was about to make some witty comment when the pie monster cut her off with a wet roar and came charging right at her with savage intent and outstretched hands. The genie yelped and quickly ducked under the first swipe of the slowly melting fingers before leaping over the second swipe and disappearing in a puff of blackened smoke that left the pie monster thoroughly baffled as to where she went, scratching its head in confusion.

" _INCOMING_ _!_ "

The pile of delicious pie filling glanced up at the sudden battle cry and bellowed with extreme irritation when Whisp appeared out of a puff of smoke directly above it and dropped down on its head like a bomb, jamming her arms and legs as deep into monster's face as possible, right between the eyes. Much to her horror, the djinni's hands and feet sunk deep into the mucilaginous makeup and stuck fast like glue, trapping her in place. Whisp could do little else but press herself as close to the monster's face and possible and try to avoid getting grabbed by the monstrous hands that came up to try and swat her away.

"Well, I'm gonna go ahead and say it: you've gotten yourself into a _sticky_ situation, Whisp. Happy with yourself?" the genie muttered under her breath.

The only response she got was a roar of rage from the pie monster and a monstrous hand that finally managed to wrap its heavy fingers around her. She wasn't sure exactly whether she was safer stuck to the creature's face or free to move around, but the djinni decided that distracting the monster was the best thing she could do at that moment; with a quick movement of her fingers she grabbed a fistful of the monster's gelatinous makeup. Whisp gritted her teeth as the hand began to start pulling her free from its face, growing angrier and angrier by the minute the more she resisted.

The genie grutted as she strained to keep herself firmly rooted in one place. "I could . . . use a hand here! Preferably one that's big . . . angry . . . and has anger management issues the size of El Segundo, California!"

Skelita bit her lip as she watched her leg bones reinsert themselves into her pelvis and go about collecting her vertabrae with feeble sweeping motions of her metatarsals and phalanges. " _¡Necesito más tiempo!_ I need more time to pull myself together first! I am a little short-handed at the moment!"

Whisp groaned. "Great. Well, I fail to see how this could get any worse."

It turned out 'worse' was when the pie monster finally managed to pull her free from its face, glaring hungrily at her while she gave a sheepish smile and then proceeded to let out a string of profanity at her own stupidity for envoking the cruel hand of karma upon her. The creature cared not for her petty ramblings and opened its massive maw, dangling the helpless djinni over its jaws in sweet preparation to swallow her whole.

What the pie monster did count on however, was the sudden interruption of a certain candy witch.

"Whisp! Hang on!" Ginger cried.

The Daughter of the Candy Witch sucked in a deep breath and steeled her nerves as she assessed the situation. Left with little other choice, she pulled out a pair of dual kitchen knives that she had previously been wielding against their monstrous meal – along with a cooking pot Whisp had placed on her head to act as a makeshift helmet – and gave off a shrill scream that she hoped liked an intimidating battle cry. Ginger rushed forward and slashed the pie monster across the anterior of its leg before dashing back and leaving a deep gash across its chest with her kitchen knives; the beast bellowed angrily, more annoyed by her presence than anything else, and made a clumsy swing at her with its free hand.

That was the moment the witchling was waiting for. At the last second she jumped back and let the monstrous hand slam into the floor, momentarily being caught in the broken floorboards for the briest of seconds; that was all she needed. Her heart was in her throat when she lunged and rushed her way up the pie monster's arm like a ramp until she was about even with its face and leaped as high into the air as she possibly could. With expert precision she hurled her knives at the monsters face and succeeded in striking right between the eyes with the first blade and landing a direct hit into one of its lemony orbs, earning a spray of lemon juice as a reward. The pie monster howled in agony, allowing Ginger to throw her entire body at Whisp and tackle her out of the beast's grip, holding onto the genie tightly as they landed and tumbled across the floor before coming to a hault by the booth Cupid and Dexter had been taking shelter in.

Ginger's heart was racing as she sat up and tucked a lock of her frosting-colored hair back in place. She could hardly believe what had just happened. Had she really done all _that?_

"A-Are . . . are you alright?" she panted, breathless from her rescue attempt.

The djinni had a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm alright. Nice moves back there!"

Ginger blushed a bright red. "O-oh . . . really?"

"Yep!" Whisp grinned before a mischevious and playful look crossed her lips and one of her fingers curled seductively under the young witch's chin. "In fact, if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to show you some of _my_ moves . . ."

The Daughter of the Candy Witch could hardly believe what she was hearing when her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "Wh-What!? Y-You mean . . . oh, my Grimm, er . . . th-that is . . . um, thank you for the offer but-"

" _Right!_ " Whisp interrupted. "Stop Piezilla now, rewarding later!"

"Th-That's not exactly w-what I-"

" _RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWGGGGHHH!_ " the newly named monster roared right in their faces, absolutely furious at the loss of its eye.

Whisp managed to hold in her nausea at the smell of the monster's hot breath that smelled far too similar to spoiled cream. "That's a pretty impressive set of lungs you got there, big fella," she simpered as she tapped the Omnitrix fastened to her wrist. "But I can do you one better."

Ginger squeezed her eyes shut as the genie brought her hand down on the activation button and was swallowed in an eruption of dark blue light that began to warp and change her genetic code. Her skin on a smooth, chrome white with a soft cracking noise while it solidified, a much moe volative and disturbing noise reaching Ginger's ears when Whisp's frame shrank and was compressed down to roughly the size of a large doll. Her bones softened and became more flexible until they were done away with, fused with the pearly, white shell that encased her body; her lips split and widened as her head swelled into a roughly football-shaped sphere. The djinni's organs oozed and sloshed around inside of her being, pushed and squished together to their limits when her lungs suddenly bloated to enormous proportions, quickly becoming the largest organ in her body. Her point ears were back against her head, melting into her skin and forming small cups from which wire-like cords snaked out around her head, resembling an odd mixture of headphones and pigtails that connected to a box-like structure upon her back. Whisp's eyes dialted and shrank, turning beady and slit-like when they flashed a deep azure in color and the Omnitrix appeared on her forehead, completing the transformation.

"Or how about _six_ better?" Sonic Doom smiled cheekily as she quickly divided herself into a half dozen clones.

The appropriately named Piezilla was even more confused at the sudden increase in enemies to smash and was thus unprepared when the half dozen Sonorosian clones all sucked in a deep breath and blasted out a solid wall of ultrasonic sound at the pie monster's face.

Needless to say, the beastly blob didn't like that in the slightest. With a wet roar of fury, Piezilla spat out an awful torrent of pie filling from its enormous mouth, slathering Sonic Doom in the revolting spray. The female Sonorosians momentarily recoiled in disgust before they attempted to extricate themselves from the sticky trap, only to find themselves firmly rooted in place and incapable of pulling themselves out. The pie monster seemed greatly amused by this and gave a deep, revrebating laugh before he spat out another load of sticky pie filling to finish the job, rendering the Sonorosians completely helpless.

With that minor distraction out of the way, Piezilla turned its attention towards the remaining patrons of the Hocus Latte Cafe, namely Skelita – or rather her scattered skeleton, which had succeeded in rebuilding her spinal cord and ribcage and was going about trying to fit the two pieces together with her reconstructed pelvis. The pie monster screeched and fired off a torrent of delicious sludge from the middle of its chest region, swallowing Skelita in an agglutinative mess of the goo; it may not have very bright, but it was smart enough to know that taking out a downed opponent meant fewer enemies to fight.

The feeling of several sharp, solid objects sinking into its back alerted the pie monster to the presence of Ginger and it immediately rounded on her with a roar of irritation. The Daughter of the Candy Witch retaliated with a barrage of kitchen knives and cutlery that peppered Piezilla's frame, but it barely acknowledged that she was causing it much discomfort.

The young witch swallowed anxiously when the pie monster charged at her like an enraged bull and scooped her up in one of its meaty hands, slamming her against the wall with a painful crack from her skull that left her dizzy and disoriented. She hardly noticed how the monstrosity's hand and arm were oozing and bubbling, slathering more of its viscid makeup over her until it was sure that Ginger was firmly stuck in place.

Dexter and the Cupid, who had been trying to avoid Piezilla's attention during the whole ordeal shared an nervous look with one another when they realized that they were the only ones left standing or not glued in place. The pie monster seemed to realize this to when it effortlessly tore their booth's table out from the wall and floor and promptly shoveled it into its wide maw, its size increasing even furhter once it had fully absorbed the splintered remains.

Despite this sudden display of strength and power, Dexter was doing his best to try and stay calm. He could already feel the Beast awakening inside of him, disturbed by the fact they were being challenged by a rival; it felt threatened by the pie monster's presence and it wanted to fight. The young prince naturally didn't want to fight at all, much less let his monstrous doppleganger take control long enough to do so.

Piezilla on the other hand, didn't really care that Dexter was being pacifistic for the moment.

The pie monster glowered hungrily at the cowering prince and goddess and raised one of its gigantic hands in the air and brought it down with a thundrous, wet slap upon Dexter before he could even flinch. Cupid screamed the Son of Prince Charming's name as he was lifted into the air and casually tossed over the pie monster's shoulder like a forgotten toy; the prince smashed through a few tables before he crashed against the pastry case with a groan.

Dexter's body was aching from that last throw, his shoulder throbbing and crying out in agony when it taken the brunt of the attack the tables had dealt him. His glasses were broken, the frame twisted and lying woefully alone the bridge of his nose as if waiting to be put out of its misery. The gold crown that he wore out of family tradition and honor was dented and hammered into an unsightly mess and multiple bruises and scrapes littered his joints, as if to remind him of his noodle-like stature. Most of all however, he could feel tbe Beast laughing at him, mocking for his weakness and for being so easily cast aside.

But that didn't matter now, especially not when he realized that Piezilla had set its sights on a practically helpless Cupid. While technically a goddess, she was a young one and thus had little to no control or knowledge of the full extent of her powers and she was without any means of defending herself, regardless of whether or not she was a crapshot with a bow. To make matters worse, she was in an enclosed ad confined space with a monster made of some of the stickiest stuff known to fairy tales, thus rendering her wings useless lest they become gummed up for weeks on end; she was as helpless as a bird with clipped wings!

Dexter didn't like that, not in the slightest.

Much to his surprise however, the Beast didn't seem to like it either. The second it realized that Cupid was in danger, it thrashed and fought about even harder inside of the young prince's mind, demanding that it be released that very moment with the threat that it would every waking moment of his life an absolute nightmare.

Dexter wasn't exactly how that was much different than his life right now.

He had to do something. There had to be another way, there _always_ was another way. This was usually the moment when Ben or one of his ghouls came swooping in to save the day, but the former had been missing all day and the others had disappeared a few hours prior without warning. Sonic Doom was still trapped and incapable of producing her ultrasonic blasts and Skelita was unable to extricate herself from her sticky prison and put herself back together. Ginger was still pinned to the wall despite her attempts to break free and no one was likely to come by for several more hours due to the horrible, private concert Sparrow had put on only an hour before, leaving matters in only his hands.

And that left him with only one option.

With a final deep breath, Dexter relinquished his freedom and felt the changes begin to painfuly radiate across his body as his mind began to sink away from consciousness. Deep chestnut brown fur sprouted all over his body in relentless, crashing waves, racing across his shoulders and down his back and arms while they pulsated with muscle and tissue. His skull cracked when his lower jaw jutted out into a monstrous underbite from which a pair of razor-sharp tusks were thrust out from his fangs. The prince's ears elongated into highly developed sensors with which to detect the slightest sound and his forehead crunched in a sickening manner while a pair of pointed, curved horns emerged from his skull just above his piercing, blue eyes. Dexter felt himself being forced down into hunching posture when his spine readjusted itself and spat out an extra set of vertabrae that quickly was wrapped in flesh and fur and morphed into a wolf-like tail. The prince felt his fingernails tear through his fingers and mold themselves into menacing claws and his hind legs snapped in a sickening manner when they were forced into the structure like that of a dog; a mane of coarse, brown fur drapped down along his back and shoulders and over the tattered remains of his royal blue jacket and scarf.

With a low snarl, the Beast pried the remnant of an all too small, golden crown his scalp and cast it aside, dropping down to all fours and unleashing a deafening roar that was powerful enough to shatter stone; the windows rattled uncontrollably, threatening to shatter.

The pie monster whipped around just in time for the Beast to pounce about it, tackling Piezilla to the ground witha furious roar that might as well have been a localized thunderstorm buried in the chimera's throat. The two monsters rolled across the floor in a tight ball of hate and fury before the pie monster managed to place its massive foot under the Beast's stomach and kick him of it during their next cycle; the momentum sent the monster hurling the air where he slammed against the wall with enough force to shake the entire café and threaten to bring it down with him.

Cupid watched with wide eyes as the Beast staggered to his feet, taking only a second to recover before he charged back into battle and barreled his entire bodyweight into the pie monster, tackling it to the floor a second time. The chimera bellowed with rage as he instinctively went for the creature's jugular, only to sink his fangs into soft, delicious marshmallow-like filling that left him incapable of using his lethal teeth and forced him to resort to only his claws. Piezilla seemed to sense that its new found opponent was now significantly more defenseless than before and attacked with renewed vigor, throwing the Beast off of him and climbing to its feet.

The two titans charged at one another a second time and the Beast managed to avoid the first initial strike, dropping down onto all fours and bowling straight into the pie monster's legs to bring him down to the ground. The two monsters struggled for several minutes in a near pathetic struggle on the floor of claws and teeth and rage before they staggered back to their feet with Piezilla holding the Beast in a chokehold. The chimera snarled and struggled viciously to escape the crushing bearhug that was steadily crushing his throat, but the pie monster held fast and tight, refusing to let his sticky grip slip.

With great strain, the Beast began to ever so slowly pry the massive, meaty arms off of his windpipe, offering him a fresh breath of air that motivated to keep fighting until he had finally managed to pry Piezilla's grip off of him, albeit with great difficult. Much to Cupid's horror however, the pie monster used his momentary lapse of concentration to its advantage and suddenly released its hold on him to grab him by the tail. Despite its massive size, the monster began to spin the Beast around by his tail, going faster and faster with each rotation like a top until it finally released the chimera and sent him flying into the pastry stand, utterly decimating it in a shower of broken glasses and creamy filling.

The Beast growled, barely noticing the canolis and whip cream that dripped down his face. "How is it doing this!?" he roared with enragement; he was the pinicle of predatory evolution! How was a confectionary creature whose brains were literally made of sweetmeat?

A muffled voice caused his sensitive, frosting-laced ears to prick up and he turned to see a pile of sweet, sticky pie filling to his right shiver and quiver for a few seconds before a sickly, female Sonorosian surfaced with a wad of pie filling jammed in its mouth. The Beast raised a furry eyebrow when she began to rapidly jam her fingers between him and her mouth, as if trying to get some message across.

Naturally, he was confused to whatever message she was trying to convey to him. "What?"

The pudgy, silicone-based lifeform sighed with exasperation and proceeded to then kick and flail her stubby arms and legs until she had finally managed to free herself of the sticky trap, at which point the first thing she did was spit the wad of frosting out of her mouth; Sonic Doom then went on to recall the rest of her clones, freeing them from their captured state.

"As I was _trying_ to say," the female Sonorosian grumbled as she dusted herself off. "Is that you're fighting it wrong. You're only using brute strength, not your brain."

"But it's stupid! It literally has mush for brains!" the Beast roared, further enraged.

"If it has mush for brains, then how come it's smart enough to both defeat you _and_ attack Cupid while we're having this conversation?"

" _Ahh! Dexter!_ "

The Beast immediately perked up at the sound of Cupid's cries for help and turned with a snarl to see that the pie monster had managed to capture the young goddess, slathering its gelatinous makeup all over her with its enormous hands and rendering her wings absolutely useless. With a lick of its lips by some sort of awful tongue, it grabbed the helpless deity in one of its meaty hands and lifted her high into the air to dangle over its wide, open jaws as if it were savoring its meal before swallowing it all in one gulp.

The chimera felt his blood boil and his rage consume him and was all about ready to rush to Cupid's aid when he felt Sonic Doom's small hand upon her gigantic knuckle, calming him enough to listen to reason. "I have a plan . . . but it's going to require _cooperation_ and a _clear head_ in order to pull it off. You think you can do that?"

The Beast didn't necessarily like the female Sonorosian, as he found her to irritating when divided amongst herself – his pitiful human counterpart didn't seem to mind her or her other form all that much – but if it meant saving Cupid from being eaten, he was willing to tolerate her for as long as it would take . . . which was hopefully going to be very short. " _Fine,_ " he growled. "What is your plan?"

"Throw me."

"You can't be serious."

The female Sonorosian _was_ seriously, scowling as she placed her hands on her hips. "Look, I'm too small to do anything effective to that thing and it's too big for you to take it head on. We need to make this an inside job, if you catch my drift."

A furry eyebrow was raised as he tried to figure out just what Sonic Doom was trying to tell him before it suddenly dawned on him. "Alright," he agreed reluctantly. "But what about Cupid?"

"Once you get me inside, grab her and stand back. Things are gonna get messy." was all she would say.

With nothing left to lose the Beast hesitantly grabbed the pudgy Sonorosian and tucked her in close to his chest, taking a moment to shake himself of the cream and frosting that had seeped into his fur. He then let lose a boisterous roar to catch the pie monster's attention, narrowing his azul orbs to near slits when Piezilla paused in the middle of swallowing Cupid whole to regard him with an almost arrogant expression; it were as if it found his futile attempts to save the Daughter of Eros amusing. With the creature's focus now on them, the cimera surged forward like a charging bull, quickly dodging and weaving left and right to avoid the sticky sweet balls of filling and frosting the monstrosity was spitting at him in an attempt to slow him down.

"You sure this will work?" the Beast grunted as he suddenly ducked down to the floor to avoid a glob of frosting lobbed right at his head, the projectile jsut barely grazing his horns.

Sonic Doom nodded. "Positive! Now lets light this candle!"

The chimera grunted as he gave a powerful leap to avoid a ball of frosting launched at his feet and drew back his arm before hurling the female Sonorosian like a professional bookball player. The pudgy silicone alien soared through the air with a howl of excitement and tucked herself into a tight ball mere moments before Piezilla opened its gapping maw and swallowed her with one greedy gulp; a look of satisfaction crossed its face as it savored the taste left in its mouth.

This gave the Beast just enough time to bunch up his powerful hind legs and pounce upon the pie monster, his claws raking through the monster's sweet, delicious rolls of filling as grabbed Cupid and pulled her in close to his hulking frame while he curled up into a ball. The chimera came crashing to the floor and was on back on his feet within an instant, his ears pinned back and his back arched into a threatening posture. He narrowed his baby blue eyes to near slits and bared his cage of teeth and wicked claws with a low snarl as he stood protectively over Cupid. The young deity didn't dare move and instead chose to remain on the floor beneath the Beast – arguably the safest spot in the entire café at the moment.

Piezilla immediately rounded on the Beast, none too pleased that its latest meal had been snatched from its very grasp. The confectionary creature drew up to its full height and raised its arms above its head with fingers spread wide like makeshift claws, as if to make itself look even more intimidating when it answered the chimera's warning growls with an annoyed bellow that seemed to threaten to collapse the entire shop as a whole. The pie monster made a move to lunge at the Beast and the chimera curled himself protectively around Cupid, more than ready to take the brunt of the attack for the beautiful deity.

"Um . . . not to sound ungrateful, but please tell me Whisp had a plan?" Cupid gulped nervously, wincing when she felt the pie monster's hammering blows shudder through the Beast's thick frame.

"You could say that," he gritted his teeth, baring through the pain. "She wasn't exactly clear on the details!"

The confectionary creature was becoming increasingly more irritated at the Beast's resilence and raised both fists above its head in an effort to deal what it hoped to be a crushing, devastating blow that had the potential to paralyze the chimera if the right points in the spine were struck. Before it could deliver what might have been the final blow however, a low gurgling sound – like what one might hear if they had an upset stomach – rumbled throughout the café and the pie monster instinctively clutched its gut in response.

Cupid dared to steal a peek through the Beast's furry arms and watched with sick fascination as a lump the size of a wagon wheel suddenly bloated out from Piezilla's stomac region, quickly followed by a series of bumps and lumps of various sizes that quickly melted together into increasingly larger and larger abnomalies. All the while the creature was getting increasingly bigger and bigger, as if it were being pumped full of air and water and its body was attempting to expand in an effort to contain it all. The pie monster screeched horribly as its gelatinous makeup pulsed and bubbled and flailed about beyond its control, as if it were being boiled alive from the inside out until . . .

 _ **BLAM!**_

SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT-SPLAT! GOOOOSH! SPLAT!

The Daughter of Eros couldn't say for certain, but she was pretty sure that Piezilla had just _exploded_. At least, it sounded like it had exploded. In all honesty, she had squeezed her eyes shut at the last second on reflex, leaving that single moment a blank spot in her mind; from the aftermath however, it was far easier to deduce what had happened to the confectionery creature which, in fact, _had_ exploded. It was quite clear really, seeing as how there were bits and pieces of the pie monster all over the place with the vast majority of it being at what must have been the epicenter of the explosion that had finally ended the horrible, yet delicious creation.

Lying flat on their backs at the center of all the activity were several Sonic Doom clones that were dazed, brusied, and covered from head to toe in a layer of frosting and filling, but nonetheless worse for wear. With a series of moans and groans they all came to their senses and one by one began to fuse back together into a single entity until there was only one Sonorosian left. "Alright, _that_ was disturbing," she shuddered uncomfortably while she began the task of cleaning herself of the monster formly known as Piezilla's inards. "Is everyone okay?"

" _Si._ I am fine . . . for the most part . . ." Skelita replied, cautiously peeking out from behind an overturned table she had dove behind the moment she had managed to pull herself back together.

Ginger however, was not so fortunate. Being stuck to the wall had left her with no other option than to simple close her eyes and allow herself to be covered from head to toe in the resulting goo that had splattered just about everywhere imaginable. "I'm alright!" she spat out a mouthful of cream filling and experimentally smacked her lips. " _Mhmmmm_ , not bad . . . could use a little less Devil's Eggs and more Sugar Gliders though . . ."

Now feeling much safer with the Beast protectively curled around her and the pie monster now out of the picture, Cupid allowed herself to relax once more while her protector released the strain on his muscles and took the opportunity to shake himself free of the layers of glaze and sugar coating like an overgrown sheepdog. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone gruff but surprisingly tender.

"I'm fine," Cupid felt herself blush a little. "Thanks to you . . ."

A low rumble came from the back of the Beast's throat. "Um . . . no problem . . ." he awkwardly tried to avoid her gaze as he felt his strength start to diminish and the changes slowly sweep across his body in response to his tranquil composure. His body began to shrink and compress, his strong, tight muscles shriveling and loosening up as his powerful arms withered into the equivalent of fleshy, bony noodles; his fingers cracked noisily as they shrank into thin rods and the sharp, pointed claws on the end became short, stubby fingernails. The Beast's legs snapped as the extra joint in his heel disappeared, becoming the stiff pole that were his ankles while the long, fluffy tail at the base of his spine was slurped back into him like a piece of spaghetti. The chimera's face crunched and flattened as his pointed ears became small, round disks once more and his slight underbite was reabsorbed back into his jaw. The shaggy coat of fur was shed slowly, gradually shifting back into the Beast's body as the large mane on his shoulders and head was reduced to a scruffy, brown patch of hair on his head. The sharp claws on his toes were reduced to toenails when two small toes popped back into existence one another the other; the curved horns sprouting from his scalp ground and crunched loudly as they were pulled back into his skull. His clothes – a blue jacket with gold trimming, a pair of grey jeans, and a white and blue striped scarf that had once barely held against his tremendous frame – now fell lose and form fitting around his body, the transfiguration finally complete.

Sonic Doom allowed a smug smirk to cross her face while the Omnitrix fixed to her forehead gave a series of dying beeps and timed out in a blast of deep blue light, returning Whisp to the world. " _Doki doki,_ Beastie Boy, _doki doki._ " she teased Dexter with an impish grin.

The Son of Prince Charming felt his face turn a raging scarlet at the small jest and graciously accepted his pair of signature glasses that Cupid has so carefully protected throughout the whole fight. "Th-Thank you . . . I'm . . . I-I'm sorry this, uh, didn't exactly turn out s-so-"

"You don't have to apologize, Dexter," the young goddess cut him off. Much to his surprise and slight horror, she gave him a warm, passionate embrace and affectionately nuzzled his chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world, though the prince couldn't imagine why. "Accidents happen all the time."

"'Accidents' involving giant pie monsters?"

"Okay, so maybe not _all_ the time. My point is that I'm not mad. I'm just glad I got to spend some time with you, my . . . best friend forever after."

Dexter raised an inquisitive eyebrow at how the Daughter of Eros had faltered in her wording. Did she no longer see him as a friend? Was she now frightened of him now that he and the Beast seemed to have some common ground to work on? It honestly wouldn't surprise him . . . well, no actually it would, given how tolerant and patient she had been during his first few weeks of inner turmoil; where most would have otherwise abandoned him – even his own brother had distanced himself for safety reasons – she stood right by him through all his trials and tribulations, even after he had abused her friendship and trust of him.

"That reminds me," he coughed awkwardly. "I . . . I never got to apolgize to you."

"For what?"

The Son of Prince Charming hesitantly raised a quivering hand and tenderly placed it upon Cupid's cheek, as if she were a delicate china doll that would break at any second. He cautiously rubbed his thumb along a healed wound, a bruise that he had placed there with his own fist several weeks prior in his blind and foolish rage . . . he could hardly believe he had dared to harm someone so beautiful . . . and if he didn't know any better, he would say that Cupid actually enjoyed the touch of his fingers softly caressing her cheek. "For this . . . I'm sorry for hurting you. I know that what I did was wrong-"

"Dexter, it wasn't-"

The young prince cut her off. "No, don't start. It was _entirely_ my fault, and I take full responsiblity for what I did to you, for everything that I did . . . I'm sorry . . ."

Cupid felt her heart unconsciously flutter. While she had forgiven Dexter for his actions long beforehand, it felt like there had been a great weight taken off of her shoulders when she heard those two sweet words and his fingers so gently touch her without a hint of malice, but of regret and a wish to make amends.

What else could she do but hug him even tighter and simply say "I forgive you" so softly that only the two of them would have heard it?

"Aw, it's a Kodiak moment!" the two fairy tales heard Whisp gush in a taunting manner that had the two of them leaping out of one another's arms with furious blushes upon their faces. The genie laughed before she snapped her fingers and summoned forth a collection of plastic spoons in a puff of sweet smelling, ashen smoke. "Oh, well, waste not want not! Everyone dig in while I dig out a certain _someone_ who I owe a few favors . . ." she said in a tone that sent shivers down Ginger's spine.

Dexter briefly regarded the plastic spoon he had been given and shared a look with Cupid before taking a moment to take note of the frosting-covered . . . _everything_ . . . in the Hocus Pocus Latte cafe and how Whisp was slowly freeing Ginger from her sugary shackles spoonful by spoonful, taking every few seconds to savor the flavor. Skelita on the other hand – as she lacked taste buds, a tongue, or internal organs in the first place – had opted to simply head back into the kitchen in search of a mop and bucket instead.

"Well, when in Rome . . ." Dexter shrugged, earning a giggle from Cupid while they eagerly dug in.

* * *

Falling was an odd sensation to Venus, although considering her lifestyle and the havoc that her boyfriend brought with him wherever he went, it was _too_ odd. Rather, it was the circumstances of falling in general, specifically where she was and how she had begun falling in the first place.

From high above her yet so close she could hear the panicked howls and screeches of Buglizard as they were rolled and tumbled and sent spiraling around and around through a confined space that seemed to have no limits. Never before had Venus seen so much color in all her life, not even Mother Nature's palette of paints for her endless gardens compared to the kaleidoscope of hues and shades and tints that surrounded her on all sides for as far as she could see. It was also wet as well, but that wasn't much of a problem for the plant-monster ghoul in the first place, save for her now absolutely soaked attire; being hurled through a labyrinth of waterlogged tunnels and tubes that didn't seem to have any rhyme of reason to them tended to do that.

Speaking of her clothes, they seemed to be taking on a life of their own, at least from what she could see. Venus couldn't be one-hundred percent certain – as the way she was being flung through the tunnels like socks in a washing machine made it difficult to make sense of just about anything – but she was pretty sure she saw her signature black skirt and pink black-green capris take on an otherworldly, almost magical glow. Right before her very eyes they transformed into a beautiful reverse layer dress with multiple ruffles and layers so that it resembled an upside down, blooming rose. Her usual ankle-length, high-heeled boots with plant-like teeth for the soles were released with the sudden, rippling growth of brightly colored, seafoam leaves and budding flowers for the heels. Creepers tipped with razor-sharp thorns snaked their way across her feet and up her ankles and legs to hold them in place, wrapping around her torso and breasts and across her shoulders and down her arms to quickly form a pair of fingerless gloves made from fine vines. Her neon pink and green hair turned a blinding fuchsia and electric beryl with the addition of a black, spiked headband to hold her stubborn locks in place; the Omnitrix she had been gifted with thankfully remained fixed firmly to her wrist.

Venus only had a few seconds to admire her new outfit before she was suddenly pulled downward by a powerful suction and none too ceremoniously dumped into a massive vat of strangely-colored water with a loud _splash!_ The green-skinned ghoul quickly kicked her legs and soon surfaced with a gasp for breath, quickly squeezing her eyes shut at the last second when Buglizard came crashing down next to her with a tremendous _splash!_ and swiftly resurfaced with a hysterical bellow while she feebly tried to keep herself afloat; the Nemetrix fastened around her neck gave several warning flashes before it timed out in a blast of crimson light and returned Jane to the world.

The jungle ghoul coughed out a few lungfuls of water as she tried to stay afloat. " _Ptew! Pleh!_ Wh-Where are we?"

"I don't know," was all Venus could say. "Somewhere wet, that's for sure."

It was during this time that the plant-monster ghoul was able to get a slight bearing of their surroundings and found that they were in an enormous, dome-shaped cavern of sorts from which dozens of waterfalls spewed forth dazzling curtains of rainbow-stained water that tumbled and flowed into the basin they were currently floating in. Unfortunately, that was about all Venus had time see when she felt a powerful suction pulling on her legs that was steadily pulling her farther and farther beneath the surface.

"Jane . . . hang on!" Venus managed to shout while she grabbed hold of her ghoulfriend and sucked in one last breath before the two of them went under a second time. The two ghouls were swiftly pulled along the current in a circular, rotating motion that was steadily reeling them in closer and closer to a spinning, swirling vortex that snaked downward towards an opening at the bottom of the basin, a drain of sorts.

The green-skinned ghoul could already feel Jane's body start to change and contort. Her once soft, violet skin quickly become rough and fine-grained like sandpaper as millions upon millions of tiny denticles – tooth-like projections that covered the skin of certain animal species – rose up all over her body. Her legs began to wind themselves around one another like a pair of straws that someone was braiding before they finally molded together into a single limb, a powerful, streamline tail from which a pair of vertical fins that had once been her feet unfurled like the pages of a scroll. Her rigid skeleton squelched and popped as solid calcium was replaced with flexible and rubbery cartilage, everything from her ribs and spine to whatever remained of her hips and what had once been her legs, all of it was replaced with cartilage. Jane's once beautiful face pushed out into a grotesque, rounded triangle from which her nose took up the vast majority of its volume; her eyes rotated to either side of her head while her neck thickened and several slits opened up, already starting to steadily pump and filter water like a set of gills should. Her jaws cracked and grounded as her pathetic, multipurpose teeth were replaced with hard, white triangles perfect for digging into, hanging onto, and tearing chunks of flesh out of helpless prey. Her arms arms were slurped back into her body like strands of spaghetti and left her hands to smoothly morph into a pair of triangular fins when the an iconic dorsal fin sprouted from the middle of her back; the Nemetrix appeared around her muscular neck, completing the transformation.

Despite the fact that she could already feel sweet sap leaking from the wounds in her hands from the twelve foot mako shark's sandpaper skin, Venus clung for dear life to Jane's dorsal fin while she powered her tail and tried to make it the basin's rocky shower. For what seemed hours on end she struggled and fought against the compelling current with all her might and yet she seemed to make little progress. If anything she was _losing_ headway and was slowly succumbing to exhaustion and the strong attraction of the whirlpool's currents.

"Come on, Jane, just a little farther! Just a little more!" Venus was yelling words of encouragement in what she perceived to be the mako shark's ear between swallowing mouthfuls of rainbow-stained water.

Even though she knew that her ghoulfriend had no means of vocally communicating with her when she was in morph, the plant-monster ghoul could already sense the regret in the mako sharks otherwise soulless eyes. She instinctively tightened her grip, pressed herself close to Jane's streamline body, and sucked in one last breath before they went under for a third time and didn't resurface. The plant-monster ghoul and oceanic predator braced themselves as they were pulled into the whirlpool's vortex and sucked down with an unceremoniously loud _slurp!_

Down again Venus and Jane were pulled through the network of tubes and tunnels that snaked and warped into a nigh inescapable labyrinth of water and color. It had gotten to the point that the green-skinned ghoul could longer tell which way was up or which way was down and it was honestly starting to make her sick to her stomach; she wasn't sure if sharks could even seasick, but then again she had never seen Jane look so green in her entire life. Was it just her or were they going faster? And if they were going faster, did that mean they were coming out somewhere? If that was true, Venus was pretty sure she didn't care where they came out just so long as she could get off the horrible amusement park ride they were stuck on.

The plant-monster ghoul then decided she _did_ care when they finally came out from the maze of tunnels and water in a wet spray of colorful hues and found herself and Jane literal _miles_ above the ground. That alone was more than enough to confuse Venus – last she checked, going down didn't necessarily mean that one went up, especially so far up in the sky without any visible, conventional means of doing so – but the fact that they were high enough up to touch the clouds absolutely terrified her.

Especially when they suddenly started falling.

Again.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!_ " Venus screamed at the top of her lungs.

She was dimly aware of Jane wriggling free of her flailing arms and assuming her original form in a whirl of twilight locks and sharp fins, but the green-skinned ghoul was more focused on accessing the Omnitrix attached to her wrist. She quickly selected Electra – it was too bright out for her to properly utilize her Vladat form without suffering the repercussions – and slammed her hand down on the activation button, fully expecting to be submerged in a blast of neon green light.

Only to find that the Omnitrix was, once again, being uncooperative.

" _Seriously!?_ " Venus shook her fist angrily. "You choose now of all times to stop working!?"

"Hold on, Venus!" Jane called from above. "I may have an idea! Just don't move!"

With those minimal instructions out of the way – as well as a somewhat sarcastic quip from her ghoulfriend – the shape-shifter closed her eyes and focused on an image in her head; the changes soon followed afterward. Her bones ground and cracked against one another as her limbs were stretched to lengths nearly five times her original size, hollowing out before thousands of stiff, calcium rods attached themselves inside to provide extra support and durability. Powerful muscles and tendons stretch themselves along the length of Jane's legs, followed shortly by a thick layer of tough keratin scale. The jungle ghoul's toes tore through her shoes as sharp talons perfectly designed to snatch up and hang onto unsuspecting prey. Her skeleton was shifted around, forcing her now somewhat squat legs to re-position and hold her body up in a hunched fashion held in place by a stiff breastbone that acted as an anchor to her developing arm muscles. Deep indigo feathers sprouted all along her arms, forming primaries, secondaries, tertials, and coverts until she had a pair of massive, powerful wings that easily dwarfed her original form. Jane's skull crunched heavily while her teeth were absorbed into her jaws and pushed out into a sharp, hooked beak and a small plume of feathers sprouted from the back of her scalp just as a set of tail feathers formed at the base of her spine; the Nemetrix took its place around her low hanging neck, completing the transformation.

The enormous _Argentavis_ let loose an earth-splitting shriek and pulled in its massive wings to fall into a stoop, letting gravity take hold of her so that she plunged through the air like a knife. The wind whistled in her ears, ruffling her feathers as she swiftly approached her target . . . closer . . . closer . . . a little bit more . . . _now!_

Her talons opened up and stretched out, just barely managing to grab hold of Venus' shoulders and arms with her hook-like talons and making sure that her grip was solid but not too uncomfortable that she was injuring her ghoulfriend in any way. Now that the threat of the plant-monster ghoul plummeting to her death was significantly reduced, the _Argentavis_ unfurled her gigantic wings and spread them as wide as she could. She didn't dare flap them like a duck – they were waterfowl and built for powered flight while she was a bird of prey and built for soaring – and despite her enormous size, she wasn't certain whether or not she would be able to safely carry Venus' weight. For the time being, her main goal was making sure that she landed as safely on the ground far below as possible.

Jane tilted her wings at an angle and began to subside into a lazy, downward spiraling motion to slow their descent and took what time she had to observe their new surroundings; based on the few living specimens she had encountered in her days in the jungle, the _Argentavis_ had incredible eyesight – almost as good as certain species hawks and eagles – which was ideal for a raptor that mostly made its living feasting off of carrion or chasing predators away from recently made kills.

The first thing she noticed was perhaps the most alarming: an enormous, swirling storm of sickening, green smog with bolts of lightning that danced across the sky in a gigantic hurricane that seemed to smother everything in its clutches. Beyond that however, was a beautiful sky tinted a dazzling golden and orange hue, like that of a never ending sunrise and the rolling, expansive fields of neon colored grasses and checkerboard meadows seemed to stretch on for as far as her keen eyes could see. Patches of forest with cotton candy treetops and branches whose fruit bore an uncanny resemblance to blinking eyeballs dotted the landscape below among dozens of other bizarre floral species. Groves of what looked like playing cards were scattered across the world and steaming geysers of what smelled strangely like boiling tea of various flavors bubbled forth from the ground as if it were the most natural thing in the world. What looked like origami gazelles and giraffes galloped in tremendous herds across the plains and dodo birds – much to her surprise – flew in carefully formed V-formations high above it all without a care in the world.

"What is this place?" Venus whispered in amazement.

Seeing as how she didn't have vocal cords, the _Argentavis_ couldn't give her a straight answer. What she _did_ know however was that she had spent too much time gazing in wonder when she should have been paying attention to her flight path, which had inadvertently taken too sudden of a dive towards the ground. The giant teratorn gave a startled screech and tried to angle her wings so that she might just be able to slow their fall just enough, but the ground was coming up too fast and at the divergence for a safe landing . . . closer . . . closer . . . too close!

Before either Venus or Jane knew what was happening, the ground was rushing right at them and they soon found themselves among the dirt and rock, tumbling end over end until they finally came to a stop. A path of broken trees, disturbed earth, and destruction lay in their wake from where they attempted to make their landing.

The plant-monster ghoul groaned while she sat up and rubbed a bump she had taken to the head as she carefully climbed to her feet, just in case something was broken. Once she was sure she was all in one piece, Venus then went about dusting herself off and taken in her new surroundings. They had landed in a large, open field with bright, neon blue grass beneath their feet that was only interrupted by several rocky outcroppings and piles that jutted up at random points across the meadow, as if carelessly dropped there by some absentminded giant.

"Jane!" she called out. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

A pitiful caw came from distance away and Venus slowly followed the broken brambles and branches that the _Argentavis_ had left in her wake until she finally came upon the massive, prehistoric raptor with her head and beak shoved face first into the dirt. Overcome with worry, the green-skinned ghoul hurriedly rushed towards the teratorn's head and carefully lifted it out of the upturned soil lest something was broken.

"Jane? Come on, say something!" she pleaded worriedly. "Change back!"

The _Argentavis_ croaked weakly in Venus' arms and ever so slowly began to change before her very eyes. The violet and mauve feathers that covered her began to melt and run back together against her skin like hot wax, sporadically leaving patches of feather patterns where her lavender skin reappeared as her enormous frame began to shrink with a series of distressing squelching and popping noises. Her arms snapped and cracked awkwardly as they rapidly lost all of their flying feathers and reconfigured themselves from powerful, delicate wings to weak, sturdy arms; the jungle ghoul's fingers reappeared one after the other when the tip of her wing bones swelled to form palms, then hands. Jane's skeleton shifted about into a more upright and vertical position as apposed to her previous horizontal posture and her legs quickly regained their original length with a succession of crunches and low grinding sounds when her legs grew longer and longer. Her talons melted together into a single entity for a brief second before they divided themselves into five, tiny digits tipped with toenails. The shape-shifter's plum and mulberry locks dripped down over her face and scalp like melting ice, her nose slowly protruded forth from her face, and the Nemetrix took its position back upon her wrist.

Now that she was back to her old self, Venus realized that whatever sorcery had transformed her clothes had also done the same for her beloved Sweet Mango as well. The loose, blue shirt she wore over her magenta top and her short, turquoise miniskirt had replaced with a flowing ballgown of deep blues, bright pinks, and bold purples that reached all the way down to her ankles. The silhouettes of animals – elephants, lions, tigers, zebras, bears, rhinos, bison, camels, gorillas, monkeys, hippos, kangaroos – danced around her new attire in dazzling patterns like some kind of fabric circus. Earrings stuffed to the brim with brightly colored feathers and sharp fangs hung from her ears and bright paints the color of fiery oranges and reds streaked themselves across Jane's face. A series of brass neck rings clasped tightly around Jane's neck and over a wide collar that hung low over her shoulders and breasts; a metal frame resembling a corset was wrapped firmly around the shape-shifter's waist before giving way to an odd structure that rose up and over her head like a huge bird perch.

Venus sighed with relief and carefully helped her ghoulfriend to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine . . . not one of my better landings, I'm afraid." she groaned, feeling incredibly sore all over.

"Are you sure?"

Jane raised an eyebrow. "It was just a minor miscalculation on my part, Venus. Why wouldn't I be alright?"

The plant-monster ghoul didn't seem to be buying it and placed her hands firmly on the jungle ghoul's shoulders, leaning in with narrowed eyes and examining her as if she were some kind of specimen under a microscope. Needless to say, Jane was very off put by this and swallowed nervously, wondering what she might have done – if anything – to warrant this kind of invasive investigation. She was already starting to sweat uncomfortably and tremble uncontrollably under such scrutiny, especially from someone she held so close to her heart.

After what seemed like far too long of a time, her ghoulfriend finally withdrew and allowed Jane to breath, albeit with a concerned edge to her voice. "V-Venus," she swallowed anxiously. "I-Is something wrong?"

The green-skinned ghoul seemed hesitant in answering, as if silently debating with herself whether or not she should say something before concern finally won her over. "Jane . . . why are you acting like this? This isn't normal for you."

The shape-shifter anxiously bit her lip and absentmindedly fidgeted with her hands, fighting to keep her arms from suddenly sprouting feathers or scales – a side affect that happened whenever she was particularly nervous about something. "I-I-I . . . I-I don't know what y-you are t-talking about . . ." she tried to keep her voice even.

Venus however, immediately picked up on the wavering tone. "Jane, you're hiding something."

"N-No, I'm not. I promise . . ."

"Jane, you're starting to grow a tail."

The jungle ghoul dared to steal a peek behind her and cringed when she noticed that the lavishly long-haired tail of a black-and-white colobus monkey had inexplicably sprouted from the base of her spine. With her face tinted a deep crimson in color, she instinctively tried to cover up the sudden transfiguration while simultaneously trying to make it go away without turning her attention away from Venus.

Unfortunately, she saw right through her facade. "Jane, _please_ just tell me the truth. I can't stand seeing you like this, I care too much about you! You never attack people unless they attack you first! _Ever!_ You looked like you were gonna _eat_ Sparrow!"

At the sound of the Son of Robin Hood's name, the shape-shifter instinctively squinched before she realized what she was doing and tried to cover up her actions. Much to her disappointment and horror however, a pair of antelope horns had started to sprout from her forehead, thus only cementing her ghoulfriend's worry in her.

"Jane . . . are you jealous?"

The sound of Venus' conclusion made her visible cringe, as if the very thought was physically painful for her. She hated to admit it, but the plant-monster ghoul was right; she _was_ jealous. She didn't know why – after all this time – that she still doubted her spouses' undying affections for her, even after all the mayhem and chaos they had been put through. It just made her blood boil to see her green-skinned goddess so fluidly and voluntarily flaunt about her gore-geous figure and seduce someone else as if it were second nature to her, and right in front of Jane no less. Even if Venus had been quoted on saying that she'd rather swallow herbicide than even consider kissing Sparrow Hood – mercifully, the task of seduction hadn't come to that – it still hurt to see her pay so much attention to someone else.

" _Y-Yes . . ._ " Jane shamefully admitted, awkwardly rubbing her shoulder while her face burned a bright scarlet. "I'm sorry . . ."

The shape-shifter felt her ghoulfriend's hand come to her face and part of her braced herself for what could have potentially been an abrasive slap. Only when Venus' fingers softly caressed her cheek and smoothly moved to run her fingers through her hair did she truly relax, becoming almost helpless when the plant-monster ghoul pulled her into a warm, tight embrace. "Sweet Mango," she used the affectionate pet name she had for her. "I will _never_ leave you, Robecca, or Ben for any other man-ster or ghoul for as long as I may flourish and bloom."

". . . not even for Sparrow?" the jungle ghoul asked innocently.

"I'd rather fuck a weed whacker than _ever_ go out with that creep."

Jane couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at those words and her face flare into a bright maroon at her ghoulfriend's colorful vocabulary. She buried her face into her chest, hugging Venus tightly as if she might be torn from her grasp if she ever loosened her grip. Her head rose and fell with her breath, she could feel her heart beating in time with her own, and she felt like she could stay there in that single moment forever. It seemed impossible for a single second to last so long, but Jane wanted it to last for an eternity. She longed to feel Venus' lips softly press to her forehead in a tender kiss of promise and her claws tickle her skin in supple affection – alas, such luxuries were not reserved for mortals, much less ones that shared her lifestyle.

At first she thought the tightening of the green-skinned ghouls' grip upon her shoulder was of comfort and love, perhaps even a desire to get frisky right then and there regardless of their location – it was known to happen every now and again with Venus' impish persona. It was only when her claws dug in far too deep to be affectionate in any manner did she realize that something was wrong. It was only when she heard a rather worrying sound with her sensitive ears did she realize that something was _seriously_ wrong.

" _Jane . . . slowly turn around . . ._ " she heard Venus mumble softly, a hint of fear in her voice.

The jungle ghoul did as she was told and slowly wormed her way around in Venus' increasingly tightening embrace to regard one of the enormous boulders she had landed awkwardly in front of, less than a few feet from where her beak had slammed into the earth . . . at least, it looked like a boulder upon landing.

Now the rock was moving, slowly and ardently at first as if it were waking from a deep slumber. Gigantic arms and legs the size and width of redwood trees unfolded and were planted against the ground, leaving deep trails in the earth from claws as big and sharp as fracking drills. A long, serpentine neck unfurled from the enormous body – it might as well have belonged to one of the large baleen whales – with a pointed reptilian head and a rack of horns of varying sizes. A set of powerful jaws – one directly above the other with teeth on either mandible – opened up to reveal row after row after razor-sharp teeth and a long, dexterous tongue that took its sweet time licking its chops during what might have been a yawn big enough to swallow a knight whole, armor, horse, and all. A long, lizard-like tail swept low across the ground, flattening everything within range as what had to be the biggest wings Jane had ever seen opened up and stretched to their maximum span – easily dwarfing the wingspan of jet plane. Finally, three pairs of fiery, golden orbs with a hint of venomous green at their center flickered open and momentarily regarded the world around them before centering down upon the absolutely dwarfed shape-shifter that stood awestruck at its feet with a cowering plant-monster ghoul behind her.

" _C-can you try . . . talking to it?_ " Venus whispered. She didn't dare raise her voice for fear of somehow angering the unfathomably large beast and putting their lives in jeopardy.

Jane swallowed nervously but slowly nodded her head. With a deep breath for confidence, she took several cautious steps forward, her movements never going unnoticed for the slightest second by the titanic creature. Her eyes habitually began to carefully examine every detail of the beast's enormous body, the way its scales were so tightly knit together like armor, the way its wings folded carefully against its back, the slow deep breaths that rose and fell with the giant's breastbone. The creature vaguely looked like a dragon in some ways . . . she didn't speak much dragon, but it was worth a shot.

" _ **RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWHHHHHH!**_ "

Venus could have sworn that her heart – however strange it might have been in comparison to those of flesh and tissue – had skipped a beat when that thunderous, primal roar erupted from the back of Jane's throat and scared the budding leaves off of her. More importantly, the enormous beast seemed to be at least mildly interested in the jungle ghoul at that point, at least more interested than how someone might regard an insignificant mosquito. Beyond that however, the creature made no further movements and kept its eyes – all six of them – locked firmly on Jane, as if it were methodically examining her like a scientist might study their most recent find.

For the longest time none of them moved and the air felt thick and heavy with the silence that smothered everything like a blanket. Venus bit her lip and tapped one of her fingers anxious against her knuckle, waiting for a response of some kind . . . preferably the kind that wouldn't turn her into mulch.

" _Maybe I should try a different dialect?_ " Jane whispered with a slight edge in her voice.

"Brilliant idea. Might I suggest _English_ like any other sentient species?"

Venus blinked, unsure if she had heard that correctly. "Did . . . d-did that . . . _thing_ just talk?"

"So now I'm a _thing_ , am I? If you ask me, the bar has been set too low for sentience." the deafening voice of the gargantuan creature boomed in her ears.

Jane immediately fell to her hands and knees, forgetting all about her new attire as she fell into a submissive posture with her head as low to the ground as possible. "F-Forgive me . . . I-I did not mean to insult you, Great One."

All six of the immense beast's eyes blinked curiously before it spoke again. "While cowering, worshipping, or begging are all valid reactions for my kind, there is no need for such formalities with me. You may rise, young one." he drawled in a kindly manner while glancing at his claws as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "

The jungle ghoul did what was requested of her without hesitance and made a point to straighten her new dress to be as presentable as possible. "Forgive me, but I don't believe I recognize your species?" she bowed respectfully.

"No, I don't imagine you would, shape-shifter. Not since the last time the worlds were as one did our species last meet one another." the enormous creature rumbled sagely.

"I-I beg your pardon?"

The prodigious animal waved it off. "Just the ramblings of a centuries old being whose seen it all," his voice echoed deeply, as if he knew something that he wasn't allowed to tell them. "As for what I am, young one, I am of the jabberwocky species."

" _Draco duplexus dente._ " Jane breathed in awe. "I remember learning about your kind in my Beast Training and Care classes."

"Shape-shifter, I would _highly_ advise against the idea of keeping my kind as a pet."

"Why's that?"

The enormous jabberwocky turned to suddenly regard Venus, earning a nervous squeak from her when she all but dove behind her ghoulfriend for protection; the jungle ghoul smiled at how ironic that situation had become. "A plant-monster? I can't remember the last time I saw one of you."

Jane coughed awkwardly. "Pardon me, but if you are indeed a jabberwock, then can I assume that we're in Wonderland?"

"You would assume correctly, young one." the double-jawed dragon gave an odd smile, as if he were a proud parent watching their child perform in a play. "But now, would you mind indulging an old dragon's intellectual curiosity and answer a simple question? _Why are you here?_ "

At this, the two ghouls smiled somewhat sheepishly. "T-To be honest, w-we haven't the faintest idea." Venus admitted, still rather intimidated by the jabberwocky's immense size and bizarre anatomy; he could have crushed her like a grape between two of his gigantic claws with ease!

"To be more specific, we accidentally fell down an old well that led us here." Jane explained.

The jabberwock nodded wisely. "The Well of Wonder," he rumbled. "As I remember, another girl about your age ended up here through the same portal as well, quite latterly in fact."

"Really?" Venus' eyes widened with amazement.

"Yes. As I recall, the White Knight assisted in her proper return to her realm," he scratched his bottommost chin in thought, as if something had just occurred to him. "If memory serves, a group of several girls passed by here not too long ago . . . a few hours, I believe. A rather odd lad was accompanying them as well . . ."

At the mention of that, Jane felt her pulse quicken and met a mirror image of her expression as a response when she turned in surprise to her ghoulfriend. It couldn't possibly be . . . the chances that he was here with them, _before_ them . . . but that would mean he had . . .

"W-What . . . what did the boy look like?" Venus asked.

The prodigious jabberwocky hummed to himself, a low reverberating that made the very ground beneath their feet tremble like an earthquake and their legs quiver and jiggle like gelatin in an effort to stay standing. "Let me see . . . if I remember correctly, he had brown hair . . . green eyes . . . and a rather peculiar timekeeping device on his wrist, or rather all over his body, now that you mention him . . ."

It _had_ to be him. The description was uncanny, a perfect fit for him despite the slightly misguided details. Even so, there was no denying that somehow, someway, through some impossible means, Ben had somehow ended up in Wonderland with them; it would certainly explain why they hadn't seen him since lunch at least.

"Thank you, Great One," Jane bowed respectfully with Venus following suit. "Could you please tell us where he went?"

The great Wonderland dragon sighed somewhat tiredly, wondering why such complicated questions were being asked of him. While the two ghouls trembling before weren't human by any means, they certainly _behaved_ like them. He had lived countless centuries and he was still no closer to understanding humanity as a whole, particularly why they were so loud - did they seriously think that no-one could hear them? - or how they managed to fumble from the brink of one cataclysm to the next and still keep going. And then of course, there was their delusions of death and coming up with ever increasing ways of massacring one another over the silliest of things. Protecting ones offspring and family from harm? Perfectly acceptable and highly encouraged. Fighting on the grounds that they had different cultures and couldn't be bothered to be tolerant of one another? It completely astounded him how little they slowed down to appreciate what they had accomplished every once and a while before they inevitable drove themselves to extinction.

He hummed again, once more putting the two ghouls through the motions of a centralized earthquake with his massive diaphragm. "Humans exhibit such bizarre behavior that I am at quite a loss. I wouldn't have the faintest idea as to where your friend went."

Jane deflated at the sound of that and felt Venus become just as saddened from behind her. "Then . . . do you have any idea of a place where he _might_ have gone?"

The jabberwocky gave a low rumble and assumed the thinking position he had taken so often during their conversation. "If I had to guess, your best chance would be to attend the Queen of Heart's birthday bash. Practically _all_ of Wonderland will be in attendance. If there were ever to be a place where you might find him, that would be your best bet."

"Fangtastic!" Venus exclaimed excitedly. "We better-"

"Ah-ah-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you." the double-jawed dragon clacked his mandibles in a warning manner. "The birthday bash is by invitation only, it always has and always will be from my understanding. Anyone caught trying to sneak in without her majesty's permission will . . . well, I'm sure you can probably guess."

"Off with their heads?" Jane unconsciously held her throat.

" _Precisely._ "

Jane slumped even further. "A-Are you sure there isn't a way for us to possibly sneak in? I-I-I mean, it is rather easy for me given my capabilities, but what about Venus?" she gestured to the plant-monster ghoul who had thankfully eased up on the ironclad grip on her shoulders a little while ago.

"Sheer determination and will-power. If humans are anything like you, it's no wonder they've survived so long as a species," the jabberwocky mumbled to himself in thought, racking his brain for a possible solution to the problem at hand. Jabberwocks always jumped at the chance to resolve issues whenever they arose, but given their rather large size and undisputed reign as the apex predators of Wonderland, opportunities rarely ever presented themselves in their long-lived lifespans. "Well . . . the Queen of the Golden Rose _did_ reject the Queen of Heart's birthday invitation on account of an infestation of tap-dancing aphids . . . if _you_ were to pose as one of her many servants – an ambassador perhaps – with a supposed gift for her majesty in tow, you may be able to get past the gate." he regarded Venus with all six of his eyes.

"Queen of the Golden Rose?" Venus cocked an eyebrow.

"She is essentially the mistress of all the talking flowers in Wonderland. You certainly fit the part, if I do say so myself."

"It could work . . ." the plant-monster ghoul mulled it over. "But won't they get suspicious if I don't have anything to present to the queen?"

"Are you _sure_ you don't have anything to give her? Perhaps her majesty would like an . . . _animal_ companion of some sort?"

It was then that Jane caught onto the jabberwock's plan. "Me . . . he means me. _I'm_ the gift."

"I don't follow." the green-skinned ghoul raised an eyebrow.

The jungle ghoul sighed distastefully. "It isn't uncommon for royalty to keep a collection of animals to illustrate their wealth and power. The more exotic and rare an animal is, the more impressive you are compared to other royals. Of course, they never took into much account the well being of the unfortunate animals under their care . . ."

"Tragically, yes." the Wonderland dragon agreed. "But if you were to present yourself as such a beast, you may be able to get past the guards with minimal trouble."

Despite the sheer genius of the plan, Venus knew that it was a bad idea – mostly because she knew that her ghoulfriend was strongly against the idea of keeping her animal brethren in poor, captive conditions like those of the menageries she had described. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked her. "You don't have to if you don't want to. We can always find another way."

Jane sighed. "No, I-I'll do it." she swallowed the vile at the back of her throat, attempting to put on a confident face. "Just so long as there aren't any collars or leashes involved . . ."

"I commend you for your bravery, young one." the jabberwocky complimented her. "Might I ask what you might disguise yourself as for this little operation?"

Jane tapped her chin in thought, running through the massive catalog of animals she had memorized over the years whose genetics ran through her blood. "Perhaps a platypus?"

"You'd be surprised how many of those we have running around these parts." the double-jawed dragon turned the idea down.

Well . . . what about an aye-aye?"

"Try again."

"Axolotl?"

"Not quite."

"Yeti crab?"

"Hmm . . . I'm afraid not."

"Pink Fairy Armadillo?"

"Close, but no kettle."

"Sarcastic fringehead?" Jane asked weakly.

"You're going to have to do better than that, shape-shifter." the jabberwocky chuckled lightly at the jungle ghoul's patience starting to wear thin. It was then that he lowered his massive head down to her level, regarding carefully with all six of his eyes and scrutinizing every detail until his sights locked onto one particular feature in general that had alluded him during the first few moments of their encounter. "If I may ask, what is that timekeeping device on your wrist? It looks oddly familiar to the one on your friend."

It took a few seconds for Jane to realize what the Wonderland dragon was talking about in the first place. "Oh, this?" she raised the arm to which the Nemetrix was fastened around her wrist so that he could see it better. "This is the Nemetrix. It's a device that allows me to . . . turn into . . . alien . . . animals . . ." she trailed off with realization and mentally slapped herself for being so stupid.

"I am such a buffoon sometimes . . ." Jane sighed as she tapped the Nemetrix and randomly selected one of her transformations before slamming a hand down on the core, emerging herself in the following blast of crimson light. Her lilac skin cracked and crunched softly as it began to thicken like rhino hide and dull in color, turning an unimpressive brown that slithered over her hands, up her arms, across her shoulders, and criss-crossing over her chest. The jungle ghoul's untamed curls and ponytail slurped back into her scalp like strands of noddles and her bones thickened with a low, grinding noise as they were denser and heavier; her skeleton quickly fused together with her skin to form a rocky exoskeleton of sorts. Jane's size dramatically increased when her body began to bloat and swell, her shoulders and back broadening greatly and tearing right through the back of her new dress. Her skull swelled to match her thickening neck and growing frame while her forearms began to inflate and blowup until they had overtaken her hands and formed hook-like forelegs. Interlocking plates of chitin covered in layer after layer of rock and earth spread across her body to form a crusty armor from which multiple bumps and knobs protruded forth. A wet splitting sound filled the air as a second pair of jointed, rock-encrusted legs emerged from what was left of her ribs and a gigantic horn sprouted from Jane's forehead; the Nemetrix appeared in the form of a heavy collar around her neck, completing the transformation.

The jabberwock actually seemed rather impressed. "Your array of transformations is quite expansive."

"You don't know the half of it." Venus grinned as she proudly patted Crabdozer. With a grunt and some effort, she quickly scaled the rocky hide of the alien beast and took up a spot right behind its head where the thick collar of the Nemetrix met her heavy neck. Despite the Crabdozer's immense size, it was still utterly dwarfed in comparison to the Wonderland dragon. "We best be going. Thanks for all the help. It was nice to meet you!"

The jabberwocky gave his odd, double-jawed smile again. "Please, the pleasure is mine, if any." he bowed his head. "If you head East of here until you meet the main path and follow it as far as the horizon until the sun is a quarter past its zenith, you should reach the Queen of Heart's palace. Barring any unforeseen circumstances you may encounter along the way, of course."

"Unforeseen circumstances?" Venus cocked an eyebrow out of curiosity.

The Wonderland dragon nodded. "Indeed. Wonderland is a rather unpredictable place for those that don't expect the unexpected. Given your capabilities however, I have little doubt you would become sidetracked for very long." he reassured them.

The plant-monster ghoul released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "That's a relief," she relaxed. With a few, quick pats to the Crabdozer's head, the mighty beast slowly turned around and began to lumber off towards the East as the jabberwock had instructed, offering only a resonating bellow as a farewell. " _Good-bye!_ "

The double-jawed dragon flexed one of his titanic wings as if to bid them a safe journey and watched the two of them slowly plod across the brightly colored meadow and out of sight. With a low rumble from deep within his throat, he flexed open his twin jaws in a massive yawn and curled back up on the ground with wings folded against his back and his tail curled around his head. As sleep once again closed its grip on him, he couldn't help but smile as if he were recalling a fond memory.

"It has indeed been some time since I've met monsters that could actually carry a decent conversation." he chuckled to himself. " _T'was brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe: all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe . . ._ "

* * *

B.P: _Oh, my Grimm! This is bad, this is bad, this is_ _ **so**_ _bad!_

T.P: _Calm down, sis, it's not as bad as you-_

B.P: _Calm down? How can I calm down when Venus and Jane ended up in Wonderland!? They weren't supposed to end up there! Who knows what could happen! Oh, this story is getting out of hand!_

T.P: _You're just now realizing this? It got out of hand the moment Maddie cut it up and pasted it back together with stickers and glitter. And that's_ _ **before**_ _she made her own modifications to the script in_ _ **crayon.**_

B.P: _She had some nice doodles . . ._

T.P: _My point is that you need to stop worrying so much. I mean, for crying out loud, you're the one that's always trying to rewrite the story! Why am I suddenly the one that's suddenly trying to make sure everything goes off script?_

B.P: _You're Y-You're . . . Sphinx, this hurts to say it . . . you're right . . ._

T.P: _I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you, Captain Obvious._

B.P: _Don't push it._

T.P: _Right. Sorry. Shall we continue?_

B.P: _I suppose we don't have much choice given mom and dad's mental state at this point . . ._

M.N: _Two hearts shall bond in a bed sheet dance-_

F.N: _Across blankets and pillows shall they prance!_

T.P: _Did . . . did they just say what I think they said?_

B.P: _You have no idea how red my face is right now . . ._

T.P: _You have a face?_

 _ **SLAP!**_

T.P: _Oh, come on! That's not fair! How are you even slapping me? We don't have hands! Or anything to hit for that matter!_

B.P: _Then how come I can do this?_

 _ **SHALP!**_

T.P: _Why are you my sister again?_

B.P: _I've been asking my that question a lot, lately._

T.P: _Low blow, sis. Low. Blow. *sigh* Lets just get this done and over with before mom and dad start rambling off about . . . ugh, I don't even want to say it . . ._

B.P: _Huh. I thought, you know, you being a boy, you would be-_

T.P: _Don't you_ _ **dare**_ _finish that sentence!_

B.P: _You ask me personal questions, I ask you personal questions. Deal with it._

T.P: _I suddenly find myself regretting coming back from collage . . ._

B.P: _That makes two of us. Now then . . . *ahem* . . . and so, Raven, Apple, Maddie, Kitty, Briar, Lizzie, and Ben find themselves falling down the rabbit hole once again! This time it has a shortcut across all of Wonderland to help them get to the Queen of Heart's palace . . . if they can find it, that is . . ._

T.P: _I'll take it from here._

B.P: _Wait, what? But I was doing so-_

T.P: _Lizzie Heart's mother is in danger from a wild card, Courtly Jester, who wants to find the Storybook of Legends and sign her name in Lizzie's place in order to steal her destiny as the next Queen of Hearts-_

 _ **SLAP!**_

T.P: _Ow! What was that for!_

B.P: _That was for cutting me off! Now let me continue!_

T.P: _Alright, alright, point taken. No need to get snippy . . ._

B.P: _Thank you . . . oh, this is exciting! The White Knight is dueling the Red Knight so that the girls and Ben could finally escape Wonderland High . . . after Ben did most of the work, that is . . ._

T.P: _Alright, I'll give you that one._

B.P: _What's that suppose to mean?_

T.P: _Well, I figured that since, you know, you had a crush on him you might . . . be a bit biased about him._

B.P: _I don't have a crush on Ben!_

T.P: _Brooke, you're starting to become just as bad as Cupid and Dexter. For the love of fairy godmother, it's_ _ **obvious**_ _that they like each other – or at least have growing affections for one another – and yet they still keep dancing around the subject; it's like it's being drug out for as long as possible. And there's Cerise and her unresolved feelings for Raven that she hasn't come to terms with yet, Bunny and Alistair haven't worked up the nerve to tell each other how they feel, and then there's_ _ **you**_ _. You're just like all the others! You're hopelessly in love! Just admit it already!_

B.P: _No!_

T.P: _WHY!?_

B.P: _Because . . . b-because . . . you'll laugh at me . . ._

T.P: _Brooke-_

B.P: _And then you'll tell mom and dad and I'll get in trouble and then I won't be able to see Ben again just because I was stupid enough to listen to you and-_

T.P: _BROOKE!_

B.P: _Yeah?_

T.P: _Listen to me for just a second. I'm your_ _ **brother**_ _. Sure, we may fight a lot and you have these delusions about me being the favorite child or something-_

B.P: _It's true!_

T.P: _You keep telling yourself that. Look, my point is that I'm your brother. I care for you. You can tell me anything and I promise I won't get mad. Just admit it . . ._

B.P: _. . ._

T.P: _Brooke?_

B.P: _. . ._

T.P: _Um . . . Brooke?_

B.P: _. . . You promise?_

T.P: _Promise._

B.P: _. . . With sprinkles and a cherry on top?_

T.P: _With_ _ **extra**_ _sprinkles, hot fudge, caramel, cookie crumbs, gummy worms, and a cherry on top._

B.P: _Alright . . . I . . . I-I . . .I have a crush on Ben . . . I love him . . . a lot . . ._

T.P: _There, see? That wasn't so bad. Now, doesn't that make you feel better?_

B.P: _. . . A little . . ._

T.P: _Good. Now, if memory serves, Courtley's currently trying to sneak into the Queen of Heart's birthday bash, right? Lets see how that goes . . ._

B.P: _Okay . . . hey, Turner?_

T.P: _Yeah?_

B.P: _Thanks for listening to me._

T.P: _No problem, Brooke. That's what siblings are for. If you can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em._

* * *

Lines.

Oh, sweet fairy godmother, how she _loathed_ lines. So orderly and proper and neat, keeping one person behind the other so that there wasn't any pushing or shoving to try and get to the front, all because of the concept of _fairness_. Courtly scoffed at the idea, scowled and dug her fingers into her palms even at the mere thought of _fairness_. How was it fair that her family line continued to suffer their eternal abuse just because one member was foolish enough to jeopardize her entire family tree while everyone else was treated to equality and impartiality?

As if that weren't aggravating enough, the pace at which guests were admitted beyond the palace gates was _agonizingly_ slow. Not to mention, they seemed to be letting just about anyone pass through the gate and into the party, regardless of their social status; and yet Courtly knew she would somehow be denied just because of her heritage.

Was there _no one_ to share her suffering with?

The jester was snapped out of her mental ranting when she felt the ground rhythmically rumble and tremble beneath her very feet. A shadow that seemed to block out the sun enveloped her and she felt a puff of scorching hot breath blast her back and shoulders, sending a chill up her as she coughed at the horrendous odor; it smelled strongly like sulfur and ash. The Daughter of the Jester Card slowly turned around and immediately felt every last fiber of her being tense up when she looked upon the gargantuan creature that had crawled up behind her on it's six, rock-encrusted, crab-like legs. The beast had a huge maw with a rhino-like face from which an enormous horn rose out from between a pair of tiny, red eyes. Craggy spikes adorned the back of the creature and a massive, red collar with spikes was firmly clamped around its thick neck.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!" .

The harlequin craned her neck back to stare up at a girl perched on the creature's back that seemed about her age and height, but that was where the similarities ended. Her skin was a light green, like that of fresh budding leaves, and her hair was a blinding pink and blue all rolled into a single, sweeping curtain that hung over the left side of her head; the other half was shaved. Protruding from her lips were needle-like fangs and vines and creepers wrapped around her arms, neck, torso, and ankles. The girl's attire consisted mostly of a reverse layer dress that bore resemblance to a blooming rose, fingerless gloves composed of leaves and vines knit together, and a pair of boots, giving her a slight goth punk appearance.

Courtly quickly recomposed herself. "Oh, it's no trouble at all! _You only nearly gave me a small heart attack_." she mumbled the last part under her breath.

Thankfully, the odd girl or gigantic beast didn't seem to have heard her. "My name's Venus, by the way. Is this the line for the Queen of Heart's birthday party?"

 _Why else would all these suck ups waste their time standing in one spot?_ Courtly thought to herself. "Of course it is!"

Venus felt alleviated. "Thank goodness. Um . . . just out of curiosity, how long have you been waiting here for?" she asked once she caught sight of the dastardly long line of party guests that were ahead of her.

"Hours, I suppose. Maybe even days. We're not gonna be settin' any land speed records." Courtly replied with a dry tone. She took a small step out of line – just to see how long it might be before she even reached the main gate – and gritted her teeth when she saw how ridiculously long the wait was; it had to stretch for miles!

The jester attempted to then take her spot back in line and startled when she bumped into something that didn't remotely feel like the rocky snout of a gargantuan animal. She whirled around and growled threateningly when she saw a small, orange lizard wearing a jacket and bow tie and clutching a small present standing defiantly in the spot that had been her own. _Had_ been her own.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" she tried to keep her tone semi-pleasant sounding.

"Bill."

"Bill?" Courtly's eyes narrowed.

"Bill the Lizard."

The Daughter of the Jester Card sucked in a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm. "Well, _Bill_ , do you want to hear a little secret?"

"Okay."

"Did you know that where you're standing was _my_ spot in line?"

"No."

"Well, here's a little tip for you: hit the road before I turn you into a pair of boots." Courtly hissed venomously, her fingers now looking more like deadly claws.

The lizard remained unphased, or even aware of the danger he was possibly in. "No."

The harlequin was taken aback by this, as very few people had ever had the gall to say 'no' to her and not regret it later in some manner. "But you're standing in _my_ spot. That was _my_ spot in line!"

"Emphasis on _was._ "

"What?" Courtly growled, her temper starting to boil over.

"You weren't standing here. The spot was open. I took the spot and now it isn't yours."

" _That's not how this works!_ "

"Well, I've always wanted to open my own zoo full of Irish zebras. We can't always get what we want."

Courtly blinked, slightly surprised by what had just been said. "That . . . doesn't make any sense! There's no such thing as Irish or . . . Ireland . . . or zebras! Especially not Irish zebras! That's not a real thing!"

"Now you see why it's so difficult?"

" _EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGH!_ "

Seeing that Bill the Lizard was either too brave or too stupid to move – regardless, she wasn't getting her spot in line back anytime soon – the jester opted to simply budge everyone else in line and march ahead to the front. After all, if a little lizard could take her place in line after only two seconds of being out of line and not suffer the consequences, why couldn't she do the same for everyone else?

The protests and complaints of those who had been waiting for hours in line were ignored – though nonetheless enjoyed to a small extent – as she pushed her way to the front and took the spot at the front of the long waiting line just as the previous guest was shown in through the palace gates by a pair of playing cards guardsman wielding a pair of spears.

As expected, she was stopped. "Name?" one of the guards drawled, as if bored out of his skull. Given how many times he had probably repeated the same process over and over again for the past several hours or so, it wasn't that far of a stretch.

"Courtly Jester." she answered sweetly.

The playing cards took a moment to look over the long – astonishingly long – guest list before they gave her a look of disbelief and annoyance. "Pfft, _Jester_ , eh? What a big surprise, you're not on the list. Can't come in!"

The joker felt her blood boil like molten magma. She knew she should have been expecting this, given her family's less than stellar history, but it still burned her like dragon fire to know that she was being denied what everyone else was allowed to enjoy, even the most random and undeserving of Wonderland's residents! Her family had faithfully served the Hearts clan as entertainers and loyal warriors that would have been willing to die for their queen, but did any of that matter? _No!_ Just because _one_ member of her family went over the edge, her entire heritage was mocked and scorned as if they were the plague!

" _RRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGH!_ " Courtly screamed as she stomped away, shoving aside anyone foolish enough to get in her way. " _Can't let Courtly in, she's just a lowly joker! Shove her to the bottom of the deck where she belongs! When I'm Queen of Wonderland, I will make every last one of them-_ " she cursed violently under her breath before she noticed something odd.

The spell book she had been carrying – an old tome that had once belonged to none other than the Evil Queen, the most feared fairy tale in all the realms – had suddenly begun to act up, silently rattling in her grip when she peered to take a closer look at it. The ruby red eyes of the demonic skull-shaped lock glowed a piercing crimson and what looked to be a playing card with the face of a laughing joker slipped out from the pages with a ghostly whisper.

"What's all this then?" the jester mumbled to herself as she took the card between her fingers and read the inscription that was scrawled along the bottom. "' _Just say the who you want to be and that's the you that they will see_ ' . . ." she realized with a gasp of astonishment the power that she now held in her hands. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Without a moment's hesitation Courtly spun around her heel and marched back towards the palace gate, mentally gloating to herself when she approached the guards that had foolishly denied her entrance. "Step aside, _totee._ " she spat with a pompous attitude. "I'm on my way to see my mum!"

One of the playing card guardsman – she honestly couldn't tell them apart, they honestly all looked alike to her – growled with irritation. "Listen, didn't I already tell you to get lost?"

Courtly felt a cheeky grin split across her cheeks as she feigned hurt. "Oh, I should hope not. After all, that's no way to talk to . . . _Lizzie Hearts_ . . . _your princess!_ " she took the joker card between her fingers and waved it across her face just as she uttered those words. She could feel the dark magic working as the guard's eyes took on a transcendental glow – she obviously couldn't see what was happening to her, if anything, but if the way they were cowering and quaking in their boots was anything to go by, it was working _flawlessly._ "I _must_ see my mother!"

"Y-Y-Yes, y-your royal highness. P-Please, forgive u-us!" the playing cards trembled as they stepped aside without a second's vacillation.

" _Not. Likely._ " the Daughter of the Jester Card snarled imperiously.

Even as she entered the party, she was practically giddy with excitement. She was in! She was finally in! A Jester had finally made it back into the royal palace after so many years of exile! The joker felt the book of spells tremble slightly in her arms and she could have sworn her heart practically fluttered at the thought of all the misdeeds and ataxia she could cause with just a wave of her hand. Perhaps she didn't even need the Storybook of Legends to take out the Queen of Hearts . . .

 _No!_

Even if she did manage to do away with her majesty, Lizzie would be next in line for the throne and would undoubtedly punish her severely over the death of her mother – probably with her own death. And even if she managed to take out both queen and princess, the people of Wonderland were irritatingly loyal to their ruler; they would never accept her as a queen. No, signing her name in Lizzie's place was the best and safest option . . .

"Now to get my hands on the Storybook of Legends," Courtly mused to herself. "Which means catching the Cheshire cat. Oh, maybe my _dear, sweet mother_ has seen her." she chuckled.

No sooner had she said those words than did a mighty fanfare play that abruptly silenced any and all small talk while anthropomorphic frog forerunner scurried out as fast as his webbed legs could carry him. "All hail the Queen of Hearts and her amazing skills at croquet!" he croaked loudly.

The crowd of party-goers immediately erupted into applause and cheers as none other than her royal majesty, the Queen of Hearts came rolling out on a large, extravagant, heart-shaped throne with wheels placed upon the bottom for easy maneuverability and hand servants to push her around wherever she so desired. Courtly felt her blood simultaneously boil and a shark-like grin slither across her lips when she saw that the queen hadn't changed a bit – same frizzy, red hair done up in a heart-shaped bun, same playing card collar, same exorbitant red dress, and of course, the same golden crown upon her head that the harlequin so desperately lusted for.

"That's right, it's _my_ birthday and _I_ am going to play croquet and _everyone_ is going to watch me!" she declared proudly while she was handed a flamingo-shaped croquet mallet.

"But your majesty! More guests have arrived!" a nameless butler reminded her.

" _Ooh!_ Presents!"

Courtly chuckled darkly to herself as she watched the queen rush over to greet what appeared to be a unicorn presenting her with a small – and no doubt expensive – present that she rattled about like an excited child on Christmas Day. When _she_ was crowned Queen of Wonderland, that would be _her_ receiving tributes and presents from all the lords and ladies and other rulers lest they incur her wrath. Oh, yes, when she was queen, she was _never_ going to get tired of threatening to execute lowly subjects that failed to fulfill her orders, no matter the circumstances.

And what was every queen without a king? Maybe once she had usurped the throne and taken over all of Wonderland she would return back to her old haunts long enough to retrieve the _devilishly_ handsome hatter that had caught her eye. He would most likely be rebellious once she came for him – all hung up on trying to get Lizzie her destiny back – but he would soon bend to her will and soon enough she would have him all to herself. Oh, yes, she could see it now . . .

"Oh, this is such fun! I'm the happiest queen in the world!" she heard the Queen of Hearts exclaim giddily. "Except . . . oh, I'm the most _miserable_ queen in the world! I had been _so_ looking forward to seeing my _dear_ daughter, Lizzie, on my birthday!" she wailed dramatically before she was swiftly distracted by the prospect of more presents by a footman whose name wasn't important.

 _Oh, don't worry, your majesty. Your darling Lizzie Hearts is closer than you think . . . not!_ the joker snickered cruelly to herself.

With all the time in the world, she sauntered through the sea of party-goers and towards the Queen of Hearts without much concern for who she rudely pushed aside or kicked out of her way. After all, when she was queen, she would be doing this kind of thing on a regular basis; she might as well get some practice in. Then again, it was one of the times that she wished she had Kitty and her mother's natural affinity for teleportation magics – it would at least make things go quicker. Oh, she just couldn't wait to be queen!

 _Then_ she could get revenge on Bill and his stupid Irish zebras! Oh, yes, how those Irish zebras would pay! They would kneel before her, groveling at her feet, begging for forgiveness that would never come from her for as long as she ruled! And _then_ she would-

" _Mom?_ "

Courtly instantly felt her blood run cold when she heard that all too familiar voice. With wild eyes she spun around, looking desperately for any sign of the Daughter of the Cheshire cat. It wasn't possible . . . she had them locked up tight! There was no way to escape! They couldn't have escaped! She . . . she must have been hearing things! Yes, that was it. She was so caught up her fantasies that she was starting to hear voices . . . perhaps of the children she would spawn forth with Ben when she was ruler? Yes, that simply had to be it . . . there was no other explanation . . . they couldn't have possibly escaped, that she made sure of . . .

Then again, it wouldn't hurt to hurry things along, now would it? No sense in drawing her schemes out for any longer than need be. After all, that was how all the villains on those Saturday morning cartoons got defeated . . . well, that and an over the top monologue that left ample time for their semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammalian nemesis to escape and activate the always present self-destruct button of their latest revenge scheme. . .

A footman was about to present the Carpenter and Walrus by the time she got there and she wasted no time pushing them aside in order to get to the queen. "Step aside, royalty coming through!" she yelled as she approached the Queen of Hearts and all but jumped upon her lap without a care. "Look, mother, it's your precious little girl come home for your birthday!"

If there was ever a need to invent a new word for how furious her majesty looked, now was the perfect time. " _Foul intruder!_ " she screeched at the top of her lungs like a harpy, throwing Courtly off of her and to the ground. " _Guards!_ Somehow this . . . _wild card_ has crashed my party! _Off with her head!_ In fact, _off with all of her!_ "

A pair of playing card guardsman hurriedly rushed to obey their queen and roughly grabbed Courtly by the shoulders. "Oops, forgot." she chuckled to herself as she pulled out the ace up her sleeve and prepared to work its magic. "Is that any way to greet your . . . _long lost daughter?_ " she purred innocently.

" _Lizzie?_ " the Queen of Hearts whispered with astonishment; the joker couldn't help but smile when she saw the purple hue the queen's eyes had taken, a surefire sign that her craft was working. "Unhand her, you fools! Can't you see this is my long lost daughter?" she growled protectively as she pulled Courtly away from the guards and into her embrace. "Go find that Jester girl who was here a moment ago!"

Needless to say the playing cards were _greatly_ confused, but nonetheless obeyed their queen's orders lest they suffer a severe case of decapitation.

"Oh . . . _Lizzie._ " the queen warmly embraced Courtly as if she were her own daughter. "Truly, my dear, sweet princess. I have missed you _so_ much. Since you've been gone, I haven't been the same. I'm so _glad_ to have you back!"

"Good to be back!" Courtly could barely contain her excitement at this point. "Oh, my, look at all these guests. You're _ever_ so popular!" she noted innocently. "Has the . . . Cheshire cat popped in, _hmm?_ Have you seen her?"

"Oh, I simply must catch you up to speed on everything that has happened since you were gone, simply everything!" the Queen of Hearts didn't seem to have heard the jester and was instead going on about all the presents she had since received throughout the day, followed up by her rein as the indisputable 'Queen of Croquet', rambling on about how she had taken up repeatedly blowing up the Wonderland dam as a means to calm herself during her daughter's absence – with a small afterthought to the affects it might have on Ever After – and then yammering about how the White Queen had yet to return her set of prized teacups . . .

Courtly merely sighed and kept a straight face on. All in due time . . . all in due time . . .

* * *

"'A wrong turn at the flying teapot', he says. 'We're not much farther', he says. "'We're almost there', he says."

Lizzie couldn't help but agree with the cynical Petrosapien whose shoulders she sat upon, her fingers nervously drumming against his crystalline scalp; if it was bothering him in any manner, he didn't say anything and she doubted he would. The young monarch was forever grateful for Diamondhead's endless patience and cooperation when it came to the concern she had over their current situation. After all, the threat of having ones entire family lineage brought to abrupt halt after centuries of ruling the throne at the hands of a psychopath – perhaps a bit of an exaggeration for a lowly joker card – was nothing to scoff at, not even lightly.

It also didn't help that their guide seemed to be horribly, horribly lost.

" _Oh, dear!_ " the White Rabbit fretted as he paced back and forth at Diamondhead's feet. "My sense of direction is less sensitive inside the ground than it is out of the ground!"

"No, please, do take your time. It's not like we're trying to save an entire realm on a limited time frame." Skurd drawled sarcastically.

Diamondhead promptly flicked the Slimebiote upside the head. "Keep it down, Snot-Pocket. She's already upset as it is." he nodded up in Lizzie's direction. With one of his large hands he took her petite fingers in her own and gave them a gentle, comforting squeeze that should have been impossible for a being of his strength and caliber. "Don't worry. We'll get there. I promise."

"I should hope so." the princess sighed with a sad smile. "I know I've said this already, but . . . thank you. All of you, really. I simply can't express my gratitude enough toward you all for doing this for me."

Briar waved it off. "Don't worry about it. 'sides, it's not like we could get home on our own."

"I could!" Maddie exclaimed proudly. "All ya gotta do is click your heels three times!"

"Is it really that simple?" Briar raised an eyebrow.

" _Well_ , you do need a pair of ruby red slippers to do it and the author doesn't want to give me any because he's such a sourpuss and says it's 'a waste of time'. But what do I know?"

Raven couldn't help but smile at her best friend's antics. "A lot, apparently."

Apple however, remained unamused and focused and was currently trying to help the White Rabbit remember the network of underground tunnels and rabbit holes that criss-crossed under all of Wonderland. Unfortunately, it was a slow going progress, mostly because whatever nonsense Wonderland considered to be 'logic' was _very_ different than what is was in Ever After. It seemed that the rabbit holes had once been used in times of war and thus a great deal of them remained unsafe for common usage, mostly because of the ridiculous amount of ludicrously designed booby traps that lined the tunnels.

One such trap could have one unexpectedly be nailed by poison-tipped spikes before being drowned in boiling tea, followed up an almost laughable assembly line of whip-creamed pies that would be repeatedly thrown in ones face until they suffocated while listening to a tap-dancing weasel that had acquired a taste for freeform jazz sing a song all the doodah day during their final moments.

And that was considered _dull_ by Wonderland standards.

"Okay, so if we take a left at the floating record player and follow the tunnel down past the flying top hats, we end up . . ?" Apple prompted.

The White Rabbit scratched his chin in thought. "We end up in . . . Bandersnatch Blvd, if I remember correctly."

The princess sighed patiently. "Alright, so what if we instead take a _right_ at the floating record player? Where would we go?"

"If memory serves, if we took a right and then made a U-turn on the face of the giant pocket watch while minding his mustache and taking a Z-route, we would end up in the gribbleknack canyons . . . or was it the Wonder Wastes?"

"Well, is it the gribbleknack canyons or the Wonder Wastes?"

"Um . . . p-perhaps it was the Queen of the Golden Rose's Northeastern flower patches . . ?"

"Are you sure it wasn't the Tugley Woods?"

"Or maybe it was my basement?"

Eventually however, after much bantering back and forth and little progress being made, Diamondhead finally had enough. "Here's an idea: how about I turn into Teleportail and _teleport_ us to the palace?' he suggested with a slight edge of annoyance to his voice.

"Ben, are you sure that's a good idea?" Raven asked. "I mean, your transformations so far haven't exactly been . . . accurate."

"The girl makes an excellent point." Skurd agreed.

"The more time we waste standing around, the less time Lizzie's mom has." the Petrosapien argued. "Do you really want to take that chance?"

The witchling bit her lip as she briefly mulled the thought over. Her gaze flickered to Lizzie's expression of utter anxiety, the way her eyes seemed to be pleading with as if she were the leader of their dysfunctional little group of misfits. She didn't even know why she was having this mental debate with herself; regardless of what she said, she knew that her boyfriend was going to just o it anyways, especially with the fate of an entire realm on their shoulders. That was just the type of person he was.

Raven sighed reluctance. "Do I even need to say it?"

Diamondhead nodded and slapped the Omnitrix fastened to his waist in the form of a belt, engulfing himself in a blast of green light that began to warp and morph his body into something new. The brunette could feel his arms pulse and twitch angrily when fresh muscle and tissue layered and threaded themselves over his steadily growing bones, making his body bigger and stronger until he easily towered over the girls. His hands trembled for a split second before they exploded into massive mitts of tremendous strength from which a single, black claw thrust itself out from his wrists with the squelching nose of wet flesh. His skull crunched as his teeth morphed into fangs and his lower jaw was thrust out into a primitive underbite; Ben's nose meshed into his face. Orange fur sprouted across his frame in a thick carpet that bleached a bright white on his hands, feet, face, and torso while black stripes etched themselves proudly across his back and broadening shoulders. Whiskers sprouted from his face while his skeleton made the final adjustments and allowed a final layer of stuff muscle to weave itself across his frame; a black and green luchador outfit enveloped his powerful figure and the Omnitrix materialized around his waist in the form of an oversized belt, completing the transfiguration.

"Oh, no." Apple flinched at the mere sight of the Appoplexian. With Lizzie on his shoulders, no less.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' stupid Omnitrix that somehow magically got split apart into multiple copies of itself, each containing the DNA of a different alien that automatically randomizes whenever I change back and keeps on turning me into the wrong alien! _Stop automatically randomizing and turning Rath into the wrong alien!_ " Rath shouted in the general direction of his waistline. "And lemme tell ya somethin' else, stupid Omnitrix that somehow magically got split apart into multiply copies of itself, each containing the DNA of a different alien that automatically randomizes whenever I change back and keeps on turning me into the wrong alien! If you automatically randomize and turn me into the wrong alien again, I will destroy you without destroying you after learning to play the xylophone with tuna fish dressed in a tuxedo to ensure that I destroys you without destroying you! _Got it!?_ "

"Please, is there anything else you'd care to add? Or would you like to hear my opinion about your horrendous breath?" Skurd gave a sarcastic quip as he pinched what might have been his nose with a slimy pseudopod.

"Uh . . . Rath doesn't understand the question!"

By now the White Rabbit looked like he was going to faint dead away right there on the spot. Being a rabbit in nature, he was naturally terrified of anything with sharp teeth, sharp claws, and a predatory disposition. He had barely managed to contain his fear when his superior had been attacked by a furious Loboan in the courtroom – though whether it was because he was more afraid of Courtly or Blitzwolfer was up for debate – and now he was currently faced with a _very_ loud Appoplexian. As well as sharp teeth and sharp claws . . . lots and lots of sharp teeth and claws . . . and anger management problems that would have made a certain Lord of the Underworld look like a spoiled toddler by comparison.

" _What's your problem!?_ " Rath snarled, taking note of his tension.

"N-N-Nothing! N-Nothing at all!" the White Rabbit quivered, sweating anxiously under the Appoplexian's blank glare.

All the while Lizzie had been hanging onto Rath's shoulders with a white knuckle grip, nervously drumming her fingers on his skull – he had yet to notice – while she waited for something, _anything_ to happen in their favor. The plan to simply teleport to the palace using the Omnitrix's Vong Linducher had failed, her nemesis most likely had a _massive_ head start was already at the party as far as she knew, and they were currently lost in Wonderland without any easy means of getting to her mother's birthday bash on time before Courtly did anything truly dastardly; and on top of that, they had yet to hear any word at all from Kitty, which made her anxiety all the worse.

Eventually though, she couldn't stand it any longer. "My mother is in danger, Rabbit!" the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts exclaimed frantically, her voice choked with worry. "Please, _please_ , just get me to the palace! I'm begging you!"

Now greatly determined, the White Rabbit swallowed his fear, hopped to his feet, proudly puffed out his chest, and saluted the princess. "I shall do my best, your majesty! Follow me! Quickly!"

"Alright, but not because you told me to! This was Rath's idea from the beginning!" the Appoplexian demanded loudly while he followed after the aristocratic rabbit.

"Of course it was! The author said it was your idea from the very start, so it was your idea!" Maddie giggled merrily, leaving everyone baffled as usual. The girls and Appoplexian small, tranquil pool that would have otherwise gone completely unnoticed – even if the trees that shaded it had fruit that bore a resemblance to blinking eyeballs – and promptly jumped in. Within seconds they were whisked away down another rabbit hole into the very bowels of Wonderland without any idea where they heading.

This of course, did nothing to alleviate Rath's foul temper.

* * *

Courtly was quite sure she was going to go mentally insane if she had to endure this kind of torture any longer. She didn't know how long she had been sitting on the Queen of Heart's lap pretending to be her daughter, but it felt like it had been _days_ ; at least, that was what she kept telling herself. Regardless, there had multiple close calls with guests and servants alike getting rather suspicious of a supposedly "wretched jester" being treated as if she were a beloved member of the Hearts clan – the queen's daughter no less – and that continuously set her nerves on edge.

That, and the fact that the Queen of Hearts had been droning on and on ever since Courtly had arrived.

"You know, I was thinking of canceling this party because birthdays just aren't the same without you." the queen cooed when she pinched the harlequin's cheek with complete adoration.

By now, the Daughter of the Jester Card had a newfound respect for Lizzie for being to put up with this kind of parental nonsense. It was shame, really, that she was now doomed to spend eternity in detention; they could have been such good friends. " _Hmm._ How charming," her facade faltered for a second. "Now about that cat-"

"But then I thought, what if my dear, sweet Lizzie shows up?" the Queen of Hearts continued on as if she hadn't heard her. "And now look! You have!"

The first thing she was going to do once she took over the throne was rip out her majesty's royal tongue to _finally_ silence her; she would be doing half of Wonderland of favor, saving them from going completely deaf from the queen's outbursts.

" _Mother_ , I really must-"

"P-Presenting, her majesty, t-the Queen of the Golden Rose!" a very intimidated butler interrupted her when they were suddenly enveloped in a shadow that seemed to block out the entirety of the sun.

The Queen of Hearts and Courtly slowly tilted their heads back to get a proper look at their latest arrival, very nearly falling out of the queen's throne in the process. Their heads came shooting back down when a green-skinned girl that had been sitting on top of the monstrous behemoth's back – if you were wondering, _that_ was what was blocking the light all of a sudden and _not_ a guest who had helped themselves to too much of the buffet – came sliding down and off the beast's enormous horn, landing expertly on her feet and earning an 8.2 average in comparison to the queen's perfect ten.

"That is most certainly _not_ the Queen of the Golden Rose." the Queen of Hearts raised an accusing eyebrow.

The plant girl, Venus, if Courtly remembered correctly, nervously curtsied before them. "My apologies, your majesty. My lady is rather preoccupied with an urgent state of emergency and sent me in her stead." she explained; the gargantuan creature snorted behind her, as if laughing at her words.

Instantly, the queen was delighted once more. "Oh, how wonderful! Please, be sure to send her my sincerest gratitude." she smiled politely. "Now then . . . er, what exactly _is_ it? No offense, but it looks like a big dumb rock."

At this, the creature roared right in their faces, very nearly pulling off the queen's crown from the sheer magnitude in the process. Venus promptly went about trying to sooth it, gently petting its face and whispering things too soft for either the Queen of Hearts or Courtly to hear.

After a minutes of this, the plant-monster ghoul turned back to address her majesty. "My queen," she bowed respectfully, an action that made the jester sitting upon her lap sick to her stomach. "This is no ordinary rock. It is a Crabdozer, a very rare beast of immense strength and power from the farthest reaches of Wonderland. It took my lady's men weeks, months even, to track and bring it down and even longer to train it so that it would be of great asset to anyone who may be fortunate enough to gaze upon it in all it's glory."

Venus spun a tale so vivid that she practically had the Queen of Hearts eating out of her hand, and even Courtly had to admit that she was starting to believe it. "And fortunately for your majesty, this beautiful, gore-geous, _adorable_ creature comes with its own personal trainer and handler: _me._ "

The Queen of Hearts was all but ecstatic. " _Ooh_ , it's so _precious!_ " she squealed as she turned to one of her nameless guardsman. "You there! With the hat and the name that nobody cares about! Bring me the leash! The extra big one!"

The playing cards scrambled about to fulfill their new orders and before either Crabdozer or Venus knew what was happening, there was a mighty _clang!_ and a tremendous metal collar that had to be at least times the size of a tire swing firmly clamped around the former's neck with a long and strangely thin chain that was just as suddenly securely hooked around a wooden peg hammered into the ground as there had been nothing there a moment before.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" the queen cried giddily. "What's her name?"

"Um . . . i-it's Jane." Venus was still unsure what had just happened.

With surprising strength for someone of her size, the Queen of Hearts pulled the Crabdozer into a loving hug that just about managed to cover a small fraction of her muzzle. "Oh, what a silly name for someone so cute as you! For now on, you will my beloved Cardea!" she cooed devotedly. "Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?"

Venus anxiously bit her lip. She _knew_ how her ghoulfriend felt about collars and leashes, specifically those that might attempt to be put on her. The only collar she ever tolerated was the one that was always generated by the Nemetrix whenever she transformed, and she couldn't bear the thought of leashes; this was a topic that the plant-monster ghoul was confident that not even Ben could talk their ghoulfriend into changing her mind on, if by some foolhardy miracle the thought even crossed his mind.

Before she would have been forced to step in and prevent Crabdozer from skewering her majesty like a royal kabob, the dying beeps of the Nemetrix sounded next to them and a moment later a blast of crimson light enveloped the monstrous alien predator and sent it away to return Jane Boolittle to the world, dress and all.

The jungle ghoul coughed awkwardly from within the now startled Queen of Heart's embrace. "Um . . . I don't wish to sound disrespectful, but I am not and never will be your dog."

Much to the two ghoul's surprise however, the queen hardly seemed to notice or care that her pet had inexplicably changed forms right in front of her. "Oh, are you charming! I could just eat you up!" she jocosely played with Jane's cheeks.

The shape-shifter suppressed a territorial hiss from the back of her throat and kindly grabbed the queen's hands and removed them from her face. "I'm sorry, but you left me with no choice." she frowned, her features already beginning to distort and change. A coat of light purple fur sprouted from all across her body, starting from her face – consequently sprouting a set of whiskers – and smoothly racing down her back and front. A loud cracking and crunching noise filled the air as Jane's skeleton rearranged itself, her spine lengthening out until she had a short, stubby tail and she was forced down upon her hands and knees. Thousands of powerful muscles packed themselves tightly into her haunches and chest, mounding particularly well on the jungle ghoul's shoulders and back, forming a large hump of tendon and tissue beneath her spotted fur coat. Wicked claws tore through her fingers, reducing them to strong, firm paws while her heels ripped and the back of her dress tore tore open to accommodate her swelling figure. Her skull ground when her teeth tore through her gums, hardly even fitting into her mouth until the rest of her head caught up with her; and even then, a pair of large, saber-like teeth still curved out of her upper jaw. Her ears rotated to the top of her head and the Nemetrix appeared around her thick neck in the form of a maroon collar, completing the transformation.

The _Smilodon_ gave a furious roar and made a move to pounce upon the Queen of Hearts with fangs bared, only to feel a sharp pull on her neck as the queen jumped back with delight. The sabertooth cat growled and glanced back at the chain that held her firmly in place. It was so thin and tiny and . . . was it just her imagination or was it shorter than before? Regardless, it shouldn't have been able to hold her back that easily!

Deciding to try a different approach, the _Smilodon_ was enveloped in a flurry of fur and feathers and took on the form of an ostrich, squawking irritably as she pecked at the chain and gave a few experimental tugs. With that option out of the picture, the flightless bird fluidly turned into a large crocodile and took the chain in her jaws, shaking her head back and forth and allowing herself to drop into the 'death roll' her species was infamous for with little results.

By now she was getting desperate. Scales turned into a shaggy coat of fur when she turned into a llama and her hooves were then exchanged for opposable thumbs and a prehensile tail when she morphed into a Capuchin monkey. From there she quickly gained several tons in weight and a massive maw when she assumed the form of a hippopotamus and promptly lost nearly all of it when she tried to slip free of her collar as a simple goldfish.

The Queen of Hearts clapped with delight as Jane transformed into a towering giraffe. "You can change into any pet I ask? Oh, Cardea! You're the best pet a queen could ask for!" she cried happily as she pulled the elevated animal into a bone-crushing hug that seemed to snap every bone in her long neck.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Courtly was starting to panic. She had thought there was only _one_ shape-shifter that stood in the way of her plans, but now there was _more?_ The joker anxiously stole a look at Venus' wrist and mentally cursed when she saw it was nearly identical to Ben's. As if that weren't bad enough, the green-skinned ghoul was giving her an odd and accusing look, as if she felt something was off about the whole situation but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She needed to find the Storybook of Legends _now._

" _Mother!_ " she shouted impatiently. " _The cat!_ Where is the Cheshire Cat!?"

"Oh, the Cheshire Cat showed up hours ago." the Queen of Hearts replied casually, as if she hadn't heard her 'daughter's outburst. "She gave me some book. It's with the other gifts, in the Present Room."

"Of course! Where else would presents be?" Courtly resisted the urge to scream with frustration. She instead focused on the pleasant image of what her rule over Wonderland would be like to stop herself from trying to strangle the queen right then and there. She was so close, she could almost _taste_ victory at this point. She just needed to keep the queen busy and anyone else who was suspicious of her from catching wind of her devious plot . . . and an idea came to her. "I know! In honor of your birthday, how about we play a little game, _hmm?_ "

"Ooh! I love games!" the Queen of Hearts clapped excitedly. "What do you think, Cardea? Do you want to play, too?"

Apart from having her 'pet' suddenly morph into a honey badger that tried to brutally claw her face off without giving a damn about the consequences, the queen didn't get much of a response.

Courtly held her cool – despite mentally rooting for Jane to press her wicked claws just a few more inches closer – and continued without missing a beat. "I call this one 'The Opposite Game'. Anyone tells you anything, it means the opposite!" she smiled brightly and waved farewell. "Hello, mum!"

"Um . . . hello?" the queen seemed confused for a moment before she realized with delight how fun the game was. "Oh! Hello!"

Venus raised an eyebrow as she watched the jester leave, incredibly baffled as to what was going on. Why was the Queen of Hearts – someone who she had quickly learned was infamous for her legendary temper – being so nice to someone that she both hardly knew and seemed more than ready to mutter some rather rude things under her breath? And for that matter, why did she think that Courtly was her daughter of all people? Surely, as Lizzie's mother, she would recognize her own flesh and blood?

"Er . . . you do realize that she's not your daughter, right?" the plant-monster ghoul raised an eyebrow while she held Jane back from attempting to maul the queen with her claws and fangs.

"Of course! She is not my daughter at all!" the Queen of Hearts giggled excitedly. "Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Given the fact that her ghoulfriend had squirmed out of her grip, turned into an aardvark, and seemed to now be trying to dig away from her problems, Venus highly doubted it.

* * *

It was the fear that was killing her.

It was like a virus, a parasite that sat in the pit of her stomach and filled her with an uncomfortable feeling that spread to the rest of her body until it had completely overtaken her. It flowed through her veins, infecting and consuming everything inside of her, plaguing her mind with doubtful thoughts.

Would they make it in time?

How were they going to stop Courtly?

Was her mother safe?

The more Lizzie thought about it, the more solicitous she became until she couldn't think of anything else. The mounting dread that made her stomach wretch had tormented her during their time in the tunnels – far to long in her opinion – and they refused to cease when they reemerged and were met with sweet daylight once more. The palace, her true home, was thankfully not far off from where the earth had spat them back out from within its bowels, but that only served to distress her even further.

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts sighed and pulled out the set of playing cards she used to occupy herself when she was worried, expertly performing card tricks for herself while Rath carried her atop his powerful shoulders across the checkerboard meadows. She couldn't even begin to imagine how the Appoplexian – or to be more precise, his human counterpart – dealt with the constant threat of failure. From what she heard through the grapevine, the fate of many innocent lives and even whole worlds rested in his hands on a regular basis; an absurd task for a single individual, even one such as him.

"Lemme tell ya somethin', unimportant, unnamed guardswho're standing in Rath's way! Get outta Rath's way before he does some serious butt kicking! _And I don't mean the star this time!_ "

She was abruptly shaken from thoughts by the sound of the aforementioned Appoplexian while he loudly engaged in a shouting match with the pair of playing cards guarding the palace gate. Both of them had yet to notice her presence.

"Look, I don't care who you are, you're not-"

" _Ahem._ " Lizzie coughed lightly, attempting to keep a patient look upon her face.

The pair of playing cards briefly stopped their bickering, stole a look up, and promptly fell on their knees in a quivering mess as they profusely apologized for not immediately acknowledging the presence of their princess. "F-Forgive us, y-your m-majesty!"

Lizzie sighed. "That's all very well and good, but if you would be so kind as to stand aside before my friend here loses his temper again? I must see my mother!"

The playing cards trembled. "Er . . . y-y-yes, your highness . . . again?"

The young monarch scowled at the comment, sending the two guards into a blubbering mess while Rath stomped past them with a look that said he would have turned them into confetti if he had to waste another second threatening them – not that he would have minded much, but even his simple brain could sense that time was not something he had a lot of. Something that irritated him to no end, especially since it was bothering his Lizzie. Whatever was bothering his Lizzie, by extension, bothered him and bothering him was a bad idea.

The Appoplexian shook his head. Since when had the Princess of Hearts been _his_ Princess of Hearts? Sure, they both had tempers that would have made erupting volcanoes look like a steaming tea kettles by comparison and they both had a habit of slicing and dicing things whenever they were angry or bored, depending on the situation, but that didn't necessarily make her his . . . did it? No, of course not. Even his simple, tiny brain could figure that out and it spent most of its time yelling at him for wasting time that could be spent punching things by thinking. In fact, why was he thinking right now? His Lizzie was upset and whenever she was upset, he was upset and him being upset was a bad thing . . . for everyone and everything else around him that is.

"Wow, Lizzie . . . your mom must be really popular." he heard Raven gape in amazement by his side and he felt his gruff exterior falter a little bit. Her voice sounded pretty and he remembered the way she would so gently pet him when the two of them were cuddling together, simply enjoying one another's company. It was no wrestling match or slug-fest, but he never hesitated at the chance to spend quality time with his little bird.

"Of course she's popular! She's the _queen!_ " he heard Apple state brightly. Her voice was so beautiful, the way she effortlessly danced over the notes of a wordless song made him melt inside. She was gorgeous beyond words – not that he knew that many – and he remembered how she was practically putty in his hands whenever they kissed, becoming weak in the knees and completely dominated by him whenever they embraced. He liked how she snuggled so deep into him, hugging him close and tight with a whisper of her tender breath upon the nape of his neck . . . it made him feel powerful. He liked feeling powerful.

"Speaking of my mother . . . there she is!" he suddenly heard Lizzie proclaim and the Appoplexian was immediately alert once more.

" _Where!?_ This better not be like that little red dot that was curiously devoid of mass or volume!" Rath whirled around, desperately searching the aforementioned queen. He wasn't exactly sure what she looked like . . . maybe a crown or something queen-y, that was about all he had . . . maybe she would look like a bigger version of Lizzie? Yeah, that sounded about right.

"Over there!"

The Appoplexian didn't need to be told twice. His Lizzie's happiness was on the line, and if that meant reuniting her with her long lost mother, then far be it from him to deny her. With a thundrous roar that probably scared a decent amount of the party's attendants half to death, he dropped down to all fours and raced off in an aimless direction through the crowd of party-goers, only occasionally shouting "'xcuse me!" or "pardon me!" or "Rath comin' through!" as he went with Skurd begging for him to slow down.

"Toodles! Don't forget to write!" he heard Maddie wave after them.

"Lizzie! Ben!" he faintly heard Raven call after them.

" _Guys!_ " Kitty Cheshire's voice called out to him, beckoning him back. He was reminded of the way she would constantly tease and flirt with him, tickling his nose with her tail and never losing a moment to bend over to pick up something she had 'accidentally' dropped in order to give him a hexcellent view of her 'assets'. The moments they shared together where they simply napped together in a particular warm and comfy sunbeam were by far the most memorable, if not because she always insisted on being his pillow for some obscure reason she refused to divulge to him; she evidently loved it when he was frustrated.

"Kitty, did you find the Storybook of Legends?"

The Storybook of Legends? That was important . . . right? He couldn't quite shake the feeling that it was suppose to be important, but he wasn't sure how. He was never really one for books. Sphinx, he wasn't sure if he could even read, much less if had a desire to. Reading was for those that didn't have the guts and muscles to solve their problems with their strength. After all, the best way to solve problems was by hitting them, right?

"Over there, Ben! She's right there!" Lizzie directed him with a slight impatient edge to her voice.

Rath obediently followed the princess's directions and burst free of the crowd with a loud roar, looking around wildly for where he was suppose to go before he caught sight of a woman standing poised and ready at the top of a hill with a mallet of some kind in her grasp. She was tall and imposing, her very presence commanding respect with a sense of power and strength that very well rivaled his own, making him bristle at the unspoken challenge. One look at the golden crown on her head and her long flowing robes however, made him hold back his anger for Lizzie's sake; after all, attacking her mother after only just being reunited with her probably wasn't going to earn him any brownie points . . . though he wasn't quite sure why that was so important to him.

And was it just his imagination or was that Jane with an upset look and a dog collar plopped down at the queen's feet? And was that Venus holding onto the leash like one might pick up the rotting carcass of a recently run over squirrel?

Before the Appoplexian could attempt to contemplate the strange scene – and subsequently fry his brain after trying for three seconds – Lizzie had practically thrown herself from his shoulders and rushed over to the Queen of Hearts, crushing her in a tight embrace. " _Mother!_ " she cried happily with tears of joy.

It wasn't long – approximately the three seconds it would have taken to fry Rath's brain – before Venus and Jane took notice of him and all but tackled him to the ground out of relief and worry.

"Ben! I can't believe it! You're here!" Venus exclaimed, kissing the Appoplexian's cheek.

"The Great One was right!" Jane cried just as blithely.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Venus McFlytrap and Jane Boolittle, ghoulfriends of Rath who are also ghoulfriends with each other and Robecca Steam, wherever she might be! While Rath is happy and stuff to see you after all the crazy stuff he's been through all day, now really isn't the time!" the Appoplexian yelled as he picked himself up and effortlessly pulled the two ghouls in a crushing that nearly popped them like overcooked hot dogs before he realized that he was squeezing them too hard and set them down. "Now is the time for a gross, heartfelt, tear-jerking, touchy-feely family reunion!"

"Do tell." Skurd mumbled.

"Shut it!"

Lizzie didn't hear any of it. It were as if she and her mother solely existed in a little world all their own where nothing could ever bother them. She could feel her surprised mother's touch caress her cheek and her fingers running lovingly through her hair, bringing back fond memories of the nights her mother would lull her to sleep with a lullaby when she was but a little girl and accidentally beheading her stuffed toys. The princess squeezed a little tighter, as if afraid that if she ever loosened her hold that her mother would simply disappear, a thought that truly frightened her.

"Oh, mother, I'm so happy to see you!" Lizzie gushed with joy, nearly on the verge of tears of relief and rapture. "I'm so happy to see you! I missed you so! Oh, mother, I love you so much!"

What happened next however, had nearly everyone's jaw dropping to the ground in shock.

"You love me!? How dare you!?" the Queen of Hearts sneered with disgust, as if appalled by her daughter's words. "I most certainly _do not_ love you!"

Lizzie taken aback. "Y-You . . . you don't love me?" she choked.

"Of course not! Not at all!" the queen repeated. "And by the way: you look horrid! Absolutely terrible! Utterly repulsive!"

The Princess of Hearts could feel her world crumbling around her, her heart having shattered like glass upon hearing those awful words that stung like a hot flame. Her mouth felt dry and her pulse quickened while her bottom lip quivered, tears already starting to well from her eyes.

"Now look what you did, Queen of Hearts whose real name I don't know!" Rath roared angrily.

"I-I . . . I don't understand," Lizzie sniffed as she tried to dry her eyes and make sense of what was happening. "This isn't making any sense!"

"Lemme tell ya somethin', Queen of Hearts whose real name I don't know! Give Rath one reason why he shouldn't make your insides into your outsides and then knit them into a sweater that he may or may not make you wear!" the Appoplexian bellowed angrily, forcing Venus and Jane to cover their ears for fear of going deaf.

"I've . . . I've missed you so much," Lizzie sobbed, only further crushed when she noticed that her mother seemed to be reveling in her misery. "And I thought th-that you still loved me and finally we're together after all this time, and . . . a-and now you say these horrible things!" the princess wailed.

" _That's it! Rath is gonna turn your insides into your outsides and then knit them into a sweater and make you wear it because he hates seeing his Lizzie cry like a little girl!_ "

The Queen of Hearts was ecstatic despite the rather disturbing threats made to her person. "Oh, you really are good at this game!" she clapped her hands happily before she realized her mistake. "Sorry, sorry, I mean bad! Ooh, did I just lose?"

"G-Game?" Lizzie sniffed, confused.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' crazy lady who is also the Queen of Hearts whose real name I don't know! You better start making sense before Rath _makes_ you start making sense by gutting you from the inside, working his way out, and using your spine for a back scratcher, because it is itchy! _Very itchy!_ " the Appoplexian demanded, just about at the end of his rope. It was bad enough before when his Lizzie was worried over her mother's safety, but now this crazy lady that was suppose to be her mother was making her cry! And not in a good way either!

Unlike Rath, the princess was more quick to catch on. "Is this an 'opposite' game?"

" _No . . ._ " the Queen of Hearts giggled mischievously.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' crazy lady who is also the Queen of Hearts whose real I don't know! Rath is still confused by all your random gibberish and Rath _hates_ being confused by random gibberish, even the random gibberish that he says, so you better make Rath _not_ confused by all your random gibberish before he reaches down your throat and turns your lungs into a pair of mittens!"

Lizzie didn't think she had been more relieved in her entire life – or at least ever since her day first began – than at that moment. "Then it's time to 'start' the game, mother." she playfully winked at her mother, hugging her once more.

The Queen of Hearts practically collapsed upon hearing those words, as if she had been relieved of some physical ailment that had been troubling her. Like a rightfully worried mother, she all but smothered her beloved daughter in a warm embrace and tenderly ran her fingers through her ruby and ebony locks. The queen was instantly reminded of herself, the resemblance was almost astounding; it was like looking in a mirror and she couldn't have been more proud.

"Oh, ancestors above. Of course I love you, my dear, sweet Lizzie." she pulled her daughter close to her, cupping her cheek affectionately. "I don't know what I'd do with myself without you!"

"The clock doth not tick without its tock and shall forever be incomplete without its gears to make it whole." the Princess of Hearts replied in Riddlish.

"The jubjub may wander the skies alone and the borogrove will forever be mimsy in its solitude, but the dodos will forever flock together, one way or another." the queen answered without hesitation, playfully tapping her daughter's nose and squeezing her in a tight hug. The crowd of party guests that had previous gathered to witness their queen's game of croquet cooed and awed accordingly at the touching moment between mother and daughter.

Unfortunately, the moment was quickly ruined when Rath lost his temper – again.

"Lemme tell ya somethin' Lizzie Hearts, Daughter of the Queen of Hearts and crazy lady who is also the Queen of Hearts whose real name I don't know! Rath is sick and tired of you speaking in words that don't make sense to Rath and make his head hurt, so Rath is gonna start speaking in words that don't make sense and make his head hurt so that you will shut up and listen to what he has been trying to tell you for the past hour, give or take a few minutes! _Pum revo ug um axarr vupp whoaxalt pi Pum waxank te vaxallupp ug pi vaxako swook revo te ug axarr daxaupp, ovolupp daxaupp bel zo loch eb eep rivos! Ug wirr fo vupp wemaxan pi Pum wirr fo yeep vaxan pi Pum wirr bung ug reck pi whaxald pi ug wirr revo dit focaxauso Pum axam yeep vaxan pi ug axalo vupp wemaxan pi Pum caxaniz dimaxagino pit daxaupp withuk ug axabtol ovolythick wo'mo foon zleugh. Proaxaso fo vino, Lizzie Hearts, se zaxat Pum vaxaupp belovol spoct vupp daxays bungick yeep ivino pussupp pi tidd axapt withuk lochlaxaink focaxauso Pum revo ug riko je eno whaxas ovol revow axanyeno fobelo! Pum wirr laxavaxago yeep floaxachs pi vaxako ug scloaxam vupp naxamo pi vaxako ug fog bel vo te bung ug reckol pi whaxaldol zaxan ovol fobelo pi Pum wirr jet whositaxato te pe axas ug proaxa focaxauso Pum revo ug! Act wo axaloniz sclowick oaxast ethol wo wirr spoct eep daxays praxayick zo xyrepheno pi vaxalimfaxa um eep onomios spinos, ovon zeugh Pum peniz gned whed te praxaupp zo xyrepheno din zo bilch praxaco pi peniz whaxavo pit craxalinot te praxaupp faxadrupp, pit braxaskridd te waxavo axaleuct, cufow stooso te oaxat hiro chempick zo kleuct, pit semflole te woaxal din pit keebupp baxaskien, crewn skeos, pit wheep shilt, el axanupp didoaxa whed te scloost riko pit stimpaxanzoo hiro lunnick, rimpick, el claxawrick! Id Pum quich uso an axarr vupp axail? Act bel axanyeno zaxat whaxas axandui ox foon axafro te slaxansraxato zis reck wictow, jensonsicaxar tellonk kiffolisk, Pum cemmoct ug bel yeep podicaxatien pi zaxant ug bel loaxadick vupp chelios. Solieusrupp, Pum peniz gned holo Pum weurd fo withuk yeep suppelt pi simprupp caxaniz zaxant ug oneugh bel axarr zaxat ug whaxavo peno bel vo. Fut um zaxat foick saxaid, Pum zint zis whaxas keno en reck oneugh. Withuk bulthol axade, rot us lotuln te zo chelupp pi soo haxat ethol sulplisos Pum vaxaupp el vaxaupp jet whaxavo din chelo bel ug. Enwaxald!_ "

And with that last bit of nonsense, Rath proceeded to collapse flat on his back from lack of breath.

For once, Skurd was at a complete loss for words. "Um . . . did . . . did anyone catch any of that?"

"Did any of that even make any sense?" Venus wondered.

It was then that the ghouls caught sight of the lovely, deep shade of crimson that Lizzie's face had turned and looks of astonishment upon every last one of the party's guests that had been within hearing range. None however, looked more shocked and perhaps even appalled than the Queen of Hearts herself, who seemed somewhere between exploding with anger and outright fainting, if that made any sense.

"It would seem so." Jane noted.

It was several incredibly long minutes of complete silence that felt more like hours of complete silence – save for Rath's heavy panting – before anyone had the guts to so much as even utter a single word, much less even breath.

In an almost uncharacteristic manner, the Queen of Hearts had not erupted into a screaming fit over whatever had just been said and now had an eerily calm and logical air about her – which made her all the more terrifying, like waiting for the inevitable detonation of a bomb without knowing when it might go off. "Lizzie . . . w-who . . . or _what_ is this creature?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

The young monarch swallowed hard, as if she were trying to wash down a large rock in her throat, and tried to get the blood rushing to her face to go somewhere else, anywhere else would have been much more preferable than her face where everyone – especially Rath or Ben, she wasn't sure which or whether she cared – could see it. "H-He's . . . he's a very close and dear friend of mine. His name is Ben Tennyson-"

" _That's . . . Rath to . . . you . . . pretty lady!_ " the Appoplexian protested between breaths, weakly raising an arm to emphasize his point before he lazily let if fall back to the ground.

"Which is it?" the Queen of Hearts asked hesitantly.

"Er . . . _both?_ " Lizzie cringed slightly. "It's . . . really rather hard to explain."

No sooner had the princess spoken those words than did the Omnitrix sound off and time out with a series of dying beeps and explosion of fluorescent, green light. When the glare finally died down, Ben was in the place a loud and incredibly winded Appoplexian had been occupying moments before, looking a little breathless but otherwise alright. Jane immediately helped propped her boyfriend up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek with a coral flush and a grateful grin as a reward.

"I do hope that was rather convenient? I do pride myself on being timely." Skurd puffed out his chest with pride.

" _The booger talks!?_ " the queen yelped.

"Why do I even bother anymore?"

"Well, I suppose this _would_ be an opportune time to explain everything." Lizzie grimaced, unsure of how she was suppose to feel with her sudden hurricane of emotions. The princess explained it all: Ben's arrival into their world, the Omnitrix, the massive impact he had upon their lives. She recalled their shenanigans during All Hallows Eve, the sudden arrival of the ghouls and by extension Ben's harem, and recollected the complicated events that had surrounded the relationship of him and Apple White before she began a short recap of the Spring Fairest Festival; she told her mother _everything_.

And all the while the Queen of Hearts had been listening attentively, not saying a word as her daughter began to describe the trials and tribulations she had gone through in order to reach her mother's birthday bash on time. She rightfully felt her blood boil at the ludicrous laws she had supposedly broken and felt her heart beat faster and an intense sweat gather upon her brow when Lizzie illustrated the epic showdown between the Red Knight and Ben she had witnessed. And she couldn't help but feel a knowing smile cross her lips when she noticed how her beloved daughter talked about the young man in such a positive light, never skimming over the details whenever he became involved in her tale.

The queen was reminded so much of herself when she first met her husband. It had been only days after she had been crowned the Queen of Hearts after her parents had met their unfortunate end at the hands of a mother jabberwocky protecting her hatchling – an honorable way to go, by most standards – and she had already seen hundreds upon thousands of suitors all seeking her hand. All of them had suffered their wrath . . . until he showed up. All of the men had wanted to marry her for her power and resources or saw her as a prize, like some kind of trophy; but not him. He was diminutive, shy and cowardly, but he was also polite, patient, and very kind, her perfect foil. He absolutely adored her and hardly cared about the power he would gain when she agreed to his marriage proposal – he didn't even remember until after they had been wed!

She almost couldn't believe it: her daughter was falling in love.

" . . . and that just about covers everything, I believe." Lizzie eventually concluded, biting her bottom lip when she noticed the queen had been dead silent through the whole explanation. " _Mother?_ "

Much to her surprise, the Queen of Hearts seemed relatively unphased, or even bothered by her daughter's long-winded explanation. "Well, Lizzie, I have to admit that you've surprised me. I certainly didn't expect _this._ " she gestured in Ben's direction. "And I must say . . . I approve."

"What?" Lizzie could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Is that a good thing?" Ben wondered.

"For your sake, lets hope so." Skurd muttered from his shoulder.

The Daughter of the Queen of Hearts felt her throat go dry and her palms become sweaty upon hearing those words from her mother and could have sworn her heart skipped a beat when the next ones followed soon after. "Only one question remains: do you, Lizzie Hearts, heir to the Hearts clan throne and the whole of Wonderland, accept?"

The princess swallowed anxiously and cast a look at Ben out of the corner of her eyes, watching as he curiously regarded the collar and chain around Jane's neck with a look of confusion and annoyance, as if he didn't like it when someone tampered with his property. Lizzie glanced down at her hands; she hardly knew Ben very well before he had selflessly promised to help her and he had kept that promise to her through all the shenanigans and chaos they had been forced to endure. He stuck by her side through thick and thin and they had bonded closely with one another as a result. Would she honor and strengthen that bond by accepting?

The Princess of Hearts decided that she couldn't make such decisions now, not with her future and family line at stake. "I'm sorry, mother, but . . . I need more time to think about this." she eventually replied. "Besides, there is something that I must tell you! I have to warn you!"

"Warn me?" the Queen of Hearts raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Lizzie nodded earnestly. "Yes! Courtley Jester's on her way here! That joker plans to steal your crown!"

" _WHAT!?_ " the Queen of Heart's expression had instantly returned to its infamous, red hue of pure rage. "Dethrone me!? _Courtly Jester!?_ B-But . . . but she was just here!" her eyes widened with horror. How could she have been so foolish!? So blind!? The ancestorforsaken wild card had been literally right under her nose the whole time and she hadn't even noticed!

There was only one thing for it.

" _GUARDS!_ " she bellowed at the top of her lungs like a furious jabberwocky roaring for blood. A platoon of playing cards were immediately summoned to her side, awaiting orders. "Search the palace! Search every nook, every cranny, every crack! Leave no stone, leaf, or card unturned! Take Cardea and her trainer with you if you must, but I want Courtly Jester's head! _Or it will be your heads!_ "

Jane and Venus only had a few, short seconds to react before the now utterly terrified playing cards grabbed them by the arms and scrambled off to fulfill their orders, leaving Ben utterly confused and alarmed at what had just happened.

"Um . . . your mom does realize that Jane isn't a pet . . . right?" he asked Lizzie a little anxiously.

"I'm afraid a clarification will have to wait until later, Ben," the princess gave him an apologetic look. "Whenever she's like this, she rarely listens to reason." she glanced over her shoulder to watch her mother angrily grab a croquet mallet and proceed to send several poor, hapless hedgehog careening across the horizon with her fury-empowered strikes. "Furthermore, I believe we have more pressing matters."

"I guess you're right," Ben awkwardly agreed. "By the way, did I, uh . . . say anything . . . _weird_ back there? I'll be honest when I say I have no idea what I just said."

Lizzie wasn't sure why a small part of her felt hurt by those words while two other parts of her found them both amusing and adorable and yet another part of her felt oddly hot under the collar, all at the same time. Maybe she was feeling nervous about catching Courtly? Yes, that had to be it. When she got back to Ever After, she was going to spend the entire weekend at that spa she had heard Duchess Swan go on about and let her worries simply melt away.

"N-No. Don't be ridiculous. My mother was just . . . caught up in the moment and was surprised when you, um . . . interrupted, that's all." she reassured him.

For some reason, as they went off together to join the search, she couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't totally believe her, and if the look Skurd was giving her was any indication, it was only a matter of time before he figured out what exactly he had said . . . give or take a few unbirthdays.

* * *

"Where is it, where is it!? Ugh, _why_ are there so many tart dishes and tea cosies, I mean seriously! What kind of person needs this much useless junk!? I suppose next I'll just find the kitchen sink!"

Courtly could not have been more annoyed or desperate. She knew that there had been _a lot_ of guests that had been invited to the queen's birthday bash, but this was absolutely ludicrous! Gifts and presents and tributes and what might have been bribes of sorts in the form of some bizarrely sewn stuffed animals ascended in towering collumns and piles all around her. The ceiling rose high above her like a crimson sky and the sea of gifts climbed and fell like mountains and valleys, virtually creating a landscape for her to dig through.

Not that she had the time. The harlequin simply couldn't shake the mounting dread she felt when she dug through pile after pile of ruby-encrusted toothbrushes and emerald-bedazzled teapot and didn't find hide nor hair of the Storybook of Legends. And it could potentially be _hours_ before she found, time that she was certain she did not have; the Queen of Hearts would get suspicious if her 'daughter' didn't return to her in a reasonable amount of time.

"Wait a mo . . . what's with all this searching by hand? I'm magical!" Courtly suddenly realized. With a maliciously gleeful smile, the joker sat herself down and pulled out the Evil Queen's spellbook, a jolt of power surging up her arm as she leafed through the pages with giddy giggling. " _'To find the item which you seek, just say these words and here's a peek!'_ "

The Daughter of the Jester Card watched with elation as a ball of dark, arcane magic pulsed from her fingertips and gathered into a fluctuating cloud of esoteric energy that morphed into the ghostly apparition of a monstrous, clawed hand before her. The revenant hand paused for a brief moment before it shot off at a break neck pace, destructively searching through the piles of gifts and treasures, without much care what it destroyed in its hunt, Soon, it suddenly stopped atop a towering spire of presents and pointed towards something located at the peak.

The Storybook of Legends! At long last!

" _Hexcellent._ " Courtly's cruel smile only deepened as she closed the spellbook and tucked it away into her pocket for safe keeping. "Now to find a way up there. Simple enough, really."

The jester wasted no time and promptly swan dived off the top of the pile she had been sitting on, landed herself in a crouching position, and proceeded to backflip, roll, and tumble her way up the towering spire of presents until she had finally reached the very top with a grand flourish and sweeping bow for her extravagant performance.

The sound of the Present Room's grand doors lowly groaning in protest on their hinges momentarily made her blood run cold before a cruel, shark-like smile slithered itself back into place along her lips. Her malignant grin only increased in viciousness when she heard the familiar voices of a certain patch of roses that had been a thorn in her side for far too long.

"It's in here!" she heard Kitty's voice.

Courtly couldn't help herself from sneering at the Cheshire, loudly – and rightfully – announcing her presence and victory. "Looking for something? Well, good news, ladies. I believe I found it! The much sought-after Storybook of Legends!" she taunted them with her spiteful smile, stooping down to pick up the ancient manuscript and finding it was a little heavier than she had anticipated. "Ooh, a bit hefty, isn't it?"

No sooner had she said those words than did a clock appear before her. The harlequin regarded it with confusion before she heard Kitty's voice come from over her shoulder. "I'll be happy to take it off your hands!" she snarled, lunging for the book. Courtly easily side-stepped her and watched as Kitty went tumbling down the mountain of presents, bouncing off a particularly large giftbox and landing on her feet.

"A-Are you alright?" Apple fretted.

"Sure. I always land on my feet." Kitty winked.

"Now to sign my destiny," Courtly waved the whole encounter off as if nothing had happened. "Let's see, Lizzie Hearts . . . Lizzie Hearts, Lizzie Hearts . . . would that be listed under 'L' or 'H'? Hmm, maybe 'S' for 'stuck-up little princess I could never stand . . ."

Raven felt her temper flare and her blood boil over at the jester's imminent victory. She couldn't just _stand_ there and _let_ her win, it just wasn't right! The birthright of one of her friends and the fate of an entire realm were at stake and if there was one thing she had learned ever since her life had been turned on its head by Ben's arrival, it was that she could never afford to give up, no matter the odds.

At the very least, she needed to stall Courtly long enough for the aforementioned wielder of the Omnitrix and Princess of Hearts to arrive with some amount of backup. With a deep breath to calm herself, she squeezed her eyes shut and muttered an incantation under her breath. The young witch was enveloped in a column of noxious, lavender smoke and disappeared before Apple's very eyes.

The Daughter of the Evil Queen reappeared atop another tower of gifts some distance fro Courtly before whispering the same hymn and disappearing in a puff of purple a second time. She then appeared even further away at the bottom of a pile of presents and teleported away in another flash of lilac ash just before it collapsed on top of her. The witchling reappeared directly in the middle of another pile, buried beneath golden birdcages, silken towelettes, and bronzed croquet mallets that were probably just regular croquet mallets covered in paint.

"Ooh, Ben makes this look so easy." Raven groaned as she pulled herself free.

"You can do it, Raven!" she heard Apple's voice encouraged her.

The witch sucked in a deep breath and tried to focus the oscillating arcane energy infused at her core. Her magical powers were tied to her emotions at best and made no sense whatsoever at their worst. There seemed to be no reason behind they would work flawlessly one minute and then fail her the next, almost as if they part of a faulty Mirrorpad; it was like some component, some part of her was . . . missing.

"Ah, here we are! Lizzie Hearts!"

Raven's eyes widened at the jester's triumphant announcement and felt a surge of magical energy through her. She recited the same enchantment and disappeared in a column of mauve smoke and reappeared directly behind Courtly just as she moved to sign her name on Lizzie's page in the Storybook of Legends. What the young witchling did next was on pure instinct and she rammed her shoulder into Courtly before lunging for the book and knocking from her hands as she fell down the pile.

"Raven!" Maddie cried out.

"I'm alright!" came the response.

Courtly snarled. "Not for long, you won't be. You'll pay for that!" she hissed as she pulled out the Evil Queen's spellbook, reveling in the look of horror and fear upon Raven's face when her lilac eyes fell onto the worn, leather cover and the ivory, horned skull whose ruby eyes glowed with wicked power. "Oh, recognize my little book, do you?"

"You don't understand the power you're playing with Courtly!" the Daughter of the Evil Queen warned her as she climbed to her feet. Her heart was pounding heavily in her breast, threatening to tear itself from her chest while her blood ran cold and smallest beads of sweat bespectacled her brow. A sense of unease overwhelmed her at the mere _sight_ of the forsaken book and she was more than half tempted to simply turn around and run as fast as her legs could possibly carry her; even the silvery scars that she tried to desperately to hide and ignore seemed to suddenly flare up and burn a little more from all over her body.

"Well, _someone's_ gotta pick up where mummy left off. Might as well be _me!_ " Courtly sneered as she traced a finger over the leather cover and threw back her head with maniacal laughter. "Oh, fancy that! Lowly Courtly Jester inheriting the power of _two_ queens no less! Well, you can be sure, _little_ Raven Queen, once I've conquered Wonderland, Ever After is next on my list!"

Raven's eyes widened with horror as the joker cracked open the spellbook and carelessly flipped through the pages until she found a suitable spell. " _With this spell I lay waste to the past and seal your fate with a savage blast!_ " she recited while she reached into the pages and pulled out a crackling ball of dark magic.

The young witchling only had mere moments to react and attempt to flee before Courtly hurled the orb straight at her, striking her in the stomach and knocking the wind out of her as she was hurled across the room, through a towering presents, and finally crash-landed in a pile of ornate gowns and gift boxes; a little sore, but none worse for wear.

" _Where are you?_ Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Raven tried to push out the sinister, mocking tone of the joker, but her words had already made their way into her mind, the darkest recesses that she tried to so desperately push away and forget about things that she barely remembered but always woke her up in the dead of night in a cold sweat without the foggiest idea of what had woken her up in the first place.

The world around her had already turned to a pitch black, the towering piles of presents and gifts having been replaced with long, snaking shadows that reached for an eternity into the darkness. She felt her throat close and her ability to breath become restricted with every pulse of her heart; it felt like she was choking, almost as if a pair of hands were closing around her neck and trying to suffocate her.

Courtly's sinister cackling had long since deepened into a more resonating laughter that was a few tones lower but _much_ more terrifying. Goosebumps crawled up her arms and pins and needles struck her fingers and toes as if she were actively being stabbed.

The cackling . . . that sick, twisted cackling . . . it was all she could hear . . .

And her breathing! Why was it so loud and yet so hard to even breath at the same time?

Air! She needed air!

The laughter . . . the insane, cruel laughter . . .

The thorns . . . the glint of a blade in the blackness . . . the laughter . . . the cackling . . .

The eyes that seemed to revel in her misery . . . her pain . . . her torment . . .

 _Her blood . . ._

She felt a set of hands upon her shoulder and Raven instinctively responded, lashing out with a fist and earning a loud _crack!_ followed by a pained whimper as a reward. One of the hands retreated, but the other refused to move from her shoulder, tightening its grip even; the witchling only thrashed about even more.

" _Raven!_ "

The young witch was immediately snapped back to reality, her breath heavy and ragged as her eyes wildly flickered about. The Present Room . . . she was still in the Queen of Heart's castle . . . she wasn't back in that horrible, horrible place . . . she was safe . . .

"Raven?"

The princess tensed up and turned at the sound of her name, nearly collapsing with alleviation when she saw it was only Maddie that was talking to her. Raven immediately cringed when she noticed that the Hatter was holding her nose as if she were in pain, allowing a few crimson ribbons to seep through her fingers.

"Maddie . . . wh . . . wh-what happened? What happened to _you?_ Wait . . . d-did I do that? _I did!_ Oh, Maddie, I-I . . . I-I'm _so_ sorry! I . . . i-it just happened! I mean, I don't know what happened, but-"

The Daughter of the Mad Hatter gave her a smile that was a little less bright than her usual grins. " _Raven_ , I'm _fine._ " she reassured her. "But you most certainly aren't! What happened to _you?_ "

"I . . . I don't know." Raven mumbled softly. "Where's everyone else?"

"Not important right now." Maddie waved the question off. "Are you _sure_ you don't know what happened?"

The young witch swallowed nervously, her throat dry. "Well . . . i-it was dark . . . _really_ dark. I-I couldn't see anything. I just know that . . . that I heard . . . _her_ . . ."

Raven fell silent after that, the mad cackling of Courtly and the disruptive explosions she made nothing but a distant distraction that she easily ignored. All that she was aware of was Maddie wrapping her arms around her and giving her a tight, warm hug. She returned it full force, burying her head into the Hatter's shoulder and thick, messy curls as if she were trying to hide herself away from the world; it was a nice thought, disappearing from reality and not having to worry about anything, even if it was impossible.

"Oh, Raven . . . it's happening again, isn't it?" Maddie asked.

"Maybe . . . I-I really hope not . . ."

"I don't either, but a dog will always fail if all it does is chase its tail."

Raven allowed the corners of her lips to curve just the slightest. "I guess . . . but that doesn't mean I'm going to like it."

"Does a Cheshire like water?"

The witch's eyes widened and she grabbed Maddie by the shoulders. "Kitty! Where are Kitty, Apple, and Briar?" she asked with worry.

Raven felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a slight weight rest itself upon her shoulders. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and watched as a familiar set of lips and bright smile appeared from thin air, followed by a pair of mischievous, blue eyes with cat-like pupils and light, fair skin that spread out into a rounded face. Next came the lavender hair and the rounded shoulders that tapered into the extravagant dress that wrapped around her figure like an ornate and brightly colored blanket, followed by a pair of elegant legs and a long, feline tail from which the end hung a clock whose hands never told the right time.

Kitty smiled impishly. "Someone say my name?"

"Where are Apple and Briar?" Raven asked anxiously.

The Daughter of the Cheshire Cat pulled on her shoulder and peeked out from behind the pile of presents they had taken cover behind, directing the witch's attention towards another pile some ways away. Tucked away at the base of the heap were Apple and Briar, hunkering down and trying to avoid the attention of Courtly as she crazily went about blasting everything in sight with her newfound power; the Storybook of Legends was nowhere to be seen.

"Look at you now, cowering like the cockroaches you were always meant to be!" Courtly cackled as she pitched a series of pulsating orbs in a collection of random directions and listened gleefully to the following explosions. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"

No sooner had the harlequin said those words than did a small little creature whose head looked oddly similar to that of a bomb come flying from out of her nowhere, land at her feet, and promptly explode, sending her toppling down the pile of presents she had so precariously perched herself upon.

"Oh, the irony. It is delicious." Skurd hummed with approval as Ben and Lizzie made their entrance into the Present Room. It had been a solid hour or so of searching the entire palace for any sign of the troublesome jester, but once the distant din of unauthorized explosions that did not immediately tie to the Queen of Heart's temper reached their ears, it was only a matter of time before they found Courtly and the others.

"I'll say. Not bad, Snot-Pocket." Ben approved as he blew a short breath over the barrel of the Bombardian limb that had taken up a portion of his right arm and shoulder.

"I have a name you know." the Slimebiote huffed with annoyance as he returned the Bombardian genetic sample back to the Omnitrix.

Lizzie quickly put an end to a potential argument before it started. "At the moment, I believe we have more pressing matters." she directed their attention towards the tower of gifts they had just blasted to bits.

Through the slowly dissipating smoke, Courtly pulled herself back up with the Evil Queen's spellbook clutched tightly in her grip and a look of absolutely derangement upon her face. " _You again!?_ " she hissed venomously. "Why must you _always_ be a constant pain in my ass!? Why can't you just leave me alone to subjugate the world to my will!?"

The Princess of Hearts decided to ignore the rather unhinged tone of the jester and pulled three playing cards from up her sleeve that she held between her fingers, ready to be thrown like shurikens at a moments notice. "I'll give you _one_ chance, Courtly," she glared at the joker. "Surrender now or it's off with your head!"

" _NEVER!_ " the Daughter of the Joker Card spat as she viciously flipped through the pages of the spellbook and began to recite another spell. " _You think you can stop me, not in your wildest dreams! Lock them in tight so no-one can hear their screams!_ "

A blast of hot arcane magic burst forth from the jester's pointed finger and sailed over Lizzie and Ben's head, crashing into the set of enormous doors that yawned open behind them. With a low groan and a thunderous _boom!_ as they banged shut, the doors to the Present Room locked themselves up tightly and sealed them in, trapping them.

The young monarch sighed wearily. "And here I was hoping we could avoid the card tricks this time. It looks like we'll have to use force."

Ben smirked as he brought a hand down on the Omnitrix disk that occupied right wrist and was promptly engulfed in a blast of intense, green light. His fingers ground and cracked, twitching violently as his hands faded into an inky blackness that oozed its way up his arms like hot tar in the sun. Across the shoulders and down his front and back it went, criss-crossing over one another in a beautiful display of abyssal coloring; his fingernails twitched and cracked when they morphed into hollow, plug-like digits the color of copper. The brunette's spine arched and spat out a long, whip-like tail with a plug-like appendage at the tip that cracked back and forth with anticipation. Highly conductive muscle and sinew weaved their way in intricate patterns beneath his skin, swelling his figure to nearly twice its previous height. His chest pulsed and his toes tore through his shoes in the form of a pair of padded talons whole every last strand of hair on his body was shed in favor of the familiar, black tone that enveloped his body. Ben's teeth crunched while they into sharp fangs, his eyes molding together into a single, green orb, and a pair of long, elastic antennae unrolling from the back of his scalp like dreadlocks. A strip of green raced its way down his chest and abdomen and the Omnitrix and Skurd reappeared upon his collarbone, completing the transformation.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Feedback grinned, his fingers already crackling with electricity.

Courtly only hesitated the slightest of seconds before she cast the same spell again and summoned forth half a dozen balls of unstable energy that orbited around her fingers like miniature planets. With a flick of her wrist she sent one of the oscillating orbs flying straight at the Conductoid and watched with glee as he and Lizzie dove out of the way of the resulting explosion.

"Oh, hold still!" the harlequin seethed as she tried to hit Lizzie with two of the orbs and missed her in a pair of explosions of presents and gifts. The princess responded with her playing cards, sending them spinning through the air with a flick of her wrist; the first whizzed past Courtly's head by mere inches and the other two cards found their mark, slicing across her arm and stomach like a pair of razorblades. The joker only had a moment to duck before Lizzie whipped out another three cards and sent them flying over her head where they exploded.

Courtly snarled as she pulled another another mass of magical energy from between the pages of the Evil Queen's spellbook and hurled it right back at the Princess of Hearts, yelping with surprise when a ball of energy exploded at her feet and sent her tumbling down the mountain of presents. The joker card glowered at Feedback and quickly rolled out of the way as he joined his fingers together, formed another energy ball from his plug-like tips, and pitched it right at her like a baseball.

The joker card growled. "I have had just about enough of you!"

Feedback flashed his trademark grin. "Aw, and just when I thought we were starting to get along!"

The jester's response was to hurriedly flip through the pages of the spellbook again before she settled on what she hoped to be a devastatingly detrimental spell. " _You're more trouble that you're worth, that much it may seem, so let me put an end to you with a destructive beam!_ "

With those words, she held the book out in front of her with the folio open wide as a scorching, continuous jet of arcane energy erupting forth from the pages and right at Feedback. The Conductoid hardly even flinched and merely crossed his arms over his chest with that ever cocky grin of his when he whipped out his antennae at the oncoming beam and effortlessly absorbed the powerful beam surging straight at him; he could feel the energy flow through him like an electric charge, it made him feel so alive!

"Now you know why I like this guy so much!" he laughed.

Courtly could only watch with frustration as the Conductoid front flipped over her with a small discharge from his conductive fingertips and landed behind her, releasing all the energy he had absorbed right back at her at a high intensity. The harlequin screamed as she was thrown across the Present Room and through several heaps and mounds of presents, her nerves crying out in pain at the energy firing through her body. The spellbook nearly fell from her hands as she shakily climbed to her feet and quickly dove out of the way of a short barrage of explosive playing cards, courtesy of Lizzie.

The Daughter of the Joker Card felt like a cornered animal. She was outmatched and there was nowhere that she could run where she couldn't be captured. If she stayed in the Present Room, the pretentious princess and her shape-shifting lapdog – along with the rest of their irritating entourage – she was freshly sliced toast sticks and if she tried to flee the palace grounds, she would undoubtedly be apprehended by the guards or become a wanted criminal and spend the rest of her days on the run.

She felt the Evil Queen's spellbook pulse with the promise of power in her hands and a smile of relief and cogitation crossed her lips. She cracked open the manuscript and carefully perused through the pages, bypassing spells that would have turned some poor sap into a salamander and others that would have shuffled the functions of every hole in their face – she wanted to save those _specifically_ for Lizzie when she was ruler of Wonderland – until she found a spell that made her shiver at the anticipation.

Courtly quickly glanced around at the piles upon piles of treasures and tributes before her eyes settled on a decently sized club that tucked away beneath embroidered pillows and golden serving trays patterned with silver hearts and bronze spades; her conspiring simper only broadened as she pulled out the bludgeon and glanced back at the spellbook before she began to recite the incantation.

" _Listen spirits and listen well, you will do as I am about to tell. Make this weapon unbeatable by all, make all the mightiest warriors fall! Invincible and indestructible to all that may oppose, strike them fierce and fast with crushing blows! This is what I command of thee with this spell, make their bruises punish and make them swell!_ "

The heavy bat glowed a luminous lilac and was abruptly swallowed in a flash of crackling flames that burned an unnatural, chilling cold against her legs; this would have normally warded anyone away from touching the cursed weapon, but Courtly was all but beside herself with glee. She picked the club up and tested its weight, finding to be just the right balance for her, a practical perfect fit. And here it would have most likely rotted away in the Queen of Heart's Present Room, wasting away.

A shame that a weapon with such potential was to be wasted on the foolish.

No sooner had the jester cast the spell than did the mountain of presents in front of her suddenly explode in a blast of electricity and playing cards, nearly making her jump out of her skin when a vindictive princess and vivacious Conductoid precipitously appeared through the shower of gift box, colorful wrappings, and shiny trinkets.

"I won't repeat myself again, Courtly. Surrender _now._ " Lizzie threatened, her fingers twitching to throw a playing card right between the joker's eyes.

Feedback grinned presumptuously as he joined his fingers together and formed a pulsating energy ball in each hand. "Or haven't you gotten enough of a shock yet?"

"Take it from someone who has to endure these horrible puns and give up now before you have to hear any more of them!" Skurd urged her, earning a baleful look from his host.

Courtly however, was hardly in a listening mood. Before anyone knew what was happening, she lunged straight at Lizzie and cracked the club across the young monarch's face, causing her stumble and loose her grip on her cards as she saw stars. The jester took the opportunity to then jam the butt of her bat into her gut and then swing the instrument with all her might, slamming Lizzie in the stomach and bringing her down under her unstable legs.

"Lizzie!" Feedback cried out.

Being an opportunist, Courtly was more than happy to take advantage of the distracted Conductoid and proceeded to club him in the back of the head, earning a loud yelp from him as he collapsed to his knees and whirled around on her; the plug-like tips that decorated his fingers, antennae, and tail glowed hotly with electricity as he whirled around and lashed out his tendrils like a pair of whips. The joker card effortlessly ducked and leaped over his attempts before nailing him in the jaw with her club.

A sadistic smile inched itself across her lips when he stumbled back, rubbing his aching mandible with a wary glare."Oh, come now, is that the best you can do?"

The Conductoid glowered at her, wiping his chin with the back of his hand as lightning danced across his knuckles. Courtly had mere seconds to react before his fist shot out, very nearly connecting with her jaw had she not juked out of the way in time. Before he could have even responded, the harlequin hooked the club around his arm and locked it in place before roughly twisting into a position it most certainly not have been bent in.

" _AAAAGH!_ " Feedback howled with pain.

It was like sweet music to her ears. Courtly roughly retched the club free of the Conductoid's arm and jammed the butt of the weapon into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him as she then proceeded to clobber him across the face with a loud _crack!_ Feedback growled he attempted to slug her, electricity lashing between his fingers as he swung once, twice, three times at her and missed while she danced back with each lung before swinging her club and striking him right in the face with a sickening sound that made all that could hear it wince.

Even as his footing faltered and he threatened to collapse, the Daughter of the Joker Card didn't let up and swung her bat again, hitting him square in the jaw and taking him down for the count as he tumbled down the mountain of presents and gifts and landed on his back with a groan.

But Courtly was far from finished. A soft moan caught her attention and her barbarous grin broadened to the widest it had ever been at the sight of the opportunity presented to her. With that ever spiteful smile on her lips, she shouldered her club and sauntered for to the collapsed form of Lizzie as if she had all the time in the world to waste. The princess shifted slightly, propping herself on her elbows as she glared up at the joker with what had to be the single most hate-filled look she had ever seen.

Without ceremony, Courtly lashed with her bat and struck Lizzie across the face. The young monarch was sent sprawling, landing on her side with a pained hiss.

The jester tut-tutted with a cluck of her tongue. "Well, now, that looked like it really hurt."

Lizzie didn't respond, even when the joker raised her bat again and brought it down on her back, each strike more rough and painful than the last.

"Oh, hold up! That looked like it hurt a lot more," she noted, patting the blunt instrument in her hand with that ever cruel smile of hers. "So let's try and clear this up, _little Lizzie?_ What hurts more? This . . . or that?" she asked, bringing the bat down even more arduously with either 'option'.

To her credit, the Princess of Hearts remained resolute even with Courtly beating her senseless with her carcinogenic club. As tenacious and resilient as her people were, the concussions dealt to her shoulders, back, and legs felt like powerful hammer blows that painted her fair skin a palette of purple, black, and blue bruises and made her body cry out in protest whenever she so much as moved; ancestors, it was even starting to get difficult to _breathe_ , but the young monarch merely chalked that up to being overly stressed.

" _This_ little princess was a stuck-up brat," Courtly playfully recited as she brought the bat down on Lizzie's head, detrimentally breaking the neck of the stuffed flamingo perched upon her head.

"And _this_ little princess whined all day," the club was slammed into her side, knocking the wind from her.

" _This_ little princess always got what she wanted," a blow slammed down on her chest, bruising several ribs.

" _This_ little princess cried like a baby when she didn't," the truncheon mercilessly hit her hard enough to knock Lizzie back onto her back.

The look of sick satisfaction on Courtly's face made her blood boil, what blood that wasn't dripping from her busted lip and the wounds to her temples and shoulders. Stinging welts that pulsed a blistering red decorated her ivory skin between splashes of azure and ebony, forming swelling lumps and bumps all over her body; her right eye was nearly swollen shut from such injuries and the rest of her face was starting to bloat like a pufferfish. Her chest rose shallowly, as if fighting for breath through what had to be several contused ribs and maybe even a collapsed lung. Her legs refused to function and her arms and hands had difficulty in focusing their movements enough to reach for the rest of her playing card stash; and yet, her burning hatred for the jester never faltered.

The harlequin planted her boot on Lizzie's chest, pressing down and squeezing what little air she had out of her like a pair of bellows. "And _this_ little princess . . ." Courtly raised her club over her head with both hands, a wild look in her eyes. " _This_ little princess won't see the light of another day!"

The Princess of Heart's only response was to spit in the jester's face, staining her cheek with a spot of crimson blood.

With a scream of disgust, the joker kicked Lizzie in the dry with a loud _crack!_ and coolly wiped the red stain from her face. "Now _that_ was rude. I thought royalty was suppose to have manners," she growled sourly when she noticed the princess's defiant glare never wavered. "I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson so you can better set an example for your subjects . . . or I could just keep beating you with my new toy until you can't breathe anymore. I don't know about you, but I like the second option better!"

Courtly's clownish smile was all Lizzie could focus on while her tormentor raised her bludgeon over her head with both hands, ready to smash the young monarch's face in.

" _Hands off, Circus Reject!_ "

The Daughter of the Joker Card perked up at the insult and turned to jump out of the way just as a bolt of electricity exploded at her feet, knocking her back and generally aggravating her even further when she saw Feedback slowly climbing to his feet; the Conductoid was bruised and obviously injured from the way he winced when he lifted his arm, but otherwise still had a decent amount of fight left in him.

"Come now, Ben, must we fight like this?" Courtly asked with a sweet, playful manner. "I mean, I'm going to be offering you the position of _King of Wonderland_ here! All you have to do is let me . . . _dispose_ of your little friends, and we can live happily ever after. How's that sound?"

"Sounds to me like you've lost your marbles."

The jester gritted her teeth and gripped her club even tighter. "I'll show you whose lost their marbles!" she screeched when she charged straight at him.

"Skurd? I'm gonna need some back up!" the Conductoid braced himself.

"And away we go!" the Slimebiote quipped as he accessed a genetic sample within the Omnitrix' extensive library and set to work altering his host's genes. Vivid maroon-tinted plates bubbled forth from deep within his tissue and settled on the surface of his ebony skin, molding together with a loud clattering sound until they had formed a durable, red, carbon polymer exoskeleton over his wrists and knuckles. His arms contorted with a noisy clattering noise when more yellow-colored and azure-dyed plates rose from his inky skin, traveling up his arms and becoming more angular in structure. From the back of his hand rose a pair of red disks that quickly spiraled outward in a shower of the primary colors to form a pair of large, rounded shields.

Feedback grinned as he looked over the Segmentasapien arms he had been gifted. " _Nice!_ I think I'll call these babies the Bloxx Party!"

Skurd sighed wearily. "I swear, your puns are getting– _watch out!_ "

The Conductoid jumped at the warning and raised the Bloxx Party at the last second, blocking the initial blow and skidding back under the extreme pressure exerted. His antennae could literally _smell_ the power radiating from the club that Courtly wielded and it was absolutely overpowering, it almost made him gag from the sheer amount of power it gave off; each blow that the harlequin dealt to the Bloxx Party felt like he was being rammed by a freight train. It was one of the reasons why he was so glad to be in alien form. Unlike humans that had evolved to tolerate and even take advantage of Wonderland's harsh environment, his own human form was a considerably more . . . _squishy._

Feedback gritted his teeth, his arms aching with every strike of Courtly's bludgeon. Every impressive impact literally drove him further and further down into the sea of trinkets and treasures that covered the Present Room floor in a ridiculous depth. He was already up to his knees in gifts and he could already feel the Bloxx Party start to give way, bits and pieces of it flying off in all directions with every blow that the jester dealt.

"I don't suppose you've got any other tricks up your sleeve?" Skurd mused hopefully.

" _Not . . . r-really . . !_ " the Conductoid bit through the pain snaking through his quivering trembling arms. The impacts of Courttly's club were becoming far more painful the more of the Segmentasapien shields were chipped away and the more that had to be repaired; he just simply couldn't keep up with the joker card's rage-induced concussions.

"What's the matter, _Ben?_ Can't roll with the punches?" the jester hissed venomously.

" _Insert heroic line here!_ "

Courtly jerked her head in the direction of the proclamation. "What!?"

 _ **WHAM!**_

From seemingly out of nowhere, the hammerhead of a massive mallet slammed itself into the harlequin's side, knocking her off and away from Feedback and into a pile of silken pillows and blankets; with an infuriate scream the joker tore them to shreds, her grip around her club white knuckled while she seethed with rage; who had the audacity to attack her in her moment of triumph!?

She soon got her answer when she caught sight of none other than Maddie wielding an enormous hammer that should have been impossible for someone of her size and stature to heave over her shoulder, much less even pick up. By her side stood Kitty brandishing her claws with a feral smile, Raven with a look of fury while she cradled a pair of hot, purple flames in the palms of her hands, and Briar striking a martial arts pose that she hoped at least looked threatening in her ballgown dress.

"Get away from our boyfriend!" the Hatter exclaimed "Or in Briar's case, her friend! Acquaintance? Colleague? Briar, what exactly is your relationship with Ben?"

"Not the time, Maddie!

" _Enough!_ " Courtly growled. "You honestly think you have the power to stop me?"

"You're outnumbered five to one," Feedback remarked as he pulled himself out of the hole the joker had driven him into like a nail and brushed himself off while the Bloxx Party repaired themselves. "The odds aren't exactly in your favor."

The Daughter of the Joker Card gave a shrill laugh at that. "Ah, but you see, the great thing about being a joker is that the odds are _always_ in your favor when you're the wild card. Nobody _ever_ expects the wild card!"

"And nobodyexpects the Spanish Inquisition!" Maddie retorted at the top of her lungs as she charged madly at the jester with hammer at the ready.

The cunning smile that Courtly gave as the Hatter rushed blindly at her sent shivers up Apple's spine from her cover behind the jumbled mess of a dining room table set made of dogwood that had been barking and whimpering like a puppy during the whole skirmish. The young monarch watched as Maddie surged forward, swung her mallet with all her might, and missed as Courtly effortlessly leaped over her in a single bound and delivered a crush blow to the back of her head. The Hatter landed hard on her face and didn't get up, her hat falling off her head and her hammer tumbling far out of reach down the side of the present mountain.

Kitty came dashing at her next, hissing like a wild cat as she attempted to slash the joker with her claws, only to be nailed directly in the head and sent down for the count; she gave a soft groan, her fingers twitching ever so slightly as she faded.

Raven and Brair shared a look with one another before they simultaneously raced as fast as possible, the witch readying a spell under her breath and the princess preparing – and hoping – to strike one of the Courtly's weak spots, or at least try and retch that horrible bat of hers free from her clutches. The harlequin merely gave a devious look before she smacked Briar in the temple and walloped Raven upside the head in one move, knocking both of them out with a single hit.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Apple could only watch as the joker card playfully tossed the enchanted club around in her hands like it was a child toy before carelessly swinging it over her shoulder and smashing Feedback right in the face with a sickening _crack!_ The sound alone made ever last hair on the back of the princess's neck stand on end and the sight of him finally giving in and collapsing at Courtly's feet would forever haunt her nightmares; the Omnitrix timed out with a series of dying beeps and a blast of fluorescent, green light swept over the Conductoid's figure, returning him to his original form.

Ben gave a soft groan as Courtly planted her foot on his chest and cackled manically. " _Ha ha ha hah!_ Nothing can stop me now!"

That was when Apple snapped.

Never before in all her days did Lizzie ever think she would see the day that prim and proper Apple White would scare _her._ This was the princess who slept with an apple-shaped nightlight to keep the Boogeyman at bay, the princess who often cowered like a frightened child during a scary movie that would have bored the Princess of Hearts out of her mind, the princess that had never been in a single fight in her entire life; and yet, it was that same princess that looked like she was out for blood.

Courtly perked up at the sound of shuffling gift boxes and wrapping paper and her shrewd smile only broadened when she saw Apple come barreling at her like an enraged bull. "Aw, looks like the little apple blossom stayed up past her bedtime," she taunted as she raised her bludgeon over her head for a devastating blow. "Allow me to put you to sleep!"

And yet, when the bat came crashing down on Apple's skull, the Daughter of Snow White didn't stop. She might as well have had been hit over the head with a pillow; as if to add insult to injury, the club even squeaked like a squeaky toy!

" _What!?_ How did- _UGAHJHAGAJFGH!_ " Courtly choked as the young monarch's fingers closed around her windpipe with consternating crushing force. Her hands flew to her throat, dropping the bewitched bludgeon as she clawed at Apple's trembling, tense grip. An air of dread overwhelmed the jester when she gazed into the princess's fiery eyes, cringing when she noticed that every last shred of sweetness and innocence had vanished in favor of unbridled rage and fury, as if she were fire incarnate.

She had done it.

She had finally pushed her too far.

" _You . . ._ " Apple growled with an edge that was completely unlike her. "How _dare_ you beat up my friends!? How _dare_ you threaten Wonderland and Ever After!? _How dare you beat up my boyfriend!?_ What have you possibly got to gain from all of this? Compared to other fairy tales, you're living the dream, you ungrateful little . . . _ugh!_ You're a court jester, you're _suppose_ to be laughed at! That's it! No sudden death, no humiliating defeat, no ironic negative consequence based off something you set in motion, _nothing!_ You joke, jest, pratfall here and there, we all laugh, _that's it_! You're just a whiny, stuck-up little brat who can't handle the hand she's been dealt without suffering the consequences of your actions! _YOU'RE HORRIBLE!_ " the princess seethed.

" _Gchjk . . . would this . . . be a bad time to say . . . I'm sorry . . ?_ " Courtly choked out.

The only reply Apple gave was a swift and sudden punch to the harlequin's face with a thunderous _crack!_ that snapped her head back and knocked her flat on her back, delirious with blood pouring from her nose. If the Daughter of Snow White even noticed that her hand was conceivably broken, she didn't show it and instead scooped up the charmed club that Courtly had been wielding before the jester could have a hope of reaching it.

And like an upset five-year old venting out their frustrations on the object that had earned their ire, Apple proceeded to beat the joker card senseless with the bat like a brightly-colored pinata.

There had never been a moment in Courtly's entire life when she had been more terrified than now with the normally generous and gentle Apple White finally losing her patience and taking her anger out on her with a weapon that she had enchanted to be nigh unstoppable, so long as it remained in the wielder's hands. But even now, as she was being beaten black and blue by Apple, the jester knew there was _no way_ she was going to get the club back anytime soon, not with how furious the princess was with her; it was like she was finally venting her frustrations . . . which there seemed to be a lot of . . . what they all could possibly be, the joker didn't have the faintest idea, but she had her suspicions that she may have hit on Ben one too many times . . . _may have_ . . .

Despite the fact that she knew quite literally _everything_ would hurt even more come morning, Courtly still had one last ace up her sleeve . . . she hoped. Using the last bit of her energy, she hurriedly clambered to her hand and knees and scrambled away from the deranged princess as fast as possible; after suffering multiple blows to her back and legs, the harlequin's salvation came in the form of a large, ivory wardrobe decorated with hearts and spades. With little option left, she scrabbled for the open wardrobe, slammed the hatches shut behind her, and pressed herself against the back panel as much as possible while Apple viciously hammered away at the doors.

With sweat pouring from her brow and shaky hands, Courtly fumbled for the Evil Queen's spellbook and urgently searched through the pages, skimming through any spells and enchantments that she hoped would be moderately useful; each powerful blow to the wardrobe doors made her heart jump with fright.

"Oh, thank Grimm!" the jester sighed with relief when came across an incantation that seemed to be just what she was looking for. "Now let's see . . . _cauldron burn and cauldron bubble, cast me a spell to get out of trouble! To raise the dead is what I command of thee! Bring forth a corpse most beastly! Fill it with breath and give it life, make it vicious and cruel and full of strife!_ " she chanted.

At first nothing happened – save for the continuous banging on the doors from Apple that were starting to give way – and Courtly could have sworn that she had been played the fool. Just before she was about to try another spell in a futile, she felt a tremendous tremor shook her to her core; the brass knobs and handles of the wardrobe rattled and the drawers quivered in the sockets nosily. From outside she could hear towers of treasures collapse and gifts and presents be pushed aside alongside Apple's startled shouts, though for the like of her the jester didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on. All that she knew was that it felt like she was right in the middle of an earthquake.

Was the curse upon Wonderland finally coming to consume them all?

The Daughter of the Joker Card had to know. With the spellbook tucked under her arm, she carefully pushed the doors to the wardrobe open and dared to steal a peek out, only slightly worried that she would suddenly have her face bashed in by a demented princess. The sea of brightly-colored wrappings and gift boxes was shifting and rolling angrily before her, as if some gigantic beast was lurking just beneath the surface down below in the darkness.

The jester could do nothing but watch in awe as an enormous, skeletal foot suddenly and slowly rose from the depths of the presents, slamming down with tremendous force as it was followed by its immediate brethren; each claw-tipped digit was easily bigger than she was tall. The limbs slowly pulled upwards as if under great strain and bit by bit gave way to powerful, bony limbs from which bits and pieces of decaying flesh clung for any foothold possible. The ridge of the creature's back came next, skeletal and yellowed with age and from this, emerged a pair of spikes fixed to a second pair of limbs positioned behind the first that dramatically dwarfed anything Courtly had ever seen. They stretched further and farther, impossibly wide until their true identity had finally been revealed: a set of titanic, draconian wings between which hung a thin, rotting membrane that seemed to be barely held in place by the few remaining strips of sinew and tissue that had been too stubborn to succumb to decay. The skull was next to emerge, gigantic and reptilian in nature with a set of double jaws – one positioned right below the other – each lined with row upon row of razor-sharp teeth. Horns curved back along the serpentine neck and three pairs of eye sockets glowed with a fiery, purple vengeance that seemed to emanate from the creature's rib cage.

The creature suddenly bellowed an ear-splitting roar, a sound that chilled Courtly to the bone when she heard it; she knew she would never forget it. The skeletal monstrosity now moved faster, pulling itself out from its tomb beneath the sea of presents and tributes, beneath the palace that had been built upon its final resting place, beneath the very depths of Wonderland itself. It only seemed to get bigger the more it pulled itself free of its earthen shackles with a set of powerful hind legs and a long, bony tail that seemed to stretch even longer than the creature's entire body. The wings were pushed to their widest span, easily dwarfing the entire body as searing hot, lavender and lilac flames licked hungrily at the ancient bones, roaring hot and fierce from the furnace buried within the fossilized jabberwocky's ribcage.

Courtly couldn't help but giggle giddily at the sight of the titanic monster standing protectively in front of her, a low growl and mauve sparks curling forth from its timeworn jaws as it stood protectively over her; the sheer amount of pride she had simply couldn't compare. The harlequin couldn't help but feel a wide smile creep across her lips when she saw Apple standing before the skeletal jabberwocky with the enchanted bat held before her in a white knuckle grip. She was quivering, trying to bravely hold her ground in front of the ancient beast while it examined her with a suspicious look and clattering of its teeth.

" _Thank you_ , Evil Queen," Courtly grinned at the spellbook in her possession before tucking it away for safe keeping. If she was right, things were about to get _very_ messy. "Now then . . . what's that word I'm looking for . . .? Ah, yes. _ATTACK!_ " she jammed a finger in the direction of Apple, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The Daughter of Snow White swallowed nervously as the jabberwocky skeleton rumbled and drew itself up to its full height with a clattering of its bones. She attempted to brave herself in the face of imminent death, reasoning that she had Courtly's club – a weapon that had taken down her boyfriend of all people with only a few swings – and thus stood some chance of surviving so long as she kept a god grip on it.

That didn't mean she nearly wet herself when the gigantic beast bellowed straight in her face, it's hot breath washing over her like a tidal wave and nearly threatening to yank away the oversized, red bow that clung to her head for dear life.

Despite the very intimidating gesture, Apple held her ground and struck the skeletal jabberwocky in both of its jaws with a quick punch, earning a loud _crack!_ as its skull snapped to the side. The gargantuan corpse froze was a second, as if it could hardly believe that a creature as small and delicate as the young monarch bravely cowering before it had dared to slap it across the face. With a low growl reverberating from the deep within its rib cage that nosily rattled its bones, the jabberwocky glowered venomously at Apple before its jaws suddenly snapped forward with lightning speed and clamped tightly around the blunt end of the bludgeon, locking it in place between two enormous fangs.

A low whimper of fear escaped the princess as she was effortlessly lifted off the ground with her grip tight and firm on the bat's handle, hoping desperately that the beast wasn't going to do what she thought it was going to do. Her fears were unfortunately confirmed when the jabberwocky roughly shook its head like a bulldog, swinging her back and forth in a motion so jarring that she thought that the oyster surprise she had eaten for lunch would come crawling back up from her stomach.

All the while she was desperately thinking to herself, _don't let go. Don't let go. Don't let go. Don't let go._ With knuckles whiter than ivory she hung onto the club for dear life as she was swung up and down, left and right, over and under, and in every possible direction while forcing herself to _not let go._

As by some cruel twist of fate however, her fingers refused to listen to her innermost thoughts and suddenly slipped from the club's handle, sending falling a fair distance down to the sea of presents far below where she landed (rather painfully) on a golden, spade-studded music box. Ignoring the dull pain in her hips from her rough landing, Apple could do nothing else but watch as the fossilized jabberwocky gave a sudden snap of its head and released its hold on the enchanted truncheon from its bottommost jaws, sending the blunt instrument flying far . . . far . . . far . . . _far_ away . . . and far out of her reach.

Courtly steepled her fingers with cruel disposition as the jabberwocky turned to settle its hollow, six-eyed glare on the trembling princess that cowered before it's incredible power. "My, how the tables have turned yet again," she chuckled darkly. "You probably should have stuck to being a useless and helpless damsel-in-distress . . . oh, well, we all learn from our mistakes. Well, you won't I suppose." her smile broadened as she briefly turned her attention towards the monstrous collection of rot-covered bones and uttered a single pair of words that sent a chill down Apple's spine.

" _Sic 'er._ "

The Daughter of Snow White felt all the blood drain from her face as purple fire and lightning angrily leaped across the collage of reanimated bones from the boiling furnace protected within the jabberwocky's rib cage, dancing a violent waltz up its long neck and along it formidable jaws. The soulless eye sockets illuminated with an eerie, purple glare while an ominous glow slowly built up in the back of the beast's throat.

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

* * *

"Ben! _Ben!_ "

"Come on, Ben, snap out of it!"

The brunette groaned and pushed away the pair of pestering voices at the edge of his consciousness. His entire body hurt like it had never hurt before in his entire life. It felt worse than going toe-to-toe with Vilgax in the Conqueror's Challenge, worse than fighting against Diagon, worse than taking on Zs'Skayr and corrupted counterparts of his past love interests; it hurt like all the aftermaths of those battles rolled into one. His head was pounding like a bass drum and his arms legs pulsed and refused to move under his command; they might as well have been nothing more than limp, fleshy noodles.

" _Ben, you need to wake up!_ "

He didn't _want_ to get up. It hurt too much to be awake, much less barely conscious and only thinking. He just wanted to be left alone so that his aching body could finally rest and begin the natural process of taking care of his injuries; he didn't know how long it would be, but it was better than waking up and having to endure the pain. The brunette felt a pair of cool hands cup his face and he leaned into the soothing touch, feeling an overwhelming sense of tranquility overcome him; his body began to relax and loosen itself of its tension . . .

 _ **RRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!**_

Ben yelped as he was jolted awake and sat straight up, panting heavily as he looked around with wild eyes for the source of the obnoxious sound that had retched him from his slumber. He soon got his answer when he caught sight of Raven and Maddie kneeling by his side with an apologetic – but nonetheless _big –_ smile on the latter's face and a trembling, ringing alarm clock in her hands that was held a little too close to his ears for his liking.

Looking around he saw that the rest of the girls had come to and were nursing various injuries of varying degrees. Kitty was wincing as she rubbed what to be a particularly sore spot to the back of her head while Briar seemed to be suffering from a headache if the way she cringed every time she touched her temples was anything to go by; Lizzie however, looked the absolute worst by far. Cuts and bruises littered her once perfect skin and one of her eyes had been completely swollen shut with blood dripping from her busted lips. She looked like she was in complete agony and yet looked like she wanted to and was capable of murdering a certain jester if she ever got the chance.

"Sorry about that, Ben." Raven apologized as Maddie took off her large top hat (revealing a large, egg-shaped lump to her skull that strangely had a happy face with X's for eyes scribbled on it in marker) and deposited the still ringing alarm clock inside before setting her hat back in place.

Skurd huffed indignantly . "It's about time you woke up. As I recall, you aren't the one that's suppose to be woken by True Love's kiss!"

Ben ignored the biting comment once he realized with horror that was something was very wrong. "Where's Apple?" he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

An answer soon came to him in the form of an all too familiar scream and the hair's on the back of his neck immediately pricked up when he realized that there was an unfamiliar, thunderous bellowing that accompanied the terrified shrieks of his girlfriend. With a sudden burst of energy, Ben jumped to his feet and hastily ascended the side of a teetering treasure tower until he had reached the summit and stole a peak over the lip.

With eyes wide with horror, he watched as Apple staggered and stumbled over the uneasy landscape of presents and tributes with a gargantuan collection of jabberwocky bones chasing after her. The beast radiated with strength and power, bellowing at the top of its no longer existent lungs while it billowed out blast after blast, torrent after torrent of thick, smoky, scorching fiery breath that instantly began to hungrily devour everything it touched like a pack of starving wolves. The air began to fill with ashy smoke and crisp, smoldering embers as presents and wrapping paper burned like ciders, filling the air with a suffocating smell that forced its way uninvited into one's nose and lungs and never left.

Ben didn't waste a second. As if by some protective instinct, he courageously vaulted over the peak of the mountain of gifts and slid down the slope like he was riding a snowboard before he shot straight off an ornate writing desk as if it were a ramp and soared through the air; as if by some mental link, Skurd had already selected a genetic sample from the Omnitrix fused to his left shoulder blade and was rapidly modifying his host's genes as needed. His legs crunched and groaned in protest when his calves bent back at an odd ankle, forming a new joint with a series of disturbing crackling and splintering sounds of splitting ice. Ben's toes ripped out of his shoes and molded into a pair of bright blue claws as the ball of his heel crunched forward, forcing the bones in his feet to shift around until his new talons were gripping a perfectly polished, black orb between them; a long, whip-like tail decorated with black and blue stripes suddenly snaked out from the base of his spine, completing the transformation.

"Never fear, Skurd is here . . . right on target!" the Slimebiote cried vigorously with a clenched pseudopodium.

A loud _crack!_ filled the air as Ben jabbed his new Kineceleran legs forward and delivered a swift kick to the jabberwocky's uppermost jaw before he proceeded to deliver a series of several dozen punts to the ancient bone in the time span of a couple of seconds before he finally touched down to the ground at Apple's side. Without a word, the brunette scooped up the startled princess in his arms and shot off at a blinding speed carrying her bridal style with her arms tightly thrown around his neck, leaving the monstrous corpse in complete bafflement.

"Don't just stand there! _Get them!_ " Ben heard Courtly command.

"Be on the lookout! It's about to get hot in here!" Skurd shouted warningly.

Ben didn't need to look over his shoulder to know that the jabberwocky was chasing after them; a fiery blast of scorching embers soared over his head like a dying phoenix and exploded with blazing fury, popping an oversized pair of wooden dice like kernels of popcorn. Another smoldering stream of conflagration billowed overhead and ignited the mountain of presents in front of them, filling the air with a raging inferno that churned out an obscene amount of choking smoke and ashes.

He could feel Apple's grip tighten around his neck even further, very nearly threatening to choke him. "It's gaining on us!" she wailed over the beast's bellowing.

"Hang on! I'm gonna try and lose it!" the brunette shouted over the babel. With of his Kineceleran legs and a crack of his tail, Ben sped off in a blur of blue and green into the treacherous mountain ranges of the burning gifts and trinkets. He skillfully swerved back and forth as sizzling towering of treasures collapsed overhead, dodging burnt bunny slippers and scalded scepters and a gigantic, molten jack whose spikes and rounded edges were almost as big as him, or at least big enough to crush him if he hadn't effortlessly moved out of the way in time.

A jet of luminous, purple flame would slice through the thick blanket of smoke overhead every now and again, occasionally nearly striking him and Apple, but for the most part the jabberwocky seemed absolutely blind through the heavy, choking vapor; Ben quickly used that to his advantage and made several detours and deviations through the landscape of gifts, easily confusing and losing the jabberwocky's focus if the furious bellowing and Courtly's frustrated screams were anything to go by.

Apple was already having terrifying flashbacks of a certain apocalyptic future engulfed in flames and death that she would have been more than happy to forget and was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane by the time that Ben backtracked his way back to the girls, came to a screeching stop, and carefully set her down while Skurd habitually returned the Kineceleran DNA back to the Omnitrix's extensive genetic database.

The young monarch could scarcely believe what had just happened. It all seemed just like a distant memory, a dream, a lapse into the madness that permeated the air as heavily as the suffocating smoke. It made her sick to her stomach and tied her guts up into uncomfortable, twisted knots and yet . . . she had never felt more alive than when she smashed the club into Courtly's face. There was just something about the jester that ignited something within her that made beating her senseless feel so . . . _therapeutic._

She merely chalked it up to the joker card hitting on her boyfriend one too many times.

"What are going to do? Courtly's going to find us sooner or later, and when she does-" Apple fretted anxiously.

"It won't come to that," Ben promised her firmly. "What we need is a plan . . . Courtly locked the door behind us when we came in, so backup's out of the question . . ."

"Can't you, I dunno, take her on by yourself? Maybe turn into that big Four Arms guy?" Briar suggested as she tore up a silken gown she had found among the piles of presents and used the tattered strips to bandage Lizzie's wounds.

Ben shook his head. "At this rate, there's no guarantee I'll get anything useful. For all I know, I could get turned into Walkatrout and we'd have one fried fish on our hands."

Lizzie bit back a pained hiss when the Daughter of Sleeping Beauty tightened the makeshift bandage around a particularly sensitive bruise on her arm, trying not to glare to furiously at the sheepish princess. "Well, it's Raven's mother's magic. Perhaps she can do something about it?"

"But Raven _can't_ win – not without her full powers." Briar pointed out.

Maddie tapped her chin in thought. "But the only way she can get her full powers is if . . . _oh, my spoons and garters!_ " the terrible realization came to her.

"What?" Raven didn't like the way everyone was looking at her – sans Ben and Skurd, who simply looked just as confused as she was. Her throat felt dry when she caught sight of the pitying glances they were all giving her before shifting their gaze elsewhere, as if they couldn't look her in the eye without being overwhelmed with guilt at some terrible truth that she was unaware of. The young witch almost wanted to stay ignorant, but the furious roars of the jabberwocky reminded her that they were running on borrowed time. "What is it? Tell me!" she asked earnestly.

The lump in Apple's throat felt like a rock when Raven's pleading gaze fell on her and she absentmindedly began to nervously twiddle her thumbs. "Raven . . . the only way for you to receive your full powers . . . is to sign your page in the Storybook of Legends."

Raven was already reeling. Her legs felt like they were going to give way from under her and they very well could have had Ben and Maddie not taken precautionary measures and held onto her shoulders to prevent any accidental falls; the witchling barely felt their comforting touch however. She was too busy trying to process the horrible information that she had just been fed and so desperately wanted to spit back out. After everything that she had worked so hard for, denying her destiny and sparking a revolution that finally had people questioning their backward tradition, it was to all be for naught?

Now she knew how Ben must have felt every time he claimed the universe was pulling some kind of cruel joke on him. The only way for her to save them all and prevent a madwoman from marching onto Wonderland was to forsake everything she had fought so hard for? It felt like the ultimate twist of irony.

"Apple, you can't be serious. _Tell me_ you aren't serious." Ben seemed to plead with her.

The princess looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Raven . . . I really, really am . . . but there's just no other way."

Ben however, wasn't having any of it. "No, there _has_ to be another way, there just _has_ to." he emphasized the word, as if he said it enough it might come true.

"As much as I would _love_ to tell you that your dense skull has inhibited your ability to hear, dear boy, there _is_ no other way." Skurd shook his head sadly from his perch upon the brunette's shoulder.

"We can't just-"

"Ben . . ." Raven cut him off, her voice cracked slightly. "There's no other way. I haveto do this . . . besides, signing the book doesn't mean I'll become the Evil Queen . . . right?"

The wielder of the Omnitrix wanted to protest, wanted to argue that he would find them all a way out of this mess, but all it took was one look at the witchling's resigned look for him to reluctantly give in; he had come to know that look far too well. It was the same look he always had whenever he made up his mind about a tough decision and if Raven was anything like him, he knew there would be little that could change her mind.

The brunette squeezed her shoulder. "Alright. It's worth a shot." he sighed. "But at least let me distract Courtly long enough for you to get the book."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Kitty asked, slightly concerned.

"It's worth a shot, dear girl." Skurd stated. "Never fear! I, Skurd, the Dollop with a Wallop, vow that I shall return your beloved spouse to you in as few pieces as possible!"

"Well this fills me with all kinds of comfort." Ben rolled his eyes.

Maddie suddenly jumped to her feet. "I volunteer as tribute!" she proclaimed. "I wanna be a distraction, too!"

Ben attempted to object, but realized that there was no point arguing with the Hatter's decision other than gaining a massive headache in the process. "Alright then . . . let's go over the plan: first, me and Maddie will create a distract to draw away Courtly's attention and hopefully keep ol' Dragonbreath busy. Meanwhile, everyone else will try to recover the Storybook of Legends before Courtly realizes what's going on. Are there any questions?"

"More like an objection," Lizzie grunted as she pushed Briar away and attempted to climb to her feet, her legs wobbling and threatening to give out from under her. "I refuse to stand by while you risk your neck! I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not!"

"Lizzie, you're-" Raven tried to reason with the Princess of Hearts.

"Injured? That may be, but I don't care!" Lizzie angrily stomped her foot, resisting the urge to cringe at the pain that shot through her aching muscles. "What kind of future queen would I be if I stood on the sidelines in Wonderland's darkest hour, regardless of injury? I would rather _die_ than do absolutely nothing while that Circus Reject threatens to take over my country!"

Ben attempted to argue. "Lizzie, you can't-"

" _Stop!_ That is _quite_ enough!" the young monarch snarled when she drew herself up to her full height – despite the burning sensation in her legs and the way her knees quivered ever so slightly – and pulled her features into a cold, definitive mask. "As your princess and future queen, I hereby _order_ you to allow me to accompany you or it will be _off with your head!_ "

The group fell silent, unwilling to meet the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts gaze. It was more like they were afraid to look at her – Lizzie had a habit of being _quite_ terrifying when she wanted to be, especially when she was being denied something that she already her mind set on. Once again, Ben took note of the similarities he and the princess shared when they were determined to make a decision and was questioning why he kept falling in love with such stubborn women.

As well as _when_ he exactly fell in love with Lizzie in the first place . . .

"Quick, say she can come, dear boy, before she turns those horrible hands of hers upon us!" Skurd beseechingly whispered in his ear.

Ben ignored the Slimebiote. "Alright, if you're sure you can do it . . ."

"I would rather _die_ than let that sadist jester threaten my country." Lizzie repeated with a dark tone.

The brunette couldn't help but give a small smile at the edgy remark. "I doubt it'll come to that," he reassured her. "Now then, is there _anyone else_ who has a problem with the plan?"

Surprisingly – or unsurprisingly, depending on how one looked at it – Briar's hand shot straight up.

Ben sighed and pinched his brow. "Alright then . . . four of us on distraction duty, three of us on book-recovering detail . . . not exactly the worst plan I've had . . ."

"True," Skurd hummed in agreement. "You have concocted some rather dreadful strategies in your day."

"How about instead of making fun of me you give me a hand and try to pick an alien that might give us an edge?"

"Ooh, an excellent idea!" the Slimebiote exclaimed delightfully as he compressed himself down on the Omnitrix disk fused to his host's shoulder, enveloping the both of them in a blast of green light. The brunette's skin crackled like crumpling paper as it deepened into a light-orange color and split with the wet sounds of slapping flesh as two pairs of pulsing, red sacks rose from the tissue of his arms, filling with a vaporous kind of gas. His frame increased by a couple of feet with a series of crunching noises while his bones lengthened and steadily hollowed themselves out, making him light and flexible. Ben's hands trembled and twitched slightly before exploding into sharp, wicked claws as his toes ripped through his shoes in the former of newly-transformed talons. A hard casing began to form over his face, a white mask of some kind that obscured his face with a mischievous, sharp-tooth, purple grin and playful, green eyes. His tuxedo faded to a pure black, save for the sudden addition of a jigsaw, puzzle piece pattern across his jacket and pants; a cane tipped with an emerald top materialized in his hand and the Omnitrix and Skurd appeared upon his left breast pocket, completing the transfiguration.

"Vantablack with a hint of mantis green? I'm actually more of an Autumn." Jigsaw shrugged as he picked at his suit. "Here, doll face, ya might need this to help ya get around for a bit." the Dodgjierian handed his cane over to Lizzie with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows, turning her porcelain features a bright rosette.

"Well, if no one else will say it, I wish you all the best of luck . . . or at the very least, a lack of death. Flarg knows we need it." Skurd muttered quietly, as if dancing around fate.

Maddie giggled. "We don't need luck! All we need is a little bit of madness! Fortunately for you, I have enough for everyone!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." the Slimebiote mumbled as his host slung his arm around Lizzie's waist – turning her previously pink face a beet red – and followed the Hatter up the side of an imposing mound of gifts and offerings to scope things out while Raven, Apple, and Kitty slunk off as quietly as possible in the hopes of going about undetected.

It wasn't long before they came across their quarry – not that she was difficult to find. All one really had to do was follow the sound of Courtly's shrill voice spouting off commands at the top of her lungs and the consequential, fiery blasts from the skeletal jabberwocky as it rushed to obey the jester's onerous orders; there didn't appear to be much method to her madness either. From their position behind an ornamental statue of what might have been the Queen of Hearts (or could have very well been a hippo in a tutu being held up by an alligator), it looked like the joker card was simply having the jabberwocky destroy everything in sight without rhyme or reason, at least from Briar's perspective.

" _So what's your plan for distracting her?_ " the princess whispered.

"Live bait, of course." Jigsaw replied as he took off his top hat and reached inside up to the elbow, rummaging around for something.

"Good idea." Briar grinned before she realized exactly what he was implying. " _Hey!_ "

"Come on, Briar, it's the only way." Lizzie urged her.

" _What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula!?_ "

"Well, now that you mention it-"

The Daughter of Sleeping Beauty shot a cold look at the Dodgjierian. "Ben, I swear, if you have a hula skirt in there-"

Jigsaw immediately yanked his arm out of his hat and placed it back on his head, putting on an overly innocent look. "And whatever makes you think I would try to pull something like that?" he asked with an over the top naive tone.

"Briar, is there something you have to tell us?" Maddie asked with a suggestive timbre when the princess made like she was about to object. "Have you ever made a distraction?"

"Well, not exactly-"

"Have you ever done something so attention grabbing that people just _have_ to look at it?"

"Um . . . maybe?"

" _Hmmmm_ . . . have you ever tried a disguise?"

"Isn't that more of a spy thing?"

Maddie gave a disappointed sigh and screwed up her features into a frustrated pout, earning a bizarre look from the princess. "Alright, it looks like that I'll have to teach you how to be a distraction." she sighed. The Hatter then proceeded to take off her enormous, blue top hat and set it on top of a nearby giftbox before reaching deep inside, digging around for several moments before she plunged both arms and her head into the recesses of her hat. After several more moments of rummaging around, she finally came back up with a slightly dented saxophone.

"Um . . . Maddie? What're you doing?" Briar wondered.

"The usual Maddie shtick, what else?" Jigsaw tented his fingers with a devious grin.

With her hat rightfully placed back on her head where it belonged, the Daughter of the Mad Hatter inhaled a deep breath until she looked like she was going to puff up like a balloon. At the last second – before she would have metaphorically popped – she blew out a series of complicated notes in what could only be described as a weird, solipsistic creation of mocking egotism.

" _Hey!_ " Jigsaw suddenly exclaimed when there was a slight pause. Before either Lizzie, Briar, or even Skurd could even comprehend what was happening, the Dodgjierian and Maddie had launched themselves into a ridiculous, merry jig and dance just as the later began to play the same tune again. Soapy bubbles frothed forth from the saxophone's bell and an accompaniment of could only be a bass, a trumpet, and a full on drum set playing an upbeat melody soon joined the farcical display. " _We're number one! Hey!_ "

Briar spent a good two minutes simply starring at the pair as they made absolute fools of themselves, wondering just what in the name of the ancestors she had gotten herself into when she had volunteered for distraction duty perhaps a little too eagerly.

Skurd however, was not amused by the bizarre bravura in the slightest. "Cease and desist, you wild hooligans!"

"This is rather . . . unprecedented?" Lizzie found she couldn't take her eyes away from the spectacle.

It seemed neither could Courtly. After all, it was rather hard to ignore the antics of a Hatter playing a bubble-blowing saxophone and an alien looking like he had ants in his pants dancing to the sound of a confidential number of instruments coming from a seemingly undisclosed location.

It was spontaneous.

It was random.

It was ludicrous.

It was distracting.

And it was _working._

"Oh, well, when in Wonderland . . ." Lizzie shrugged as she precariously hobbled to her feet and allowed Jigsaw to take her hand. The young monarch was wildly swung around like a rag doll, though there was a hint of caution in the Dodgjierian eccentric movements, as if he were dancing with a china doll that was already in danger of breaking.

Now people of the average sanity level would have either been left absolutely stupefied by the capricious performance before her or would have least attempted to preserve the moment for future extortion. Briar on the other, after watching her friends make complete buffoons out of themselves for a solid three minutes, gave a final shrug of her shoulders and promptly joined in with an impromptu attempt at the can-can.

Maddie grinned at the beautiful sight of such madness and continued with her little ditty. " _Now listen closely!_ " she instructed, half singing and half speaking. " _Here's a little lesson in trickery, this is going down in history! If you want to be a diversion, you have to stay on your toes and be on the run!_ "

Unfortunately for the lot of them, Courtly had already had enough of their shenanigans. "There they are! _Fire! Fire! Blast the lot of 'em into ashes!_ " she seethed, jamming a finger in their direction.

"Hit the dirt!" Jigsaw yelped as he all but threw Lizzie down just as the skeletal jabberwocky whipped its decaying skull in their direction and spat out a billowing cloud of hot, purple flames. The firestorm eventually died down and the Dodgjierian cautiously peeked out over the lip of the sizzling, gift wrapping-covered mound to watch as what looked to be the scorched remains of a black top hat with a green-trimmed brim came pitifully floating to the ground.

It only took a second for Jigsaw to realize that he was no longer wearing his precious hat and for him to channel that surprise into sudden anger. "Of course, you realize that this means war." he growled.

Courtly had mere seconds to react before the Dodgjierian's left leg suddenly stretched out like rubber and planted itself firmly in front of her before he snapped to her like a slingshot in a massive sidestep. "Hello, I'd like to play a game." he spoke with an uncharacteristically dark tone while he got right up in her face.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" the jester hissed, reaching for the Evil Queen's spellbook.

Almost immediately, Jigsaw's sinister tone vanished to be replaced by his usual, upbeat manner. " _Tag! Your it!_ " he loudly crowed, playfully tapping her nose and merrily dashing off. " _Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!_ "

The surface temperature of Courtly's skin was approximately like that of an erupting volcanok as she fumed and gave chase after the Dodgjierian, watching him dive inside of a large gift box as she came to a stop. With a sadistic grin on her face, the harlequin slowly pried open the lid, ready to tackle him and-

 _ **BOOM!**_

What she was not ready for however, was when the present suddenly exploded in her face, covering her in a light coating of ash as she tried to process what had just happened. No sooner had the box detonated however, did a gift box sitting in the pile of presents behind her suddenly open up and Jigsaw come popping out. "Yoo-hoo, Miss Jester!" he taunted her with a wave before disappearing back into the box.

Courtly growled and dashed over to the large present, pulling out the Evil Queen's spellbook as she searched for a more destructive spell. She didn't know how he did it, but whatever he did she was going to make sure that he paid for it in full. The joker found a suitable spell and slowly opened the gift box, ready to fire-

 _ **BOOM!**_

And once again, the present had exploded in her face, leaving her both stunned and infuriated at the same time. With a muttering of curses under her breath, the joker snapped the spellbook shut and wiped the soot from her face with the back of her hand. Her blood boiled to near volcanic levels when she heard the scuffling of boxes and the rustling of paper coming from her right and turned to see another gift box open up and Jigsaw pop out with that ever smug grin of his on his face. "Oh, Bozo!" he called out.

The Dodgjierian slipped back inside the colorfully decorated box just as Courtly all but practically dove for it, desperate to even lay a finger on him in retaliation. Seething, she grabbed the lid of the present with white knuckles and was about to yank it off so that she could strangle him – momentarily forgetting her fantasy of ruling Wonderland with him by her side – only to pause when she realized something. If the other two boxes had exploded, what were the odds that this one wouldn't?

With a crafty grin, Courtly turned to regard another gift box just to her immediate left. If her hunch was right – and why wouldn't it be? – Jigsaw would most likely pop out of this one and tease her for her failure to capture him before disappearing again and repeating the whole gag all over again. Well, not this time! This time she would prevail and finally trump him and wipe that stupid grin of his-

 _ **BOOM!**_

" _EEEEEEERRRRRRRGGH!_ " Courtly screamed with frustration. Without much more thought, she turned to the previously regarded gift box and ripped off the lid, just about ready to throttle the Dodgjierian when she got her hands on him . . . only to receive a banana cream pie on top to the face.

With whipped cream now dripping down her face and frosting in her eyes, the Daughter of the Joker Card wiped her face free of as much cream as possible while silently mulling over in her head who she wanted to kill more, the stuck up princess whose family had all but banished her own from Wonderland or the alien lunatic who was currently in the process of driving her up the wall.

" _Beep beep!_ "

Courtly startled and jumped about a foot in the air, whirling around to see Jigsaw standing right behind her with a cheeky grin on his face. Before she could pounce upon him and tear him limb from limb however, he held up a finger – as if asking for a moment – and popped off the emerald top of his cane. A bouquet of beautiful, lush flowers spilled out, filling the air with their sweet fragrance as Jigsaw offered them to her. "Whaddya say? Wanna start over? Friends?"

The jester hesitantly took the flowers from the Dodgjierian and gave the bouquet a cautionary sniff, a soft smile crossing her lips at the wonderful aroma she smelled. "Ah, aren't you sweet?" she cooed.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Of course, Courtly had overlooked the small fact that the bouquet of flowers had, indeed, contained a lit stick of dynamite hidden at its center. "Ain't I a stinker?" Jigsaw gave a mocking grin.

By now, the joker's face had reached a level of hatred that far outclassed even that of an erupting volcano. Her face was redder than molten magma, hotter than burning embers, and her scarlet pink eyes blistered as if she were hatred incarnate. Practically foaming at the mouth, Courtly fumbled for the Evil Queen's spellbook and flipped it open, not even bothering to glance at the pages as she recited a familiar spell. " _With this spell I lay waste to the past and seal your fate with a savage blast!_ " she spat.

"Oh, well! That's all folks!" Jigsaw quipped as he expertly leaped high into the air over the explosion of arcane energy that shot for his feet. The Dodgjierian flipped through the air and landed just behind Courtly, flicking her nose in a taunting manner with a noise maker that snaked out from his mouth like a long tongue before fleeing as fast as his legs could carry him. The jester gave an enraged scream and gave chase.

"And as for you!" she screamed over her shoulder at the gigantic, skeletal jabberwocky with blood lust in her eye. "Kill them! Kill them all! Burn the entire palace down if you have to, just kill them all!" she roared. The enormous, undead corpse didn't hesitate to obey its mistress, lilac flames licking and lightning savagely surging across its blackened bones as it unleashed a billowing torrent of scorching hot flames over the girl's heads, just barely missing them as they threw themselves down to the ground to take cover.

Maddie took her top hat off as the flames roared overhead and stuffed the bubble-blowing saxophone back inside before reaching back inside and digging around. The Hatter jammed her other arm inside the large top hat and inhaled a deep breath before she plunged her head inside, disappearing inch by inch – as if the hat were slowly swallowing her whole – until all that was left of her were her feet feebly kicking and flailing for any kind of traction.

"Ah, here we are!" Maddie exclaimed proudly as she pulled herself out of her hat with a gigantic mallet that was easily taller than she was and should have been impossible to fit inside of the hat or be lifted by the Hatter in question.

Briar blinked. "What happened to-"

"Oh, that old thing? The poor thing got a headache!"

The Daughter of Sleeping Beauty decided that she was going to simply pretend that the Hatter's explanation made sense and turned to regarded the towering bulk of the skeletal jabberwocky as it loomed over them. Despite her injuries, Lizzie was already pulling out a deck of playing cards – whose properties were most likely of the destructive kind – but Briar had no idea how or what she could use to defend herself.

The princess didn't have much time to go searching through the pile of presents for something potentially useful before Maddie lunged forward with a shrill battle cry and smashed her mallet into the side of the jabberwocky's skull, knocking the skeletal beast onto its side with enough force to be considered a small earthquake. The Hatter charged straight at the creature's rib cage without hesitation as Lizzie proved covering fire; playing cards flew from her fingers like lightning bolts, each one finding their mark and either slicing through rotting ligaments and tendons or exploding in colorful clouds of ash and powder.

"C'mon, Briar, join the fun! We gotta keep the big, ol' meanie occupied!" Maddie cried cheerfully over her shoulder.

The only response the Hatter got was golden scepter chucked at the jabberwocky's head, striking it square in one of its six eye sockets and eliciting a howl of pain from the beast. What soon followed was a complete onslaught of various items and possessions that Briar had gathered together and thrown at the collage of reanimated bones with all her might; the young monarch beaned the enormous jabberwocky corpse upside the head with a ruby-encrusted kitchen sink and fist pumped proudly before continuing her assault.

Had Apple not seen far stranger things in recent memory, she wouldn't have believed her eyes.

The hunt for the Storybook of Legends was like an overweight troll trying to run a marathon with a boulder strapped to its' back: slow, lethargic, and time consuming. While the princess and witchling searched more meticulously through the ocean of offerings and gifts, Kitty would use her teleportation magic to cover vast stretches of the Present Room – similar to how one might skim over the pages of a book without actually taking the time to read all the words – and drop back in on them every now and again to see if they had made any more progress than she had.

Thus far, it wasn't going well.

"Come on, come on, where is it?" Apple wondered as she dug through a pile of gifts, discarding the good majority of them over her shoulder. "Gold toothpicks . . . emerald-studded toothbrush . . . unicorn horn dental floss? What is with royals and their dentistry?"

"How about we save that question until _after_ we've stopped Courtly from taking over Wonderland?" Raven suggested while she moved onto another mound of presents. Apple paused at the slight edge to the young witches voice, specifically how it wavered just the slightest and peaked just a bit at the end; a wave of guilt washed over the princess as she resumed her search, albeit with less enthusiasm than before.

Her stomach was tying itself in knots while she picked through the piles half heartily. The princess knew how hard it must have been for Raven to give up everything that she stood for, everything that she had fought so hard for; to see it all come crumbling down like the ancient walls of a once mighty fortress had to have been a heavy blow for her. Apple thought she would have been elated when the day came that Raven would sign the Storybook of Legends, but now that dream had turned to ashes in her mouth. It felt so wrong to force the young witch into doing something she had so strongly denied with every fiber of her being.

"Raven?" she finally spoke up.

"Yeah?"

Apple swallowed dryly. "I just want to you to know . . . when you sign the book, I don't want you to feel like you have to follow your destiny for me. I mean, I still _want_ you to . . . but I don't want to _make_ you."

The Daughter of Snow White felt herself relax a few degrees when the corner's of the young witch's lips curved into a small smile. "Thanks, Apple."

Satisfied that the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach would be sated for now, the princess returned to their search for the Storybook of Legends, only looking up every now and again to check whether or not Courtly had caught wind of their plan yet. The chances of that were quite unlikely however, as the jester was chasing Jigsaw on a pogo stick – that is, the two of them were on pogo sticks and she was chasing him – while hurling unstable balls of arcane magic at him while he hurled floppy rubber chickens back at her.

Apple was so preoccupied by the bizarre spectacle, that she almost didn't notice a familiar pair of pearl whites peeking over her shoulder the entirety of Kitty had emerged and was practically breathing down her neck. The young monarch startled and nearly fell flat on her butt, making the Cheshire all the more amused as Apple tried to recompose herself. "Kitty, stop doing that! We don't have time for this!"

"I would if it wasn't so amusing." she purred with a giggle. The Cheshire's face quickly went from entertained to dead serious in the blink of an eye, something that already put Apple off. "But enough of that. I found it!"

Raven perked up from a beautifully decorated chest full of lavish dresses and corsets. "You did?"

"Yeah! Come on, this way!" Kitty gestured for them to hurry as she blinked out in a shower of glimmering light and reappeared atop the peak of a present tower not too far away giving them an earnest look.

The princess and witchling didn't hesitate and quickly followed after her, slinking among the looming mountains and valleys of the Present Room's gift-laden landscape. Sticking to the low ground saved them from the thick, noxious smoke that smothered the air above them like a blanket, though it didn't save them from the sweltering heat; embers and ashes would sprinkle down like snow in particularly heavy spots where heaping mounds of presents had been ignited into infuriated infernos. Courtly's frustrated screams could be heard every now and again through the crackling flames and the raging roars of the jabberwocky would thunder through the air like thundering drums, as if proclaiming to all that it reined supreme over the charred landscape.

Eventually, the Daughter of the Cheshire Cat brought them to the bottom of an especially towering mound of presents and gifts. There, tucked away out of sight under beautiful quilts and a pair of ruby, slippers was a large, hardback book with a maroon-colored cover, golden embellishments at each of the four corners, and a shiny mirror-like compartment at the center of the book's cover where a key might used to unlock it; the crest of Ever After was proudly embedded at the top, marking it for all to see.

"The Storybook of Legends." Apple breathed. The young monarch bent down and gingerly picked up the ancient manuscript, thumbing the pages as she admired the cover. Had she had more time she could have spent hours simply admiring the cover, knowing that she was holding a piece of her ancestor's history.

Unfortunately, the Daughter of Snow White was quickly reminded that time wasn't necessarily on their side when she caught sight of Raven's anxious face. With a comforting smile, the princes gently pressed the Storybook of Legends into the witchling's grasp, pulling her into a small hug as she did so. "Remember. You don't have to follow your destiny. I _want_ you to, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I forced you into doing something you had fought so hard for. The decision is yours, Raven. It always has been." she whispered in her ear.

The young witch could hardly believe the words she was hearing. Apple White, the Daughter of Snow White, Leader of the Royal Faction . . . was giving her a choice. She almost didn't want to believe it; who was this stranger and what had they done with the princess that she knew?

A dark shadow suddenly loomed over her, cloaking her in a darkness that immediately set her nerves on edge; the witchling hesitantly looked over her shoulder and immediately wished that she hadn't. Towering over her in all of it's rotting, monstrous glory was the enormous skeletal remains of the jabberwocky, its black sockets burning pits of hatred and power. Perched on the creature's head between its gigantic horns and with the smile of a madman on her lips was none other than Courtly, her eyes bloodshot and her disposition like that of a psychopath hungrily leering at the poor unfortunately soul that was to be their latest victim.

" _Hahahaha! There you are!_ " she hissed. "And it's about time, too. _We_ were getting so bored without you!" she cackled.

Raven felt like a knife had been stabbed through her heart when she could have sworn she recognized the four, limb bodies dangling from the jagged jaws of the jabberwocky like rags hanging from a clothesline – if the sister gasps of fear from Kitty and Apple were anything to go by, her fears had been fully realized when the immense collection of ancient bones growled lowly and spat out the quadrivium of carcasses like an distasteful meal at her feet.

At the first the young witch felt like she had just been handed a pile of corpses – twisting the knife even deeper into her heart while she clutched the Storybook of Legends with pale white knuckles. It was only when one of the bodies moved – and nearly gave her a heart attack – did she realize that they were still very much alive, just a little worse for wear.

"Hiya, toots." Jigsaw gave her a cheeky smile with a slight groan. "I've heard of tough crowds, but this is a little ridiculous. You'd think she'd learn to laugh a little, what with her bein' a joker, but _noooooo_ , she has somethin' of a _bone_ to pick with me!"

"If I wasn't horribly covered in third degree burns I would scold you for your Flarg awful puns." Skurd moaned from the Dodgjierian's left pectoral. The Slimebiote looked a little something similar to a pile of green gelatin that had been out in the sun too long and had developed a thin, dried out skin that cracked and split whenever he moved.

Raven sighed with respite when she noticed that the other bodies – Maddie, Briar, and Lizzie – were starting to move as well, albeit slow and obviously in pain if the way they hesitated in certain movements was anything to go by. All of them were covered in various burns and other mild wounds that, while not severe or fatal, were certainly numerous and couldn't have been at all comfortable.

"Eh, they're fine." Jigsaw replied, sitting up with a slight cringe at his aching body. "A little banged up, but fine. All I can say is that we really got _burned_ on this deal."

Courtly growled. "Enough of yours puns!' she spat, cracking open the Evil Queen's spellbook and uttering what had quickly become her favorite spell. A dozen crackling orbs of unstable, arcane energy exploded forth from the pages of book, wildly orbiting around the cackling jester from atop the jabberwocky's head like planets around a star. "It's time I ended you once and for all! Oh, and Ben? _The wedding is canceled!_ "

"There was a wedding?"

" _EEEEEEERRRRGGH!_ " the harlequin seethed with rage as she hurled the pulsating balls of magical energy at them all.

Jigsaw hurriedly yanked off the emerald head of his cane and the canopy of an umbrella flourished from the top, acting like a shield as the Dodgjierian leaped in front of Lizzie and Maddie to take the brunt of the jester's fury; despite the flimsy material, the umbrella's canvas held up surprisingly well against Courtly's barrage, making her even more exasperated as she tried to strike them down.

"Raven," Lizzie instinctively winced when a roaring discharge nearly knocked the umbrella free of Jigsaw's grip and forced him onto a knee. "I don't mean to be a bother . . . but would you mind hurrying up!?" she jolted at another explosion and huddled in close to the Dodgjierian.

The Daughter of the Evil Queen swallowed hard and felt her grip on the Storybook of Legends tighten with shaky fingers. The scars that marked her body in eerily beautiful, silver patterns were starting to burn uncomfortably from the flurry of emotions that churned and roiled in her mind. She didn't want to do it, she really didn't want to do it . . . but then again, what choice did she have? The fate of an entire world and the lives of her friends rested upon her shoulders, a thought that truly frightened her.

She was scared.

Raven felt her heart hammer nervously in her chest and her breathing had begun to spike once more. It was happening again . . . no, it couldn't happen! Not now! She couldn't have another panic attack, not now of all times! She needed a distraction, anything! Anything that could calm her down!

She frantically looked to Maddie and Briar as they cowered behind Jigsaw's umbrella, clutching at his legs and feet with white knuckles and bracing themselves against him as if to offer him any support they could muster. No, that didn't work. That only made her guilty of getting them involved in this whole mess . . .

She desperately turned her gaze to Lizzie and immediately regretted it when she saw the grievous wounds that the princess had received because of their foolish attempt to save her mother. Because of _her_. Every bruise that littered her ivory skin, every cut that marred her once beautiful appearance, every welt, wound, and injury felt like another thrust of the knife in her heart . . . it was because of her . . . all because of her . . .

She frenziedly glanced to Kitty and Apple and the masks of fear that they wore. She could feel their hands on her shoulders and back, shaking her and unwittingly clawing at her scars in a frenetic attempt to catch her lost attention. The silvery wounds burned like fire now, reminding her that they were scared because of _her_. They were calling out her name, pleading for her focus, but she couldn't hear them; their words fell on deaf ears . . .

With a sliver of withered hope left, she looked to Jigsaw in the hopes that he might inspire her to save them all, but all she could see were the blows that he had taken trying to protect them all, to protect _her_. His mask was cracked because of her and his suit was singed and torn and tattered because she couldn't gather up the courage to do the right thing and save them all . . . she felt her heart weaken and the legion of darkness began to creep anxiously at the edges of her vision . . .

But then she noticed something that snapped the darkness away. Was that . . . no, it couldn't have been. No, her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, it _was_ real. Despite everything that she had happened to them all because of her there was a look of unwavering determination in the Dodgjierian's eye, a courageous and brave and unhindered look that said he would not give in until his last breath had left him. It filled her with a warm comfort, like that of being wrapped up in a cozy blanket next to the fire on a cold, rainy evening.

He wasn't going to give up.

And neither would she.

* * *

T.P: _Is it normally this chaotic or dramatic?_

B.P: _Sometimes. I think it's because you only ever really show up during the really big stuff._

T.P: _Hey, it's not my fault my collage has a lousy schedule! If I could, I would visit more often!  
_

B.P: _Oh, sure, and hog all the glory and attention. Not everything is about you, you know!_

T.P: _I never said it was._

B.P: _Yes, you did._

T.P: _No, I didn't._

B.P: _Yes, you did._

T.P: _No, I didn't._

B.P: _Yes, you did!_

T.P: _No, I didn't!_

B.P: _YES, YOU DID!_

T.P: _NO, I DIDN'T!_

B.P: _YES! YOU! DID!_

T.P: _NO! I! DIDN'T!_

B.P: _I say 'yes, you did' to infinity!_

T.P: _Oh, yeah? Well, I say 'no, I didn't' to infinity times infinity!_

B.P: _You can't do that!  
_

T.P: _Oh, yes I can! There's nothing in the rules that says I can't!_

B.P: _There aren't any rules!_

T.P: _Um, hello? I'm the one in collage here. I think I know more about the world than you do._

B.P: _Oh, and just because you're older you think you know everything!  
_

T.P: _I never said I did!_

B.P: _Yes, you-_

M.N: _The wolf, the raven and ebony-green come together forever and everything in between!_

F.N: _The girl who followed the rabbit, noble and kind, will be bound to ebony-green, intertwined!_

B.P: _Oh, Grimm! They're at it again!_

T.P: _Ugh, we've wasted so much time arguing that we forgot to keep an eye on them!_

B.P: _Well, it was your fault!  
_

T.P: _We don't time for this! You narrate the story, I'll catch mom and dad!_

F.N: _Jacks and dice and cards delight in playing games until daylight!_

M.N: _To dance and juggle is nothing but a struggle if you don't learn how to prance!_

B.P: _Alright, um, lemme see . . ._

T.P: _Right, you do that, I'll go round up Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. And by that I mean our normally sane parents. Now where did they . . . hey! Mom! Dad! Get back here! You're not well! Seriously, knock it off!_

B.P: _Ah! Here we are! *Ahem* Raven Queen finally signed the Storybook of Legends and inherited the evil powers of her mother! Is Apple right in thinking that Raven's good nature will allow her to stay good or will this make her truly-_

* * *

"Young narrator! Excuse us, but things are happening fast down here!" Maddie decided now was a perfect time to scold the ceiling.

The Hatter's words were mostly drowned out by Raven's screams as hot, fiery purple flames lunged forth from the book and swallowed her, angrily crackling and swirling around her in a mini firestorm of power. Lightning lashed out from her body as the young witch screamed at the top of her lungs, her fingers clenched and trembling uncontrollably as pure, raw, magical power flowed through her veins like molten venom. The scars that marked her body were _excruciating_ , a searing white hot pain that threatened to send her over the brink of consciousness. Raven felt absolutely sick to her stomach and everything burned . . . it hurt so bad in so many ways that it was impossible to describe them all . . . and yet she had never felt more alive.

Her fingers were trembling with incredible strength she never knew that she had. She could practically _feel_ the blood vessels circulating through her body, enriching her even further and allowing the power to finally seep into her core like some horrible chemical spill. It was hot, fiery, smoldering, and she could oddly taste the color yellow at that point, but that was quickly forgotten when she felt the power. The absolute power that she now wielded . . . there were no words for how refreshed she felt . . . the pain was beginning to ebb and flow away . . . but the _power!_ The unrestrained, unimaginable power that flowed through her veins with her blood!

The magical energy was now beginning to invade her mind bit by bit, piece by piece, as if it knew it were trespassing in a delicate area of her body and was being cautious so as not to damage anything important. Raven didn't really care whether that was even possible right now. All she cared about was the power that pulsated from her core, begging from release; she was more than happy to oblige.

From atop her perch on the jabberwocky's head, Courtly felt an entirely new sense of dread overwhelm her when she caught sight of the cruel, predatory grin on Raven's lips and the way her normally soft, lavender eyes had now darkened to a pair of smoldering, magenta embers that seemed to burn like the fiery pits of hell. She swallowed nervously and attempted to recompose herself as the witchling's entourage took a few cautious steps back. "Don't just stand there, you bag of bones! Get her!" she yelled at the jabberwocky, trying to keep her voice from wobbling.

The gigantic corpse roared and unleashed a scorching hot jet of flame aimed right at the Daughter of the Evil Queen. The witchling merely gave an unsettling, semidemented smile as she effortlessly disappeared in a column of fiery flames and reappeared atop a nearby mountain of presents.

Without a devious smile, the young witch began to craft a spell, expertly weaving and threading the dark magic she now commanded through her fingers, as if she were weaving a tapestry of arcane energy. " _You're traitorous scum, for that I won't stand. You belong to me, I command you to disband!_ " her voice spoke literal volumes.

Courtly only had moments to react and threw herself off of the jabberwocky's skull at the last second before Raven hurled the orb of dark magic she had been growing between her hands at the skeletal beast, hitting it square in the chest. The undead corpse bellowed and roared, fruitlessly flapping its wings and aimlessly biting at anything within range as it's life force withered and died within a matter of seconds, leaving it a pile of lifeless bones to collapse in a cloud of ancient dust seconds later. Raven's devious grin only increased as she gave a simple curl of her finger and drew forth a pulsating orb of unstable energies from the jabberwocky fossils. The ball flew through the air directly towards her and landed in the palm of her hand where she crushed it with a flex of her fingers, absorbing it's properties and increasing her own power.

The Daughter of the Evil Queen then turned her attention towards Courtly with that ever disturbing smile on her face as she reached out with a hand and fired off a blast of powerful arcane magic. The jester yelped and dove out of the way as the tower of presents she had been standing on mere moments before exploded into a mauve inferno.

"Is . . . I-Is that all you've got?" Courtly tried to bite down on her growing fear. The harlequin hurriedly flipped through the pages of the spellbook before she muttered an incantation under her breath and fired off a barrage of plasmatic bolts at Raven. The witchling merely gave that same, eerie smile and moved her arms in a circular motion, erecting a wavering purple shield in front of her to take the brunt of the bombardment.

Now it was Raven's turn to attack. The young witch gave a flick of her wrist and sent the magical barrier scattering outward in a coercive pulse that sliced through the surrounding mounds of gifts like a giant guillotine; a series of smaller explosions followed afterward, making it feel like Courtly had accidentally landed herself in a field of erupting geysers, knocking her off her feet and down the side of a gift-laden mountain.

The joker card didn't have long to be in awe or pain before Raven attacked again and thrust her hands down towards her feet, firing off twin jets of scorching hot, lavender flames from her palm and shooting off high into the like a rocket. Courtly could do little else but curl up into a tight ball with her hands over her head as the young witch rained down magical bolts of arcane energy down upon her that exploded like a minefield around her. After a few harrowing minutes, the barrage fell into silence and the jester hesitantly peeked through her fingers to see if the coast was clear.

It was at that exact moment when she caught sight of Raven engulfed in an inferno of crackling purple and magenta flames with arms raised over her head coming plummeting straight at her like a comet did Courtly realize how bad she had messed up. She had a few seconds to process this before the witchling slammed into her like a meteor strike, creating a cataclysmic explosion of arcane energy that sent her flying through the air and a fair distance away.

Overcome with fear, the Daughter of the Joker Card scrambled to her feet and desperately searched through the Evil Queen's spellbook for a solution. "Her magic's too strong . . . that has to be a better spell in here!" she gulped when she caught sight of the young witch standing at the center of a gargantuan, smoldering crater with that same, predatory smile.

" _There's more than one way to read a book, Jester._ " Raven chuckled darkly, her voice echoing deep and hollow. The young pointed a finger at the jester and sent out a bolt of lavender lightning from the tip that landed a direct hit on the spellbook in Courtly's hands. The harlequin immediately dropped the manuscript as if she had been shocked and watched with fear as Raven drew the book back towards her with a curl of her finger. Without much more than a minute's hesitation to savor the moment, she crushed the book in the palm of her hand, engulfing the thick tome in a ball of purple fire. " _All done!_ "

Courtly gulped and began to back away with fear. Was it just her imagination, or did Raven look a little . . . unhinged?

"Apple . . . are you certain this was a good idea?" Lizzie asked anxiously.

A series of dying beeps caught their attention as the Omnitrix timed out and a blast of bright green light enveloped Jigsaw, returning Ben to his original form. "Yeah, I don't know about you, but Raven doesn't look so good . . . quite the opposite, actually."

"I know Raven. She's stronger than those dark powers." Apple assured them with a firm tone, though Ben took mental note of the way she was nervously nibbling on her lip.

"Then why does she look like she's going to turn Courtly into Jester Flambe?" Briar wondered with great concern.

The young witch had the most unsettling of smiles upon her face, mirroring the now helpless jester exactly with a deranged look in her mind. She clenched her once delicate fingers like wicked claws, summoning forth a pair of snarling, crackling hot flames that spiraled and snaked up her arms in unison. The fire promptly exploded when it jumped her shoulders to her hair, giving her a burst of power that launched her high up into the air once more, wreathing her in flames and making Raven look like a demon that had come to collect their debt.

Skurd sighed. "Oh, this can't end well."

Before any of them could stop her, the Daughter of the Evil Queen surged and spun like corkscrew as she shot straight at Courtly and slammed into her with the force of a runaway train, grabbing her by the throat with a vice-like grip and plowing her through the side of one, two, three, four, five, six mounds of presents of varying hardness and durability before she shot off into the air again with the helpless joker card in tow. They soon came to an abrupt stop some several dozen feet above the floor, just a few feet shy of the high ceiling; with surprising strength, the young witch held onto a helpless Courtly with a single hand that was slowly and meticulously tightening its grip around the jester's windpipe

"Y-You . . .y-you're . . . you're insane . . !" the harlequin struggled to breath, her hands clutching the witchling's wrist and her body battered and broken after such a rough flight.

" _That's a matter of opinion,_ " Raven chuckled sinisterly. " _And unfortunately for you, your opinion matters very . . . very . . . very little to me . . ._ "

True fear. If there was anything that would haunt Courtly for as long as she lived – if she lived – it wouldn't be the things that went bump in the night or the Boogeyman that supposedly lurked under everyone's bed, no, it would be the sick and twisted look of complete mad power on Raven's face while her claw-like necks dug into her neck like eagle talons. That was all Courtly could focus on as the two of them fell in a column of flames like falling stars, spiraling and twisting in a corkscrew until they slammed into the ground with a thunderous explosion that seemed to shake the very earth, sending flaming gift boxes and presents flying in all directions.

The Daughter of the Joker Card coughed and wheezed from the heavy ash in the air, struggling for breath from her bruised throat and aching chest. Her injuries were numerous and many but the most notable were what had to be a set of bruised ribs, multiple lacerations, a sprained ankle, and possibly several concussions. All of that was quickly forgotten however when Courtly caught sight of a shadowy figure moving towards her through the smoke and haze and heard a pair of footsteps taking their sweet time to get to her – the clicking of the heels was going to drive her mad if she didn't die of fright before.

" _What was it that you said before?_ " Raven asked with a mockingly innocent tone. " _Ah, yes, I believe you called me a cowering cockroach like I was always meant to be? Who's cowering now, Courtly?_ " she cackled madly with scorching balls of hot, purple flames in her palms.

The harlequin gulped with fear, her bottom lip trembling as she tried to scoot away from the approaching witchling as much as possible. "W-w-w-would it help if I-I-I s-said I was s-s-sorry?"

The young witch paused for a moment, tapping her chin with a flaming finger. " _Hmmm . . . nah. I think I'm just going to finish you once and for all._ " she maliciously grinned.

"Raven! _Stop!_ " Apple cried, breaking free from Ben and bolting straight at the deranged witchling.

"Apple! _No!_ " the brunette cried out. With a short curse under his breath, he broke into a run after the princess, nervously working his lip the closer he got to Raven and the volatile situation that surrounded her. He _really_ didn't want to have to fight her, but there was a chance that she could hurt Apple in her current state and, as much as he hated to admit it, there was a very real possibility that they would have a dead jester on their hands if he didn't intervene.

The princess completely ignored or didn't hear her boyfriend call out for her, even when she heard him give chase after her over the piles of burning gifts and presents. With what had to be incredible courage or incredible stupidity, she slid down the side of such a mountain and all but dove in front of a helpless Courtly and cut off Raven.

" _Get out of the way, Apple! This isn't about you!_ " she spat venomously.

The young monarch completely ignored her. "Raven, listen to me! This isn't you! It never _was_ you!" she pleaded. "Choose who you want to be! Isn't that what you always tell me!?"

For a brief moment, the young witch actually stopped to consider her words, the flames that enveloped her figure dying down slightly as if they were running low on the hatred that fueled them. And for a brief moment, Apple thought she saw a sliver of the Raven that she knew and loved and cared for behind the mask of the demonic villain she had become . . . for a brief moment.

As soon as it come, the light in Raven's eyes died and a low growl like that of an agitated predator escaped her mauve lips as the blistering hot flames ignited once more with renewed fury, racing across her shoulders and down her arms to engulfed her once more. " _If you won't get out of the way, then I'll just have to take you out, too!_ "

"And that's my cue to step in. _Skurd!_ " Ben barked as he charged in with reckless abandon.

The Slimebiote gave a quick salute. "I'm already on it, dear boy!" he slathered his slimy form over his host's body, already making the necessary changes to his genetic code. The changes were immediate and incredibly unsettling as the brunette's phalanges abruptly stretched out to a disturbing length, protruding from the flesh of his fingertips while they pulled like rubber until they were nearly as long as he was tall. Pulsing red muscle and tendons soon followed after, snaking and weaving themselves over Ben's bare bones until they had formed a pair of enormous flippers; tough, leathery green skin mercifully layered itself over the throbbing tissue, producing a pair of fully functional Geochelone Aerio flippers. The sudden tearing noise of fabric came from the brunette's back and he looked over his shoulder just in time to watch as a heavy, durable turtle-like shell erupted from his spine, completing the transformation.

Ben surged forward like a runaway truck and dove for and wrapped her into a protective hug at the last second with his new protective shell directed at Raven, just as the young witch unleashed a powerful barrage of arcane bolts upon them. Much to his surprise, the blasts harmless bounced off of his carapace as if they were merely ping-pong balls.

"I'm immune to magic?" he glanced at his flippers curiously. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you, Aggregor!"

"You are too kind." Skurd bowed humbly.

With this newfound information, Ben released his hold on Apple and slowly turned around, assuming a wide stance with his knees perpendicular to the ground, much like a sumo wrestler. "Raven, listen to me! I don't want to hurt you! I don't want to fight you! But I will if I have to! Fight the power, Raven, this isn't who you are! Don't make me do this!"

The young witch glowered at him and brought her hands together, forming a pulsating ball of hot coals between her palms and with a loud roar of fury she tore the orb in two, hurling the pair of unstable balls of dark magic straight at him. The brunette moved far faster than the cumbersome shell on his back should have allowed him to and he dashed forward with startling speed, effortlessly whacking aside one blast after the other with his flippers with a loud _crack!_

It hurt him, doing this. Fighting against someone that he cared about, someone that he loved whom loved him back faults and all, it made his chest tighten and his insides squirm violently as he instinctively calculated ways to take her down as fast as possible; it hurt him that he was treating her like she was a threat. But what else could he do?

Before Raven could even attempt to defend herself, Ben had barreled straight into her in a full on tackle, pinning her to the ground with him on top of her and none too discreetly straddling her to hold her in place. The young witch struggled to get out from underneath him and four pairs of claws suddenly burst forth from the tips of the wielder of the Omnitrix's flippers, latching onto her wrists and restricting her movements while she continued to fight.

" _Raven!_ " Ben yelled at her with desperation in his voice. "Look at me! Listen to me! This isn't who you are, you need to remember! Remember who you are! You're Raven Queen, Daughter of the Queen and leader of the Rebel faction at Ever After High! You've fought for the right to follow your own destiny and inspired others to follow in your footsteps, to write their own stories and live their lives how they want to! You aren't evil! You're kind and always considerate of others, you're caring and loyal, and you love music!" he reminded her. "But most of all . . . you're someone I care about. I love you, Raven . . ."

It was like a switch had been flipped or a button had pushed. As soon as those words had slipped free from his lips, Raven had stopped struggling and looked at him with an almost owlish appearance, as if she could hardly believe what he had just said. For a slight second he saw her effervescent, purple gaze flicker and give way to the soft mesh of indigo and lavender that he knew so well.

"Raven . . . I love you . . ." Ben repeated a hopeful timbre.

Almost immediately, Apple was by his side and holding the young witch's hand in her own, clutching her fingers tightly. "Raven, please! Remember who you are!" she pleaded. "I . . . I-I can't stand to see you like this! You aren't evil! You never were evil! Y-You . . . you're the nicest person I know! Even more than me sometimes . . . p-please, come back to us . . . I can't lose you . . . not like this . . ." the princess voice grew hoarse and heavy from the tears she was trying to hold back as she gently kissed the back of Raven's hands with her ruby red lips.

By now the young witch seemed to be having an internal struggling with herself, flashing back and forth between the intense, power hungry orbs of madness and the familiar set of lilac eyes that filled everyone that came across them with a sense of ease. Her skin would rapidly switch from a cool ivory to a toxic mixture of poisonous purples and violent violets, as if the ultimate battle between good and evil were happening right inside her body.

"Skurd. Hands please." Ben spoke up, his voice wavering slightly.

"A little politeness is all I ask." the Slimebiote obliged as he returned the genetic sample back to the Omnitrix; the enormous Geochelone Aerio carapace on Ben's back disappeared in a blast of green light and his flippers were quickly returned to their original form.

With his now more dexterous and delicate digits he tightly clasped Raven's other hand and gently cupped her face, the constant flashes of intense heat and soothing coolness urging him to hurry. "Raven . . . I _need_ you, we all _need_ you. D-Don't go out like this . . . not like this . . . I care too much about you to lose you this . . . I love you too much . . . I love you . . ." his voice fell into a whisper as he placed a soft kiss upon her lips.

Apple and Ben felt the young witch's hands abruptly seize up in their grip before suddenly grabbing holding of them with a vice-like hold that threatened to crush every one of their fingers. She looked like she was in excruciating pain with her eyes squeezed shut and her jaw clenched so tight that it looked like she was going to break her teeth any second now. The amethyst flames that enveloped her body was going absolutely nuts, flashing back and forth between blazing heat and smoldering coolness faster than either of them could actually sense.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_ " Raven screamed like a banshee at the top of her lungs, her body suddenly jolting as she arched her back. A blast of immense power exploded forth from her body with a violent disposition, slicing through the air like a sonic boom – dead silence one second followed by a roar loud enough to make everyone deaf within a hundred mile radius and very well likely kill everyone at its epicenter.

And while Raven wasn't dead, she looked absolutely exhausted when she finally opened her eyes and felt an immediate head rush and wave of debilitation overwhelm her. Her chest puffed heavily as she fought for breath, her brow slackened with sweat as she tried to sit up and was instantly glomped by Apple and Ben. The strength of their arms around her nearly crushed the breath from her lungs, but it felt _so_ wonderful.

" _Thank you . . ._ " she croaked, her voice hoarse. " _Thank you . . ._ "

"We're just glad to have you back." Apple sniffed with a relieved smile.

"More than glad. We should really be thanking you." Ben grinned as he placed another kiss on the witchling's cheek, earning a red flush from her ivory features as a reward.

Skurd huffed indignantly. "Please, don't anyone all thank me at once. You are all too kind." he tried to not look annoyed. Raven couldn't but smile at the Slimebiote's subtle little comment and affectionately petted his slimy head in gratitude, making the little tentacles that protruded from his head wriggle and squirm with ecstasy.

" _Raven!_ "

The young witch only had a few seconds to react before the maddened ball of hyperactive energy that was Maddie came racing over the gift-laden dunes and plowed into her with the force of the charging bull. Even as the breath was nearly knocked from her lungs, Raven couldn't have been more overjoyed to feel Maddie's arms around her and nuzzling her affectionately between a startled Apple and Ben.

"Oh, thank the narrator you're alright and no longer all topsy-turvy!" she exclaimed with relief.

Raven chuckled. "Yes, Maddie, I'm fine. But . . . where are Briar, Kitty, and Lizzie? Are they alright?" she asked with great concern.

Ben groaned as he smacked his forehead in disbelief. " _Agh!_ I knew I forgot something!"

A shuffling noise caught their attention as the melted remains of once beautiful decorated music box was kicked down the side of a present-covered mountain. Gift boxes and wrapping paper crackled and popped like embers as the fires that once feasted upon quickly lost their appetite and died out with a pitiful sizzling noise, but that did little to deter Briar and Kitty as they made their descent down the heaping mound towards them, bright and relieved smiles shared between the two of them.

"Don't worry. We're alright." Lizzie offered them a dazzling smile that made Ben's heart beat just a little quicker as she was carefully set down on her bruised and broken knees. "I'm just glad that this is all over with."

Briar coughed. "Speaking of which . . . what do we do with her?" she asked, glancing in Courtly's direction just as the jester was trying to crawl away.

Ben frowned and shared a look with Skurd; he didn't have to say anything. The Slimebiote expertly selected the genetic sample from the extensive library of the Omnitrix and oozed his mucilaginous body over his host's left arm, already making the necessary genetic changes. The brunette's muscles and tissue unbound themselves into long, elastic strips and melted together with his skin, flattening and fading into a musty, ancient brown like that of a mummy's bandages. His arm yawned as it stretched out to nearly twice it's length, a black brace with green stripes taking place upon his forearm as his fingers pulled out into the resilient digits of a Thep Khufan.

With a loud _crack!_ Ben sent out his fingers in twisting and writhing patterns that hungrily sought out for something to latch onto. They quickly found their target and snapped forward with blinding speed, wrapping tightly around Courtly's ankles and wrists before pulling back with a sharp tug and tying her up in a perfect hogtie.

"I'd say she's tied up at the moment." the brunette smirked as he severed his digits with a quick snap of his wrist and left the incapacitated harlequin to struggle against her bonds; with a groan of mourning, Skurd returned his host's limb to its original form in the small hopes that the horrible puns might end.

 _ **WHAM!**_

A thunderous boomed snapped them out of their moment of peace and turned their attention towards the great doors to the Present Room – the doors that Courtly had sealed shut in her madness to prevent them from escaping or from anyone entering; it seemed that the spell was still holding up – maybe. Whatever the reason, something was trying to get in through the doors and whatever it was, it had to have been _huge._ Each subsequent, hammering blow roared through the high chambers and bent the heavyset doors inward, threatening to tear them off of their hinges.

"What's that?" Apple asked, unconsciously gripping Raven's hand a little tighter.

 _ **WHAM!**_

"We're in no condition to fight!" Kitty gulped.

 _ **WHAM!**_

Ben's once smug grin turned into a determined scowl as he prepared himself. "Then let's hope it's friendly."

 _ **WHAM! BOOM!**_

The enormous doors to the Present Room finally gave in and exploded inward, slamming against the walls with a resounding _bang!_ A loud trumpet announced the presence of a gigantic, woolly mammoth covered in a thick, shaggy coat of mauve and indigo hair with a heavy, red spiked collar around her neck as she stormed into the room. She snorted angrily and flapped her tiny ears with distress as a platoon of playing card guardsman rushed in after her, armed with pointed spears and taking defensive positions around the monumental mammal; from atop her broad back sat none other than Venus and the Queen of Hearts herself, wearing a mask of absolute fury. With a barely suppressed growl, the queen leaped off the back of the mammoth – an impressive feat in itself considering the size of her dress – and marched to the front of the well-armed party with her pale features screwed up into a scowl hazardous to make even the mightiest of beasts take pause.

It took only seconds for the monarch to catch sight of a bound Courtly, her daughter, her daughter's entourage of close friends, and the burning remains of what had once been the Present Room and piece together a fairly accurate picture of what had happened.

" _GUARDS!_ " the Queen of Hearts roared at the top of her lungs, instantly making every playing card within the sound of her voice stand at attention. " _Seize her!_ " she demanded, thrusting an accusing finger at Courtly with a face red enough to rival that of a tomato and a vibrato that threatened to cave in the ceiling down upon them.

The guards didn't waste a second and swarmed forth in a hurried, disciplined march as they advanced upon the powerless jester and took her into custody. The joker card struggled and fought even harder against her bonds, even going so far as to try and bite the guards if they came to close.

"You will rue the day you messed with me!" Courtly seethed with rage. "One day, I'll have my revenge! And it will be I who has the last laugh!" she venomously spat as the playing card guardsman none too gently took her into custody to have her injuries treated and then to have her incarcerated.

The ravings of the mad jester were mostly ignored by Venus when she jumped down from the back from the mammoth as the massive mammal disappeared in a blur of shaggy fur, tusks, and twilight locks to be replaced by none other than Jane. The two ghouls spared little time and all but practically rushed past the Queen of Hearts to seize Ben in a tight embrace with a cringe-worthy _crack!_ from his spine.

" _GAAAH!_ " the brunette jolted.

Jane grinned sheepishly as she loosened her hold. "Sorry. We were just worried about you."

"Worried? About me?" Ben scoffed with a mocking tone. "Come on, you know me better than that."

"You're right. We do know you better than that," Venus stole his hat and placed it upon her head as she mischievously noogied him. "Which is why you are going to get medical treatment _straight away_ , no arguments."

"I'm fine!"

"Those bruises and that black eye of yours say otherwise. Might I also take note of how your posture is remarkably similar to that of a common chimpanzee?" Jane pointed out with a smug grin when she caught sight of the look on his face.

Before Ben could further protest, the Queen of Hearts came charging in like a protective mother bear and scooped up Lizzie in a crushing hug that threatened to break and bruise her even further. "Oh, my dear, sweet Lizzie! I'm so glad you're alright!" she frantically fretted. "What did that awful jester girl do to you? It doesn't matter, because I'll make sure that she's shoved so far into Wonderland Prison that she never sees the light of day again if it's the last thing I do!"

The princess did her best to try and put the queen's mind at ease. "I'm quite alright, mother. It's merely a few scrapes and bruises-"

Briar interrupted with a sharp scoff. "Scrapes and bruises my foot! You got annihilated back there! We _all_ did! If it wasn't for Raven-"

"Yes, I do believe you've made your point." Lizzie reluctantly sighed, wincing at the pain that shot through her chest. Once the discomforting feeling had died down she turned to Raven with requital. "I never did get to thank you – all of you – for helping me save for my kingdom."

The young witch's face turned a bright pink with embarrassment. "Oh, don't worry about it. What are friends for?"

"Friends don't usually get one another nearly killed." Ben pointed out with a slight smirk.

"Need we remind you of _your_ track record, mister?" Venus reminded him with a far smugger grin.

" _Regardless_ ," the Queen of Hearts spoke up. "I owe you all a _tremendous_ debt of gratitude for your services to Wonderland – for saving my throne _and_ my kingdom. It would be my privilege if you would all attend my birthday party as my guests of honor, the Seven Saviors of Wonderland!" she declared with a loud and dramatic flare.

"We would be honored, your majesty," Raven bowed slightly, her body a little stiff and the back of her head still throbbing and pulsing with pain. "But there's something we need to take care of first."

"I completely agree," the Queen of Hearts nodded before she whipped her head towards the Present Room doors and roared at the top of her lungs. " _MEDIC! ON THE DOUBLE! AND IF I SEE ONE MORE SCRATCH ON MY DARLING DAUGHTER IT WILL BE OFF WITH YOUR HEADS TWICE OVER!_ "

Ben winced at the ringing in his ears. "Your mom certainly has an impressive set of lungs, Lizzie."

The young monarch shrugged as a mob of playing cards dressed in white lab coats and rubber gloves carrying stretchers and first aid kits and medical equipment came swarming in through the open doors as fast as their legs could possibly carry them, lest their legs have nothing to carry. "You get use to it. Or at least, you _will_ get use to it."

Before the brunette could ask for the princess to elaborate, the army of playing card physicians had descended upon them like a gathering of bees and latched on him with multiple hands, prying him away from Venus and Jane as they tried to reach for him. The cards held firm against his struggling and wrestled him onto a stretcher, strapping him into place and immediately taking note of his vitals as he fought against them. Through the bevy of doctors he could see more physicians scuffling with the girls, bombarding them with questions and diagnostics while they were taken away for treatment. Ben could just barely make out Lizzie being taken from her mother's arms and carried off by a platoon of particular erratic playing cards who looked as if they had the hounds of hell chasing at their heels.

 _Given her mom's temper, that's not too far of a stretch,_ he thought to himself as he was carted away shortly after her.

* * *

The noontide sun had long since dipped below the horizon, turning the beautiful palate of bright yellows and vibrant golds into a breathtaking salmagundi of amaranthine and plum bespectacled with thousands upon thousands of twinkling, glittering stars that danced and waltzed across the night sky. Hundreds of lanterns had been strung up by the palace guards to illuminate the grounds and keep the party going into the long hours of twilight, bathing celebration in a warm glow. The guests that remained – a rather large quantity – were either already a little tipsy and were having themselves a grand old time while being carefully watched by the palace guards or were giving him and his entourage a wide berth, whispering among themselves in hushed tones in the hopes that their conversations would go unnoticed.

It had also been several hours since he had been released from Card Castle's own private sanitarium, but it felt like it had been ages, maybe even eons. The healer's had flawlessly worked their magic – literally – and had managed to take care of wounds and injuries that would have taken multiple uses of the Omnitrix to patch up; despite that, there were still traces that would serve to remind him of the battle for a considerable while. His bruised and broken ribs had been mended and set, but it would be some time before he could breath easily and not feel the strain and then there were the multiple scars that littered his body. Those would fade away with time, as would the reoccurring cephalalgia . . . it was the waiting that was going to get him.

"Ben, I know you're worried," Kitty bit into a tart while she lounged on the lowest hanging branch of a tree decorated with glowing lanterns and freshly painted roses. "But this is _Lizzie_ we're talking about. She's going to be fine."

The brunette sighed, taking off his top hat to rub his temples. "I know, I know. I keep trying to myself that, but . . . it's just . . ."

"You're worried." Briar finished for him, leaning against the tree as she took a sip of her punch. "We know. You've been worrying a trench into the ground for the past hour or so."

"Honestly, dear boy, anymore worrying and your going to worry yourself to the center of the Earth!" Skurd exclaimed dramatically before he took a bite of his own tart, savoring the flavor. " _Mmmm_ , not as delicious as DNA, but it shall suffice."

Ben groaned. " _I know that._ But it's been a long time-"

"Ben, you saw how injured she was. Even with the healers working as fast and as carefully as they can, it's going to take a while," Raven reminded him, gently grabbing him by the shoulders to stop his anxious pacing. She rested her head on his shoulder and took hold of his hand, giving him fingers a comforting squeeze. "But like Kitty said, this is Lizzie we're talking about. She's tough as nails. She'd sooner play strip poker than give in to Courtly."

"You sure about that?" Ben quirked an eyebrow and found himself snickering when he noticed Apple's reddening face. "Oh, come on, Apple, I was joking!"

"O-Oh . . . um, r-right. Of course!" the princess chuckled nervously while she tried to keep the blood from rushing to her face at such lewd thoughts. In an effort to relieve herself of such images she chose to examine her boyfriend as a distraction and quickly took note of how his smile soon faded and he once more fell into a brooding, worrisome state. "You're still worried about her, aren't you?"

"Wish I could stop." the brunette sighed wearily. "When you're a hero, being worried about loved ones just comes natural, I guess."

 _Loved ones?_ Apple couldn't help but hear those two words repeat themselves over and over again in her head and meticulously pick them apart for further examination. She couldn't think of a reason why he could be worried about her – perhaps he was a little nervous that she would suffer a fate similar to Courtly's if she ever were to snap again? No, he had to be worried about one of the others. Maybe he was concerned that Raven didn't have as much control over her powers as she liked to think? No, that couldn't possibly be it either, he never made any mention of the young witch's newfound abilities. That left only Kitty and Maddie, and the princess doubted Ben was worried about them very much. That could only mean . . .

Realization dawned on her and she felt a lump form in her throat. "Y-You . . . you love her . . . you love Lizzie . . . don't you?"

Ben jolted at the mere mention of the preconception. "What? Where did you-"

"Dear boy, don't try to deny it. You'll only end up making yourself look more foolish, something I suggest you leave to the professionals." Skurd cut him off.

"You do have something of a track record when it comes to picking up girls," Kitty purred with a seductive timbre and playful wink. "Not that we mind . . . _right, girls?_ "

"Whatever happens, whatever you choose, Ben, we'll be there for you like you've been there for us." Raven promised, giving her boyfriend a warm hug that made her magical core flare and bubble pleasantly. "Just promise me you'll have enough time for all us, okay?"

"Me, too?" Apple added with a sweet tone, hanging off of his other shoulder with a saccharine smile.

" _Me three!_ " Maddie called from the uppermost branches of the lantern-decorated tree, waving her free hand wildly while she scanned the grounds through a pair of binoculars with the other. There was then a scuffling and rustling of leaves as the Hatter scrambled down the branches and suddenly burst out of the canopy, hanging upside down. "What's got your pretzel in a twist?"

"I'm still worried about Lizzie," Ben replied. "Plus, it doesn't help that the Omnitrix is . . . well, in pieces, I guess."

"Oh, is that all? That can easily be fixed!" Maddie giggled. Without another word, she pulled off her oversized top hat and rummaged around inside before she pulled out a brightly colored teapot, took off the small lid, and proceeded to pour the entire contents over her boyfriend's head before he knew what was happening.

The brunette sputtered. " _Ptew!_ What was that for!?"

"Well, you said that the Omnitrix was in pieces, so I put it back together for you! Problem solved!" the Hatter replied. Ben cocked an eyebrow and spared a glance at his outfit before realizing that, much to his disbelief, the number of Omnitrices that had once dotted his body had all fused back together into a single device fastened securely to his left wrist.

"What that- _why did you do that ages ago!?_ " he exclaimed.

Maddie giggled. "You never asked! Plus, the author wanted to make things more interesting. Now that's what I call a success!"

Deciding that further arguing with her was pointless, the brunette eventually gave up. "Alright, so the Omnitrix is put back together again. That doesn't explain what you were doing up in that tree.

"Playing looky-loo look out!" was the Hatter's reply before she suddenly disappeared back into the canopy and returned to her position. " _Thar she blows! Also, I see Lizzie!_ " she soon declared.

It wasn't long before Ben caught sight of the aforementioned princess and when he did, he nearly had his breath taken away; the healer's had done a magnificent job in healing the vast majority of her injuries, internal or otherwise, meeting their majesty's criteria to the letter. The Princess of Hearts' once flawless, ivory skin had been restored to it's former glory and was devoid of all but the faintest of scars from her latest escapade, the swelling in her face had been treated with the utmost care, and he could just make out the glimmer of a golden tooth when she gave an abashed smile. Despite the palaces physicians' best efforts though, they had been unable to fully restore Lizzie's legs and had thus placed her in a wheelchair until they once again regained their strength. Other than the temporary cast that kept her recently healed ribs in place, she had never looked better.

In order to accommodate for her recent development, Lizzie had made a change in wardrobe – as it was rather difficult to fit a full blown ballgown into a wheelchair and effectively move around at the same time. The princess had as such gone for an ebony, off the shoulder dress trimmed in gold at the collar and a red, ruffled underskirt to compliment the piece de resistance of the ensemble. The wide and open, ace and spade patterned skirt had been done away with and the close-fitting leggings had been traded in for a pair of more loose-knitted black stockings with thin crimson stripes. Her pumps had been bartered for a pair of scarlet flats with gold ribbons and the heart-shaped bun that she normally kept her stygian and sanguine locks had been loosened and allowed to cascade over her shoulders and back in thick curtains.

"So . . ." Lizzie smiled sheepishly. "How do I look?"

Ben was at a complete loss for words. " _Goregeous . . ._ "

" _Smooth move, Casanova._ " Skurd sarcastically mumbled under his breath.

A cough from the Queen of Heart's made Lizzie's porcelain features flushed a brilliant fuchsia. "As honored as I am that you have agreed to attend my birthday bash, I simply must thank you again for reuniting me with my beloved daughter. It really is the greatest gift a mother could ask for." she smiled warmly as she bent down and affectionately kissed the princess's temple.

" _Ahem._ "

"Oopsie! I meant the greatest gift any _parent_ could ask for." the queen corrected herself. Ben looked to where the small noise had come from and found himself staring at a man that he hadn't noticed before – it was probably because the man was only a little bigger than a large kindergartner , yet looked as if he was four times as old. He shared the same kind, blue eyes with his daughter and sported a pair of wiry spectacles on the bridge of his pointed nose, giving him an owlish gaze. From beneath a large crown that made him seem much taller than he actually was curled forth short, black hair that retreated into a shallow beard on his chin. The bantam monarch's attire consisted mostly of a crimson sweater vest, coral tie, and a pair of red slacks with black dress shoes; a maroon cape trimmed with white fur hung from a pair of golden epaulettes that hung off his shoulders.

The King of Hearts bowed, nearly letting the oversized crown on his head slip off. "I can not express my complete gratitude toward you, young man! It has been ages since I have last seen my little ace in the hole!"

" _Father!"_ Lizzie groaned with embarrassment at the nick he had for her since she was a baby.

"Oh, um . . . no problem." Ben scratched the back of his neck nervously.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broken the brunette out of his love struck daze and snapped him back to reality where he came face to face with the realization that Venus was trying to catch his attention. The plant-monster ghoul pointed down towards her feet and he followed her gaze to see Jane sitting on the ground with a pitifully sour look on her face and the irritatingly resilient dog collar still clamped firmly around her neck; the ludicrously supple chain leash was held firmly in the hand of the Queen of Hearts as she fussed over her daughter, making Ben mentally slap himself for not recognizing the problem sooner.

"Um, your majesty?" he spoke up. "That . . . that _pet_ of yours . . . it isn't a pet. That's my ghoulfriend, Jane. She belongs to me . . . or rather, she doesn't belong to me, but she's not meant to be tied up and pampered like some kind of overweight house cat. Did I mention that she _really_ hates collars?" he added while he tried to give the monarch every reason he could think of to willingly release his ghoulfriend from her possession.

"Now that I get a good look, dear, that doesn't appear to be-" the King of Hearts attempted to reason with his wife.

The Queen of Hearts however, was stubbornly stubborn in her obliviousness and ignored her husband. "Of course she's my pet! What else would be darling, sweetie Cardea be?" she cooed as she lovingly pinched the jungle ghoul's cheek. "Whose a good girl? Whose a good girl? Whose my my precious little girl?"

That was about all Jane could take.

With her anger fueling her unstable genetics, the changes were swift and startling. Her teeth gave off a series of crackling noises as they were ground into enormous, sharpened fangs that tore through her gums like rusted nails; her face bulged outward into a duly pointed snout to accommodate her new dental ware, perfect for capturing prey. Jane's jaw suddenly gave a sickening, crunching noise as new bone was formed from beneath her elongate chin, building into a new mandible lined with razor-sharp cuspids. Her otherwise soft, lavender skin split and cracked into thousands of armored scales that wrapped around her swiftly morphing body, turning a mottled mauve in color. Tissue and flesh in her shoulders and back bloated like a balloon, dramatically increasing the jungle ghoul's frame as she grew until she easily dwarfed everyone around her – they looked like dolls in comparison to her tremendous figure. A series of disturbing crunches and cracks filled the air as Jane's skeleton structure caught up with the rest of her body, forming thick, heavyset bones capable of supporting her multi-ton weight. Her hands trembled and twitched uncontrollably before they abruptly exploded into enormous, crushing mitts tipped with wicked claws when her neck suddenly thrust out from her shoulders in a serpentine fashion; a layer of armored plating raced up from her bulging belly to her throat. A splitting noise from her skull caught her attention and she could do little else but roll her eyes back to watch as a tremendous pair of horns burst forth from her scalp, blossoming and branching out into an impressive rack; the jungle ghoul's spinal column arched and spat out a long, reptilian from the base of her spine. The sound of tearing flesh caught her attention and she felt her back split open, allowing a pair of tremendous, leathery wings that glistened with moisture in the moonlight to unfurl. With azure orbs splitting into two extra pairs to grant her a wider range of vision and the Nemetrix materializing in the form of a heavyset collar at the base of her neck, the transfiguration was completing.

Everyone – even Jane – was at a complete loss for words.

"That's new." Venus remarked, unable to do little else but simply gawk at the gargantuan jabberwocky that had once been her ghoulfriend.

"I'm just a surprised as you are." the prodigious animal rumbled, her voice deep and resonating with the just the hint of femininity to it.

Ben jumped with surprise. " _You can talk!?_ "

"Of course she can, Ben." Lizzie stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "She's a _jabberwocky._ While the anatomical mechanism of their diaphragm and vocal cords isn't fully understood, they are fully capable of speech and have mastered a multitude of languages. They often love to swap stories and riddles with one another."

"I thought you told me they were unstoppable killing machines?"

"They are. They just happen to be unstoppable killing machines with a love for literature."

"And just when I thought Wonderland couldn't get any weirder . . ." Briar remarked.

If there was one person who didn't seem remotely surprised by Jane's sudden transformation, it was the Queen of Hearts. The royal monarch looked absolutely elated and was happily clapping and giggling excitedly, despite how terrified her husband was. "Oh, you learned a new trick, Cardea! Good girl!" she praised the elephantine beast. "Whose a good girl? Whose a good girl? Whose the bestest pet in the whole wide world?"

The jabberwocky flared a hot breath and all six of her smoldering, cerulean orbs burned like embers in their sockets while she lowered her head down on it's long, serpentine neck to the queen's level and gave her a look as cold as ice. As a low rumble rattled it's way through her throat and a pair of slimy, forked tongues flickered out past her jaws to sample the air before retreating back.

"Allow me to make one thing clear," the jabberwock growled, drawing back her lips to reveal row after row after her spike-like fangs. " _ **I AM NOT YOUR PET!**_ " she roared.

The force of her bellowing was nearly enough to send the King of Hearts flying like a kite had he not grabbed hold of his wife's dress and hung on for dear life, but it was more than enough to bring the party to a complete and abrupt stop. Conversations and chit-chat instantly ceased as everyone stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at the seething jabberwocky that was currently glaring at their queen with the force of a thousand suns. Palace guards were already hurriedly making their way through the crowd to come to the aid of her majesty; the Queen of Hearts hardly seemed in any danger.

"Oh, well, why didn't you just say so?"

Jane blinked all six of her eyes. She couldn't have possibly heard that correctly. "Pardon me?"

"If you weren't meant to be a pet, young lady, you should have told me ages ago!" the monarch laughed.

The jabberwocky was at a loss for words. "B-But I . . . you just- I've been trying to- _UUUUUUUGH!_ " she finally gave up and slammed her head into the ground with enough strength to create a small tremor. That was a good enough of a response for the approaching security cards to back off and return to their former duties and for the party to once again kick back into gear, leaving Jane to wallow in her misery; Venus could do little else but offer her ghoulfriend a sympathetic pat on the muzzle.

Ben was trying to suppress a smile when he felt Raven's held clench just a little tighter in his own. He took one look at her, peering into those vibrant, violet orbs of hers, and instantly knew what she wanted; it was like they shared a mental link. The two of them – plus inevitably Skurd – had discussed it in great length and privacy the moment he had been released from medical ward, even getting the queen's approval in the process. "Is it that time already?"

"What? Is it tea time yet?" Kitty wondered.

" _Yay! Tea time!_ "

Ben rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Maddie, but it's not tea time."

" _Awww . . ._ "

"Ben? Raven? What are you two talking about?" Apple asked.

"Well, we wanted to wait until Lizzie could be here to see it for herself." the young witch replied with a cryptic air.

The Princess of Hearts cocked an eyebrow. "Seeing as how I'm here now, I suppose you wouldn't mind indulging in a young lady's curiosity and answer a simple question: what are you two crafty card sharks up to?" she asked, tenting her fingers with a pleasant smile that hinted at the impatience building up within her.

Raven nodded as she turned to address the Queen of Hearts. "Your majesty? With your permission . . ."

The monarch gestured for the witchling to continue with an approving smile. "Proceed."

"What are you going to do?" Apple wondered.

Raven gave the princess a knowing smile. "You'll see," she replied. "I need to get some height on the situation. Ben, if you wouldn't mind?"

The brunette nodded and tapped the Omnitrix – the only Omnitrix – strapped to his wrist. "Come on, Omnitrix, any flyer will do." he encouraged the device when he was swallowed in a blast of green light that warped his very DNA. The first and most palpable change was to his size – his bones crunched noisily and groaned in protest as they were pushed to their limit, growing bigger and bigger, heavier and heavier with every millisecond. Muscles and tissue weaved and threaded themselves together like strands of yarn, forcing Ben's organs to turn and tumble inside of him. A crackling noise filled the air while his skin solidified into a layer of unknown, cosmic metal that bleached a brilliant white before giving way to the crimson patterns that etched themselves over his body; and still the brunette continued to grow. His hands twitched before abruptly exploding in size, each of his fingers more than twice his original height alone. Fins colored a brilliant maroon thrust out from his broad shoulders and hips and a pair of extra eyes opened up on either side of his cheeks. The sound of tearing flesh filled the air as a pair of enormous burgundy blades erupted forth from the brunette's forearms, followed by a scintillating crest of vermilion that protruded from his skull – and yet, Ben just kept on getting even bigger. A pair of fingerless, black gloves materialized on his gigantic hands and the Omnitrix – followed by an absolutely minuscule Skurd – appeared upon his chest, completing the transfiguration.

" _Way Big?_ Not what I had in mind, Omnitrix!" the To'kustar's voice seemed to make the very earth tremble with every word that he spoke. With movements that were slow and lethargic in comparison to his absolutely immense size, he bent down – taking great care not to step on anyone or anything of importance – and lowered his hand to the ground; his knuckles landed with a small tremor that knocked Apple clean off her feet and made everyone else within a ten-foot radius wobble. The colossal alien remained oblivious to the princess' completely flabbergasted look – a trait shared with pretty much everyone sans Maddie, Kitty, Venus, and Jane – while Raven climbed into the palm of his hand and held on tight as she was ascended into the heavens.

"By the ancestors above!" the King of Hearts proclaimed, now feeling more small than ever.

"That boy never ceases to amaze me." the Queen of Hearts remarked, placing a hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "I certainly hope you made the proper choice, young lady; it would be a shame to let such a dashing young hero go."

"Yes, mother. Yes it would."

* * *

The howling maelstrom was but a dozen feet or so from the very tip of his crest – a pitiful distance for someone of his size – and the wind shrieked and screamed like a flock of harpies in his ears. Forked traceries of lightning split the sky of broken shards the color night and the wailing gales fruitlessly pounded away at his tremendous frame. Way Big curled his fingers just the slightest to form a protective cradle around his charge, lest the violent hurricane ripped her free from the safety of his hand.

"Are you ready?" his voice boomed in her ears.

Raven nodded, though she wasn't quite sure the To'kustar could see her clearly through the storm. "Lift me a little higher! I need to be as close as possible!" she shouted over the baleful whirlwinds.

The extraterrestrial titan did as he was asked and raised his hand even higher until the young witchling was easily over a hundred feet off the ground above his head – to the point where she was just about able to reach out at grab at the angry swirling mess of chaotic arcane energy. The To'kustar tightened his hold on her even further, shutting out the howling winds and roaring lightning as did so until she was nearly enclosed in his fist; only a small hole between his thumb and index finger remained.

Now shrouded in near total darkness, Raven closed her eyes and attempted to empty her mind of any unnecessary thought. The curse upon Wonderland was a complicated one to craft and even more difficult to reverse. Her mother – a witch in her prime – would have easily been able to do such a thing, but she still only an adolescent; while still possible, she lacked the necessary experience. She was essentially flying in completely blind as a bat.

The young witch sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and began to chant the incantation, her hands making the necessary movements to craft the spell and force it to work. " _From bad to good, to better from worse! From Wonderland I now remove this curse!_ " she invoked the dark magic that coursed through her veins.

A column of blazing hot, heliotrope flame blossomed from Raven's palm as she raised her hand towards the sky and aimed for the hole between Way Big's thumb and finger. A pillar of fire erupted forth from the To'kustar's clenched fist and into the very center of the raging vortex overhead with an explosive _boom!_ The storm – as expected – reacted violently with lashes of lightning splitting the sky in two and thunder threatening to tear the very heavens down to the earth, as if it were resisting against the witchling's command with every fiber of it's being. Eventually however, the maelstrom began to give away, allowing a small hole to be poked in its defenses and from this a purple and lavender blaze attacked the arcane hurricane, eating away storm like a flame to an oil spill.

Soon enough, the savage squall gave way to the tranquil expanse of the night sky and the remaining magic of Raven's spell radiated outwards in a powerful pulse across the whole of Wonderland. Even while her brobdingnagian protector uncurled his ginormous fist and released the tight hold he had been keeping on her she couldn't see the full affects, but she could _feel_ them; the air felt a little fresher, maybe even a little sweet-smelling, and there was a strange sort of peace that seemed to quell her worries and make her forget about her problems for a little while.

"Did it work?" Way Big's asked her with a thunderous voice when she was lowered down to eye-level.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one with eyes the size of an elephant." Skurd was quick to point out with a sarcastic tone.

"Almost. There's one more thing I have to do first." Raven replied, ignoring the Slimebiote's mocking quips as she closed her eyes a second time. She cleared her mind once more of any random or irrational thoughts and instead turned her focus to the festivities far, far, far below her and relished in the joy that was created as a result; a celebration for Wonderland's restoration and freedom – a victory that had to be shared with all of Ever After – was in order. With a pleasant smile on her lips, the witchling began to chant an invocation while she wove and threaded her arms in an intricate pattern to fabricate the spell. " _The nightmare's done. The day has dawned! So let's join as one and party on!_ " she recited.

No sooner had the words passed over her lips than did dozens upon dozens of brilliant, shimmering golden beams of light suddenly cast down from the stars above like a forest of dazzling sunbeams, bathing the palace grounds in the warm glow; figures began to appear in pairs one after the other, each within their own individual spotlight. From her position above it all, Raven could just make out Ashlynn and Hunter, Dexter and Daring, and Bunny and Alistair and still more of her friends and classmates continued to arrive – Ginger and Skelita, Sparrow and Duchess, Clawdeen and Whisp, they were all there – until the turnout for the party had nearly doubled in size.

" _Now_ it worked." Raven smiled proudly at her handiwork, watching as her friends and fellow classmates only took moments to take note of their surroundings before joining in the celebrations (even if a few visibly nearly wet themselves at the sight of Way Big towering over them all).

The To'kustar took that as his cue to cautiously crouch back down to the ground a second time – drawing a large amount of attention towards himself in the process – and he tenderly laid his hand down to allow Raven to scramble off of his tremendous palm. Once he was sure that he had enough room, the colossus stood back up and drew himself to his full height before he raised a gargantuan hand and brought it down on the Omnitrix disk fused to his chest; a blast of brilliant malachite light swathed over him and returned the To'kustar back to his original human form.

No sooner had the metamorphic glow worn off than were he and Raven set upon by Lizzie. The princess had to awkwardly lean forward in order to pull them into an ungainly hug, but from the tears of joy that were trickling down her alabaster cheeks, he doubted she hardly cared. "Th-Thank you! I-I . . . I d-don't know . . . I don't _*sniff*_ know how else to possibly say it, but _*sniff*_ th-thank you! Thank you ever so much!" she tearfully embraced them.

"Maybe you could start by maybe letting us go?" Raven suggested. "I mean, I know we're not exactly in your position, but we're still a little tender."

The Princess of Hearts did as was requested of her after drying her tears and released her hold on the young witch. What happened next however, caught everyone completely by surprise when she grabbed hold of the front of Ben's emerald tuxedo, yanked him down to her level, and firmly pressed her ruby lips to his own in an intense and and fiery kiss.

Lizzie held him like that for what seemed to be the longest time in that sweet, precious moment. She had heard tall tales from Apple about how kissing Ben was an experience beyond words and that every time he laid a finger on her she was overwhelmed with feelings and emotions so intense that she couldn't hope to properly describe them; the young monarch had initially shrugged those off as pure blatherskite. Now that she had experienced it firsthand however, she could confirm that the rumors were, in fact, true.

The sudden need for air – and the realization that she was surrounded by her future subjects – eventually forced the two of them apart and left Ben breathless with a bright splash of maroon on his face that matched Lizzie's own fierce, crimson blush quiet nicely.

"So . . . does this mean what I think it means?" the brunette asked with a slight smirk once he had gotten over the shock.

"Well, that depends on what you think it means." Lizzie gave him an alluring smirk, licking her lips as she did so. "If what you think it means is what I know it means, then yes, it does mean what you think it means. If what I know it means and what you think it means are not one and the same, then no, it doesn't mean what you think it means. Does it?"

"Oh, my aching head." Skurd whined.

The sound of one clearing their throat caught Lizzie's attention and she realized that her private moment with Ben hadn't exactly been the most private it could have been. A mixture of shocked looks and teasing smiles from friends greeted her from practically all angles – as well as the perspective simper that her parents proudly wore.

"Er . . . if it may please you, mother, father, I believe I have made my decision." the princess smiled sheepishly.

"Then I shall ask you again so that you may answer," the Queen of Hearts nodded with approval. "Do you, Lizzie Hearts, heir to the Hearts clan throne and the whole of Wonderland, accept?"

The young monarch only hesitated for a second before answering. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by myself, her majesty the Queen of Hearts, and the ancestors above, I now pronounce you, Ben Tennyson and Lizzie Hearts as husband and wife and as my heirs and successors to the throne of Wonderland!" the Queen of Hearts declared at the top of her lungs, more than loud enough for the entire party to hear.

" _Ahem._ "

"Oopsie! I meant _our_ heirs and successors to the throne of Wonderland. My bad, dearie!"

"What!?" Apple was at a loss for words.

"What!?" Briar cried.

"What!?" Skurd shouted with disbelief.

"WHAT!?" Venus and Jane yelled with repudiation.

"Wait, _WHAT!?_ " Ben exclaimed.

"Huh. What do you know, Maddie was right." Raven mused.

"You owe me a soda!" the Hatter declared as she suddenly popped out of the treetops, hanging upside down from a low hanging branch and playfully tapping the young witch on the nose. "I also accept all forms of credit, cash, teas, and pastries."

Ben was reeling from the sudden revelation, even when he felt Lizzie's fingers thread through his own and give his hand a firm squeeze. He was still reeling when Jane – having returned to her original form after getting over her frustrations – left with Venus to go in search of the buffet table, having gone quite a while without eating something that didn't resemble pet food.

He was in fact so busy reeling, that he barely even registered being tackled to the ground by an unknown assailant until the last minute. The two of them went rolling across the grass in a tangle of arms and legs and came to a stop a short distance away; Ben was roughly pinned against the ground and had the wind knocked out of him. Before he could gasp for breath, a pair of lips fiercely and passionately kissed him with all their might, a set of claws roughly – yet tenderly – cupping his chin and pinioning his shoulder to the ground. It only took Ben mere seconds to realize what had just happened and who was currently on top of him, straddling him with her chocolate thighs and great lycanthrope strength.

" _Clawdeen?_ "

The werewolf had finally released him from her hold and was now glaring at him with her piercing, golden eyes. "Don' you _ever_ disappear on me again! _Do you hear me!?_ " she growled as she suddenly slapped him across the face.

"Well, I'm sorry if I scared you-"

" _You should be!_ Do you have _any_ idea how worried we were!?"

Salvation came in the form of Skelita's soothing, motherly tone and her delicate, bony fingers. " _Fácil,_ Clawdeen. _No hay necesidad de preocuparse como una gallina madre._ I am sure Ben did not intentionally mean to disappear without a trace." she placated the agitated werewolf, prying off her white knuckled grip with her skeletal digits.

" _Gracias, mi amor._ " Ben grunted as he was finally allowed to sit up, rubbing at the sting, red hand print that pasted itself across his left cheek while he dusted himself off.

" _De nada, mi amor._ "

Clawdeen grumbled sourly, crossly folding her arms over her bust while she fell onto her knees. "Alright, I _mighta_ overreacted," she huffed hotly. "But what's this 'bout you getting married!?"

A puff of sweet-smelling, melanoid smoke exploded directly beyond her and a pair of hands tightly gripped the werewolf's shoulders and spun her around. "What's this I hear about a wedding?" Whisp asked. "Ooh! Should we invite Cleopatra and Caesar? I hear they make a mean salad!"

"Evidently, Hero Boy over here's getting' married." Clawdeen groused, jerking a thumb over in Ben's direct.

"About time we got to that part of the story," Whisp quickly deduced, leaving everyone – sans Maddie and Kitty – greatly confused. A thought suddenly occurred to the genie. "Did she tell you about the Wonderland Proposal of the Gibberish-spouting Jabberwocky yet or not?"

"The ancient tradition of the Wonderland what now?" Ben was more confused than ever as he looked to Lizzie for answers, albeit with an accusing glare.

The King of Hearts cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles as he explained, turning his daughter's face a beet red as a result. "The Wonderland Proposal of the Gibberish-spouting Jabberwocky is an ancient tradition that dates back to the very first ruler of the Hearts clan. In short, it is stated that whomever seeks the hand of another will do so by declaring it for all to hear in as much detail as possible in the ancient tongue of the Gibberish-spouting Jabberwocky."

Realization began to creep up on Ben like a gigantic spider closing in on its hapless prey. "Wait a minute . . . back there when I was Rath . . . you're telling me that I-"

"Proposed to my daughter in a very detailed and sexual manner in front of all my subjects at my birthday party?" the Queen of Hearts interrupted and summed up with an amused smirk.. "Yes, that does seem to be the case. I don't think I need to remind you then, young man, that I expect you to take care of my beloved Lizzie if you want to keep your head where it belongs. And I am not referring to the one upon your shoulders either." she added with devious look that made the brunette cringe inwardly.

Regardless of the queen's threat, he was at a loss for words. Surprisingly, he was handling the unexpected turn of events rather well, even if it did trawl up some rather unpleasant memories – namely of those involving a certain Tetramand princess whose hand he had previously been betrothed to. Regardless of the circumstances, his ghouls seemed to be taking the news rather well and Maddie and Kitty hardly seemed bothered by the fact that their best friend was suddenly married to their boyfriend in the slightest. That only left one last lose end . . .

"Apple?"

The sound of Ben's voice startled ther from her vegetative, contemplative state. "Y-Yes?"

"How're you handling things?" Ben asked skeptically. He had little reason to believe that the princess would unexpectedly explode on him, but given the way she had ruthlessly bludgeoned Courtly over the head with her own weapon like a deranged maniac not too long ago – not to mention the fact that she was still uncomfortable with the idea of being part of a harem – the brunette wasn't taking any chances.

"F-Fine . . . just fine." Apple tried to keep her voice from wobbling and sighed wistfully. "I just . . . I just need some time to think this over. I'm really happy for you, though! Congratulations, Lizzie!"

No one bought the facade for a moment. "Apple . . . if you want to talk, just let us know. We'll be there for you." Raven promised.

The Daughter of Snow White smiled. "Thanks . . . it's just a lot to take in, you know? First Wonderland, then Courtly and the Storybook of Legends, and now . . . _this._ " she gestured her hands wildly, not really pointing towards anything but more or less pantomiming everything in general. "It's just so much to take in! I don't know how you do it, Ben!"

"An open mind helps more than you think," the brunette offered an answer. "And a harem of beautiful ghouls and girls all pining for your attention never hurt either." he added, earning a cuff upside the head from Clawdeen.

"Don' push yer luck. I'm _still_ mad at you." the werewolf growled.

"Yeah, but then my manly charms will eventually chip away at that tough exterior of yours and we'll be back to screwing each other at every opportunity."

"Is that an offer?" Clawdeen flashed him a seductive smile.

Ben fired back with a wisecrack of his own. "As much as I'd _love_ to, I don't think my wife isn't ready to share quite yet. We haven't gone our honeymoon yet, and I'd _hate_ to ruin the experience for her." he chuckled when Lizzie protectively latched onto his arm and sent a possessive glare off in the lycanthrope's direction while completely ignoring Apple's ripened face.

Kitty gagged with a roll of her eyes. "Ugh, I think I'm going hack up a hairball."

"Be thankful that you are free to physically leave the conversation whenever you like." Skurd mumbled. "I swear, the things my host and his spouses do with their spare time!"

"You know, there isn't anything that says you can't just leave." Ben pointed out.

"And miss out on this movable feast? I think not!"

" _Speaking_ of moving," Lizzie brought the ceaseless banter to an end. "Might I suggest that we enjoy ourselves at my mother's birthday in order to commemorate our betrothal, _my husband?_ " she drew out the words like how one would savor the taste of their favorite food.

"Oh, what a splendid idea!" the Queen of Hearts agreed.

"Whatever you say, _Mrs. Tennyson._ " Ben shot back and smirked when he saw how flustered the princess had gotten.

Briar felt like she was going to be sick. "Get a room, you two!"

" _Mmmm_ , not a bad suggestion." Lizzie purred, leaning a little more into Ben's side with a flirtatious smile.

"How about we just enjoy the party?" the brunette suggested.

"Whatever you say, _dear._ "

Raven couldn't help but chuckle as she watched as the two newlyweds went off in search of the buffet table with the Queen of Hearts in tow and already making plans for an official wedding and suggestions for potential baby names when the time came for the two of them to produce an heir to the throne; the result was a splash of brilliant coral across Ben's face and a provocative, teasing smile from Lizzie. Having run out of both tea and catnip-laced tarts, Maddie and Kitty soon disappeared into the crowd of party guests after recruiting Clawdeen, Skelita, and Whisp in their quest for the elusive buffet table as well, which reportedly had a habit of moving from place to place when it began to feel a little claustrophobic.

The young witch was about to join them when she heard Briar beckon for them. "Raven? Apple? Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?"

A look of confusion was shared between the witchling and young monarch as they followed the princess away from the loud festivities of the party and off down a cobblestone path that led toward a quieter section of the palace grounds. Here, towering trees and decorative benches offered shade and a comfortable place to rest for stragglers or loners who preferred their own company and towering walls of carefully trimmed hedges and freshly painted rose bushes offered secluded spots for couples and those that had gotten a little too tipsy during the celebrations.

Apple tried not to cringe when she heard the sound of someone losing their lunch behind a hedge groomed into the shape of a flamingo or stumbled upon a trail of clothes that led off into a stand of rustling rose bushes that were moaning and groaning far too much for their own good.

Eventually, they found Briar waiting for them under the roof of a small gazebo that stood humbly at the center of a heart-shaped pond on a little island whose only access was by way of a modest bridge. The princess had her back to them and seemed to be internally debating with something that she was carrying in her arms, gnawing anxiously at her bottom lip.

"So . . . what's up?" Raven asked.

The Daughter of Sleeping Beauty heaved a small sigh. "Well, I've been trying to tell you for a while," she turned around with a forlorn face. Clutched in her arms with its ornate, maroon cover, golden embellishments at each corner, and the contemplative looking glass that peered out them with an enlightened gleam, the centuries old manuscript was unmistakable. "See . . . it's my fault that the Storybook of Legends ended up here in the first place . . . I . . . sorta threw it down the Well of Wonder." she shamefully admitted.

Apple was taken aback. " _What?_ But why?"

"I didn't want to have to follow my destiny!" Briar exclaimed, startling Raven and Apple at her sudden outburst. "The sleeping my life away only to be woken up by some stranger I've never met and losing all my friends!? Why should I be forced to live a life that horrible!? Why should I live that life if it isn't the one that _I_ want!?"

The princess was breathless after her confession and slumped back against the railing of the gazebo to catch her breath, folding in on herself when she did so as if she suddenly felt vulnerable. "I know we were taught that following our destiny was important . . . but . . . what if we're wrong?"

An awkward silence fell over them, it's smothering veil only interrupted by the faint roar of the party far across the palace grounds and the soothing sound of crickets playing their nightly serenade in the grass. The pond gently lapped against its shore in a steady, calming rhythm that was only punctured by the slight disturbance of a laughing fish flicking its tail beneath the surface or the sudden cacophony of a tomato frog shattering the pond's tranquility.

"Things use to be so simple," Apple eventually broke the stillness, her voice soft and barely more than a whisper. "You signed the book, you lived your destiny. But now, if anyone can use the book to steal a destiny . . . maybe the book is more trouble than its worth . . ."

"Apple . . ." Raven gasped. "Are . . . you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Maybe . . . I don't know," the princess sighed with frustration, digging her nails into her golden locks as she held her head. "There's just so much to deal with right now! We saved Wonderland, Courtly's been defeated, Ben and Lizzie are suddenly married to one another, and now we have the real Storybook of Legends! It's . . . it's so much to take in! How does anyone deal with this many priorities!?"

Raven a small smile and placed a soothing hand on Apple's shoulder. "Tomorrow isn't something you can always prepare for. I think the best thing you can do is just take things one day at a time."

"I guess . . ." the Daughter of Snow White reluctantly agreed.

"Either way, Apple, it's ultimately up to you." Briar pressed the thick volume of the Storybook of Legends into her arms, startling the surprised princess. "We already know what we want to do with our destiny. Now it's up to you to decide what to do with yours."

The young monarch gulped as she clutched the book tightly to her chest. She felt like she was being uncomfortably smothered with the sudden descion she had to make, as if a great weight had been placed upon her shoulders. "Is it alright if I take some time to think about this?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Take things one day at a time, remember?" Raven smiled.

The princess breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I guess we should back and enjoy the party, huh?"

"After all we've been through, I am _more_ than ready to _P-A-R-T-Y!_ " Briar chanted, earning chuckles of amusement from Apple and Raven as they turned to head back in the direction of the festival.

By the time they had returned, the celebration was back in full swing. Now that the safety of Wonderland was no longer a concern, the citizens could put their minds at least and instead put all their energy into celebrating its restoration and the reunion of it's queen and princess; the proposal from a hero of immediate legend to their future ruler was merely another reason to celebrate. Fairy wine flowed in bountiful gallons and the music never seemed to stop as guests of all shapes, sizes, and varying amounts of madness jumped and jived to the beat.

A series of startled screams and the sound of clattering dinnerware caught Apple's attention and she peered through the ever shifting crowd just in time to catch a glimpse of Maddie – whom had inexplicably had a sudden growth spurt that had her towering over everyone – and Whisp chasing after what looked like a living, moving buffet table with a pair of butterfly nets as their choice of weapons like children. Whether or not the odd choice of arms would actually work was up for debate, but it hardly seemed to deter the Hatter and genie from their invigorating hunt; in all honesty, it didn't surprise her that much.

What did surprise her however, was when a blur of crimson came barreling out of the crowd at a breakneck speed and all but slammed into Raven with the force of a bullet, nearly knocking the witchling to the ground. At first, Apple though that she was being attacked and very nearly whacked the unknown assailant over the head with the Storybook of Legends before she realized that Raven wasn't in any danger, barring from possibly suffocating.

" _Raven!_ You're safe!"

" _Cerise?_ " the young witch coughed out.

The Riding Hood quickly realized that she was accidentally crushing her closest friend and immediately loosened her hold, her face flushing a light red in embarrassment. A budding sensation warmed her at her core and she sighed heavenly at Raven's natural fragrance – dark magic with a touch of lavender and lilacs – and allowed her senses to be overwhelmed; her pounding pulse began to slow and steady and a feeling of serenity and comfort overcame her when she felt the witchling's arms encircle themselves around her.

Cerise didn't know how it was possible, but Raven made every hug feel like it was the best one in the whole world. Even the warm embraces she would receive from her parents when they would meet with one another in secret paled in comparison to the assuage affection she felt right now.

It was then that she also realized that she and Raven weren't exactly alone.

"Um . . . er, I'll go get us some punch," the half-breed bashfully pulled away and dashed off into the sea of party guests with her hood tugged tight over her deep, red face.

"Anyone else think that was a little weird?" Briar wondered.

"A little . . ." Raven couldn't help but stare at the spot in the crowd where Cerise had disappeared. She found herself strangely missing her presence and the warmth of her hood. Did that sound creepy? She really didn't want to make one of her closest and only friends feel uncomfortable.

" _Whoa!_ " Briar suddenly yelped as a panicked buffet table came galloping past them as fast as its legs could carry it. Dinnerware clinked and clanked precariously along its back and occasionally splashed unfortunate onlookers as Maddie came thundering past with her butterfly net raised over her head like a sword. With a battle cry, the Hatter made a mad dash for the buffet table and lashed out with her net, only succeeding in catching an unfortunate patch of checkerboard grass that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Aw, darn. I was so close!" Maddie pouted, looming over them by several startling feet.

"Aye . . . he's a crafty one . . . I'll give 'im that." Whisp panted, breathless from their chase. "But sooner or later, he'll slip up and then . . . then we shall have our prize! You hear me, you Machiavellian piece of furniture!? _You can run, but you can't hide!_ "

Briar raised an eyebrow. "Um . . . what are you two doing?"

The genie brightened up immediately. "Ah, Briar Beauty of the Almighty Crimson Rose clan, so nice of you to finally join us! Come, join us in our hunt, and we shall revel in our triumph together!" she dramatically proclaimed as she snapped her fingers and summoned an extra butterfly net into the princess's hands.

" _Cavalry forward!_ " Maddie shouted at the top of her lungs before she and Whisp charged forward and disappeared into the crowd. Briar hesitated for exactly three seconds while she examined the butterfly net she had been given before shrugging her shoulders and giving chase after the Hatter and djinni.

"That was . . . I want to say 'weird', but I don't think that fully covers what just happened." Apple mused.

"And it's about to get weirder." Raven remarked when she caught sight of the Queen of Hearts making her way towards her. It wasn't that difficult either, as everyone who so much as desired to keep their head on their shoulders practically threw themselves out of her way so that she had at dozen feet between her and her subjects at all times.

" _Raven, she's a queen! That's disresepctful!_ " Apple hissed.

" _She's the Queen of Wonderland! It's a compliment!_ "

" _You don't take Kingdom Management! The first rule when it comes to addressing royalty: always treat them with respect!_ "

" _Well, it's not my fault Headmaster Grimm refuses to enroll me! Do you know how much I had to threaten to turn him into a toad to get him to let me take Muse-ic?_ "

" _I thought you said you got in because of your musical talents!?_ "

" _Do you honestly believe Headmaster Grimm would even-_ "

" _Ahem._ I do hope I'm not interrupting anything of great importance?" the Queen of Hearts cut in, immediately silencing the two bickering roommates.

Apple tried to keep herself composed. "N-No, you're majesty."

The queen gave them both a discerning smile and nodded. "I should hope not, because I have a favor to ask of you two. Or rather, of Miss Queen." she turned to Raven. "My daughter is a huge fan of your music, my dear. Before our reunion, we would send messages to one another over the Mirrornet whenever the few portals that were left open aligned ever so slightly to get a proper signal through and oh, by the ancestors, she wouldn't stop talking about you or your band! She even sent me a recording of your debut performance, and I must say that I am quite impressed, young lady; you really have yourself some talent!"

"Oh, w-well . . . uh, thank you . . ." the young witch wasn't use to praise, much less coming from the Ruler of Wonderland.

"Oh, don't be modest!" the Queen of Hearts laughed. "Regardless, I wish to ask of you to perform for my daughter's wedding reception. I know, I know, it _is_ a little last minute notice, but in all fairness, how was I suppose to know that my dear, sweet Lizzie was going to be proposed to by such a charming, young man?" she sighed longingly before she realized that she was getting off track. "So, do you accept?"

Raven shifted about uneasily. She _still_ wasn't use to the fact that the band that she had created on a whim – and a very angry one at that – was so popular among so many people. Very few people had ever fully acknowledged her musical talent and had instead preferred to run away in the opposite direction as fast as possible, often injuring themselves in the process; maybe that was why she was so uncomfortable with performing in front of large crowds. She simply wasn't use to the sudden change in attitude.

And then the witchling remembered when she had been given a toy violin for her fifth birthday. She had adored it the moment she had opened the box and had spent hours upon hours teaching herself how to play it when no one was willing to teach her; her father certainly wasn't a musician by any stretch of the word. She remembered how her father had smiled so proudly when she first performed for him in her bedroom and the satisfaction she had felt when she had finally finished her piece.

That was when she began to fill her head with dreams of becoming a famous musician with thousands of screaming, adoring fans all chanting her name at concerts that would have been sold out for months on end instead of the monster that everyone claimed she was doomed to become. When her father had upgraded her violin to her beloved electric bass for her thirteenth birthday, she had felt like she was taking the first steps to finally achieving that dream . . .

And now here she was, getting the chance to take another step toward making that dream come true.

"I do. I'll play for you." Raven agreed.

"Splendid!" the Queen of Hearts excitedly clapped her hands.

"On one condition," the young witch added as she carefully pried the Storybook of Legends out of Apple's hands with a meaningful look in the princess's direction. "Since this is Ben's wedding reception, too, he won't be able to perform with us. I need you to guard this with your very life so that Apple can take his place."

The Daughter of Snow White was surprised, to say the least. "Raven . . . y-you . . . me? Perform? On stage? In _your_ band?"

"You have a _beautiful_ singing voice, Apple. Trust me, you'll be fine." the witchling reassured her.

The Queen of Hearts was quick to agree and eagerly snatched the Storybook of Legends from Raven. "You have my word as a queen. I'll put my best men on the job and if they know what's good for them, they won't let it out of their sight. In fact, my guards are at your beck and call; whatever you need for your performance, they will be more than happy to comply. And if they give you any trouble, just threaten to behead them! That's what I always do!" she chuckled heartily.

The two roommates awkwardly laughed along. "Um, right. We'll be sure to remember that."

"Good. Now then . . . _GUARDS!_ "

* * *

Raven had to admit, the Queen of Hearts really knew how to motivate her forces when need be.

In an impossible amount of time, the platoon of playing cards that had been placed under their command had succeeded in assembling a stage for their performance, as well as gathering all the necessary sound and audio equipment, lights, and a ridiculous length of extension cord to power it all. While the young witch had taken up the task of gathering the band members to her and Apple, the guards had rushed to collect all of their instruments and had rounded them up in record time – a gleaming, brass trumpet for Dexter, a set of turntables for Melody Piper, and a collection of giant mushrooms that had been dug up and placed in pots for Maddie to bang around on.

They had even managed to find an electric bass that was all but identical to the witchling's own, beloved instrument, right down to the golden engraving on the back from her father, " _To my little bird. May you spread your wings and soar_ ". While the thought of a squadron of security cards breaking into her own dorm back at Ever After High disturbed her a little, she had to admire their dedication to their job.

Then again, if the alternative was being beheaded . . .

"Are you sure about this?" Dexter nervously fingered the valves of his trumpet. "I-I-I mean, I've only perf-formed once w-with you girls, a-and besides, I have st-stage fright and-"

Maddie giggled as she experimentally tapped the assortment of oversized mushrooms that she dwarfed with her sudden growth spurt in the absence of a functioning drum kit; the spotted cap of each fungus behaved exactly like the top head of a drum. "Don't worry, Dexter! With Melody handling the rest of the entertainment for the night, you'll be back to dancing with your girlfriend in no time!"

"Sh-She's not my _girlfriend!_ " the young prince immediately protested. "Cupid's j-just a friend who happens to a girl, th-that's all!"

Apple however, was far from convinced. "Oh, come on, Dexter! _Everyone_ can see it! Even _I_ know that you two like each other!"

The prince swallowed anxiously and tried to hide his embarrassment. "I-I d-don't know wh-what you're t-talking about."

"Whatever you say, Dex-man." Melody rolled her eyes with a smirk while she messed around with her turntables, making sure that she had her Mirrorphone plugged in and tuned to her best beats. "Just do us all a little favor when this lil' number's over, hmm?

"Wh-What?"

"Give the lil' honey a good time." the DJ winked, leaving the Son of Prince Charming sputtering in confusion.

Raven couldn't help but chuckle at his denial. It was nice to see that he had gotten over her rejection, moved on, and yet still managed to remain the same shy and tentative dork that she had come to see as one of her Best Friends Forever After, perhaps even a surrogate brother of sorts. It was even better that he had _finally_ begun to notice Cupid's not-so-secret crush on him, even if he still wasn't completely aware of it.

The young witch brushed a lock of her mauve hair out of her face and looped the strap of her electric bass over her shoulder and gave an empirical strum of it's strings, earning a pleasing sound as a result. "You guys ready to rock?"

"Abso-tively poso-lutely yepperoni with extra cheese please!" Maddie affirmed.

Melody flashed her a thumbs up. "Pump up the volume!"

"Ready when you are, Raven." Dexter took a deep to calm his nerves and tried to ignore the amused sound of his alter ego's voice in his head.

"Um . . . let's do this?" Apple tried.

Raven simpered. "It's a start," she smiled before she turned to the microphone and gave it a few experimental taps, creating a loud thumping noise through the speakers that quickly caught the attention of the massive crowd that had gathered before them. " _Hellooooooo, Wonderland!_ " her voice droned out into a mighty hail that was soon drowned out by a chorus of cheers and praise. "By request of her majesty, the Queen of Hearts, Raven and the Rebels have been asked to perform for the newly wedded couple!"

Peering out over the gathered crowd, the young witch could just make out the two spots of deep, pulsating red that were Ben and Lizzie's faces when the audience parted to form a large circle around them, cheering and shouting their approval at the top of their lungs. The brunette swallowed anxiously as he took hold of the princess's ivory fingers with his shaking, trembling hands and sucked in a deep breath to calm his restless nerves.

"The Great Ben Tennyson afraid to dance with his wife?" Lizzie teased.

Ben's once apprehensive look was quickly replaced with his familiar fervor. " _OooooOOooooOOooh,_ now you asked for it!"

The young monarch smirked. "I look forward to it."

"You two are sickening." Skurd moaned from the brunette's shoulder.

Raven smiled and flashed the happy couple a wink. "Get ready to show everyone your moves, you two! This ones for you!" she announced.

The song started off with the simple, repetitive strumming of Raven's guitar strings and the soft, steady tapping of one of the mushroom's in Maddie's collection, creating a calming and quaint rhythm." _I will stay by you even when we fall._ "

" _I will be the rock that holds you up and lifts you high so you stand tall._ "

Lizzie flushed a soft red as Ben pushed on her palms and sent her rolling back in her wheelchair, quickly assuming the roll of the lead as he advanced on her and made her twist and spin in place while he did all the work. It wasn't exactly the best either of them could have offered one another, but given the circumstances they didn't seem to really care.

Apple couldn't but smile as she watched the two newlyweds work themselves out and joined in with Raven's beautiful voice on the next verse. " _I won't let you go, no one can take your place._ "

" _A couple fights & lonely nights don't make it right to let it go to waste._"

At that moment, the music gave a slight pause before it exploded into a cacophony of sound and euphony heralded forth by a triumphant blast from Dexter's trumpet. With a single twist of his arm, Ben sent his bride spinning and caught her before leading her off to the upbeat tempo that had been set, earning applause and cheers of approval from his friends and classmates.

" _I won't let you fall, I won't let you go!_ " Raven and Apple's voices intertwined with each other so comfortably.

" _No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I'll be there!_ "

" _No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I'll be there!_ "

" _I will hold on to everything we've got. A quitter, a regretter, and forgetter is everything I'm not,_ " the song fell back into its quieter roots. Lizzie had slowed her husband's pace as a result and allowed him to continue to lead her as they followed the music's rhythm retreated back into a comfortable waltz. With the slightest push and pull, the brunette was able to guide her through the twists and turns of the dance and not once did he take his eyes off her.

" _I'll take care of you and love you just because you and I are better than forever._ "

" _Nothing can stop us!_ "

The chorus took center stage for a second time and Lizzie found herself blushing a muted crimson when she caught sight of her mother watching from the edges of the crowd, uncontrollably sobbing as she watched her daughter dance with the man that she loved. _"I won't let you fall, I won't let you go!_ "

" _No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I'll be there!_ "

" _No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I'll be there!_ "

By now, the music had all but fallen silent, save for the quiet plucking of Raven's guitar strings and her graceful voice. A comfortable reticence fell over the crowd like a wave as they watched husband and wife embrace one another like no one else possibly could. Every movement, every gesture they made was one of complete tenderness and the special kind of love that never died, a sacred moment that would withstand the tests of time. " _We can be the generation who learns how to love_."

" _Mistakes & empty promises will never be enough._"

" _To tear apart the giant hearts that beat inside us now._ "

" _Let's conquer the percentages and rise above the crowd!_ "

The music reached a tremendous crescendo as it charged into the final chorus and the audience burst into a deafening roar of applause as they joined the newly wedded couple on the dance floor. Ben took hold of Lizzie's hand as the music soared and guided her in a circle around him, feeling her fingers graze against his back and hips when she rolled around him while he jumped and jived. She circumscribed him twice before she took hold of his hand and held her arm up as high as she could to spin him around; the top hat had to be taken off and the pressure put on his aching ribs when he had to duck made him cringe slightly, but the brunette managed to make it without much difficulty.

Despite their injuries and restrictions, the two newlyweds happily shimmied and boogied to the beat of the encouraging melody , occasionally glancing at other couples that had decided to join in the fun. Through the ever shuffling bodies, Ben could make out Ashlynn and Hunter naturally together in each others' arms and Sparrow once again trying to sneak up onto the stage to steal the spotlight before he was abruptly pulled back by Cerise – who looked just about ready to murder anyone that dared to interrupt Raven's performance.

" _I won't let you fall!_ "

Towards the edge of the crowd, Lizzie caught a glimpse of her parents happily sashaying with one another, even if it seemed a little one-sided – the King of Hearts was so short that the queen was able to effortlessly pick up him up and hold him in her arms while they tangoed. Not too far away, the princess spotted Kitty and Whisp apparently having a dance battle of sorts that involved shuffling about on their hands to the upbeat tempo; neither of them seemed willing to give in to the other any time soon, if ever. Documenting the entire standoff with her trusty Mirrorphone was Blondie, though Lizzie doubted that was all she was documenting if the way her eyes constantly kept flickering in her direction with a wantoning look was any indication.

It seemed an interview was inevitable.

" _I won't let you go!_ "

Unsurprisingly, Ben caught sight of Venus in a hot and spicy samba, completely unashamed of the looks they got whenever the plant-monster ghoul's moves got particularly provocative and turned the shape-shifter's features a smoldering magenta as a result. Despite her discomfort around werewolves, Skelita and Clawdeen were having a grand old time with one another to the cadence created by the former's rattling cartilage as she jived and jumped about. And even if he couldn't stop starring at himself in his handheld mirror for less than five minutes, that didn't stop Daring from dancing with Duchess, even if the swan maiden looked like she was going to lose it if he spent another second winking at himself.

" _No matter where you are, no matter where you are, I'll be there!_ "

 _No matter where you are, no matter where you are I'll be there!_ "

The two newlyweds grabbed each other by the forearms and Ben twisted his legs while he pushed to roll his wife around in a tight circle before reversing his steps and taking her in the opposite direction. The brunette gave his wife a quick spin before he let her go and gave her a short amount of time to show off her moves by herself, even if all she could do was roll back and forth at the moment; he wasn't exactly any better, as the tightness in his chest prevented him from doing anything overly extravagant or marvelous. If the way Lizzie was laughing was any indication however, she didn't care in the slightest and was enjoying every second of their unofficial wedding.

Without warning, the Princess of Hearts lashed out, latched onto her husband's wrist, and gave a sharp yank that had him stumbling back. The brunette attempted to regain his balance while he wobbled until the back of his foot caught on the wheel of her wheelchair and sent him falling right into her lap, earning a blush of embarrassment from him while she flashed him a wicked grin.

" _I'll be there._ "

Raven fought to suppress her laughter at the sight of the passionate couple and instead channeled her energy into slowing down the song to the simple plucking of her strings and the cadenced beats of Maddie's mushrooms. She watched while they sat there, slowly spinning in place on Lizzie's wheelchair and completely oblivious to everything around them as they drifted closer . . . and closer . . . and closer . . . and the young witch couldn't help but smile when she watched them finally give in to the moment and share a deep, libidinous kiss with one another when the song closed with a sharp crescendo.

" _I'll be there._ "

The crowd erupted into a dissonance of praise and applause as the witchling struck a wild chord and a dramatic pose to end the song. Maddie had long since destroyed her drum set – again – and was absentmindedly munching on a piece of one of her smashed mushrooms before she was engulfed in a puff of glimmering, sweet smelling smoke and returned to her usual stature, much to her brief disappointment. Dexter and Melody bowed to the welcoming acclaim from the audience and Apple was overcome with a sense of wonder and completion; was this what Raven felt like every time she performed? It felt amazing!

Eventually, the natural need for air forced Ben and Lizzie to break away from one another with the ever familiar coral blush that had danced back and forth between their faces for the past few hours. With a sigh of contentment, the princess hugged her husband a little tighter and rested her head on his chest, as if forbidding him from leaving – not that he was complaining.

"Nothing can possibly ruin this moment." the brunette murmured softly.

Skurd – who had politely remained silent for the past several minutes – found it appropriate to smack his host upside the head. " _You fool!_ You've doomed us all!"

"Oh, please, Skurd. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Lizzie scoffed.

The Slimebiote all but wailed as the sounds of panic and confusion came from the back of the crowd, immediately drawing everyone's attention as guests and patrons alike practically ran over themselves to get out of the way of . . . something. Ben couldn't tell what it was at the moment, but whatever it was, it was big, it was powerful, and it seemed to be . . . fighting with itself?

" _Hah!_ "

" _En guarde!_ "

" _Take that!_ "

Without much ceremony, the Red Knight and White Knight came barreling through the crowd like a pair of bulls in a Chinatown, fully immersed in their battle and almost completely unaware of where they were. The two warriors swung their swords and clashed with a mighty spit of sparks as they struggled and strained to keep their ground. The alabaster paladin grunted as he gave a sharp, upward shove and unlocked their swords before swinging his blade in a wide arc that forced his opponent back. With the crimson cavalier's guard left virtually open, he struck him to the ground with a swift kick to the chest, knocking his sword free from his hand.

The White Knight pointed the tip of his sword at Chase's chin."You fought well, but it seems that it is I who has won our game. _Check and mate._ "

"Alright, I yield. I yield!" he groaned.

"What in Grimm's name is going on here!?" the Queen of Hearts demanded to know, her face a beet red as her husband tried to calm her down and keep her from doing anything irrational – even if the celebrations had been disrupted by the two knight's battle.

The White Knight grabbed the hilt of his sword in both hands and respectfully knelt with his head bowed. "My most humblest and sincerest of apologies, my queen. T'was not my intention to interrupt your birthday. I was merely trying to ensure that your daughter and her companions were able to escape the clutches of Wonderland High to come to your aid."

Taking a brief moment to think at her husband's behest, the Queen of Hearts let out a sigh and nodded her head. "You are hereby forgiven. You may rise."

"Thank you, your majesty." the ivory cavalier bowed respectfully as he climbed to his feet.

Chase however, didn't seem to notice or care – at the moment at least – that the Queen of Hearts was still looking him as if she were trying to figure out the most painful way of decapitating him. "What a knight! What skill! What power!" he took of his helmet and stared at his adversary with admiration. "What manner of man _are_ you?"

If there was any form of ultimate irony, it was the brave, fearless, and courageous White Knight looking about as uncomfortable as a glossophobic child being asked to recite the works of William Shakestale by memory for the entire Grand Council. The cavalier was practically shaking in his suit when he felt all the gazes of anticipation and expectancy upon him, boring through his protective armor like a thousand tiny drills. While most were kind and merely pleading, there were a select few that were a tad more aggressive, namely those of the royal family and none other than Ben, who was giving him a glare of annoyance that said " _you dragged me all over this insane asylum of a realm without giving me a straight answer and now you're going to give it to me, whether you like it or not_ ".

The White Knight hesitated for a second before he slowly slid his sword back into the scabbard at his belt and reached for his helmet. The entire gathered crowd practically held its breath as he paused for a second, as if relishing in the final moments of his sanctity, and slowly lifted the armor from his head.

"Actually . . . I'm not a manner of man at all . . ." he spoke, and his voice got lighter and more soft around the edges as the helmet was lifted from his shoulders. Curtains of long and wavy platinum blonde hair streaked with hints and tones of shimmering azure spilled forth from the depths of the helmet, obscuring his face when the piece of armor was tucked under his arm. The knight tossed his head back and raked the endless curls from his face to reveal-

" _DARLING!?_ "

"Oh, come on!" Daring yelped as he was once again doused with punch by his startled brother. "You know what? This time I'm far too astounded to even care!"

To say Ben was surprised was an understatement. "Well. Didn't see _that_ coming."

"I concur." Lizzie agreed.

The Daughter of Prince Charming smiled sheepishly. "I guess you'd all like an explanation of what I've been up to." she mused as she shrugged her broad, metallic shoulders; the suit of armor popped and hissed, releasing a jet of steam as it did so. The chestplate split in two and slid open with the whir of mechanical gears and the anterior of the legs popped open with a hiss to reveal that Darling had been standing on a pair of stilts to increase her height.

"I know I would," Chase was breathless and completely dumbfounded. "Where did a mere princess learn to wield a weapon with such precision and proficiency?"

"Well, sorry, but that story's best told another day." Darling gave the Red Knight a teasing wink. "I believe now . . . _it's time to party!_ "

As much as he wanted to press the issue and perhaps get some pointers on his stance from the princess, he had to admit that a wedding breakfast-birthday party mashup was probably not the best place or time. Besides that, Darling had been immediately swarmed by her brothers and bombarded with an entire arsenal about her well being and whereabouts, which only seemed to aggravate her; it wasn't until Cupid and Duchess had sidled up to the two prince's and dragged them off, finally allowing her to escape to the safety of the buffet table for some much needed refreshments.

And then he realized he was alone. Even though most people that passed by him gave him a friendly wave or smile, none of them made an attempt to talk or dance with him.

 _Guess that's what I get for putting training over having a social life,_ " Chase thought to himself. Talking to Darling was out of the question and even though the only other person he could possibly relate to was Ben, the paladin still despised him for so easily humiliating him in front of his fellow peers, as well as the fact that he was preoccupied with entertaining the royal family – he hoped to the ancestors that the way his majesty was hanging off his arm didn't mean what he thought it meant.

Salvation soon came to his aid in the form of a beautifully familiar voice. " _Chase!_ "

"Bianca!" the Red Knight immediately brightened up at the sound of his name when he saw the Daughter of the White Queen making her way through the crowd to him. "You're here, too?"

The princess smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course, I am! Seeing as how my mother was unable to attend the Queen of Hearts' birthday bash, I had to take her place. It is, after all, important and above all respectful that royalty invite others of their social standing and status in order to show off their power and wealth to others who would otherwise be beneath them, as well as reaffirm relationships with one another, such as trade routes, alliances, prearranged marriages, and . . . and I'm starting to ramble again, aren't I?"

"No, please, keep talking. I could never get tired of your voice." Chase had a dazed and far off look in his eye before he realized what he had just said and promptly facepalmed himself out of shame. " _Why did I say that . . ?_ "

Bianca couldn't help but chuckle and tried her hardest to suppress a blush that so desperately wanted to make itself known. Did he really like the sound of her voice? Most people quickly tired of it when she talked for more than ten seconds. "Well, then . . . I believe you wanted to 'hang out sometime' as an apology for not knowing that I, and I quote, 'existed in the first place'?"

Now it was the cavalier's turn to the same shade of red as his suit of armor. "Erm . . . sh-shall we?" he offered her his hand.

"As soon as you lose the armor. We _are_ at a party after all; it's only appropriate to dress accordingly." Bianca teased him.

"R-Right."

Not too far off, Ben and Lizzie couldn't help but smile at the amusing banter between the two chess pieces. It was obvious that they liked each other – perhaps even more than that – but like couples so often did, they were dancing around the problem instead of taking the more simple and direct approach and simply admitting their feelings for one another; it was a sad thing, really.

"Five bucks says they end up together." Ben leaned on the back of Lizzie's wheelchair while Chase began the long process of taking off his crimson suit of armor in favor of the more loose-fitting and casual clothes he wore underneath.

"Perhaps. Let's just hope they're more open to their feelings than Alistair and Bunny are," the princess sighed with frustration at the sight of her two friends awkwardly trying to dance together without making it obvious that they liked each other. Not only was really sad and actually kind of pathetic, but it was starting get aggravating as well. "I mean, for the love of the ancestors, I got _married_ to someone I've barely known more than two months and they haven't even gone out on a single date, much less admit their feelings!"

"But did you regret it?"

Lizzie could practically taste the mirth that saturated her husband's question. "Not yet, I haven't." she smirked.

"You two are truly, truly, _truly_ outrageous." Skurd groaned when the two newlyweds ventured off to see if they couldn't grab anything from the buffet table before it got skittish and ran away again.

* * *

She was fuming.

No, that didn't even _begin_ to describe how angry she was. She was _infuriated._ She was _seething_. The very thought of the diabolical plot she had been carefully devising for years on end to bring Wonderland to its knees going up in smoke made her blood boil and froth with rage. It might not have stung so much if the Grand Council had put an end to her rein of terror, but the fact that her own pathetic excuse for a _daughter_ had turned on her and undone all of her hard work only served to further rub salt in the wound.

She had designed the curse herself – a feat within itself as most spells that were common knowledge had been created thousands of years ago when witches and warlocks and wizards alike had first begun to understand the full extent of their powers – to be as arduous and sensitive as possible to prevent any attempts to hinder her scheme. She had nearly drained her magical core of all its power in order to craft that spell, sufficiently weakening herself, and leaving her open to capture, but it had all been worth it when Wonderland had been cut off from Ever After and left to its own devices; all it would have taken was but the breath of a few simple words to end the realm once and for all.

And then her spawn of a _daughter_ had found her spell's one fatal flaw and unraveled it all in a mere fraction of the time she had taken to prepare.

With a snarl, she lashed out at the mirror before her and raked her spike-like claws across the glass, creating a hollow shriek that echoed for an eternity in the ceaseless void and left deep gouges in her wake; flecks of blood dripped to the ground from her wounded fingers, but she ignored them. She had only herself to blame, really. While she saw much of herself in the Jester girl, she clearly was not up to the task of being her unwitting pawn in her game for power – a mistake she should have learned the first time she played the Jester line like the chess pieces they were. After all, how could a mere joker stand up to her own flesh and blood, her own raw and dark power?

Her attention was suddenly caught and a sinister smile slowly slithered across her lips when she watched the boy finally break away from Cardilia's daughter to dance with her own miserable regret for an offspring. If there was anything that could draw her out of her self loathing and brooding, it was the boy. He was mildly attractive and the few times she had managed to catch bits and pieces of conversation between him and his ever expanding harem made her chuckle with amusement; she found herself drawn to him

Or more specifically, to the watch upon his wrist.

The salvation of Wonderland was indeed setback that had cost her several years and would most likely cost her several more, but she didn't care. She followed an "open door" philosophy in which she would take advantage of whatever opportunity presented itself to her while simultaneously crushing anyone or anything that stood in her way and it hadn't failed her yet; like the spider that had so patiently spun its web to ensnare the hapless fly, she could wait and bide her time before such an opportunity itself. And when she escaped, the boy and his watch would be hers.

"Cast your spells and revel in your newfound power, my precious _daughter_ ," she couldn't but give a sadistic grin as she watched her being spun around and dipped by the boy. "You may think goodness is all that is to be found in your heart, but I can see through your facade. You'll be back to your true self in due time."

With a short intake of calming breath, she tentatively placed her fingers upon the mirror before her and begun to mutter words too soft to be heard in a tongue from an era long forgotten. The tips of her digits began to warm at an alarming rate and were soon a scorching white hot to the touch; wisps of smoke curled forth from the mirror while her deep, mauve eyes ignited like a pair of coals, her chanting getting louder and louder. At the climax of the spell she had invoked, she thrust her hand into the mirror so that her palm now lay against its smooth surface mere moments before a surge of power burst forth from her fingertips and shattered the mirror into a million pieces with a precise and destructive blast.

The startled screams of a certain young prince whose hand mirror had exploded mere inches from his face bringing a malicious smile to her lips that quickly distorted into a twisted cackle. A glance back at the broken shards brought forth an itching sensation from the back of her mind, stronger than it had ever been in nearly thirteen years. "Enjoy your peace, insolent boy. But like George the Triumphant, you too, are destined to fail."

* * *

With the sneer of a smile plastered upon her alabaster features, she returned back within the darkness of her prison realm to resume her escape attempts. They were potentiality futile, but it was all that was keeping her from going insane when the world on the other side of the looking glass was too boring for her liking.

Perhaps that was the one good thing that came out of her failed scheme. If there was one place that was never boring, it was Wonderland.

The festivities had lasted long into the night with no end in sight and it was only when the furthermost reaches of the sun's warm, comforting glow had only just begun to creep over the edges of the horizon and turned the sky a soft potpourri of magentas and rosettes. By then, most of the guests had taken their leave – those that weren't tipsy and passed out under a rose bush, that is – and a vast majority of the students that had unexpectedly shown up at the party had been safely escorted home by the two Guardians of Wonderland and a fair number of the queen's own men.

Those that had been invited to remain – namely the Seven Saviors of Wonderland – had been offered room and board for the night and to join the queen for a mid-morning brunch when their exhausted bodies deemed they had had enough rest. There had been some unexpected resistance however – although, perhaps not _that_ expected – from Ben's harem of worried ghouls and girls who hadn't taken to the idea of being separated from their boyfriend again too kindly. They refused to leave until the Queen of Hearts had offered to accommodate them as well in order to prevent a flat out war between the harem as a whole and her own men – not that she had any doubts on who would win.

"This is a pretty clawsome suite, huh?"

"I suppose."

Venus pressed her lips as she came to a rest upon the bed she had been jumping up and down on in an attempt to excite her ghoulfriend. The room was incredibly lavish and well decorated, like one of the many palaces in Mosscow, and yet it was very simple in design as well – the suite consisted mostly of a single room that was a comfortable combination of a bedroom with a queen-sized canopy bed and a living room with an effusive sofa and plasma screen TV hanging off the wall, among other things. A wonderfully large bathroom sat adjacent to the main room and contained perhaps the biggest bathroom Venus ever seen.

And yet, Jane didn't seem the slightest bit impressed with the decor. She simply just lay there on her back, starring up at the ceiling as if she were lost in thought.

"Are you still upset that the Queen of Hearts thought you were her pet?" the plant-monster ghoul asked.

"A little."

She was quickly running out of ideas at what could possibly be ailing her ghoulfriend. "You seem to be taking Ben's sudden marriage rather well."

"I suppose. It's still a little surprising."

"Yeah. Surprising." Venus mused as she flopped down on the bed, making the mattress bounce and roll as a result. The plant-monster ghoul turned on her side carefully looked at her ghoulfriend, noting how she hadn't reacted in the slightest to the slow motion; whatever was on her mind really seemed to have her captivated. "Jane, what's wrong? You're usually not like this."

The jungle ghoul gave a disheartened sigh and starred at the roof of the canopy bed a little longer, as if contemplating how to best word her feelings. After a few minutes of silent consideration, she eventually rolled over on her side – taking a moment to appreciate how comfortable and soft the mattress was – and looked at Venus with those pair of faded, azure eyes that rolled and pulsed like a storm across the twilight sky. "It's my . . . transformation." she finally admitted.

"You mean when you turned into a Jabberwocky?" the green-skinned ghoul cocked an eyebrow. "Couldn't you already do that?"

Jane shook her head. "No, no I couldn't. Traditionally, I was capable of transforming into various animals through my own monster biology and into animals of extraterrestrial origin through the Nemetrix; I've never transformed into creatures who are often disregarded as myth and legend."

"Have you tried before?" Venus asked.

Once again, the jungle ghoul shook her head. "I have made attempts, but nothing of notable fruition." she replied, rolling back over on her back with a hand pinned behind her head and the other draped across her stomach. "When I first discovered my therianthropic capabilities, they were triggered by my emotional state of mind. Perhaps this sudden . . . evolution is brought about through the same process, but with anger instead of fear."

"And that scares you?" Venus asked.

" _. . . Yes . . ._ " the shape-shifter replied, her voice sounding frail and anxious. "It makes me wonder what I'm capable of, if anything else. You remember what happened when I first received the Nemetrix; what happens if I lose control again?"

The green-skinned ghoul did indeed remember the first time her ghoulfriend had encountered the Nemetrix. How could she forget the way her once juicy Sweet Mango had ruthlessly and relentlessly hunted them like simple prey, a predatory and primal propensity in her crimson glare? She still had nightmares of the incident every now and again – she always woke up in a cold sweat with breath clawing its way from the back of her throat at the mere memory of a monster wearing Jane's face like a macabre mask sinking her fangs into her flesh and raking her corpse with her claws dripping with blood from her last meal.

"Then we'll be there to help you!" the plant-monster ghoul pushed the thought of her darkest fears away. "If we did it before, we can do it again!"

"But what if you _can't_ help me? What if this time I'm too far gone to be saved? What if it's too late? What if-"

That was about as far as she got when Venus promptly grabbed her by the shoulders and silenced her with a kiss before she knew what was happening. At first, she was apprehensive and only dimly aware of the tempting motions that her ghoulfriend was making with her lips or the way she sensuously caressed her cheek and teased her with her tongue; it took several moments for her to slowly relax and melt into the green-skinned ghoul's embrace, their figures perfectly fitting together like two halves of a whole. She could almost feel her worries fade away when she felt Venus seductively dance her fingers along her spine, pressing their bodies together as if she were trying to force the two of them to fuse into one being.

Jane gave a comforted sigh as she was finally allowed to breath and made herself comfortable in her ghoulfriend's frame. "Thank you. I'm sorry I got worried."

The plant-monster ghoul couldn't help but smile as she calmly threaded her claws through the shape-shifter's mauve, twilight locks. "You could stand to worry less. Trust me, everything will be fine."

"I'd like to believe you, but there is one small problem . . ."

"What's that?"

"This bugger collar!" the jungle ghoul sat up and abruptly latched onto her neck with an iron-clad grip, tugging and yanking and clawing at her lavender skin in an effort to remove the collar that was tightly clasped around her throat. After a few futile minutes however, she eventually gave up and collapsed back on the bed with a frustrated sigh. "I still can't get it off and the queen has yet to remove it."

Venus merely gave a cat-like grin as she suddenly attacked her ghoulfriend, quickly mounting and straddling her before she could do anything. The plant-monster ghoul then proceeded to work a finger under Jane's collar and gave a sharp tug so that her face even with hers. A seductive smile crept across her lips as she hungrily examined her ghoulfriend with wantoning lust, her libidinous eyes tracing over every curve of her body – the way her panties hugged her hips and how her cute breasts trembled and quivered beneath her nightgown – and every beautiful detail, most notably the painful blush upon the jungle ghoul's face.

" _That's not a small problem,_ " she purred in the shape-shifter's ear, earning an anxious swallow. " _That's a big opportunity._ " Venus breathed warmly when she tilted her head down and deeply kissed her, igniting a fiery passion between them. Her claws had already made short work of the nightgown, effectively tearing it to shreds as she gently nibbled at Jane's collarbone and earned the whisper of a moan as a reward. With reckless abandon she ripped her top off and exposed her adorable, perky breasts before setting upon them with an ardor disposition . . .

* * *

Apple decided she was going to ignore the faint, hollowing thumping that was keeping her up. It would eventually lull her to sleep as she got use to it, and besides, there was absolutely no way in the name of the ancestor's that it was what she thought it was. It had to be the guards cleaning up after the party . . . yes, that had to be it. No doubt about it.

The repetitive and quickly tiring noise wasn't what was keeping her up though. With a sigh she sat up in bed and took a look at the guest room that she had been assigned to when the queen had offered them room and board for the night. It was exquisitely decorated and must have cost a fortune to build, much like the rest of Card Castle. An intricate pattern of spades and aces, diamonds and hearts made up the rug that covered much of the floor and a pair of king-sized beds were positioned opposite of one another opposing the door. A vanity had been placed adjacent to the door that led to the largest bathroom Apple had ever laid eyes on and a comfortable seating area consisting of two chairs and a love seat sat positioned around a plasma screen TV stationed on the wall.

The princess sighed, knowing that somewhere within the impregnable fortress that was Card Castle the Storybook of Legends was being heavily guarded until it could be returned to the Brothers Grimm when they made the journey back to Ever After in the morning. Part of her was glad that the book had been recovered with minimal consequences and that her destiny was safely secured, and yet another part of her found discomfort in the book's retrieval. Why did it feel like she suddenly had a ball and chain clamped around her leg and weighing her down?

"Hey, Raven?"

There was the sound of rustling sheets as the young witch stirred and rolled over in her bed, unwilling to get out from her spot beneath the warm, soft covers after the day she had. "Yeah?" she grumbled sleepily.

"Sorry if I woke you." Apple apologized.

The witchling yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Don't worry about it. What's the matter? Is this about Clawdeen and Lizzie?"

The princess swallowed nervously. Up until a few hours ago, she had never seen such tension between two opposing parties, not even in the days following the Legacy Day Incident. It seemed the moment that the wedding proposal had been accepted, a silent battle had been ignited between Lizzie and Clawdeen the likes of which she had never seen. The two of them would continuously send each other threatening and increasingly violent looks and gestures behind Ben's back, immediately pretending as if nothing had happened whenever he would turn back around. It was a little unsettling and they likely would have been at each others' throats within seconds had she and the rest of the harem done everything in their power to intervene.

It seemed a confrontation was inevitable.

"No, no, it's not that." Apple hesitated for a moment. "Do . . . do you think I made the right decision?"

"Is this about the Storybook of Legends?" Raven asked.

"Yeah."

The young witch sighed. "I don't know, Apple." she replied. "I mean, if this was entirely about you or if everyone was ready to follow their destiny at the drop of a hat, then, yeah, you made the right choice. But we both know it's not that simple."

"That's why I'm so hung up on this," the Daughter of Snow White with frustration. "A queen is supposed to do everything in her power to make sure that her subjects are as happy as possible in order to ensure that her kingdom thrives."

"But you're _not_ a queen. Not yet at least." Raven pointed out. "You're too concerned with what was and what might be. There's a saying my dad always told me: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is gift. That's why it's called the 'present'. For now, the book is safe and if you end up changing your mind about the whole destiny thing, then you don't have to sign. Simple as that."

"But Headmaster Grimm-"

The witchling waved it off. "Don't worry about him. He's just a narrow-minded old fart who can't stand anything in his life being new or different. Look, if things get nasty, I'll turn him into a chicken again . . . if Ben doesn't get to him first." she promised.

Apple still remained skeptical. After all, before the whole destiny conflict had reared its ugly head, she and the headmaster had been quite close. Always eager and ready to practice her skills as a future ruler, she would take over morning announcements if he was running late and always did her best to try and soothe his frayed nerves whenever the Rebels would become a bit too rebellious for his liking or tolerance. And in return, he was kind and polite with her and would always be ready to aid should the need ever arise, a connection that had come in handy quite a few times. Even if he did manage to ruffle even the princess's feathers every now and again, she didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"Maybe you could be just a _little_ more gentle with him? I afraid sooner or later he's going to have an identity crisis after all the transformations he's been through." she asked hopefully

"I make no promises," Raven yawned with what might have been the ghost of a smile as she rolled back over and snuffled further beneath the covers.

With the conversation apparently over, Apple made herself comfortable and attempted to fall asleep. After everything she had been through – all the chaos and madness and lack of any sensible logic – she just about ready to collapse from exhaustion. The party had left her particularly drained after she had been egged into a dance contest with Whisp – after reining victorious over Kitty – and failed miserably on her part, receiving a multitude of blisters as her only consolation prize. But even after her long and taxing day, the young monarch just couldn't find herself falling asleep.

Something was missing . . .

"Hey, Raven?"

The young witch groaned irritably. "Yeah?"

"Is it alright if I . . . um, sleep with you? I'm not use to sleeping without Ben anymore and . . . well, since we, uh, usually end up sleeping next to each other . . ."

The witchling gave pause, as if heavily contemplating the princess's request like how a cat contemplated the very thought of swimming. Eventually however, the rustling of sheets as she reluctantly scooted over yielded an answer. "Alright. Just try not to move around too much."

Apple did as she was asked and hastily gathered up her pillow and bed sheets before nimbly tip-toeing over to Raven's bed in an effort to make as little noise as possible – somehow she got the feeling that she was already asking a little too much and the young witch was tolerating her out of guilt. She then went about placing her pillow at the head of the bed and draping the blankets and covers over the two of them while she bedded down and made herself comfortable.

"Better?"

The princess made herself cozy under the covers, already feeling far more at ease with the young witch's presence close by. "Much. Thanks for doing this."

The Daughter of Evil Queen tensed up when she felt Apple's arms wrap around her in a grateful hug and did her best to try and suppress a whimper of pain when the young monarch's hands pressed a little too firmly on the scars that just barely lay hidden beneath the crimson nightgown she had been lent. Like the dying embers of a campfire, her wounds still burned after the intense battle she had been through and it took every fiber of her being to suddenly lash out in defense before the princess finally settled down.

"Good night, Raven."

"Good n-night, Apple."

* * *

"You're mom is starting to scare me."

"And just why is that?"

Ben frowned as he leaned against the door frame and made himself more comfortable. He could hear Lizzie splashing about in the absolutely enormous bathroom on the other side of the door and did his best to try and distract himself by looking around at the princess's bedroom. The walls were painted a soft maroon in color with a golden trimming and were decorated with pictures of more personal value – such as the small, family portrait that hung just juxtapose to the closet door. The floor was a covered in a fine, soft white carpet with a few rugs that were patterned to be like king and queen playing cards. A large wardrobe stood against the wall opposite of the walk-in closet door and a grand, queen-sized canopy bed with red covers, white sheets and pillows, and pink curtains stood proudly as the room's focal point.

"We've been married less than six hours and she's already pressing us into grandchildren." he replied.

There was a slight pause from the bathroom. "You'll have to forgive mother. She can be a tad . . . eager."

Ben scoffed. " _Eager?_ She practically _begged_ me to come to your family's private hot springs! I mean, I get that we're now technically family, but that's getting a little too up close and personal, if you ask me."

"She's just trying to be friendly, Ben. You have to remember, what might not be social acceptable in Ever After is likely just as acceptable and perhaps even encouraged here in Wonderland. And rest assured, my father and I would have been there to prevent her from possibly making any rash actions that might make you uncomfortable which, I assure you, would likely not happen." Lizzie attempted to comfort her husband.

" _Likely_ being the operative word, I might add." a classy tone bit a remark.

The brunette scowled and glowered at the Slimebiote upon his wrist. "Ever heard the saying 'two's company, but three's a crowd'?"

"Not at all. Please, what does it mean?" Skurd rolled his eyes with a sarcastic drawl.

Ben sighed tiredly. "Scram. Vamoose. High tail it out of here. Beat it. Make yourself scarce. That ring a bell?"

" _Mmmm_ . . . I don't think so. Perhaps you should make yourself more clear and speak with a little more diction. Your species does have a tendency to mumble despite your habit of rendering yourselves deaf with each passing generation."

The wielder of the Omnitrix groaned with exasperation. "Can you leave me alone? I hear Maddie and Kitty are having a tea party in their dorm."

" _Mmmm_ , sounds tempting. But afraid I can't leave until you ask me _properly._ "

Now he was starting to remember why a part of him was happy that the Slimebiote had left him to reunite with his ancestors in their original mission of seeding life across all of creation. " _Please_ can you leave me alone?" he tried, nearly at the end of his rope.

"Really, was that so hard?" Skurd asked as he detached himself from his host's arm and hopped down to the floor. "Remember, keep it clean, you lovebirds! I had better not find you two _au naturel_ when I return!" he added while he slithered across the floor and proceeded to squeeze himself out beneath the door frame with a slight _pop!_

The brunette breathed with relief as he slid down the wall to the floor. " _Finally._ "

"Ben? I'm ready to get out." Lizzie suddenly called from the bathroom.

He immediately flushed a bright red as he pushed himself back up against the wall and climbed to his feet. "You're . . . um . . . _covered_ , right?"

"What, the Great Ben Tennyson is afraid to see a young lady in the nude?" the princess scoffed from the other side of the bathroom door. "Besides, I thought you mentioned that you've seen a lady's unmentionables multiple times?" she added with what he could only assume to be a sly and possibly enticing smile.

"We barely know each other and we're already married." the wielder of the Omnitrix tried to argue.

"That didn't stop you from proposing and that didn't stop me from accepting, now did it?"

After trying and failing to come up with a witty comeback that didn't have the potential to insult his temperamental wife, he finally surrendered – he could almost hear a taunting remark from Skurd in his head. "Alright, fine. I'm coming in."

Thankfully, Lizzie had managed to haul herself onto the lip of the gigantic bathtub that took up a generous portion of the private bathroom and wrapped a black towel around herself. A playful wink was all it took to turn Ben's face a scarlet red as he let her wrap her arms around his neck while he placed his hands under her back and hooked them under her legs. Carrying her bridal style and dripping water all over the floor, he then carefully set her down in her wheelchair and pushed her out of the bathroom.

Normally, a pair of hand maidens would have helped the princess bathe and prepare herself to look her very best for the day, but Lizzie had insisted that they leave all of that up to her and her husband in order to help them bond more. That, and she didn't really like the idea of anyone else but Ben helping her get around while her legs were out of commission; for the first time in her life, it made her feel weak and helpless. It wasn't so bad when her husband was the one helping her instead of a complete stranger that she didn't have much emotional attachment to – it was actually quite enjoyable to see him all flustered, knowing all that separated him from seeing her in all her naked glory was a mere towel.

"You're dressing yourself." Ben stated firmly as they came to a stop at her walk-in closet.

"My, my, are we a little shy?" Lizzie smirked while she pulled open the door and wheeled herself inside, leaving her husband to wait outside.

"It's not that," the brunette defended himself. "Like I said before, we barely know each other and we're already married. I'd kinda like to know more about my wife before I . . . _do_ anything with her."

He could almost taste the smugness in her voice. "That's not what you said when you proposed to me."

"Alright, then answer me this: why do you love me?"

There was a pause, as if he had finally managed to dull the princess's sharp and quick witted tongue. "You promised to me that we would save my mother without a second thought or concern for your safety. You comforted me and stuck by me in my darkest hours when I thought that we had failed. You protected me with your life and never gave up on me or your loved ones when all hope seemed lost. Most other people I know would have given up at some point, but you . . . you never did. And somewhere along the line, through everything we'd been through together . . . I fell in love with you."

"Like Alice down the rabbit hole, eh?" Ben chuckled, trying hard to keep himself from turning red.

"I suppose that's one way of putting it." he could almost hear her smile. "Now it's your turn. Why did you fall in love with me?"

Now the brunette was no longer laughing and was, in fact, very nervous; like any man, he didn't like to talk about his feelings a lot. "Well . . ." he swallowed dryly. "You're very beautiful . . . and smart. You don't let anyone tell you what to do unless you want them to . . . you're strong, you're a fighter, you refuse to back down from any challenge . . . and did I mention that you make scars and bruises look gorgeous?"

"I bet you say that to all your girls." the princess teased him with a slight laugh.

"You're the first one I'm married to that I said that to. Well, first one that I'm officially married to anyways."

There was another pause from the young monarch. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Ben immediately tensed up and gulped nervously, his heart hammering in his chest. "Um . . . did I forget to mention that . . . I'm already . . . kinda . . . married?" he winced. "We aren't . . . _exactly_ married, but in her culture we might as well be. Her species has this whole . . . 'soulmate' thing . . . and stuff . . ."

There was yet another lengthy pause, only furthering his anxiety. "What species is she?"

"Um . . . a dragon?"

A fourth pause. By now the brunette was getting increasingly agitated. It was almost funny how effortlessly he had starred down common criminals, self-proclaimed super villains, psychopathic maniacs, rampaging monsters, and intergalactic conquerors without batting an eye and yet he was practically a crumbling mess when it came to the opinion of his harem. Maybe that was just a side effect now that the fact that he was _married_ was beginning to sink in.

Mercifully, the young monarch gave a response. "She's sounds like an interesting individual."

Ben was slightly taken aback by this. "Wait, hold up. Let me get this straight. I'm married to you and you're married to me, but I'm also married to someone else, a dragon no less. And you're _okay_ with this? _Did I miss something!?_ " he shouted with disbelief.

"Relax, Ben. Based on your interactions together, it was inevitable that you would end up getting married to your ghouls some day. Besides, even if I am a princess whose family has a reputation for always getting what they want, I _was_ taught to share. Even if that means sharing a man between . . . how many members of your harem are there?" Lizzie rolled her eyes as she came wheeling out of the walk-in closet wearing a red corset with white lace and black ribbons and a pair of ruby panties under a soft, maroon nightgown with black bows at the straps and breast.

"To be honest, I stopped keeping track after Kevin, Rook, and half the Plumber base and Monster High student body started taking bets." the brunette awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Last I checked, there were twenty-four, counting you."

"You sure do get around, don't you?" the princess laughed while her husband wheeled her over to the bed. "I know Sparrow would give _anything_ to be in your shoes. He'd be living his greatest fantasy."

Ben scoffed when she looped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands under her back and legs, lifting her up from the wheelchair and carrying her bridal style. "Knowing my ghouls, it'd be more like his greatest nightmare. He'd be torn to shreds in less than a minute." he laughed at the idea while he laid Lizzie down on the bed.

"Coming to bed, _dear?_ " the Daughter of the Queen of Hearts beckoned to him with a finger and hungry grin.

"That's your new favorite word, isn't it?" Ben remarked as he took off his top hat and slipped off his suit vest. He then went about kicking off his shoes and socks and then stripping his pants off, leaving him only in his black boxers and the Omnitrix upon his wrist. "And you can stop drooling."

"What can I say? I like how it rolls off the tongue." the princess sheepishly wiped her lips as her husband and stretched as far as his injuries would allow him before climbed into bed beside her and made himself comfortable. The brunette sighed as the soft, plush mattress soothed his aching muscles and cradled his broken body and felt a smile of contentment across his face when he felt her snuggle up to him.

The young monarch sighed. "I could get use to this."

"Me, too, babe."

A bewitching smile crawled across her lips as Lizzie rolled over and slowly walked her fingers across his chest. "Say it again. Call me your 'babe'."

"Whatever you say, _babe._ " Ben purred as he rolled over and pecked her on the cheek with a lascivious grin to her own. The princess's arm slid over his chest like a snake slithering over a well worn rock, pulled herself closer until they mere inches apart, and took his lips in her own with a fiery passion unlike anything she had ever experienced. Without hesitation, Lizzie dipped her tongue past his lips and forced her way through his defenses, immediately taking control of the situation while she dug her fingers into his scalp.

Even when she thought she thought she had a handle on the situation, the young monarch found herself surprised yet again by the man she had come to call her husband. She found herself moaning uncontrollably when the brunette raked his fingers through her fluid, crimson and ebony locks and tightly wrapped his arm around her, his fingers dancing along her spine and sending ripples of pleasure through her entire body. He fought back with such intensity and longing that Lizzie found herself hard pressed to keep up and was almost to the point of simply letting him take full control of the situation.

But what kind of future queen would she be if she gave in so easily?

Undeterred, she fought back fiercely, tightly cupping Ben's face and crashing their lips together like a pair of cymbals, as if she were trying to force her way down his throat. She could feel his arms tighten around her like the coils of an anaconda, his arm strongly gripping the back of her head while he kissed her deeply; her breasts were mashed against his chest, creating a pleasant buzzing feeling in her core. The princess shifted herself about and succeeded in wedging her knee into his crotch where she felt a satisfying bulge between his legs and gave a muffled squeal of surprise when she felt Ben's hand unexpected grab her ass and squeeze; a jolt of pleasure ran through her like a lightning strike.

By the time the two of them finally reached a draw, they were completely breathless and glowing a fiery, red mantle as they settled down. With a purr of equanimity, Lizzie rested her head in the crook of his neck and wrapped a trembling arm over his chest, the fainting thumping of his mighty heart lulling her into slumber. Likewise, her slowing breath eased him into repose and left him barely conscious to breath but a set of words before he finally gave in to his exhaustion.

" _I love you . . ._ "

" _I love you, too . . ._ "

* * *

M.N: _And so, all worked out well in the end . . . wait, what? How did that happen?_

F.N: _I . . ._ _ **do**_ _seem to remember_ _ **you**_ _breaking the rules_ _ **big time**_ _, young lady!_

B.P: _Oh, come on! You two were completely off your rockers with Wonderland Fever! No one could have understood what you were saying! Besides, I'm not the only one who broke the rules! Turner did, too!_

F.N: _Is this true, young man?_

T.P: _Um . . . yes?_

M.N: _To be fair, dear, they were just doing their job the best way they knew how . . ._

F.N: _*sigh* I suppose you're right. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you two broke the rules!_

B.P: _We_ _ **did**_ _interfere with the story, but if you want to blame anyone, blame me. Turner only narrated the story . . . I was the one who interacted with it . . ._

F.N: _Brooke Novella Page-_

B.P: _But I'm glad I did! I care about these guys, mom, more than you could even know! They're the closest thing I have to friends! And just like they want to make their own choices in life . . . I want to make mine, too . . ._

M.N: _Alright. Just be mindful of how you choose. If you're not careful, you could end up right there on the page._

B.P: _We wouldn't want that, would we?_

F.N: _You can't be serious._

M.N: _Dear, as parents, it is our duty to support Brooke in whatever she chooses to do with her life. It's our job to merely guide her, not live her life for her._

F.N: _Alright . . . but I expect you to make wise decisions, young lady!_

B.P: _I will, mom! I will! Thank you!_

T.P: _And that's probably my cue to leave. Love to stay and chat, but I got some classes to get back to before my professor yells at me for being late again._

F.N: _Again?_

T.P: _Oh, would you look at the time? Gotta run!_

B.P: _Wait, Turner!_

T.P: _What?_

B.P: _. . . thanks for being my brother . . ._

T.P: _Anytime, sis. Anytime._

* * *

 **As a wise man once said . . . _IT'S ABOUT TIME, AM I RIGHT!?_**

 _ **'For once, I agree with you Four-Eyes? It took you so long to post this stupid /censored/ chapter that I had enough time to finish my taco tanks!'**_

 **If there's one thing I've learned when dealing with our readers, Wade, is that you can never have too much of something.**

 _ **'You're right! How could I be so foolish? Clearly, I need more taco tanks! And a burrito battalion! And a salsa squad to do all the dirty work behind the scenes in exchange for time off their life sentences! And if they don't do what I tell them to do, I K-word them into next week!'**_

 **I think someone might have beaten you to the punch.**

 _ **'That may be, but did they ever try it with delicious delicacies of Mexican origin?'**_

 **No . . .**

 _ **'Ah-HA! The dream still lives!'**_

 _ **Creaty, I'm starting to get hungry. Can we order takeout?**_

 **You read my mind, babe. Just let me wrap up here while you place an order at Tartarus Bell. Give me half a dozen beef tacos with as many nachos as they have in stock drowned in the spiciest salsa they can afford. And put it on ol' Hothead's tab. He owes me a favor.**

 _ **Yay!**_

 **Now then, as I'm sure you all already know, this chapter is beyond late. I'd give you a full explanation now, but I am currently deprived of sleep, food, and entertainment as I vowed myself that I would not rest until I posted this for you all. That unfortunately means that I've neglected a vast majority of my other projects in the meantime, as well as people that I regularly talk to and readers that I collaborate with or have conversations with. If you want the full explanation, look at my Deviantart account for answers, but I'll be spending the next week or so catching up with y'all, so hang in there!**

 **I guess I really don't have much else to say other than thank you for sticking with me, even if I have a regular habit of disappearing off the face of the Underworld every now and again. Now that I'm no longer following a strict script, I can _hopefully_ assume that updates will be faster . . . until I hit Dragon Games that is . . . ooh, boy . . .**

 **With that being said, I-**

 _ **~They call me Deadpool, I'm hella fast, came to merc the bad guys and get some /censored/! Got blades for days, got guns galore, got combo moves, evades and more with bear traps and hand grenades, pull the pistol like a maniac, right in your face! Poppin' off caps, leave a trail of guts sittin' on my chair, scratching ma nuts!~**_

 **What the-**

 _ **Wade!**_

 _ **'HAH! I told you I would play my theme song one way or another! Score one for the Chimichanga King! Ha-HAH!**_

 _ **You have to admire his persistence . . . and dance moves . . .**_

 **And complete disregard for people's sanity. _*sigh*_ Well, I guess that's as good of a place as any to sign off. As always, comment, review, suggest, and request down below!**

 _ **'Yeah! Yeah! Uh, huh! Get down with your bad self! And by your bad self, I mean my bad self, and by my bad self, I mean me!'**_

 _ **Hasta Luego!**_

 **See what kind of hell I have to live through?**


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